Those Who Wonder: Recent Episodes
Sean Stevenson
Curious? Us too! This podcast is for those who wonder about the universe and human experience. This podcast is produced by a high school social studies teacher who spends his days talking about things... now it's coming in podcast form! We'll talk about world history, public education & how it can improve, and much more. THE PURPOSE IS TO JOIN IN THE COMMUNITY OF THOSE WHO WONDER.
Would you rather live an authentic life and lose loved ones, or sacrifice your true self to be accepted? Oy vey...
If you learn but do not think, you're one step closer to being an encyclopedia.
If you think but fo not learn, you're a tree? idk.
How much time should I dedicate to thinking about the person who cut me off in traffic?
"Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes.."
When you really think about it, that is literally true.
"A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving."
Let's break it down.
We're going to play our favorite game, GUESS THAT EASTERN RELIGION BASED ON THE QUOTE PROVIDED!!!
In order to do this, I need to provide a very basic intro for Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism.
Fred Rogers, my new hero, once said: "Deep and simple, that is what matters." Therefore, lightning bugs.
Ay who really knows where our own thoughts come from... what if we chose to believe that there was something deeper than we can ever understand to this life?
Stop thinking. Just do it. Go. Jump. Toss up the sails. Figure it out as you go. Jazz, baby.
"They" want to make you think, feel, and behave the way "they" want you to behave? Who's "they"? Potentially everybody.
Someone's gotta bring the energy...
The energy we bring into the room is mirrored back to us.
It's not actually a my goodbye, but it is a goodbye from the current version of me.
Kinda sad. It's been real.
WHY YOU SHOULD LISTEN: Mental health matters. Our lives in the 21st century have created a system where it is easy to feel alone and lacking purpose. This story won't solve your problems, but it certainly can give us all something to think about and reflect on what it means to be human. Maybe. Or maybe it's just a meaningless story about hockey...
THE STORY
He (and friends) built it. The people showed up with sticks. Now it's national.
A story of combining potential and passion to create something from nothing.
Sanrocco took the seed of a ball hockey beer league in our hometown and has collaborated to turn it into a national league, aka the National Ball Hockey League (NBHL).
We talk about passion, purpose, community, AND MORE.
This is your time, it is yours to spend. One day your time will be gone and you won't get it again.
Not saying we're all Nazis, but I am saying we all have things we can work on... just like the Nazis.
There are many lessons from the Holocaust. The first one is about a garden, but it really isn't about a garden at all.
Little did we know we would help the ducklings... we were just doing what we always do(es)
But that feeling when you first sit back in a hammock and it holds you up? Oy vey...
Breaking down the art of sitting still and letting go.
Ayyyy we're opening the album up with an existential crisis! How often do you get to see the sunrise?
What is this I see? Is it all a dream?
What is this I see? What can it mean?
Listen to the river. Or whatever. Just be quiet and listen, maybe you'll hear something.
What if the standard was happiness? I must win and be the most happy. Only then will I be happy.
Dawg if you understand emotions, you become more aware of YOUR emotions... and if you become more aware of YOUR emotions, you can improve your emotional well-being... only if you want to though...
Do you trust your past self? Will your future self trust your present self? How can we move through life without being stuck reliving the past?
LEVELS TO THINKING IS MAYBE WORTH THINKING ABOUT
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Check out my unethical, hypothetical experiment that we should never put into practice!!!
If you asked the creator of everything what is the most important action, and they said love, what does that mean?
Part 1
Go with the flowwwwww bruh we're flying through time and just gotta let it be what it is till it is what it was and we did what we did and now here we are jah feel?
Why cannot I still not touch my toes? Why am not consistent in casting the pod? Is it cus I suck? Nah (maybe?), it's cus I'm human.
Perspective, jah feel? Rather than spend the rest of my life wishing it was something different, I should have gratitude that I had something at all.
