Monday Motivation #7: Plates, Puddles, and Paradigm Shifts

As I sat down to write this week's #MondayMotivation, a memory from my childhood flashed before my eyes. I remembered sitting cross-legged on the floor, sharing a plate with my sister, our fingers sticky with rajma (Kidney beans) and rice. It's funny how the simplest memories can spark the deepest thoughts. This week, I found myself on a journey through stories that challenged my perspectives and made me reconsider the very fabric of progress, culture, and our place in this complex world.

Three Things to Read:

Reading Hannah Ritchie 's piece filled me with an unexpected sense of hope. In a world where environmental news often feels doom-laden, this success story was like a breath of fresh air. Ritchie's observation struck me:

Richer countries, such as those across Europe and North America, are not only located where ozone depletion is higher, but their populations are also more likely to be vulnerable to risks such as skin cancer, due to skin colour. There was therefore strong incentive for the world’s largest producers of ozone-depleting substances to take action... This is not the case with climate change: those at greatest risk of climate impacts are typically the world’s poorest, and do not have the resources to adapt. Those who contribute least to greenhouse gas emissions are those who have the most to lose. The incentives to preserve the status quo are flipped.

Nimi Techi T 's article is food for thought, literally, and hit close to home. As I read, I could almost hear my teacher's voice in my boarding school, gently chiding me to "eat like a guy." The author's words resonated deeply:

If we were caught doing that, one of the matrons would immediately say, ‘Don’t eat like a junglee.’ Being called a junglee is something that one wishes to avoid, even as a kid. It didn’t hurt less than it does now. So naturally, from eating off the same plate with my parents and siblings in a tribal household, where my father would chew the meat first to soften it before hand-feeding it to us, I transformed into a ‘civilised’ girl who knew her table manners and learnt noiseless chewing.

I found myself reflecting on my own journey - how many rich, beautiful traditions have I unknowingly left behind in my pursuit of 'civility'? It's a bittersweet realization, one that's prompted me to delve even deeper how political food actually is.

Nathaniel Raymond and Trevor Smith article on emergency aid's growing reliance on corporations left me with a knot in my stomach. As someone who works in the public policy space, I've seen firsthand this struggle. The question posed in the article haunted me:

Are we choosing where we work based on need alone, or is it dictated by the availability of tech? That’s exactly what’s happening if the tech firms that humanitarians partner with won’t work in certain areas. Are humanitarians clear about how the data they collect and store is being used by our corporate partners? We fear the answers to these important questions, and so many others, are different for every organisation.

Two Things to Watch/Listen:

Swimming has been banned in Seine river for over a century. However, Paris spent $ 1.5bn on an infrastructure project to make it safe for open swimming events at Summer Olympics this year.

Test results published just four months ahead of the games showed that river samples taken at this bridge, the site of open water swimming events, still failed to get under that crucial 1,000 number for permissible levels of E. coli. You can see where this contamination is coming from by taking a look at this 1852 map. Showing how the original Paris sewer system was built. It dumps right into the Seine. Which is gross. But it's not a problem that's unique to Paris. Many urban sewer systems work this way.

Watching Vox 's video in this current monsoon season, I was transported back to my school days in my hometown. I remember wading through knee-deep water, my book bag held high above my head, trying to make it to an exam. Do we even know what's the levels of E. coli in the flood water?

One of my favourite podcast these days is Things That Go Boom by Inkstick Media . I recently discovered it when Cynthia Enloe was a guest. Claire Duncanson and Carol Cohn dived beautifully into how feminist policy-making can help us tackle climate crisis better.

I think most people when they hear the word feminist the question that they think you're asking is essentially who is being included and who is being excluded? Are women here or aren't they here? Are women being heard or aren't they being heard? But feminist approaches ask another question as well which is what is missing? What is being excluded? What isn't being paid attention to or being valued or thought important?

One Thing to Ponder:

The Aeon essay on intelligence by Abigail Desmond and Michael Haslam pushed me further down the rabbit hole of reconsidering our place in the world. I found myself lying awake at night, imagining the world through the eyes of a peacock mantis shrimp.

A focus on behaviours that resemble ours often plasters over much more interesting questions. What might success look like to a tardigrade, or a pigeon, or a horseshoe crab? Would a peacock mantis shrimp, able to see an almost unfathomable array of colours (as well as polarised light) and strike with incredible force while generating ultrasonic cavitation bubbles, be moved by our ability to beat them at checkers?

This thought experiment has been both humbling and exhilarating. It's made me approach my work with a newfound sense of wonder and openness to different perspectives.

Bonus (Subscriber Suggestion):

The TED video by Victoria Pratt on judicial compassion reminded me of a conversation I had with Ridhima S. (who also shared this video) days ago. She had mentioned the emotional toll of her work, and now I understand why.

I was once told that an attorney who worked there referred to the defendants as "the scum of the earth" and then had to represent them. I would hear things from folks like, "Oh, how could you work with those people? They're so nasty. You're a judge, not a social worker." But the reality is that as a society, we criminalize social ills, then sent people to a judge and say, "Do something."

It's made me reflect on what judicial justice means? Are we quick to condemn, or do we take the time to understand the complexities of each situation?

Few Opportunities

• Social Policy Specialist (Social Protection), UNICEF Regional Office for South Asia, Nepal
• Policy Manager (Education), J-PAL South Asia, India
• Senior Chevening Programme Officer, Foreign Commonwealth & Development Office, India
• Affiliate Fundraising Training Consultant (Part-Time), Wikimedia Foundation, Remote
• Co-Lead, Pacific Feminist Fund, Remote (Pacific)

As I wrap up this newsletter, I feel a mix of emotions - hope, curiosity, and a renewed commitment to broadening my perspectives. The week has been a journey of self-reflection, challenging me to question my assumptions and inspiring me to work towards positive change in my own sphere of influence.

What are you reading, watching, or pondering this week? Share your recommendations in the comments – I'd love to hear what's fuelling your fire!        

Until next week, keep questioning, keep learning, and keep pushing for the change you want to see in the world.