Daily Reads-54 (Level-2)

Reading Suggestion-1

Article Name: A mad world
Author Name: Joseph Pierre
Source: Aeon
Category: Science

Summary for this article

Joseph Pierre, a professor of psychiatry, in this article tries to explain his readers of why the fear and stigma related to the field of psychiatry is not true at all.

A large part of the population believe that psychiatrists think everyone is crazy and they always tend to treat the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) as their bible putting diagnostic labels to every patient as prescribed; without really approaching this from a practical stand point. Hence the ordinary person becomes very reluctant to seek a psychiatrist’s guidance.

But that’s not the case, says the writer. A good psychiatrist never really treats the DSM as his/her holy book and prescribe long lists of steroids and drugs to his/her patients for the sake of business. Instead he draws upon clinical experience to gain empathic understanding of each patient’s story, and then offers a tailored range of interventions to ease the suffering, whether it represents a disorder or is part of normal life.

Words to learn from this article:

Idiosyncrasy: An unusual way of behaving or thinking
Foible: A minor flaw in one’s character
Oxymoronic: A combination of contradictory words
Conspiratorially: An evil plan formulated by a group of people
Pharmacotherapy: treatment of disease by drugs
Clamor: To make a loud noise

Reading Suggestion-1: Click to read full article

Reading Suggestion-2

Article Name: Why not put music at the heart of education?
Author name: Stephen Moss
Source: The guardian
Category: Music

Summary for this article:

A child is never too young to start a relationship with music, says the author. He starts by saying that how Corbyn, a candidate for General elections in his manifesto had quoted that there will be a chance for every child to learn a musical instrument. How Finland has music in its curriculum since the beginning, and how beautifully they have been revering the classical music.

As per the author, imbibing the habit of learning a musical instrument not only enhances the child’s life but also gives a greater sense of happiness by giving the learner access to a new world and new language – the music language. Author also says that how he had missed the golden opportunity of learning music at home had affected him so deeply. Because of this regret he made his son join into a piano class.
In sum, putting music at the heart of education will improve children’s lives and, slowly but surely improve all our lives, by making classical music seem relevant, necessary and intoxicating.

Words to learn from this article:

Evangelism: It’s the enthusiastic sharing of a religious belief
Condemnation: the act of declaring something awful or evil
Repertoire: It is the full supply of what you can do. A singer’s repertoire is all the songs that she can sing. A chef’s repertoire is all that she can cook.

Reading Suggestion-2: Click to read full article

Reading Suggestion-3

Article Name: Between Everywhere and Nowhere
Author Name: Brend Brunner
Source: Bloomberg
Category: Travel Literature

Summary for this article:

The writer starts by describing how a Frenchman who was under house arrest made the best use of his circumstance and started touring about his room for 42 days and wrote a book on it. This experience taught him to see the world with new eyes also giving travel a new definition.

The writer now questions if this account is relevant today after more than hundred years. The obsession with minute details holds good even today

The author now talks about his favourite essay by Natalia Ginzburg, titled “Clueless travelers” , in which the Italian writer describes people who just can’t travel and take refuge at the hotel when arriving on foreign soil. According to the writer the reason for anyone to travel is manifold.

He now describes the nineteenth month trip of Nicolas Bouvier and his Swiss friend. The author goes on to say that how times have changed and today, although with the advent of the internet things have become smoother yet fear and uncertainty are reshaping the landscape of travel

Has the idealist world-wide travel gone? Asks the author. Maybe, but he still loves traveling to a new place and learning their language. According to Andre Aciman, the writer of the essay “the Contrafactual traveler” home is always elsewhere.

For Paul Theroux, something seems to have changed. His passion for the foreign appears to have been lost after witnessing the the depressing circumstances on his trip to Africa that forced him to return back mid-way.

The author concludes by saying that till the world gets normal let’s stay and be comfortable at our own home stating reasons from Pierre Bayard Freud and other psychiatrists.