The Big Life Questions Show: Recent Episodes
The Big Life Questions Show
Show Notes
we wrap up our first 100 episodes by looking forward to life without Covid, and with some stats from our first 100 episodes. we send love to our loyal audience.
1.10 Doug's answer to the question
2.40 The Thing that Chris is Most Looking Forward To
5.40 Being relaxed in public
8.40 Doug Pats himself on the back
11.45 What Doug has been Right About, Part Two
14.30 What We've Learned from Covid, Per Chris
18.15 The First 100 Episodes - Stats
28.30 A Crazy Time in US History
Show Notes
We take a detour from politics to answer all questions (well, some questions) about March Madness
1.00 The Attraction of March Madness
3.20 Why Are There 68 Teams Picked for the Tournament?
12.00 Chris links Seeding to Final Four Appearances
14.15 Gonzaga
17.25 Your Team Loses, But Then It's Spring
18.40 Big Life Questions Show Announcement
Chris, whose father was an astronaut (or so he told his friends), provides expert analysis of the meaning of the Mars landing
Video Link to Mars Landing
Mars Landing
0.30 A Brief History of Space Travel
2.50 The Mars Landing
6.30 Is there life on other planets?
10.20 Nation-States Competing in space
14.40 Human nature is to pursue discovery
19.00 Do we need to send humans into space?
22.00 The Planet B Fallacy
Here we survey the landscape of American politics for this year.
0.40 Predictions for the Biden Administration
2.15 The Republican Party is in a pickle
9.00 College student debt
11.30 Biden and the Trump drama
11.50 Texas and Ted Cruz
17.55 Andrew Cuomo
22.30 Mitch McConnell
This episode's guest, Frank Cutitta, tells Chris and Doug his incredible story of spending more than three months in the hospital with COVID last year -- including 40 days in an induced coma -- and what he learned about our healthcare system.
1.15 Our Guest Intro
2.00 40 Days in a Coma
15.10 Caregiver Stress & Loneliness
20.15 The Anonymity of the Mask
21.45 Rehab
27.30 How Frank is doing now
29.15 Last Rites Twice
35.00 I'm Not My Healthcare Dashboard
Show Notes
We discuss if and how Biden can get to the Unity that he and some Republicans keep talking about.
0.45 Chris answers the question
3.15 American popular opinion favors government intervention
4.55 Oppositional defiance disorder
6.45 The anti-democracy movement
11.45 What Biden has going for himself
13.45 Marjorie Taylor Greene
15.45 Republican money sources drying up
Show Notes
1.40 How much extremism there really is
4.30 Planned terrorists, Internet Stars and Insurrection Tourists
6.45 The Republican Party
9.40 Does the Republican Party need Trump?
10.20 When Chris Voted for a Republican
16.30 Will the Republicans ever abandon Trump?
18.20 The Right Wing Extremists Speak for Themselves
Show Notes
Here we contemplate Trump's 2nd impeachment trial. He was going for 3, but he got kicked out of office.
1.10 Doug's dim view of the Republicans
3.45 What's different about this impeachment trial?
5.30 Will Trump stay relevant politically?
9.30 Trump's Greatest Accomplishment
10.45 The delay of the trial
12.15 Will the Republican Party split in two?
14.15 The Republicans and The Whigs
Show Notes
We contemplate the state of the world, such as it is, potential violence around the Inauguration, the 2nd amendment and right wing extremists.
0.40 Wash DC becomes a police state
1.50 Arming the Extreme Right
3.40 Is Unity the Next Step, Really ?
6.30 Chris reads crazy-people posts from Parler
14.00 Accommodating the white supremacists seems like a very bad idea
18.10 The 2nd amendment & false equivalency
Show Notes
We discuss potential consequences for Trump and his enablers
0.30 A quick review of Trump's insurrection program
4.00 A second impeachment?
4.50 The Trump Family & Friends Pre-Rally Party
9.00 Whatever happened to individual responsibility?
13.20 Should Trump be prosecuted?
15.10 What about Trump's enablers?
18.10 What options does the Trump crowd have left?
27.10 Should we worry about riling up the Trump base?
Show Notes
We use some key stats to do a brief re-cap of the mess that was 2020- but, overall, we definitely recommend turning the page to 2021.
0.30 Doug's Netflix recommendation
1.00 The Covid Pandemic, Again
8.50 Food Lines & Economic Disaster
12.00 Absentee and Mail In Ballots
15.40 Many Americans lack high speed internet
16.10 Biden's Low Hanging Fruit
18.00 Will Trump run in 2024?
19.30 The Demise of Local Newspapers
Show Notes
0.30 Covid and the Vaccines
2.45 The Global Economy and Jobs
4.50 Truth and Reconciliation
7.20 Getting Our Democracy Back
9.00 The Georgia Elections
12.00 The International World Order
13.40 More Bi-Partisanship
Here, with substantial help from Amiel Handelsman, an experienced coach who works with individuals and organizations, we explore how to process expert advice.
Links
Contacting Amiel
3.15 Distinguishing expert advice from other forms
5.30 Financial advice and uncertainty
7.10 How do you determine if someone is an expert?
9.10 Expert advice from the pandemic experts
11.15 Executives giving and receiving advice
16.20 The roles and elements of trust
20.25 Hearing advice you don't want to hear
26.50 Getting tips from Amiel
28.20 How to process advice from someone who doesn't know you
Show Notes
We finally break out of Trump Doom to brainstorm on what could really help fix the world over the next 10 years - all things being possible.
1.00 A Cure for Cancer
1.45 Health Report from Chris
3.10 The Browns Win the Super Bowl
3.30 Re-invigorating Democracy
9.00 Wealth Inequality
10.30 Solar Power and Climate Change
14.20 More Women Leaders
17.45 Population Health
Show Notes
Here we explore why, despite unrelenting pressure and threats from Trump, state election officials in the swing states - both Republicans and Democrats - have protected the integrity of the election
0.45 The election that wasn't really that close
4.00 State election officials take their jobs seriously
9.40 Chris says, "There are good people on both sides." where have we heard that before?
10.30 The Right Wing Echo Chamber
14.20 The Courts Hold the Line
16.50 Trump's Branding Problem
Chris and Doug meditate on the cycle of life, the conditions under which we'd like to extend it, and our future non-existence - or whatever happens after this wild ride we're on.
