One of the hardest things about graduating is the fact that you are probably no longer surrounded by lots of young people eager to debate the world and its ways. Suddenly the most mental activity you have is working out the days until payday or working out what you can make with the ingredients in your fridge, and your brain makes a sound like a PC dialling up to a modem when it starts thinking. You try to console yourself with the fact that your parents and their peers wouldn’t know the first thing about the significance of the ass in that short story by relatively untranslated author Massimo Bontempelli and his ‘900 project, and that should old Massimo come into conversation you would be able to make some damn astute observations and probably sound very quick and witty too. But maybe it’s also a good idea to give your brain things to do, just so that you can move away from your dissertation and not live in the past like a jilted lover.
And, even if learning was never your thing, it can still be an unpleasant sensation when your brain starts turning to mush. If you’re craving some brain stimulation, then have a look at these links below.
RSA
As I’ve said on the ‘Too Much Choice’ page, the RSA Animate videos are all worth watching. Philosophers and thinkers make philosophy and thinking easier to swallow. They also have free public lectures which look very interesting.
Sheldrake on Shakespeare
James Sheldrake, with the voice most grown men wish they had, has recorded a series of 15 minute podcasts on Shakespeare’s plays. If you, like James, think that ‘the body of literature written by William Shakespeare is one of the best things about being alive,’ then take 15 and reassure yourself with the fact that you aren’t watching Australian Masterchef.
You can listen online, or better still, you can download them off iTunes for free!
TED
I’m always surprised when people don’t know about TED because I have watched so many of their videos that I feel like everyone must have. Their motto is ‘ideas worth spreading,’ and there are inspiring talks on everything from neuroscience to feminism, rap and robots. TED stands for Technology, Education, Design and it covers everything that falls in between.
My favourites:
Ken Robinson on How Schools Kill Creativity
Chimamanda Ngozi AdichIe on Why We Should All Be Feminists
Evelyn Glennie on How To Truly Listen
If you have more free learning experiences to recommend then please tell me which ones they are by emailing restoflifecrisis@gmail.com. Ta.
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