Darya Sinusoid

Darya’s love for reading started with fantasy novels (The LOTR trilogy is still her all-time-favorite). Growing up, however, she found herself transitioning to non-fiction, psychological, and self-help books. She has a degree in Psychology and a deep passion for the subject. She likes reading research-informed books that distill the workings of the human brain/mind/consciousness and thinking of ways to apply the insights to her own life. Some of her favorites include Thinking, Fast and Slow, How We Decide, and The Wisdom of the Enneagram.

Caste Book Club Questions: Reflect With 7 Exercises

Do you need book club questions for Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson? What are some of the key concepts and ideas to discuss? From casteism to white supremacy and racial prejudice, Caste has a wealth of discussion-worthy topics to talk about. The following Caste book club questions will help you explore its key messages by reflecting on your own place in the caste system. Here are five Caste book club questions that tackle the key themes from its historical narrative.

Learn From Your Mistakes: Essential Life Lessons

Why is it important to learn from your mistakes? How does ego prevent you from evaluating your mistakes honestly and dispassionately? Making mistakes is a part of life and no one is immune to it. What matters is that you don’t miss out on the opportunity to turn your blunders into valuable life lessons and learn from your mistakes. Read about why it is important to learn from your mistakes, even when they don’t end up tripping you up.

NVC Requests: Ask and You Shall Receive

What are NVC requests? How can NVC help you make sure that the other person understands the intentions and needs behind your request? People often request what they need from others in indirect ways. However, this approach is unlikely to result in our needs being met. In NVC, requests are expressed in a specific, action-oriented way as opposed to vague and indirect statements. Read more about NVC requests and how to use them.

The American Caste System: History and Structure

Does a caste system exist in the American society? What is the foundation of the American caste system? According to Isabel Wilkerson, the author of Caste, the American caste system was based on the arbitrary differences in people’s appearances, specifically skin color. The dominant caste used it as a parameter to stratify society and justify different treatment and living standards. Read about the structure and history of the American caste system.

Caste and Religion: Using Faith to Justify Discrimination

What is the connection between caste and religion? How does the dominant caste use religious belief systems to perpetuate its supremacist ideology? Caste and religion are deeply interconnected. More specifically, every caste system is built on and justified by religious beliefs. There is a reason for it—when a system is said to be the will of God, it becomes nearly impossible to argue the legitimacy of its claims. Learn about the connection between caste and religion with examples of how faith has been used to support caste systems in India and America.

Thomas Kuhn’s Philosophy of Science Explained

What is Thomas Kuhn’s philosophy of science? How did his ideas revolutionize the way scientists think about the development of science? The central tenet of Kuhn’s philosophy of science is the distinction between normal and revolutionary science. Normal science is a progressively cumulative compendium of knowledge within the established paradigms. Revolutionary science happens when there is a shift from the set paradigm. Read more to learn about Thomas Kuhn’s philosophy of science.

Observing Without Evaluating: What Does It Mean?

What does “observing without evaluating” mean? How can you apply this idea in practice? Observing without evaluating is the first step of the nonviolent communication approach. As the name suggests, it refers to communicating our observations without passing evaluative or moralistic judgment upon them. Read about observing without evaluating and how to apply it in practice.

How to Deal With Failure: Reframe It for Success

Do you have trouble moving on when life doesn’t go the way you wanted to? Do you wonder how to deal with failure more effectively? Failure will happen to each and every one of us in some form or another. When life throws curve balls at you, you may start to wonder about how to deal with failure—how to recover from it emotionally and put it behind you mentally. Read about how to deal with failure and bounce back from it better than before.

Racial Scapegoating: Blame the Minority

What is racial scapegoating? How does victim-blaming of the racial minorities contribute to reinforcement of the white supremacist ideology? Racial scapegoating is the practice of singling out a racial group for unmerited blame and the ensuing punishment. In doing so, the dominant caste feels relief that they’re not at fault, reinforcing their forged status of superiority. Keep reading for more about racial scapegoating and some of its historical examples.

3 Negotiation Exercises to Improve Your Skills

Do you want to brush up your negotiation skills? What are some negotiation exercises you can practice? These three negotiation exercises are based on the negotiation principles laid out in Never Split the Difference, a negotiation handbook written by former international FBI hostage negotiator Chris Voss. They will help you practice key negotiation skills such as mirroring, conducting an accusation audit, and formulating calibrated questions. Try these negotiation exercises to level up your negotiation game.