0.45 Study of Oxygen Therapy for Longevity
1.30 Chris's view of living forever
4.45 Doug's meditation on non-existence
10.15 Wealthy people trying to cheat death
14.45 Steve Jobs
16.45 People who are less afraid of death
21.00 Doug's Arrogance and the cycle of life
Links:
Aging Journal - Oxygen Therapy Extends Longevity
The Five Secrets You Must Discover Before You Die
Doug and Chris (mostly) take a break from talking about politics to note the many things we have to be thankful for - despite the challenges of 2020.
1.50 Family.
6.10 Healthcare workers during Covid
7.00 Vaccines
10.15 Election Poll Workers
11.00 Dead People Voting
12.00 Joe Biden
16.00 Our Audience
Show Notes
Here we discuss the significance of our second major Covid wave on our health, families, and emotional well-being
1.00 The emotional toll of the pandemic
6.15 Individual rights and social obligations
8.45 Are we headed for healthcare rationing?
13.20 The Virus Burnout Syndrome
16.00 How can we learn from our virus experience so far?
18.00 Wall Street Journal Mask Wearing Update
Links
PBS Interview of Biden Covid Task Force Co Chair
Show Notes
Here's our expert analysis on the election results, recorded on Saturday morning shortly before the presidential race was called for Biden
0.45 Overall Reactions to Election Results
3.20 Why didn't Mitch McConnell want a stimulus bill?
4.20 Georgia - The Democrat's Silver Lining
6.45 Re-visiting our Pre-Election Predictions
9.15 Our strategies for watching the election results
10.50 The election turnout
13.20 How did the pollsters do?
16.10 The Planned Pennsylvania Crisis
19.00 Where Biden Won the Election
25.00 The Democrat's Messaging Problem
27.00 The Brilliance of Biden's Campaign Strategy
Show Notes
We muse on the possible election results, to the extent that we can emotionally cope with that. And we make some analytical predictions about how things will go (in other words, we guess).
0.30 Possible election scenarios
6.00 Doug's swing state predictions
9.00 Texas
12.45 Post election day turmoil?
17.30 The future of Trump TV
19.30 The Contested Election Scenarios
29.00 Chris Calls the Election !!
FiveThirtyEight: Explore The Ways Trump Or Biden Could Win The Election
In this special Halloween edition, Doug and Chris are joined by John Gallant, a horror short-story writer, to discuss why many people enjoyed being frightened.
1.30 Introducing John
2.30 The Emotions of Horror and Fear
7.20 Sleeping With the Enemy
9.50 Coming up with Horror Story Ideas
13.15 Horror Story Plots
18.30 Chris recalls The Twilight Zone
20.30 The Magic of Stephen King
23.00 The Thing
Links
On Writing by Stephen King
Show Notes
We discuss the role of social media companies, how they impact our culture, how they play in our elections, and how much they should be regulated - or not. Plus conspiracy theories like Q-Anon
0.30 The moral obligation
2.30 Twitter and the Hunter Biden story
6.10 Facebook and its challenges
9.00 The cultural impact of social media
11.00 Q-Anon and conspiracy theories
14.30 The legal insulation of social media from fake news stories
19.00 Antitrust regulation and social media
Show Notes
Here we explore how female political leaders are viewed and judged by the press and the American people, going back to 1984.
0.45 Female and Black presidents
1.30 Women and Men who come on strong
2.50 Gretchen Whitmer and the kidnapping plot
6.15 How women are unfairly judged
10.00 Mike Pence
15.00 Back to 1984
19.30 How is it going with men running the world?
21.30 The Lincoln Project
In this special episode, Doug and Chris explore the ramifications of President Trump reportedly testing positive for COVID-19.
Show Notes
We cover the landscape of threats to our American democracy starting, of course, with Trump refusing to endorse a peaceful transition of power if he loses.
0.45 Peaceful transitions of Power
4.10 The Destruction of Truth
5.00 The Supreme Court Nominee
8.30 How the Media empowers Trump
12.30 Ohio
14.25 The Tuesday Debate
17.25 Florida
24.00 Income inequality in the US
26.10 A time for Hardball
Show Notes
We cover Bob Woodward's new book, Trump's decision to talk to him, and what real leadership looks like in a crisis.
0.45 Winston Churchill
2.30 The Woodward Book
4.00 Trump's "Concept of Leadership"
7.15 Lying when you know you're lying
12.00 Leading during a crisis
16.00 Why did Trump agree to talk to Woodward?
18.15 The Brutal Truth
Show Notes
Here we continue our psychiatric analysis of the president who lacks a soul. More importantly, we assess how much ground - if any- Trump might lose by attacking dead soldiers
0.50 The Atlantic article boy Jeffrey Goldberg
5.40 Anonymous sources
8.00 Freebie movie recommendation
10.00 World War I
11.00 Trump's reaction to damaging stories
12.30 The "he just seems like an asshole" defense
14.20 The Vietnam Draft
18.15 Will Trump lose any votes over this?
Show Notes
Trump seems to believe that social unrest and urban violence is helping his chances of getting re-elected. He seems to be running as an outsider, despite the fact that he is an incumbent President - and crime was at a 50-year low when he took office. Can he pull it off?
0.40 1968 and 2020
3.55 How can Biden get on offense?
7.20 Systemic racism in America
9.35 Armed white guys "helping out" on the streets
15.55 The Democrat's hand-wringing
20.45 Has Trump made racism more socially acceptable?
Show Notes
Here we talk about the Republican National Convention and what we can expect - if we can actually call what Trump is about to do a convention. And we re-cap the DNC from last week.
1.00 What we can predict the Republicans will say
2.30 The Speaker Agenda for the RNC
3.45 The "New" Republican Party Platform
7.25 The "Cultural Icons" speaking at the RNC
10.15 Over to the Democratic National Convention
12.00 Biden's Life Story as a window into the American Story
Will our corrupt and immoral but incompetent president actually pull off stealing the 2020 presidential election and permanently destroying U.S. democracy? The answer may not shock you, but it should outrage anyone who believes in justice, fair elections and true democracy.
0.30 Coin flip
2.50 Helpfully announcing the crime in advance
4.50 The Blue Shift is real (as Trump well knows)
5.50 Can the press do anything useful?
10.45 Could Trump's voter suppression strategy backfire?
14.00 Florida
Show Notes
Here we tackle the stagnation of the American political parties and what might enable third parties to get more traction.