COULD IT BE TRUE that the more our ego believes that WE are responsible for being on the best possible path, the shorter our time on that path?
I have turned 30 and am turning it up. Now I am icing my elbows. It was time to decide: this will either break me or harden my body. On my way to 100.
Soooooo turns out a lot of who we are is due to genetics... probz more than we'd like to admit.
CREATE YOUR OWN EXPERIMENT... to find the heritability of personality. Due next Monday.
I got the Sunday Scaries, borderline ANXIETY. But why so serious? The only reason this will go poorly is if I make myself perform poorly by being so anxious and serious.
So is our consciousness able to extend beyond our own physical borders into something beyond? idkkkkkkkk
YOU AND I ARE NOT THE CENTER OF THE UNIVERSE.
Your reality is a version of true Reality, and there is much to learn.
EGO is one heck of a drug. And it gets in the way of being curious.
DON'T FALL VICTIM TO YOUR EGO.
Do I have responsibility for my neighbors? Or is it truly "live and let live," no matter what?
We got the stuff that gives us stuff that meets our wants and needs. BUT ARE WE LOSING SOMETHING DEEPER?
Am I a softie? Or am I the toughest me there has even been? What is true? What is real?
Empathy.
Google "Wall-E People," and let me know what you think.
If you Googled it on your phone, that is you. That is me.
Think About It.
The path has been chosen. But you can go back. But that is part of the path.
Only time moves forward.
THIS IS MY FENCE BECAUSE I PAID FOR IT WITH MY MONEY.
Not saying I'm a Communist, but what impact are fences having on our minds?
Just because we don't know that it exists, doesn't mean it doesn't exist. Is that right? Idk anymore.
What if God told you the meaning of life was "to be yourself"?
Would you be a good person?
Who would you be?
30 years of research identifies FIVE traits that correlate with well-being...
How are you doing in each of the five traits?
Engine + time(space) = anxiety
Check us out on YouTube! (Ya Boi Mr. Stevenson)
TELL YOUR FRIENDS
Wha impact does less consumption of stimulation + less access to information have on their thinking? DOES IT MATTER?
Check out my YouTube account!
Ya Boi Mr. Stevenson YouTube
What would it look like if one truly only experienced the present moment?
Would it be a good thing?
Which comes first... becoming "in tune" with oneself or finding one's place within the universe?
Let's dive back into an old one... Confucianism
How are we doing at being Humane and Righteous?
I could have lived any life that has ever been, and yet I am living this one... and none of this has been in my control.
There is an equal chance that I could have been any one that I see.
Libertarianism seems chill... but how chill should we be about lynching?
WHERE DO WE DRAW THE LINE?
If there are multiple options for how your life could be, does that mean that some lives are better than others?
I see your robe of patches, it is perfectly arranged.
Shoutout to Trevor Hall. Seek & promote harmony.
What percentage of you would be different if you were born in a different time and place?
How is it that we live in the most developed society in the world, and yet we still feel dissatisfied?
If you had immense influence and power, do you think you would be a good person? Would you become corrupt?
"I made a promise, Mr. Frodo..."
We need to be more like Samwise Gamgee. The heart of a servant.
There are people in the Amazon Rainforest who do not have contact with the"outside world," which is wild to think about... But you know what else is wild to think about? The parallel between the uncontacted people and the world to me and the universe...
How does the traffic light represent something much, much deeper about the structure of civilization and society? Or maybe Stevenson is just trippin...
If the only thing that matters is in front of my eyes, then there's no need to hurry.
Go on and think about it.
Stevenson concludes the Life Design series with a philosophical and applicable discussion on making the most of life and how Design Thinking applies.
TIME FOR THE RUBBER TO MEET THE ROAD. We have spent time empathizing, defining, and creating ideas. Now it is time to do something. This episode focuses on creating prototypes: WHAT you will do and WHEN you will do it.
