The title of this newsletter came from a conversation I had last Friday.
Earlier this week, I came across a video on Instagram in which they read the poem “The People I Like.”
The lady who recited it attributed it to Mario Benedetti, who, I always believed, was the author.
However, upon doing a little more research, I discovered that it is actually an apocryphal poem.
This search led me to another discovery: many popular poems on social media were also not written by the authors to whom they are attributed (but I’ll talk about this another day 😅).
Here are my 6 highlights of the week.
H1: People I Like
The first time I read this poem, more than 20 years ago, I was in high school. From that moment on, I was always convinced that it was written by Benedetti.
My research, however, led me to the blog of M.A. Escotet. M.A. Escotet’s blog, did an exhaustive tracing of the true origin of the poem.
And there I discovered the truth…
"This poem is initially included on page 56 of the text La culpa es de la vaca, a compilation of different motivational texts by Jaime Lopera and Marta Inés Bernal. In this book it is mentioned that "La gente que me gusta" was obtained from the Magazine of the Enkasa Company of Medellín, Colombia, February 1996".
Despite my surprise and slight disappointment upon discovering that the poem was not in fact written by Benedetti (although, even today, many people still attribute it to him), it remains one of my favorites.
And I want to take this opportunity to share it with you:
I like people who vibrate, who don’t have to be pushed, who don’t have to be told to do things, but who know what needs to be done and who do it.
People who cultivate their dreams until those dreams take over their own reality.
I like people with the capacity to assume the consequences of their actions, people who risk the certain for the uncertain to go after a dream, who allow themselves to run away from sensible advice leaving the solutions in the hands of our father God.
I like people who are fair with their people and with themselves, people who are grateful for the new day, for the good things that exist in their lives, who live every hour in good spirits giving the best of themselves, grateful to be alive, to be able to give smiles, to offer their hands and help generously without expecting anything in return.
I like people who are able to criticize me constructively and upfront, but without hurting or wounding me.
People who are tactful.
I like people who have a sense of justice.
I call these my friends.
I like people who know the importance of joy and preach it.
People who, through jokes, teach us to conceive life with humor.
People who never stop being childish.
I like people whose energy is contagious.
I like sincere and frank people, capable of opposing with reasonable arguments to anyone’s decisions.
I like faithful and persistent people, who do not give up when it comes to achieving goals and ideas.
I like people with good judgment, people who are not ashamed to admit they made a mistake or don’t know something.
People who, by accepting their mistakes, genuinely strive not to make them again.
People who fight against adversity.
I like people who look for solutions.
I like people who think and meditate internally.
People who value their fellow man not by a social stereotype or how they look.
People who do not judge or let others judge.
I like people who have personality.
I like people who are able to understand that the biggest mistake of human beings is to try to get out of their heads what does not come from their hearts.
Sensitivity, courage, solidarity, kindness, respect, tranquility, values, joy, humility, faith, happiness, tact, trust, hope, gratitude, wisdom, dreams, repentance and love for others and oneself are fundamental things to be called People.
With people like that, I commit myself to anything for the rest of my life, because by having them with me, I consider myself well repaid.
That’s the kind of people I like.
H2: Hidden potential
In last week’s newsletter I shared my intention to finish the 17 books I started reading throughout the year.
After The Hagakure, this week I finished reading “Hidden Potential” (by Adam Grant).
And these are the main lessons I take away from the book:
1. Learning from mistakes is essential for growth.
Making mistakes is a natural part of the learning process, and is essential for growth and improvement.
Instead of fearing mistakes, we should approach them as opportunities to learn and excel.
This requires a mindset that values experimentation and risk-taking, rather than striving for perfection.
2. The ability to absorb knowledge is fundamental for success.
This implies being willing to learn from others, to filter information and to adapt to new situations and challenges.
3. Perfection is not the goal.
Especially when it comes to learning and improvement.
Instead, we should seek continuous improvement and progress, without fear of making mistakes or falling short of perfection.