0.40 The stagnation of the two-party system
5.30 the role of the Republicans
6.30 The history of the two-party system in the US
9.45 Mechanisms that help entrench the two parties
10.45 Voting systems - Winner-Take-All versus Proportional Representation
17.00 The Media & Political Polarization
19.00 Potential catalysts for the emergence of third parties in the US
25.45 The Wisdom of the People, Or Not
Show Notes
Given Joe Biden's age and position in the polls, this might be the most important vice presidential selection in recent memory. Here, Chris and Doug talk about who Biden should choose and why - and who our cohosts think he will pick.
0.40 Doug's decision criteria
2.00 The Washington Post VP quiz
13.30 The four women who pass the first-level screen
19.30 Who Doug and Chris each prefer as VP
22.50 Strong women gender bias
25.45 Will Trump dump Pence?
Link
Who do you think Joe Biden should choose for VP?
Show Notes
Donald Trump is sending law and order forces into American cities to "combat violence", evidently as a political strategy to improve his chances of re-election. Where is this leading, what are the consequences for America, and will his political strategy work?
0.30 Chris' assessment of the situation
5.10 Trump's political strategy of emphasizing urban violence
9.55 Trump as a law and order President
12.10 "Solving" imaginary problems
15.00 Sidebar on AOC
16.15 Election Polls
Show Notes
With more than 14 million people in the United States currently unemployed, Chris and Doug discuss what the government could actually do to create more good jobs.
0.40 How to think about the Government's Role in the Economy
1.30 Income inequality
6.25 Mission based investments
12.30 The link between health insurance and employment
15.30 Government deficits and The Deficit Myth
18.00 The Problem with Trickle-Down Economics
Links
The Deficit Myth by Stephanie Kelton
Show Notes
Here we contemplate whether or not the United States has a path through its COVID 19 response mess. and, if so, how.
0.40 Why are we in such a bad place?
10.50 The testing quagmire
13.45 Japan Inc
16.20 If Biden wins, what happens in our fight against COVID?
24.20 A Mary Trump diversion
28.50 The school opening debacle
Chris and Doug discuss an earth-shattering topic -- at least for American sports fans. Our cohosts debate the pros and cons of Major League Baseball and the National Football League playing their seasons. Also, Chris throws in a few Netflix recommendations.
0.40 Some Big Ifs
3.15 A flawed notion of a baseball season
10.45 Deep dive on the NFL
15.30 Should the NFL delay the start of the season?
18.05 A radical idea from Chris
With America in crisis on multiple fronts, Doug and Chris discuss what makes each of us proud to be an American, and where the American experiment still has lots of work to do.
1.00 The idea of America
2.45 Do we have a lot to be proud about?
4.15 Is America exceptional?
5.00 Some good stuff about America
9.15 America-centricity
14.30 Is politics entertainment?
16.45 Chris says Put Your Mask On!
Chris and Doug explore how Trump plan to win reelection by bringing us all together and emphasizing social justice. Oh, wait...
0.30 Yes, this is a rhetorical question
2.50 Will running his campaign based on fear and resentment work?
4.00 The public opinion polls
7.45 What about Trump's law and order message?
12.00 Are the liberals going to take away everyone's guns?
13.55 The changing U.S. racial demographics
16.15 Trump and the Supreme Court
Show Notes
2020 is shaping up to be the most tumultuous year in many of our lives -- and we haven't even gotten to the November election yet. Between COVID-19, controversy surrounding Black Lives Matter protests, and global economic turmoil, can we expect anything positive from this year? What could possibly give us hope?
0.50 The protests and hope
2.50 What's driving the civil unrest?
5.00 Political leadership (in the U.S.) and the will of the people
10.30 The instability of the current situation
14.30 The Baby Boomers and generational transformation
17.10 "Deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed."
Show Notes
Biden is starting to talk like he's open to being more progressive, given the conditions facing the country. How far left should he go? If he wins, should the Democrats push for a New New Deal and, if so, what should these programs include?
0.45 It's past time for a New New Deal
3.50 How much will Biden push for it?
7.50 The Core of a New New Deal
12.05 The 5-Prong New, New Deal
21.00 The elephant in the room
America is in turmoil. One week ago an unarmed black man, George Floyd, was murdered by a Minneapolis cop for the possible misdemeanor of passing a counterfeit $20 bill to a Chinese restaurant. Protests are happening throughout the country. And, as usual, Trump is throwing gasoline on the fire. What can America learn from this, and will we ever learn it?
2.00 America's little progress on institutional racism
4.00 What can white people do about this?
6.10 Getting shot and killed while out running in broad daylight
12.00 The systematic pattern of injustice
16.45 The crisis of presidential leadership
Habits are very powerful, nearly all psychologists and behavior change experts would agree. In this episode, Doug and Chris discuss their best habits (pretty easy to report) and worst habits (with no filters). Note - even best habits taken to an extreme can become dysfunctional.
4.30 Chris's Best Habits, The Shorter List
6.30 Giving People Your Full Attention
9.15 Doug's Comprehensive List of Bad Habits
10.45 Weighing Yourself Obsessively
11.15 Bracketology
16.50 A Quick View of Chris' Worst Habits
22.15 Exercise, per Doug
23.30 Daily Coffee Ritual
Links
Our Immigration Episode
Inspired by listener feedback, Doug and Chris dive into the issue of government deficits, tell bad economics jokes (well, Doug does), and talk about whether the United States can afford to fight climate change as it rings up huge government deficits and unemployment stats.
2.50 Doug's joke from an economist
5.55 Modern Monetary Theory (MMT)
7.20 Balanced budgets and austerity programs
10.55 Federal jobs guarantees
12.45 Republicans, deficits, and hypocrisy
16.05 Climate change reversal and deficits
20.10 Creating a new economy
Chris and Doug discuss the biggest issue of the moment, if not the era: Is reopening the states to reinvorate the economy an essential move or fatal madness? And if reopening results in more deaths and economic hardship, who will Trump blame?
1.15 Our first listener message and next week's episode
3.45 The reopening and the virus
8.00 Testing in the U.S.
10.00 Leadership and credibility
11.30 The problems with COVID-19 data
18.25 What do the American people think about reopening?
19.10 The 2020 election
Chris and Doug take a break from COVID-19 to discuss the 2020 election cycle, Biden's pick for vice president, and the future of America.
1.05 Biden's key advantage
5.15 Big advice from Chris, for Biden
8.20 Doug's key polling stat
11.15 The pandemic and the campaign
15.30 America as a leader of the free
18.10 Biden's VP pick -- the leading candidates
25.50 Predictions on who Biden will choose as a running mate
In this episode Doug and Chris explore lessons that individuals, societies, and governments can learn from the global pandemic. Our cohosts discuss past pandemics and disasters and what good government and good leadership need to be all about. Trump's dismal performance in response to COVID-19 also somehow makes its way into the conversation.
