Earlier today I was reading an article in The New Yorker about self-help books and whether they actually make you a better person. The article, “The Life Biz” questions the motives of people aiming to “Win Friends and Influence People,” claiming that it’s more about winning clientele and influencing customers. Now that most seniors are on the job hunt, the ways in which we alter ourselves to be hirable have become more and more apparent. But do these changes in demeanor, productivity and talk actually make us better people? Or just better employees? As the two most obvious and coveted advice givers on this campus, it has come to our attention that we too started off NYSD with a column titled “How to win games and influence everyone.” Unlike some of the books college students read in the hopes of getting hired, NYSD makes the promise of just the opposite. If you ask us who moved your cheese, we will tell you to buy yourself a new "Blue Zone" because that is much more than cheese. If you ask us about ways to be smarter, faster and better, we will only tell you ways to procrastinate, avoid going to the gym and getting away with mediocrity. So it’s time to ask yourselves a very serious question — whose advice do you trust more? In my books, it’s the advice of getting you job-free with a Blue Zone while watching Netflix.
What's the best way to show someone you love them in both romantic AND platonic relationships?
Rebecca: Good question, reader. My freshman year roommate would talk about this a lot. She was a firm believer in "Gary Chapman’s 5 Love Languages." Apparently, we humans show our love in five ways: gifts, quality time, words of affirmation, acts of service and physical touch. Following this guideline, the best way to show someone you care is to find out his/her love language.
How 满意?
Rebecca: I do not speak Chinese. I had to employ two of my favorite tools for this question, Google Translate and a friend. Google says that these characters translate to satisfaction. While I love Google Translate, I do not trust its interpretations, and at times it does not account for context; so, I asked a friend who is fluent in Chinese. She says that it means “How satisfied are you?” That is a tough question. It can apply to a lot of aspects of life. I am choosing to answer it in the framework that I find the most familiar: meals. Whenever I go out to dinner with my dad, he always has something to say; he would be the harshest food critic the New York Times has ever had. Only once have I seen him eat a meal without having a comment so satisfied that he had no comment. This spring break, I went home to New York and had a bagel for breakfast every day. To say that I am satisfied is an understatement.
NYSD: How to win games and eat cheese
