Dear Family, both chosen and blood, This is the first of what may be regular podcasts. This may be a better use of my talents and skills than my previous Substack efforts seemed to be. In this podcast, I am joined by “Rob.” Rob has also agreed in principle to be the “sound engineer” for these podcasts. In future podcasts, some of you may also join me.
Thanks to you and Rob for sharing this experiment with us. I like the idea of there being two voices, a true conversation, as a format and was able to hear both of you clearly, although some may be distracted or hindered by the background noise. But I like the 'live' feeling of it. I was confused by the abrupt cutoff at the end. I've come to expect, rightly or wrongly, that podcasts have an engaging opening, to keep me listening, and a clear ending. As to your questions: 1. I don't think you should spend much time on how unhappy/pessimistic you are. I think it would be inauthentic to not mention it from time to time but as to the degree of unhappiness, that doesn't inspire me to keep listening for long. 2. To start, I'd keep it to 30 minutes or less. The exact amount of time is less important to me than how engaging the podcast is. Today, I attended a press conference celebrating Pride month, and it was very hard to listen to some of the speakers, although I agreed with their points, for even 5 minutes. So, it's hard to put together an engaging few minutes of content, and I'd release some relatively brief podcasts to start. 3. In our conversations and the readings you've shared here and elsewhere, I think you're very good at tying current events to historical events. I don't know if this is of interest to Rob, but that's one thought about a general direction of discourse. Weaving in your own experiences makes it uniquely yours (and Rob's), so I would encourage that. 4. I'd rather listen to others.
I see that rob and I are on the same page. Although you feel you are a total pessimist ( I believe I am an optimist) your presence in this world and your deep commitment to the betterment of the world and mankind, do give me a sense of optimism for the world at large.
Danged if I know! Here's what came Fred. What if you took quotes from other people and examined them from your point of view on pessimism and optimism and then invited comments. I'd be curious, e.g., take one quote / podcast. Here are four from one page of a 72 page file of quotes I've been keeping for ages.
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Herbert Spencer’s quote at the end of the Alcoholics Anonymous Big Book: “There is a principle which is a bar against all information, which is proof against all arguments, and which cannot fail to keep a man in everlasting ignorance—that principle is contempt prior to investigation.”
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“We are the sole survivors of a world no one else has ever seen,” writes John Le Carre.
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"Logic, then, is not necessarily an instrument for finding truth; on the contrary, truth is necessarily an instrument for using logic—for using it, that is, for the discovery of further truth and for the profit of humanity. Briefly, you can only find truth with logic if you have already found truth without it."
G. K. Chesterton (Daily News, Feb 25, 1905)
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“At the center of our being is a point of nothingness which is untouched by sin and by illusion, a point of pure truth, a point or spark which belongs entirely to God, which is never at our disposal, from which God disposes of our lives, which is inaccessible to the fantasies of our own mind or the brutalities of our own will. This little point of nothingness and of absolute poverty is the pure glory of God in us. It is so to speak His name written in us, as our poverty, as our indigence, as our dependence, as our sonship. It is like a pure diamond, blazing with the invisible light of heaven. It is in everybody, and if we could see it we would see these billions of points of light coming together in the face and blaze of a sun that would make all the darkness and cruelty of life vanish completely ... I have no program for this seeing. It is only given. But the gate of heaven is every- where.”
― Thomas Merton, Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander
Fred, I don't do podcasts. I can read the content a hell of a lot faster than I can hear it.
Continuing to hear how unhappy and pessimistic you are would get tuned out rather quickly. It is hard to hear because one doesn't know how to respond, how to make it better. except for having a keeper, one is responsible for one's own future. Lloyd
Thanks to you and Rob for sharing this experiment with us. I like the idea of there being two voices, a true conversation, as a format and was able to hear both of you clearly, although some may be distracted or hindered by the background noise. But I like the 'live' feeling of it. I was confused by the abrupt cutoff at the end. I've come to expect, rightly or wrongly, that podcasts have an engaging opening, to keep me listening, and a clear ending. As to your questions: 1. I don't think you should spend much time on how unhappy/pessimistic you are. I think it would be inauthentic to not mention it from time to time but as to the degree of unhappiness, that doesn't inspire me to keep listening for long. 2. To start, I'd keep it to 30 minutes or less. The exact amount of time is less important to me than how engaging the podcast is. Today, I attended a press conference celebrating Pride month, and it was very hard to listen to some of the speakers, although I agreed with their points, for even 5 minutes. So, it's hard to put together an engaging few minutes of content, and I'd release some relatively brief podcasts to start. 3. In our conversations and the readings you've shared here and elsewhere, I think you're very good at tying current events to historical events. I don't know if this is of interest to Rob, but that's one thought about a general direction of discourse. Weaving in your own experiences makes it uniquely yours (and Rob's), so I would encourage that. 4. I'd rather listen to others.
Keep at it!
I see that rob and I are on the same page. Although you feel you are a total pessimist ( I believe I am an optimist) your presence in this world and your deep commitment to the betterment of the world and mankind, do give me a sense of optimism for the world at large.
Danged if I know! Here's what came Fred. What if you took quotes from other people and examined them from your point of view on pessimism and optimism and then invited comments. I'd be curious, e.g., take one quote / podcast. Here are four from one page of a 72 page file of quotes I've been keeping for ages.
--
Herbert Spencer’s quote at the end of the Alcoholics Anonymous Big Book: “There is a principle which is a bar against all information, which is proof against all arguments, and which cannot fail to keep a man in everlasting ignorance—that principle is contempt prior to investigation.”
--
“We are the sole survivors of a world no one else has ever seen,” writes John Le Carre.
--
"Logic, then, is not necessarily an instrument for finding truth; on the contrary, truth is necessarily an instrument for using logic—for using it, that is, for the discovery of further truth and for the profit of humanity. Briefly, you can only find truth with logic if you have already found truth without it."
G. K. Chesterton (Daily News, Feb 25, 1905)
--
“At the center of our being is a point of nothingness which is untouched by sin and by illusion, a point of pure truth, a point or spark which belongs entirely to God, which is never at our disposal, from which God disposes of our lives, which is inaccessible to the fantasies of our own mind or the brutalities of our own will. This little point of nothingness and of absolute poverty is the pure glory of God in us. It is so to speak His name written in us, as our poverty, as our indigence, as our dependence, as our sonship. It is like a pure diamond, blazing with the invisible light of heaven. It is in everybody, and if we could see it we would see these billions of points of light coming together in the face and blaze of a sun that would make all the darkness and cruelty of life vanish completely ... I have no program for this seeing. It is only given. But the gate of heaven is every- where.”
― Thomas Merton, Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander
Fred, I don't do podcasts. I can read the content a hell of a lot faster than I can hear it.
Continuing to hear how unhappy and pessimistic you are would get tuned out rather quickly. It is hard to hear because one doesn't know how to respond, how to make it better. except for having a keeper, one is responsible for one's own future. Lloyd
here are the onswers
Should I continue to post in public how unhappy and pessimistic I am?
Yes...log Anxiety depression and anger before and after interventions
Log measurable predictions to evaluate at specific times
How long should the podcasts be?
Only one question... begin with a summary and or teaser
What should the podcasts be about?
Stop the killing
Would you like to be interviewed for a podcast?
Absolutely