2.00 Will we learn any lasting lessons from this pandemic?
4.40 A Paradise Built in Hell
9.40 Cooperation and the blame game
10.30 Is returning to "normal" a good way to think?
11.45 Being prepared for the next disaster
12.45 The World Kitchen
16.15 The American response
18.15 Life lessons we can learn
20.45 Who are the essential workers?
22.30 Can America emerge as a better place?
Links
A Paradise Built in Hell
The World Kitchen
- (NEW FEATURE: Now you can leave an audio message for Chris and Doug by going to this page! Tell us what's on your mind, or suggest an idea for a future episode.)
Doug and Chris examine what other countries are doing to manage the global pandemic. Turns out the most successful ones are 1) following science-based recommendations to control a pandemic, and 2) not turning daily coronavirus briefings into narcissistic, anger-fueled, and willfully misleading spectacles.
0.40 Big picture stats from Chris
2.50 The one thing that six countries who are doing especially well have in common
4.25 Doug's data dump
6.15 The country in the most trouble
10.00 Masks
11.45 Germany
13.40 Leadership and messaging in a crisis
17.00 South Korea
26.00 The hopeful side
Current death rates by countries - as of 4.19.2020 - Deaths Per Million People
Italy 391
UK 237
Sweden 152
US 122
Germany 55
South Korea 5
Singapore 2
Social distancing has resulted in radical behavioral change, even for Doug and Chris. Our cohosts dive into how the COVID-19 shutdown has affected them and others, as well as how the dramatic slowdown of social activity is forcing people around the world to rethink how they've been living.
4.40 How Chris is doing
7.40 The psychology research on isolation
10.25 The radical behavior change of social distancing
15.00 What we're actually doing with our newfound free time
16.30 Chris's one big piece of profound advice
17.30 Does Netflix count as a personal improvement plan?
In a freewheeling conversation, Chris and Doug cover the role of the free market, U.S. government agencies, and public/private partnerships in dealing with both COVID-19 and disasters in general. This show is about exploring how we can do better.
0.45 The case for regulated capitalism
6.30 The coalition for epidemic preparedness
9:45 The lack of U.S. federal government leadership
14.10 Some positives in the private sector response
17.45 The $2 trillion stimulus bill
24.30 Drug development to solve for COVID-19
25.00 What should be the role of government in dealing with disasters?
29.45 The Onion weighs in
Links
The Fifth Risk by Michael Lewis
Doug and Chris talk with Ryan Hagen, founder and editor of the Crowdsourcing Sustainability newsletter, about the role governments, the private sector, and individuals can play in reversing global warming. Ryan is very knowledgeable on this crucial topic, and his organization has more than 40,000 members around the world. We hope you enjoy this episode - and subscribe to his newsletter (link below)!!
0.45 Ryan intro
4.00 Ryan's 4 big points for reversing global warming
9.20 The coronavirus pandemic and climate change
13.00 Annual deaths from air pollution
17.50 What can individuals do about climate change?
20.00 The 3.5% rule
22.30 The role of public/private partnerships in reversing global warming
27.50 Finding Ryan online
Ryan Hagen links:
- Sign up for the Crowdsourcing Sustainability Newsletter (Best way for people to connect!)
- 16 Sustainability Leaders Weigh In: How YOU Can Help to Reverse Global Warming
- Crowdsourcing Sustainability
- LinkedIn articles
Paul Hawken, Well-known climate change activist:
“The single most important thing to do about reversing global warming is to recognize there is no one single thing, that addressing global warming is a way of seeing the world, a way of being in the world, a pathway to understanding that human systems created the problem and thus the cure is within the whole of the system. The most impactful act an individual can do will depend on that person’s life, knowledge, community, influence, relationships, courage. It will be different for everyone. Together, we act and make a difference. It is not about what 'I' can do. It is about what we can do. Carbon is an atom (and molecule) that holds hands and collaborates. That is what global warming is telling us to do.”
Doug and Chris discuss the potential range of outcomes regarding the COVID-19 global pandemic. Spoiler alert: Even the best-case scenario is bad (but you probably already knew that). Also, Chris has launched a solo podcast with impeccably bad timing. Be sure to check out the link below and subscribe to the podcast before the social fabric begins unraveling.
1.10 Doug's worst-case scenario
5.15 Doug's best-case scenario
8.00 How Americans view the threat
15.45 Can drug innovation save us?
21.00 Why South Korea and Singapore have done well
21.45 Trump's anger management issues
28.00 What kind of leadership are people looking for?
Link to Chris's new podcast:
Uncommon Stories & Coffeehouse Conversations
There is only one question before us now - can we get through a global pandemic with the least empathetic, most poorly organized, and world's leading narcissist running our country? Doug and Chris assess where we are, how we got there, and what the impact of the pandemic will be on human health and the economy.
0.45 Chris's answer: "ask the markets"
2.50 Doug's short positive noteon what the Trump admin has done right
6.15 Is Trump actually relevant to how we get through this?
8.45 The coronavirus doesn't watch Fox News
11.15 What kind of leader do we actually need right now?
17.55 The testing debacle
21.00 The economic impact
24.20 Biden pretends to be president (and sounds convincing!)
27.15 The sports world goes quiet
32.15 What are we doing different personally in responding to the virus?
The Democratic Primary took a big turn on Super Tuesday with JoeMentum. Doug and Chris discuss what happened, why they think it happened, and the path forward to get Trump out of the White House.
1.30 Chris's take on Super Tuesday
2.40 Things change fast
4.50 Will it be Bernie or Biden?
6.30 Texas
9.30 What really drives Trump's approval/disapproval rating?
10.40 Doug's thesis on the race
16.45 Bloomberg revisited
19.15 Will Bernie's supporters vote if Biden gets the nomination?
24.00 What does Biden need to do now?
In this episode, Chris and Doug reflect on their daily struggle to consume troubling news and world events (like Trump and the coronavirus) in healthy and productive ways. Our cohosts also disclose some -- but not all -- of their obsessions and addictions.
