Unlearning Unlimited

Monday Muse
18 May 2026

MUSEUM

Today's muse is an ode to museums on occasion of International Museum Day. A museum is a building that refuses to forget. Civilisations fade, languages die, and ways of living get paved over. The museum puts a roof over what remains.

Humans collect for two reasons: evidence and longing. Proof of the past, of the things invented, of the battles fought. Longing because every exhibit is a world that is lost to us or is on the way out.

Museums are born from an innate human drive to preserve, understand and share our collective memory. They are driven by a desire to educate the public, celebrate cultural identity, and protect historical artifacts from being lost to time.

Museums are about the choice to display, to showcase, to label... a choice about whose story gets a room. The British Museum holds the Parthenon Marbles; Greece holds the empty space where they stood. Both are museums now: one of objects, one of absence.

The museum exhibits chronology so we can see patterns of how our ancestors lived. It is the only place where you can watch the Stone Age end and the Space Age begin in thirty steps. We look, we read the text, we listen to the narrator. We revisit the past.

However a good museum is not a mausoleum. It is about the past we want to hold on to. Good museums let things breathe: rotating exhibits, living artists, community curators, repatriation. It is about a continued conversation aiming to retrieve, restore and refuse to forget.

Was the past perfect? No! But there are lessons to be learnt. To do the things that were right and to learn from the things that were wrong. The museum can be our talisman to learn the right lessons.

They relive the past, unlike the dead mausoleum
The present is grateful to the lovely museums!

~ Pravin K Sabnis

MONDAY MUSE is now into the 23rd year, written by Goa based Experiential Coach, Pravin K. Sabnis, since the first Monday of 2004. Send your feedback to 9422640141 or [email protected]

Monday Muse
20 April 2026

OUR PLANET

Our planet is a living set of connected systems. Forests make rain. Oceans set the thermostat. Soil (considered as dirt) is a universe of microbes feeding the crops that feed us.

When one piece shifts, the others feel it. A warmer ocean means stronger monsoons. Fewer trees in the Amazon means less rain in farmland thousands of miles away.

For most of Earth’s history, humans weren’t here. In the last 200 years, we have developed ways to impact our planet, both ways. The question is what kind of impact we choose. We protect what we love. And love starts with attention.

Notice the monsoon clouds building in the sky. Notice how a single tree cools a street by 5°C. Notice that the beach looks different after a storm, and again after a cleanup. The decor is data. It tells us when a system is healthy.

Our planet will exist with or without us. What’s at stake is the planet that’s good for us: stable climates, drinkable water, coral reefs, tigers, mangroves, winter, fruits. We must start with first noticing and choosing the right actions.

Our planet is home and classroom in every way
We must pay attention and act like we plan to stay.

~ Pravin K Sabnis

MONDAY MUSE is now into the 23rd year, written by Goa based Experiential Coach, Pravin K. Sabnis, since the first Monday of 2004. Send your feedback to 9422640141 or [email protected]

Monday Muse
30 March 2026

GOTCHA TRIBALISM

'Gotcha' is an informal contraction of 'got you,' to mean 'I understand' or to triumphantly declare that someone has been caught, tricked, or surprised. It also refers to a 'gotcha' moment - a trap or sudden, often embarrassing, revelation aimed at someone

'Gotcha' tribalism refers to a divisive, performative form of political or cultural conflict focused on "scoring points" or catching opponents in a mistake rather than engaging in honest debate

It transforms issues into selective, us-vs-them outrage, leading to score-settling instead of finding solutions. It involves selective outrage and "gotcha" moments, where proponents demand high standards from the opposing group while ignoring larger or similar faults in their own "tribe".

Similar to general tribalism, this mindset divides people into tribes: family, culture, or political affiliation... making it exclusive and often creating "others" who are viewed as threats.

This behavior is often used as a, way to bait or taunt opponents for attention or social validation rather than meaningful discourse on Social Media. It thrives on a lack of context and empathy, aiming to humiliate the "other" rather than understanding the issue.

Do not insist in plucking innocent feathers
Gotacha Tribalism treats unfairly all the others!

~ Pravin K Sabnis

MONDAY MUSE is now into the 23rd year, written by Goa based Experiential Coach, Pravin K. Sabnis, since the first Monday of 2004. Send your feedback to 9422640141 or [email protected]

Monday Muse
23 March 2026

FREE FROM DEATH

Today is the anniversary of the martyrdom of revolutionaries - Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev who were hanged on 23 March 1931. Their philosophy was reflected in the line 'Jeena hai toh marna seekho yaaro!' (If you want to live, learn to die).

The phrase is as profound as it is unsettling. Since death is a certainty, why not live life to the fullest? Life's unpredictability is what makes it so precious.

It is about embracing the impermanence of things and finding freedom in letting go of fears and doubts. When we accept death, we start living. We stop sweating the small stuff and focus on what truly matters to us.

It is about living authentically and taking risks. Life is too short for regrets. So, let's make the most of this wild ride and live without apologies... like the three young revolutionaries who lived worthy lives despite being hanged before they turned 24 years.

Be free from death and it's aligned fear
Live life to the fullest focus and cheer!

~ Pravin K Sabnis

MONDAY MUSE is now into the 23rd year, written by Goa based Experiential Coach, Pravin K. Sabnis, since the first Monday of 2004. Send your feedback to 9422640141 or [email protected]