The structure of our modern world gives us the illusion of control. We can control the temperature of our cars and homes. We can control where we purchase our groceries or what types of foods we buy. There are numerous other areas of our lives where we like to think we have control. However, events such as natural disasters or a pandemic serve as reminders that, as human beings, we don’t have as much control as we often think we do.

In today’s episode of Loft Conversations we discuss the human desire for control, how this desire was amplified during the Enlightenment and Industrial Revolution, and how this desire for control alienates us from nonhuman nature and ourselves. We end the episode by suggesting that cultivating awe and wonder for what we often see as “basic” things can help us heal from the loneliness that often drives our desire to control and conquer others.