2.20 Cable news addiction and sensationalism
5.00 The media thrives on conflict
5.30 Processing presidential debates
13.10 Chris confesses to an obsession with news and politics
17.35 How Doug gets recentered
22.00 Productively engaging in the big problems facing humanity
26.55 Chris plugs in to younger generations
Climate change activist Jan Krause Greene joins Chris and Doug to explore what actions individuals can take to combat climate change and global warming. Jan is extremely knowledgeable about this important topic and a living example of how to be part of the planet's ecosystem. She shares with Doug, Chris, and episode listeners her personal strategies for dealing with climate change in practical, everyday ways.
1.15 Antarctica hits record highs
4.15 Getting involved: The big picture
8:35 Measuring your climate consumption: Project Drawdown
12.05 Why you've been chosen to save the planet
14.15 Sustainable investing
19.35 Emergencies and long-term thinking
22.30 Bringing down the temperature
25.50 Humans are part of nature (and not an invasive species)
31.40 Electric cars
35.20 Food waste
Links:
Jan's book, "I Call Myself Earth Girl"
Project Drawdown
Sustainable investing
Sustainability newsletter
In this episode Chris and Doug discuss the importance of visualization as both a way to focus the mind on successfully performing specific tasks and, perhaps more significantly, as a powerful tool and framework for how people can lead fulfilling lives. Our cohosts also explore how nuturing vision in employees is critical to an organization's culture.
0.55 2 different kinds of visualization
1.55 Politics and vision
4.15 Fixing on your North Star
5.55 The path of least resistance
14.20 Getting beyond yourself
18.10 Performance visualization
21.05 Why people leave jobs
25.30 Making your vision real
Links
The Path of Least Resistance
Psycho-Cybernetics
In case Armageddon comes tomorrow, or somebody gets re-elected and our cohosts move to unknown locales, or the Browns never make it to the Super Bowl and it's too much for Doug to take, here are Chris and Doug's three messages to the whole world.
0.45 Be tolerant
2.45 Growing up in a small town
4.50 Greed is not good
7.30 Set yourself free
11.10 Autocrats anywhere are a danger to people everywhere
12.50 Seek the truth
15.55 When in doubt, learn more
16.35 There is no Planet B
Doug and Chris assess the political landscape as they await the expected acquittal of President Trump by Republican senators who voted against hearing from any witnesses or reviewing evidence as part of the impeachment trial. Because who needs evidence and testimony in a trial? Our cohosts also discuss what to expect from Iowa voters in Tuesday's Democratic Party caucuses.
0.48 The current trial scenario
4.05 Susan Collins
6.35 Doug's semi-optimistic note
14.30 Can the Democrats turn the page?
26.30 Getting real about the Democratic primary
30.26 Are Republican senators ust trying to protect themselves?
33.30 Chris says one more thing
Chris and Doug create a historical record of one of their major competitions, the Race to All 50 States. Only one major crime is disclosed in the episode.
0.45 The 50-state contest
3.55 Chris and Karen's honeymoon
4:45 Chris goes to Vegas
13.30 Fargo
15.40 The victory lap
24:30 Chris' logistical brilliance
In this episode, Chris and Doug take a deep dive into gratitude in all of its dimensions. The cohosts discuss research on gratitude as well as real-life examples of how to invoke and benefit from gratitude. They are greatly aided in this process by The Big Life Question Show's first guest, Chris's wife Karen, who runs a business called Gratitude Place.
2.15 What is gratitude?
4.45 Research on gratitude
7.27 What happens when you don't feel gratitude?
15.40 Gratitude Place
16.40 The Success Principles
21.20 Abundance
24.00 Resilience
Links
Visit Gratitude Place on Etsy
Follow Gratitude Place on Facebook and Instagram
Success Principles by Jack Canfield
Doug and Chris start out the year on a positive note, looking for signs of hope for humanity. Gratefully, with some help, our cohosts find research showing that most people are inherently caring, considerate, and cooperative. Here's to 2020 being a year in which we all revive our hope for the human race.
1.10 Why Chris has hope
2.00 Gratitude
6.00 Giving to others
7.00 Relationships and well being
11.45 Helping others
13.40 Empathy and mindsets
18.15 Resilience
Links
Thoughtco article by Elizabeth Hopper
Populism has emerged unexpectedly as a huge global political issue. It's controversial, powerful to its adherents, disruptive, and tumultuous for all concerned. It's also a repeat of past world history. Why is this happening now and what can be done about it?
0.53 The alienated worker class
3.55 Mankind's darker nature
8.00 3 core requirements for populism
9:45 Rising hostility towards capitalism
11.10 Does populism have a better story than progressivism?
16.00 What are the best and the brightest doing now to help the world?
20.00 The hostile takeover of the Republican Party
22.40 What does Brexit mean for U.S. politics?
Reference
The information about Swedish professor Benjamin Moffitt and the three core requirements that define a populist comes from a 2017 Bloomberg article by Marc Champion titled "How Do You Know a Populist When You See One?" Chris reads from Champion's piece beginning at the 8:00 mark.
In this episode Doug and Chris tackle one of the most intractable issues of our time - income inequality. The cohosts frame the magnitude of the problem, and then discuss what could be done about it.
1.30 Inequality and immigration
2.15 The 3 richest people in the world
3.25 The last 40 years in the U.S.
6.25 Investing in people's welfare
9.00 The advantage of universal benefits
15.30 The burning fuse of income inequality
19.30 Money and politics
25.15 Equality of opportunity
Chris and Doug discuss and debate the most important question for Democrats in 2020 - should they run a moderate or a progressive? Are politics today dominated by the right and left, or is their room in the middle? Our cohosts (mostly) keep it friendly, but don't agree on much - other than the country would be better off with a new president.
0.45 Chris throws the first punch
3.25 Can we get the youth vote out?
6.55 Should we focus on electability or policy?
9.45 Are the moderates slow walking us to disaster?
11.25 is there still a political center?
16.30 Here, we talk about actual candidates
31.15 Chris's Democratic presidential nominee success rate
Chris and Doug explore why humor is important, how it helps us get through difficult times, and what makes for good humor. The cohosts delve into Chris's career as a stand-up comic, what it was like to try to break into that world - and hear about one famous comic he met along the journey. All forms of humor are on the table - stand-up comedy, political humor, self-deprecating humor, and plain old bad jokes.
0.50 The Three Big Intangibles
7.20 What are the hallmarks of good humor?
9.40 Chris's stand up career
17.30 Political humor
21.40 Humor to get through difficult times
In this episode Chris and Doug try to figure out how resentful millennial and generation X Y and Z are, and should be, toward baby boomers. It seems like they have reasons to be, considering climate change, deficits, income inequality and political division. We carefully insert personal disclaimers into the episode, and Chris makes it clear that he loves everyone.