Now that you have empathized with your own experience and defined what you want to improve, it's time to come up with ideas! Stevenson (M.Ed.) continues the Design Process by covering the Ideate phase, or creating ideas. What are ALL of the potential ways you could reach your objective?
Stevenson (M.Ed.) continues the Design Thinking process by using the data you collected in the Empathize phase (through the Log & Map) to:
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Define what is important to you
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Define areas in which you want to improve
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Define what you want from that area
PICK AN AREA IN YOUR LIFE THAT YOU WANT TO IMPROVE AND DEFINE WHAT YOU WANT.
Stevenson (M.Ed) begins the Design Process by discussing what it means to empathize with ourselves from the design perspective: WHAT do you do and WHEN do you it?
The "Day in the Life Log" and "Life Map" are introduced for us to collect data and critically analyze our actions which, in the end, make up our lives.
Stevenson (M.Ed) introduces the new course and it's purpose: apply the Design Thinking model and understanding of human habits to systematically make improvements in desired areas of our lives.
The series can also be found on YouTube (Ya Boi Mr. Stevenson) with visual support of templates and resources (recommended)
Stevenson has a list... he and Michael have a desire to jumpstart and DEVELOP their new community. But what is more of a priority, clean water or electricity? Or paved roads or a hospital?
PLAY ALONG!
Guess what is underrated... that's right. Infrastructure.
What is it? Why is it so important?
You may have never thought you would find a podcast episode on infrastructure to be interesting, but you've never heard Stevenson talk about it.
If you were to be placed in a country and asked to rate it's "development" on a scale from 1-10, what would you be looking for?
In this episode, Stevenson breaks down the Human-Development Index (HDI), and why the three indicators (life expectancy, avg. years of schooling, GNI) represent how developed a society is.
Thanks Imperialism...
Stevenson hits the tip of the iceberg on HOW Europe colonized Africa and what impact it had on Africa as a whole.
If anyone wants to understand Africa today, they need to know the effects of Imperialism.
Google "Colonial Africa map" and you'll notice some Western European nations on the map.
But why are they in Africa?
1) Resources
2) Racism
Stevenson dives into a speech given in 1884 and challenges the listener to identify the WHY for IMPERIALISM.
Brain Games galore!
It's time... the Industrial Revolution. This episode as minimal specific information (names & dates) as reasonably possible. WHY did the Industrial Revolution occur in Britain/Europe? Why does industrialization occur at all?
Stevenson breaks down the algorithm of industrialization and pretends he's an alien with a map and $5 to gamble... woah.
Woooooah...
Stevenson offers a brain game. We are on the verge of the Industrial Revolution. MAKE A PREDICTION... How will industrialization (primarily the telegraph and train) impact the individual and collective human experience? HOW FUN!!
The year is 1492... The board is set... who are the players and how are they playing the game? We are on the verge of Europe dominating the entire map (aka the globe).
Why did Europe go from 0-100 real quick? Why not China? China was already on cruise at 65, know what I'm sayin?
Let's not call it homework... let's call it a FUN project...
You will be recording, logging, categorizing, and mapping WHAT you consume (food, clothes, technology, other) in a week and WHERE it comes from (maps baby, maps).
YOU have CHOICE in how you want to go about doing it.
Stevenson breaks down the rules of reality in world history in order to prepare you for understanding WHY the modern world is the way it is.
Ever play Monopoly? Settlers of Catan? Risk?
World history is all of those games together at once...
How do you win? What does it mean to win?
Who will you trade with? What will you trade? What will you do about those pesky (insert neighbor societies) who are growing their army?
Before we get into Industrialization, we need to look at what it isn't.
Stevenson takes a brief glimpse into life BEFORE infrastructure, where things (gas, food, water, electricity, etc.) don't come to you.
Think about making coffee in the morning...
What is required for you to do this? Water, beans, coffee maker, filter.
BUT... where does that water come from? How did it get to you? How did you coffee maker turn on with a push of a button? Where does that electricity come from?
