Reflections
E238 Susegad Cycle 34 - Introducing the Susegad concept and Heirloom skills
Dateline: Toronto, Canada
Reflections: What would you choose to do differently when you gift yourself the space to reflect? I realized that my Rest Editions have evolved into the Susegad Cycles.
Let’s review the editions published in cycle 34. The unifying themes in this cycle were Ancestry and understanding how Heirloom skills anchor us in our 21st-century world.
Rest element 34: Reflections
I decided that I would invest my last few Tokyo hours forest bathing1 in Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden before my 12-hour flight from Japan back to Toronto. As I entered the gardens and tipped my head back to take in the expansive sky, I felt my shoulders drop. I inhaled the clean air, listening to the exciting peals of children scampering over stepping stones in the stream leading down to the lake. I revelled in the sumptuous array of cherry blossoms - from the whitest whites through to deepest pinks, with the carefully manicured evergreens, deep dark charcoal barks, and grey skeleton trees acting as sentinel foils to this riot of colour.
I found a little bench at the side of the lake and settled in, trying to give my little black sketch book the same air time and attention as the camera on my Samsung S23. People watching. And reflecting on all the planned and unplanned events of the previous six weeks. The ability to look history in the eye, understand what to keep and what to jettison.
I tried to find a little stillness. In my mind and my emotions.
Re-brand
Our Rest series is evolving! If Rest gave us the “how” - individual 21st-century skills that matter, Susegad explains the “why”.
It started as a little bit of a nod to my Goan heritage, but now it feels so right. I am re-naming these “seventh” edition recaps from “Rest and Recap” to “Susegad”.
In Konkani - the local dialect spoken in Goa and along the Konkan coastline - we use a word “susegad”2 that actually maps to a life philosophy. Pronounced sue‑seh‑gaad) derived from the Portuguese word sossegado, it speaks to the balanced tradition of my ancestors - an invitation to stillness and taking the long view.
It depicts an intentional and vectored way of conscious living: unhurried rather than frantic, thoughtful rather than impulsive, reflective learning, caring for others and the Earth in the best possible way.
Technology has sped up our lives to today’s always-on 24/7/365 pace bringing with it the risk of mental load that leads to burnout. The Rest editions offer my antidote. I focus on “Raising Future-Ready Leaders”, choosing to elevate two heirloom skills that are also essential 21st century skills:
Intentional/Active Rest and Recovery - a conscious choice to pause
Learning through consolidation - taking the time to convert knowledge into wisdom
Here is a full directory of the 34 rest ideas we have covered to date. We explore different techniques and discuss rest in each of these issues. They span discussions on the value of sleep to the value of community time as a rest element. It has also been added to the navigation bar for easy access.
Recap: Digest of issues 232 - 237
Did you pick a unifying theme across the past six editions? They coincided with my visit back to my home in Goa, and my subsequent enforced detour to Japan.
You could be forgiven for thinking that it was all about travel. But I hope that you were also able to pick out the deeper, persistent focus on heirloom skills - that precious inter-human skill set that is passed down from generation to generation, that allows us as a race to embrace every new technology into our workflow and society, without losing the essence of being human.
TL;DR
21st-CENTURY AND HEIRLOOM SKILLS: Learn from history. Discover skills and careers that are AI-insulated.
RAISING FUTURE-READY LEADERS and FUTURE OF WORK: Learning to pivot.
What did you see as the common thread in our recent conversations?
With a podcast interview with Ishan about being a Futurist, a roundtable discussion for The Goa School on career strategies in a time of AI, and a variety of ‘international’ conversations, in-person and virtual, this series also keeps my focus on developing community one relationship at a time. Click the link at the end of this post to book a spot on my calendar.
HIGHLIGHTING WHAT OTHERS HAVE SAID ABOUT …
The perfect AI-antidote is exploring a 400-year-old thatched roof. Remember when careers were inter-generational, the university skills on geometry, math, physics, taught in increments at the knee of your grandmother or father?
Brandon Lee Weaver: … this still makes me sad: "So the marsh land has been drained and sold off for subdivisions of tidy, square boxes called homes. … I've watched some videos of the re-thatching process, and it is a lovely skill. I hope we don't forget how to keep old things old.
One of the reasons I started the digests was to share the wisdom of Tribe Tilt with others. It blows me away when others see through the space between my sentences.
Rick Lewis : What a fabulous metaphor this shelter building process is. I love "visibility as a career strategy," the planning and attention to detail that creates a physical sanctuary, but which is also the foresight and care that is required to protect the pathways of our livelihood.
James Bailey : Our ancestors had such concentration, and a presence to stay with something in that precise detail you describe, and to feel fulfilled at the end
Re-framing writing as a bridge across time—not as a creator’s output, but as a continuity, a way to participate in conversations that will unfold with unknown readers when we are no longer around—two centuries, two decades or two weeks into the future. This edition was inspired by a private prayer that my father penned, beseeching protection for our home and guidance from the Gods as he launched into house renovations and upkeep. He never intended for it to be on the internet.
Tobin Smith -Best Self Yet : I have LOVED reading Marcus Aurelius’s reflections (meditations) to himself. I have read it several times by different translators/interpreters.
It’s actually a big part of what inspired by upcoming Substack approach. I’m writing them “To You, From Me, For We” (as I talk to myself, sometimes talking towards my future self and sometimes talk to my previous self).
The one where eagerly anticipated meetups dissolved due to world politics. But it made space for some echoes from the past - an essay about my mother’s favourite beach, inspired by Dekera Greene Rodriguez storytelling; a podcast interview recorded with Ishan Shanavas a year ago; and a nod to a family gap year journey taken over twenty years previous.
Dekera Greene Rodriguez : I’ve been thinking for a while about an excursion, but I love this family gap year idea and can’t wait to hear more about your experience.
Ved Shankar after listening to the linked podcast episode: What if you lived on Mars in 10 years? What would have happened to lead to this outcome? What a great framing for what thinking like a futurist can mean by Karena, building on ideas of narrative and world building :)
With a great photo of Ishita Singh and her husband Shobhit Singhal - Thank you for making the time to share the Coral Reef lecture with me, and our delicious dinner and conversation after!
An enforced detour home via Tokyo. Talk about turning lemons into pink lemonade! Was it intention? Was it manifestation? Was it agency?
Michelle Varghese : I admire your capacity to hold space for optimism even when life throws some lemons at you.
Travel? (No. Just unpacking!)
One of the benefits of traveling, has been to meet with so many Tribe Tilt members in real life, and to discover more about them and what they want out of life.
Do you like the concept that every 7th edition is a Rest edition? These digests make a great issue to share with others as you invite them to join our Tribe of difference-makers.
Our small and supportive community in Tribe Tilt believes in the best of humanity - connecting people, sharing ideas, and exploring thoughts respectfully. We believe we can make a difference to the people and places that are precious to us. The best idea can come from anyone, anywhere, at any time.
Is this your first visit to Tilt the Future? Join our Tribe Tilt by hitting this button below:
See you next week! Stay healthy. From there, all else becomes possible.
Karena
PS. Did you find a typeo? Please DM me and I will fix it.
According to Wikipedia, shinrin-yoku is immersing yourself in a forest atmosphere - taking a slow walk through nature, engaging each of the five senses.
pronounced sue‑seh‑gaad, it is derived from the Portuguese word sossegado which could be translated as tranquil, peaceful