This is the second time I’m reading “The Art of Possibility”, and I enjoyed it just as much as I did the first time. The first time, I was struck by the observations Benjamin Zander made about getting into the soul of a musical piece since I’m totally tone deaf. Now that I am used to ideas regarding the leveraging of musicality and strategic use of silence, I can turn my attention to the intricate mechanics of the writing.

I like how each chapter comes with its pithy catchphrase so that it aids memory retention. I think me gravitating towards these catchphrases tracks my growing evolution as a teacher as well. How do I present information in a sharp and succinct way so that my students will remember stuff? So, I think that long after I have recycled this book, I will remember phrases like “It’s all invented” and “be a contribution”.

Having such conceptual frameworks salient in my mind should help me to be gentler with my students. Instead of bellowing at them about why they haven’t done their Home-based Learning assignments, I could ask them what their stumbling blocks are. How I can help them remove these obstacles.

Other than the catchphrases, the dichotomy of the calculating self vis-a-vis the central self captivated my imagination. To me, the calculating self represents our tatemae (feelings displayed in public), the masks we put on to protect our egos and turf. The central self represents our honne (honest feelings), our authentic selves. So, the challenge is communicating to others beyond their calculating selves to arrive at their central selves so that we can arrive at invigorating and full-bodied conversations.

This book makes me motivated to be a more empathetic and skillful communicator!