The complexity of a functioning society runs deep... and don't even get Stevenson started on the complexity of flushing a toilet (x 300,000,000).
Jean-Jacques Rousseau published "On the Social Theory" in 1762 and was DROPPING WOKENESS... but is it really?
Stevenson dives into The Social Contract and how one can give up freedom to experience as much freedom as possible... seems contradictory...
How do we reduce the chaos and gain autonomy?
IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN PODCASTING WITH THOSE WHO WONDER, CONTACT: thosewhowonder1993@gmail.com
Are humans free? Depends...
How are we free? Thoughts and actions...
How are we restricted? Where to begin...
Stevenson dives into the new unit: Liberty
How does freedom vary around the world and how is freedom restricted? How do different cultures view individual freedom vs the collective good?
Here's the game: Michael and Stevenson have established their own colony and are having a meeting on what WILL and WILL NOT be allowed.
The goals are to 1) keep our community functioning and 2) give our citizens as much freedom as possible.
What actions should be restricted in our society and why? You decide!
Special guest Michael Brookhart joins Stevenson in a discussion on SPORTS.
Are sports as natural as culture itself? Why do humans participate in such an activity?
We also look at two bizarre sports from around the world: Man vs. Horse & Buzkashi (riding horses and the ball is a goat carcass).
Stevenson dives into LANGUAGE.
What is it? How did it originate? How does it vary among cultures?
What are all the possible sounds we can make with our mouths? Are there any sounds that some cultures use that we don't? (answer: yes)
How would you and I make our own language? What if we didn't share a language to build on?
In the end, there's one conclusion: language is underrated.
Welcome our first guest! Chef Ryan Rizzuto (@chefryanrizzuto) joins the podclass to discuss the relationship between food and culture. Rizzuto dives DEEP into the world of food and is a great source of knowledge!
We discuss how food unites people, if there is an American food (Rizzuto argues soul food), Italian food, NYC pizza vs. Italian pizza, Hispanic food, and more!
My favorite lesson from this: there is SO much to learn about food... and we discuss how and where to start. We eat every day, might as well make it interesting!
Last of the religions portion!
Stevenson dives into Christianity... What is it? What makes someone a Christian? How can God be Three-in-One? What is the Bible? Is it literal? And more!
Today's wisdom: when the Creator of the Universe is asked how one should live, the Creator said one must LOVE. Woah...
What is Islam? What makes someone a Muslim?
Stevenson dives into the characteristics of Islam (prophet, holy book, etc.) and the complexity of Jihad (struggle).
To most, Jihad is a struggle to fight the evil within oneself. Seems legit.
To others, Jihad is a Holy War against those who intend to suppress the religion. To them, if you are not a Muslim, you are in infidel, and you are one of those people. Woah...
It's complicated folks, and that's why we love it.
Stevenson dives deep into Hinduism... Brahman, Atman, Karma, and more!
The questions are these:
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If a soul moves from life to life, then what part of you is the "nature" in nature vs. nurture?
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How in-tune with your soul/consciousness are you?
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What is God? How would you describe this Being?
Woah...
According to the Four Noble Truth's, following the Eightfold Path will lead to Nirvana. But what does that even mean? And how do we do it?
Stevenson goes through each of the eight paths and reflects on what it is and how we can do it.
You, the listener, will give yourself a grade for each of the paths. And yes, there will be homework: be a better person... woah.
Bad things happen. It is what it is. But when you really think about these two statements, perhaps we can reduce or remove suffering... at least, that's what Mr. Buddha says.
This week Stevenson dives into wisdom of Buddhism and considers what your average person can take from the religion/philosophy (it's complicated).
In the end, you only suffer because you have expectations... woah.
What is religion? Why does religion exist?
What is this supernatural being(s) that we call God or gods? Are there really spirits in the clouds?