2.40 What Millenials and Gen Z think about Baby Boomers
7.00 Short-termism
11.25 The state of capitialism
17.57 Chris takes the floor
20.40 Solving big problems
23.48 Tribalism
Listen to two fanatical sports fans, one in recovery and one in denial, sort out this timeless question: Are sports something we take too seriously? In a perverse way, Doug and Chris may be uniquely qualified to take on this topic.
1.54 The problem with taking sports too seriously
5.40 The Browns' sorry playoff history
13:55 Being a fan and never winning a championship
22.10 Checklist of poor sports fan behaviors
27.50 Doug answers the question
Links
Superfans
In this episode, Chris and Doug discuss freedom in all of its dimensions -- political, physical, financial, external versus internal freedom. The cohosts discuss which rights of freedom are currently threatened in the United States. As usual, Doug also offers a book recommendation.
0.55 Chris's fundamental definition of freedom
2.15 Webster's definition of freedom
7.15 Internal freedom
11.10 Freedom to be who you are
11.30 Free will
14.45 The freedom to control your body
16.45 Financial freedom
Links
Victor Frankl, Man's Search for Meaning
All of us go through adversity. It's an inevitable part of life. In this episode, Doug and Chris talk about some of the major adversities in their own lives and how they dealt with them (successfully or otherwise).
0.30 Doug's first major life crisis
5.30 The wrong way to deal with adversity
10.30 How to overcome adversity
12.55 Chris' biggest adversity
17.25 Staying in the pocket
19.10 The growth mindset
Links
Mindset, Carol Dweck
Chris and Doug engage in a wide-ranging conversation about perfectionism, excellence and the difference between the two. They cover healthy and unhealthy attitudes, how raising kids has gotten harder, famous perfectionists, suicide, and - of course - Donald Trump. A decent effort for two non-perfectionists.
0.42 Definitions of perfectionism and excellence
4.00 Perfectionists' expectations of other people
5.25 Perfectionists and risk-taking
12.50 The promise and perils of continuous improvement
16.00 Growing up in a social media world
19.00 Is perfectionism getting worse?
Links:
Ted Talk on Perfectionism
In this episode, Doug and Chris solve all of problems facing democracies in a mere 32 minutes. It's all here - citizen engagement, gerrymandering, education, universal basic income, entitlements, etc., etc. Our cohosts also talk about how the United States could get back to doing Big Things as a country. World leaders, you are fools not to listen to this episode of The Big Life Questions Show podcast.
2.00 Doug's starting point for the fix
6.30 Doing Big Things
12.25 Fixing entitlements
21.55 Citizenship and democracy
26.15 Strengthening families
For those of you counting, it's been 1,010 days (and a few hours) since Trump took the oath of office. In this episode, Chris and Doug plunge into the topic of how - with a lot of help from Trump himself - America has managed to make great progress in ruining democracy in that short time. But don't despair - next week our cohosts will explain how to save it.
1.45 Chris's Top 2 Points, Which are actually about 10 Points
5.50 The latest impeachment polls
6.45 Attacking all sources of truth
13.20 The role of money in politics
15.25 The breakdown of political norms
17.10 Lowering the public discourse
21.00 A hopeful note
Book link: How Democracies Die
In this episode, in the tradition of the Big Life Questions Show, we ponder the imponderable - what is the perfect age? Chris and Doug have radically different answers. They review the actual research on this question; trip over a short-list of benefits of getting older; and conclude with another shot at Trump.
1.00 Chris' answer to the question
4.45 Standing in line for gasoline
6.45 Doug's answer to the question
9.00 The upside of acceptance
10.20 At what age are people most happy?
14.15 The challenges of being in your 50s
Show Notes
In this episode, Doug and Chris tackle perhaps the ultimate Big Life Question - what is the secret to a good life? They also discuss what these secrets have meant in their own lives. In case that isn't enough, our cohosts cover in some detail the time period where Chris was living out of his car and in a tent.
1.15 Staying true to yourself
2.40 Sardinia
3.35 Good Work & Purpose
6.00 Living out of your car
11.45 What to do with regrets
15.55 A sense of place
18.30 The Final 3 Secrets
Show Notes
As regular listeners know, The Big Life Questions Show does not believe President Trump will finish out his current term. But - just in case he does - as an important public service announcement, Doug and Chris disclose in this episode the list of countries each would consider moving to in the unfortunate event that the country abandons all semblance of reason. The cohosts also disclose the proprietary methodologies they used to arrive upon their choices.
0.00 Chris's intro to this episode
3.20 Why Chris might move if Trump is re-elected
8.05 Research on the best countries to live in
9.40 Doug's big reveal of where he would move
17.40 Chris's dramatic reveal of his methodology and where he would move
25.43 The final lesson - "We have options"
Show Notes
This is an episode that everyone can relate to. Doug and Chris discuss the causes of burnout, with an emphasis on why the problem seems to be getting worse - and what we can do about it.
0.38 Burnout and lack of purpose
6.15 Burnout and frustration with things being out of control
9.10 Physician burnout
15.25 Burnout and wasted time
16.00 Burnout and financial stress
19.40 Possible solutions to burnout
A whistleblower! An impeachment inquiry! A self-incrimidating president! In this special edition of The Big Life Questions Show, Doug and Chris discuss whether Donald Trump will be able to survive the investigation into a detailed whistleblower complaint that paints a picture of a president willing to sell out his country to win reelection.
In keeping with the Big Life Questions Show theme, Doug and Chris ponder the essential questions about religion in this episode. They explore both the positive and the dark side of religions. They also disclose their own religious histories, including an experience Doug had that suggests a possible afterlife. In the end, the cohosts disagree on the question at hand - are we better off with or without religions?
1.10 Chris and Doug's religious backgrounds
5.25 Everybody has a right to their own beliefs
7.30 The benefits of a religious practice, according to Chris
11.08 Are religious people happier? Are they healthier?
16.15 Doug's spiritual experience
22.15 Is religion based on magical thinking?
22.55 Religion, wars and evil behavior
29.55 A final verdict (sort of) on the question
In this episode of The Big Life Questions Show, Chris and Doug tackle one the most polarizing and controversial issues of our time -- immigration. Our cohosts discuss immigration policies throughout the history of the United States, from the country's founding to the Trump Administration, as well as how immigration has changed the culture of the nation and influenced our politics. Doug and Chris also try to inject actual facts into the immigration conversation.
