Stoa Digest #24: Where's weirdo?

When you find another weirdo, you are no more alone.

Nov 22, 2021

From the Editorial Desk

Weirdness has for as long as we have known, been something different, quirky, odd or other than normal.

As if correctly associated though, weird's dictionary definition means, "suggesting something supernatural;unearthly". Seems only fitting then, that weird started being associated with being cool, in the last 5 years or so.
In the last 3 years we have all collectively spent more time at home than we have ever before. This time & space has allowed us to really cultivate our weird, but something about cultivating your own breed of weird, makes it significantly much harder to allow someone in, to witness it.

Being closed up, quarantined and in isolation has allowed us to be the most uninhibited versions of ourselves, which also stands the repercussion of not being accepted for being this version of ourself outside, in public.

Understandably so.

Having our own personal space, and not being held to societal standards, has also allowed us to do things without the stress of "fitting into" society.

As Stoans, I dont think it's the very normal thing to be doing - an MBA education in 6 months? But it's what ties all the community together, the shared experience of doing something different. Inherently, we suppose it makes every fellow a weirdo in some way, which makes every fellow have common ground out of no doing of their own.

The reasons to isolate yourself and think you are alone in your experiences, almost never rings true. Whatever it is you experience, there will always be someone else going through something similar, or someone who knows someone. After all, that is what makes us all inherently human - sharing in this large experience we call life.

Allow yourself to reach out to people uninhibitedly, and judge yourself less harshly. The less seriously you take yourself, the more likely you end up becoming a friend to many.

With a lot of C5 fellows coming in now, and joining the community, we reckon the call to get on 1-1s will rise again soon.

For our fellows joining in for our fifth and biggest yet cohort, while you have entered the doors of a community that has been built over the last year or so. Note, that where you are NOW is where every single fellow of the past has been already - the threshold of a very exciting experience and community.

If you're confused about something - reach out, and you will find help on absolutely anything you need.

There's a reason we have the #help-me-out channel on our Discord.

Try it out!

Fellow Spotlight

In case you missed it, she also wrote a brilliant letter to our fellows in Edition 16, find it here.

Birthday Parttaaayy! 🥳 🎂

23rd - Sharada Srinivasan

25th - Shashank Karhade, Sivaprasad Kancharla

27th - Akshar Prasanna

28th - Kevin Kariappa

Meetups

Community Buzz

In case you missed out on the magnificence that was the biggest ever meetup planned until now - Prithvi made you something to #FeelTheFomo with. Find it here.
Nihal Rustgi from Cohort 2 was recently scooped up as a 'Creator' for 'LinkedIn'. The man has consistently been pulling out ace after ace from his sleeve. If you ever have questions on how to leverage LinkedIn - reach out to him!