In this episode we break down...
the history of humanity with the lens of religion
consider the characteristics of religion
stats on the major religions of the world
Time to take a break from the scheduled curriculum and reflect on the nation, where we are at and where we are going. Sonder, the realization that everyone is living a life is vivid as you, is necessary if we are to share a culture.
Stevenson dives into empathy and ends up questioning existence, only to conclude with one thing in mind: love. Woah...
PARENTAL ADVISORY/UNCOMFORTABLE TOPICS ALERT.
There are some things you just don't do... like pick your nose... But is this true for every culture? What is considered "taboo" and does it vary around the world? If so, what does that mean about your culture's view of right and wrong? Can you say another culture's right is wrong? Woah...
Is there universal right and wrong, or just cultural differences we don't understand?
How accepting of cultural differences should we be?
BOB DYLAN CALLED IT... the times they are a changin'... always. Culture changes, yes. But what causes culture to change? Stevenson breaks it down. Ideological + Technological Inventions & Cultural Diffusion. Ideas come and go, and some stick. Those that stick change us (Ex: men and women are equal). In the end, you can either accept or resist change... which to choose? Woah...
What is normal? Who has decided this? Why do you behave the way you do? Why do you believe what you believe? How much of you is dependent on environmental variables? What part of you would stay with you in a different life? Woah... Stevenson goes DEEP on Nature vs. Nurture and Cultural Norms/Values. We dive into different norms from different cultures, such as handshakes. We dive into cultural norms and why we participate. We dive into cultural norms and whether or not we need to participate in them all.
TIME TO GET HISTORICAL! Stevenson breaks down the origins of humanity. We break down...
1) Maslow's Hierachy of Needs
2) Human migration
3) Beginnings of civilizations
4) Why culture happens
Humans get together for survival, but what keeps us together? Why does language, for instance, occur? What makes us... human... woah.
WELCOME TO BOOT CAMP!
Let's assume there are people out there who want to deceive you.
They want you to be a pawn in their game. But you are an inquisitive warrior.
In order to gain a TRUE understanding of our complex world, we need to have our heads on right. We need to think like historians.
How do we filter out the "fake news" to understand events and information truly? Contextualization and Sourcing. Check out this JUICY discussion on thinking like a historian to avoid being a pawn, and giving the power back to THE PEOPLE. Woah...
INTRODUCING A NEW SERIES/CLASS, WORLD STUDIES.
Taught by a high school teacher (Stevenson), we'll break down the way the world works through a historic and geographic perspective. The units will be 1) Culture, 2) Industrialization, 3) Liberty, and 4) Gender. The purpose of this class is to gain an understanding of the world so we can navigate the wild world today.
Interested in history? Tune in!
Culture: is there universal right and wrong, or just cultural differences we don't understand?
Industrialization: was humanity and civilization better off without machines?
Liberty: how much individual freedom should be sacrificed for the greater good of the community?
Gender: how do gender roles, and other identifiers, vary among cultures and impact one's life?
Last week Stevenson went over the Design Thinking process. What issue is occurring? Why is it occurring? How could it improve? Empathize. Define. Ideate. Prototype. Test.
WHAT IF we could apply the Design Thinking process to our personal life? Hobbies, daily routines, physical space, relationships, fitness... Ask yourself: Am I happy? What makes me happy? What is happening that is preventing or limiting my happiness? What can I do to change those things? Because if, in the end, all we have is time, why not design a life you want to live? Woah...
Pick a topic. Any topic. Then ask yourself... how could it improve? Design Thinking is a process, which seeks to define an issue, understand an issue, and propose the best possible solution. And, in the end, isn't that what humans do best? Well, maybe not the BEST solution... because there are some MAJOR problems on this planet that we have created... woah... but do you believe it can improve? Will you be someone who proposes solutions, rather than just point out problems? Tune in!