1.05 The facts about immigration and crime, job growth and the economy
6.05 Re-writing the poem on the Statue of Liberty
8.50 The history of immigration in America
11.20 Doug's radical view of immigration policy
14.50 The game-changer - The immigration act of 1965
18.45 Why do immigrants want to come in the first place?
25.45 Why were New Mexico and Hawaii denied statehood for a long time?
Links:
Coming to America, by Roger Daniels
In this episode, Doug and Chris explore why college is so expensive and why the market for higher education in the United States is broken in significant ways. They present important data on the magnitude of the problem, and talk through potential ways to make higher education more affordable. Finally, they discuss how Chris, as a father of three, personally feels about the college education cost dilemma.
4.00 Differences in Per Capita income, high school versus college graduates
5.45 Tuition rate increases since 1973
8.00 Why the value proposition of a college degree is in question
8.40 How higher education, like healthcare, doesn't operate as a competitive economic market
15.35 How does Chris think about this topic as a father of three?
19.55 Are college teaching people the right things?
22.55 What could we as a society do about the high cost of college education?
Links:
Indebted: How Families Make College Work at Any Cost, Caitlin Zaloom
The Business Roundtable, a group of corporate CEOs, recently put out a statement that CEOs should be focused on more than just shareholders. What does their statement mean, practically speaking? What are the pressures on CEOs and how should they balance the short term vs. the long term? Are corporations moral? Should they be? We tackle these big life questions and more, right here in this episode.
0.48 The Business Roundtable Position Statement
3.45 What pressures do CEOs really face?
6.17 A ray of hope for CEO behavior
9.26 Long term versus short term focus
11.15 Is there a moral element to capitalism?
16.05 Are CEOs worried about growing discontent with capitalism?
18.55 A CEO case study
26.15 CEOs, Boards, and creating good jobs
Life is full of lessons to be learned -- or ignored! In this episode, Chris and Doug offer life advice to their younger selves based on their own experiences, mistakes, observations, and epiphanies. What valuable life advice would you offer to your younger self?
1:15 Don't spend too much time in your own head
3.14 Don't ignore karma; it's real
6.56 It's usually not personal
8.56 There are people you can't reason with
12.25 Eliminate negative influences from your life
16.24 Be in the world, but not of it
17.45 Live abroad for a couple of years
20.05 Stay healthy
22.35 Don't ignore the obvious
in this episode, Doug and Chris discuss what a person's responsibilities are to be a productive member of society - and, for that matter, what exactly does it mean to be productive? For example, do you need to make money to be a productive member of society? What is the bare minimum behavior to be considered productive? Basically, what are our responsibilities - if any - that result from being on this planet?
0.45 What does it mean to be productive?
3:54 Can a toll booth operator be a productive member of society?
8:45 Is civility part of being productive?
10.00 What is not productive behavior for society?
11.25 What about dropping out of society? Is that okay?
18.14 The problem with libertarians
In this episode, Doug and Chris struggle with the ramifications of what Baby Boomers have done to make the future more difficult for Millennials, Generation X, and succeeding generations. The full gamut of debacles is covered -- climate change, wealth and income inequality, bad leadership, political polarization. Our cohosts scour the planet for possible solutions, or at least ways to make Baby Boomers feel better.
6.58 We need better humans
8.45 We need better models of leadership and success
15.20 A billionaire endorses the wealth tax
20.05 The Norwegian Sovereign Wealth Fund
21.50 Care and concern for other species
Imagine that you could invent a time machine and have dinner with famous, or not-so-famous, historical figures. Who would you pick? What questions would you ask them? That's what Chris and Doug do in this episode, and they cover people from all eras and walks of life. The cohosts also reveal who almost made the cut.
1.25 Dinner Guest Number One (for both Doug and Chris) -- A political prisoner and a corrupter of youth
8.17 Dinner Guest Number Two -- An emancipator and a roundtable wag
14.00 Dinner Guest Number Three -- A first lady and a funny lady
19.20 Dinner Guest Number Four -- A Founding Father and a legendary boxer
27.04 Dinner Guest Number Five -- An inventor and a musician/songwriter
33.19 Summary and Last-minute Dinner List Cuts
Links:
Walter Issacson, Leonardo da Vinci
If you are desperately trying to figure out how we get Donald Trump out of the White House, The Big Life Questions Show analysis of the 2020 Democratic Primary is for you. Doug and Chris make no attempts to discuss all 183 people running, nor do either of them announce their own candidacies. Instead, they handicap the major contenders and throw in their own obsessions, biases, peculiarities, and occasional insights. They even argue! If you're looking for poll results, you won't find them here. But if you want the lay of the land on what's really happening, check out this episode.
Life throws curveballs at all of us; it's how we respond to those curveballs that matters the most. Sometimes what happens to us even challenges our definition of self. In this episode, Doug and Chris discuss how a running injury has made Doug re-think the fundamentals of his life.
1.00 Doug's Running Injury
9.05 Diagnosing yourself over the internet (bad idea)
10.13 The conversation with the surgeonm11.50 The aftermath of the surgery
15.55 Doug's stab at some overall perspective
20.26 Coping and not coping with health issues and injuries
In this episode Doug and Chris deal with a crucial question for the summer months: What makes for a great vacation? It turns out that taking a vacation isn't as simple as it sounds, especially when kids are involved. Are vacations just a break or can they be transformative to your life? Should you deal with work email while on vacation? How often do you get really good ideas about the rest of your life while on vacation? How important is it to get to all 50 states in the U.S.? (A subtle dig by Doug.) Are the best vacations the ones where you stay in one place or the ones where you move around? And what is your idea of the ideal vacation?
3.30 Is reading work email while on vacation advisable?
9.30 Should you go new places or go where you've been before?
10.20 The All 50 States Contest
14.52 How much should you plan your day-to-day itinerary?
18.20 The Big Life Questions Show Vacation Endorsement
Age tends to creep up on us. Then again, there seem to be some subtle (and not so subtle) signs when other people think you are old. In this episode, Chris and Doug explore those signs along with questions such as:
- Why do doctors like to tell you that "it's just wear and tear"?
- Is age really just a number?
- Is there a form of intelligence that gets better as you get older?
Our cohosts also talk about they keys to healthy aging.