This allows us to focus on the learning process and not on the outcome, which can lead to frustration and stagnation.
4. Play and fun are fundamental to learning.
By incorporating elements of play and fun into the learning process, we can increase our motivation and engagement, allowing us to access flow states and improve our performance.
5. Excellence requires an explorer’s mentality.
We must be willing to discover new paths and learn from others.
We must be open to new ideas and approaches, and be willing to take risks and experiment.
By adopting this mindset, we can achieve levels of excellence we never thought possible.
H3: 3 copies of each souvenir
Yesterday, Saturday, while waiting to fly to Barcelona, I read a news article reporting that a group of researchers at the Biozentrum at the University of Basel have been analyzing how memories are stored in our brains.
The team, led by Prof. Flavio Donato, has discovered that in the hippocampus, a region of the brain responsible for learning and memory, a single event is stored in parallel memory copies among at least three different groups of neurons.
These neurons emerge at different stages during embryonic development and have specific functions.
- The first group: Early-born neurons
They are responsible for the long-term persistence of a memory.
Although their memory copy is initially weak, it becomes stronger over time.
This means that the brain can access that memory only after a period of time. - Second to arrive: late-born neurons
These neurons create a memory copy that is very strong at first, but fades over time. If you wait long enough, that copy becomes inaccessible to the brain. - The last ones: intermediate neurons
Intermediate neurons create a more stable memory copy, which is located between the two previous ones.
When do we use each copy and why?
It turns out that the copy that is used depends on the ease with which a memory can be changed or used to create a new one. Memories stored for a short time after acquisition by late-born neurons can be modified and rewritten.
On the other hand, remembering an event after a long time prepares the early-born neurons to reactivate and retrieve their copy, but the associated memory can no longer be easily modified.
The way memories are stored is further evidence of the brain’s plasticity, which underlies its enormous memory capacity.
The team of researchers has shown that the activation of specific memory copies and their timing could have significant consequences on how we remember, change and use our memories.
Researchers now seek to understand what drives memories to be encoded and modified in the brain, something that could help recover some memories that, due to traumatic events, we thought were lost forever.
H4: Schrödinger, physics and philosophy
Earlier this week, a co-worker shared with me “My Conception of the World,” a book that compiles Erwin Schrödinger’s reflections on the intersection of physics and philosophy.
Schrödinger, Nobel Laureate in Physics and creator of the famous thought experiment known as Schrödinger’s Cat, was not only one of the pioneers of quantum mechanics, but also an author of profound philosophical reflections on existence.
In “My Conception of the World,” Schrödinger argues that the idea that we are separate beings, with our own interests and desires, is an illusion that leads to disconnection and suffering.
In reality, we are connected to all living things, and our existence is part of a whole much larger than ourselves.
By recognizing this truth, we can begin to dismantle the ego and join the world as it is. The pursuit of knowledge, whether through science or art, is ultimately a quest for understanding our shared existence and the deeper truths that connect us.
H5: This afternoon, I wish you failures
This week, a friend from Colombia sent me the following speech by David Escobar, director of Comfama, at the graduation of the School of Applied Sciences and Engineering of Eafit University in Medellín.
The video, just over 8 minutes long, is full of profound truths and messages, which despite sounding unorthodox, I found very inspiring…
Let me know what you think.
H6: Quick solutions for stress (tip)
The next time you feel overwhelmed by stress or anxiety, try one of these quick fixes to clear your mind:
– Drink a glass of water
– Go for a walk
– Talk to a loved one
– Empty your thoughts in your diary
We often feel overwhelmed by problems that seem insurmountable, but the truth is that the solution is often much simpler than we think.
You don’t need to look for complex and far-fetched solutions.
In most cases, you just need something to help you recharge your energy or gain clarity.
Until next Sunday, with 6 new highlights 
Feedback? I would love to hear from you. Remember that you can contact me at any time through vladimir@younity.one.