SO... objective curiosity leads to understanding. Stevenson argues we should seek to understand reality for what it is. Anything that can exist, might exist, depending on the circumstances. Understanding something for what it is and why it is able to exist will teach us the rules of universe (aka Laws of Nature, Language of God, or The Way). If we can understand the way things work, we can navigate easier through the universe and life. Nature is wisdom, and wisdom is one's ability to understand what is and is not in one's control and to act accordingly... woah.
IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN POTENTIALLY PODCASTING THROUGH THOSE WHO WONDER, CONTACT thosewhowonder1993@gmail.com
SO... you want to learn a new skill or new information? How does one go about doing this? Stevenson gives a teacher's perspective on how to apply Backwards Design, Scaffolding, and Bloom's Taxonomy to learning new things. THEN, how to test your understanding. End goal? Creation. Italian Ramen. A great way to test one's understanding is to teach it... why not talk about things that interest you on this podcast? That's right, YOU can have episodes posted on Apple and Spotify... woah...
From a teacher's perspective, how does one know that a student has LEARNED something? What does that look like? Stevenson dives into what is going on in our brains during in the initial stage of making sense of something. What is something, you ask? Great question. Something is anything: knowledge or skills. How do we make sense of it? If we can make sense of the process of understanding, we can improve the process of understanding and therefore improve our effectiveness of living... woah.
Last week Stevenson added Objectivity to the equation. This week he discusses application to life. How can we apply objectivity to our lives (learning, self, work, relationships) to make the most of the time we have to live? Woah... While we're not quite there to wisdom, we're sure on our way.
Curiosity opens the door to understanding the universe and our place in it, but now we must be objective in our pursuit of understanding. How does one be objective? The better question is, how does one ever avoid being biased? Stevenson dives in to all the ways we are subjective in researching and responding to the world, and it is a lot. Possibly overwhelming... woah.
Part 1 of a weekly mini-series called The Process
When was the last time you did school? As in, you actually LEARNED something (a new skill or hobby, history, a language, etc.) Why have we stopped? Stevenson argues that our intelligence (ability to acquire and apply knowledge or skills) can be improved if we become more curious. Curiosity is the key to an interesting life. woah...
Stevenson has studied a lot of world history. Clearly not all, but a lot. And from all of this potentially useless knowledge, there can be three premises which lead to one, deeper conclusion...
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There is suffering and injustice in the world
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Life is not fair and does not need to be fair to exist
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You individuals actions, big and small, have an impact on the world, for good or bad
Final conclusion: despite genocide, there is hope for the world...
Woah...
This is the first episode of a side series: Contemplative Commute. Making your commute to work just a little more curious... maybe.
1973: OPEC puts an embargo on the US... we go into withdrawal.
1903: Humans fly for the first time.
1969: Humans (supposedly) land on the moon.
1940: London is united while the Nazis bomb the city.
What do these all have in common? Well, listen to this podcast and you may just be giving Stevenson your money and voting him for president... woah.
Stevenson is going to start a Green War, and it would seem the plan is bullet proof.
The elderly (bless them) say "where'd all the time go?"
Well, where does our time go? Why does every year get shorter? How much of your life is on autopilot?
If you live to be 80 years old, you experience 29,200 days.
If you live for the weekend, that's 5/7 of your life wasted...
If you live for the weekend, you are present for 7,560 of those days... woah.
Bout to go DEEP on the relevance of time and what it means to be in the moment.
Are the people around you real? Do they continue to exist once they leave your presence? Or is it your universe and everyone else is just a character in your plot... woah. Bout to go DEEP.
Stevenson dives into the term Sonder and the implications on whether or not one believes that those around them exist.
Consciousness, Aztec human sacrifice, Rwandan Genocide, Cowboys & Eagles fans...
This is the first episode of a three part series called The Big Three.
Bout to go DEEP on the big question: what if the man never made the wrong turn? woah...
Stevenson dives into the Butterfly Effect and the implications this phenomenon has on our lives. Do we have Free Will? Perhaps... but tell that to the young Frenchman in 1914.