0.25 Update on Chris's medical mystery
5.30 When the doc says "it's just wear and tear"
6.30 Is age just a number?
9.00 The intelligence that seems to get better as you age
15.30 Mortality and Immortality?
18.15 Healthy aging
Everyone knows a narcissist. That would be someone who needs to be the center of attention and whose own needs dominate their lives, and can dominate the lives of those around them. In this episode, Chris and Doug explore the role of narcissists in their own lives and how they've attempted to deal with them. The cohosts also consider the role of social media in enabling narcissism. And, of course, it's hard to discuss narcissism these days without referencing the current occupant of the White House.
1:29 Dealing with narcissists
7:27 No statute of limitations on grievances
9:28 The ultimate sign that someone is a narcissist
13:20 Working for a narcissist
16:43 The Narcissist in the White House
20:30 Social media and narcissism
22:05 The reporter's instinct
By all measures the American public is more polarized politically than anytime in recent history, and for many reasons -- including social media, the fragmentation of news outlets, and the lack of bi-partisanship in Congress. Does this mean it's okay to judge a person's character based on their political beliefs? (Something that certainly is happening with more frequency.) When might it be appropriate, as opposed to unfair, to make such judgments?
4.25 Expecting people to think
6.30 All politicians lie
8.48 Would it be okay if your child married someone from the opposite political party?
11.30 All the ways we judge people
15.57 One thing the government is really bad at
19.23 All the news that's NOT fit to print
In this episode, Doug and Chris discuss whether it's wise to let other people know about your weaknesses. While they agree it would have benefits, they also recognize the potential dangers of self-disclosure. Perhaps there are limits to complete transparency. Then again, transparency can make for some pretty good stories.
1.00 Are there benefits to revealing weaknesses?
2.26 Is vulnerability a sign of strength?
7.10 Showing weaknesses as a way to get out of work
11.18 Getting burned by exposing your weaknesses
14.10 Acknowledging your weaknesses to yourself
Fear of "the other" is a human trait rooted in our need for survival. Uncontrolled, however, fear of the other can undermine mankind's ability to achieve a higher consciousness -- or even live peacefully. In this episode, Chris and Doug discuss the reasons behind and the ramifications of our fear of "the other."
0:41 The essence of mankind's nature
4:15 How fear of "the other" is weaponized
5:48 The benefits of tribalism
7:17 A story of hope
9:55 Dehumanizing "the other"
13:00 Social media rewards extremism
14:20 Chris plugs "The 100"
18:00 Serving in the military teaches tolerance
In the U.S., especially among younger generations, polling shows diminished enthusiasm for capitalism and lower confidence that capitalism can deliver fair outcomes. Meanwhile, many who believe in capitalism recognize the need to confront its weaknesses. In this episode, we explore how capitalism can generate economic growth and opportunity, as well as how it can reinforce and accentuate disparities in wealth and political power.
0:55 The benefits of capitalism
3:18 Adam Smith, David Hume, and The Scottish Enlightenment
5:43 Growing Income Inequality and The Rigged System
11:08 Declining life expectancy for white working class in the U.S.
15:00 The urban versus rural divide
17:37 Ideas for addressing capitalism’s challenges
Links:
The Infidel and The Professor: David Hume, Adam Smith, and The Friendship That Shaped Modern Thought, Dennis C. Rasmussen
Makers and Takers: The Rise of Finance and The Fall of American Business, by Rana Foroohar
Our health can be a fragile thing. In this episode, one of our cohosts encounters a medical mystery – a condition that may be chronic and life-changing, but is difficult to diagnose, even for the best doctors. Doug and Chris grapple with how to find the best medical care, how to ask the right questions when the answers are unknown, how to make sense of medical mysteries, and most importantly how to keep going when life throws you – or your good friend – a hard punch.
2:02 Today's Medical Mystery
9:50 The Possible Diagnosis
10:34 Looking Up Your Mystery Symptoms On Line
16:42 Another Medical Mystery
22:19 Getting Yelled At in the Emergency Room
30:19 How Can You Tell If You Have a Good Doctor?
34:24 Finding Emotional Equilibrium
Some of the hardest decisions in life are deciding when to quit something as opposed to when to double down. In this episode, Chris and Doug ponder how to make these decisions, in work and in life, and when they’ve made good and bad quitting decisions. They discuss when quitting is a good idea, when it’s a terrible idea, and the nuances of the murky gray areas of these big life choices.
1:56 Here is when quitting a job is not a good idea, but Chris did anyway
4:57 Everything is either a Yes or a No
7:05 When to definitely quit your job
11:47 What to do when your personal life demands more than you can give
17:07 Booing yourself off the stage
19:03 Exit, voice, and loyalty
22:46 When it makes sense to quit without a plan
24:20 The workplace of the future
Links
Exit, Voice, and Loyalty by Albert Hirschman
In a free-wheeling conversation, Chris and Doug speculate about what the Founding Fathers would have to say about America in 2019. They cover a wide range of topics, attempting to put themselves in the shoes of the Founding Fathers. You may or may not agree with their conclusions, but it will be hard to prove them wrong -- unless you can produce an original Founding Father or two.
3:28 What would almost certainly disappoint them
7:16 Constitutional amendments
8:30 Social media
9:30 The role of money in politics
11:00 The growth of executive power
15:05 Budget deficits
18:15 How would they view Trump?
We all experience failure, unless we attempt nothing and live in a cave. Certainly, Chris and Doug between them have had their share of less-than-optimal outcomes – divorce, missing payroll, losing a job, not finishing a grad degree, and even crashing at the end of marathons. Since we all experience failure, getting through life is more about how to move on when things haven’t gone as planned. In other words, how to get back up when life knocks you down.
1:01 Why failure is more interesting than success
2:42 Famous people who have failed
5:30 Personal failures for Chris and Doug
12:28 Failure as a liberating force
14:11 Relationship failure
16:57 Crashing in marathons
19:57 The famous one-mile race
Especially as we get older, we tend to feel nostalgic for the past – often conveniently forgetting painful and even traumatic moments. How do we think about our history and past experiences in useful and productive ways, yet still change and grow? In what ways is nostalgia useful to sorting out our lives and moving forward, and in what ways is it counterproductive? In this debut episode of The Big Life Questions Show, cohosts Doug Schneider and Chris Nerney explore the pros and cons of nostalgia.
1:56 Change is part of life; nostalgia can be a denial of change
4:24 Nostalgia evokes a shared history and shared connection
8:09 Do you go back to your class reunions?
8:57 Talking about the old days can be unhealthy
10:35 Still learning at 106 years old
12:43 Going back to places you used to live
14:20 Doug’s new book, Ten Marathons
15:10 Creating the space for change in your life
Links:
Ten Marathons by Doug Schneider
