Words That Make Us

Two teachers from very different cultural backgrounds share their thoughts on the power and impact of words in shaping our identities, beliefs and experiences. Each episode focuses on a different word and through a range of readings, poems and texts the pair explore how these words have had an impact on their thoughts, emotions and actions.

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Episodes

Tuesday Feb 27, 2024

In this episode of the “Words That Make Us” podcast, Rama and Tony explore the premise of “Reputation”. They kick off by reading a poem by Emily Dickenson about being a nobody. They discuss their different understandings of the term “reputation”. Is reputation the same as fame? Is it synonymous with “ego”? What role do different societies play in shaping one’s reputation and good standing? What does religion say about slander? Is public shaming ever acceptable? 
 
Monica Lewinsky’s TED Talk: https://www.ted.com/talks/monica_lewinsky_the_price_of_shame/transcript
 
I’m Nobody! Who are you? 
https://allpoetry.com/I'm-nobody!-Who-are-you-
If you have any ideas, suggestions or feedback, please send us email at: wordsthatmakeus@gmail.com

4. Words That Make Us: Failure

Tuesday Feb 20, 2024

Tuesday Feb 20, 2024

In this episode of the "Words That Make Us" podcast, listen to Tony and Rama discuss the topic of “Failure”. Listen to them as they define different aspects and connotations of failure, discuss who has the biggest effect on whether children succeed or fail, and why we feel shame when we fail.
If you want to check out some of the readings on this episode you might find them here:
Defeat by Khalil Gibran:
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/58713/defeat-56d23d566b4c3
Waiting for love by Avicii:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ncIVUXZla8
Success after failure in businesses:
https://www.business.com/articles/never-giving-up-9-entrepreneurs-and-millionaires-who-failed-at-least-once/
Failure by Amos Russel Wells:
https://pickmeuppoetry.org/failure-by-amos-russel-wells/
If you have any ideas, suggestions or feedback, please send us email at: 
wordsthatmakeus@gmail.com

Friday Feb 02, 2024

In this episode of the "Words That Make Us" podcast, listen to Tony and Rama discuss the topic of “AGEING”. They discuss how different people, genders and cultures (including the Blue Zones) experience ageing. They explore the Japanese concept of Ikigai and how everyone can adopt it. Expect to learn another (less inspiring) Japanese term–Kodokushi. The conversation takes a brief dark detour but ends on a high. 
 
Kaitlin Moran’s article on being middle-aged:
https://www.redonline.co.uk/red-women/blogs/a34159053/caitlin-moran-middle-aged/
 
What Makes a Good Life? https://www.ted.com/talks/robert_waldinger_what_makes_a_good_life_lessons_from_the_longest_study_on_happiness?language=en
 
The BBC experiment on “reversing” ageing:
https://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/26/magazine/what-if-age-is-nothing-but-a-mind-set.html?_r=0
 
Growing Old by Matthew Arnold:
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/52311/growing-old
If you have any ideas, suggestions or feedback, please send us an email at: 
wordsthatmakeus@gmail.com
 

Thursday Feb 01, 2024

In this episode of the "Words That Make Us" podcast, listen to Tony and Rama continue talking about “SILENCE”. Prepare to hear about hormones, silence in relationships, melancholic silence, poetry by Khalil Gibran and poetry by Charlotte Brontë, whose poem leads them down a rabbit hole about music and toxic masculinity! You will like the last poem; it wraps everything up very neatly.
 
If you want to check out some of the things mentioned in this episode, try these links.
An attempt to explain the verse from the Quran: https://sunnahonline.com/library/women-and-islam/419-why-two-women-witnesses 
 
What this counselling website says about silence:
https://www.pathwaysprofessional.org/
 
John Cage’s “music”:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWVUp12XPpU
If you have any ideas, suggestions or feedback, please send us an email at: 
wordsthatmakeus@gmail.com
 
 

1. Words That Make Us: Silence

Tuesday Jan 30, 2024

Tuesday Jan 30, 2024

In this first episode of the "Words That Make Us" podcast, listen to Tony and Rama explore the topic of "SILENCE". They read you poems from different eras and backgrounds, discuss how Sufis regard silence in comparison to how it is regarded in Stoicism, all while reflecting on their own views on the different types of silence.
If you have any ideas, suggestions or feedback, please send us an email at: 
wordsthatmakeus@gmail.com
 

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