Ambrose and I start by reviewing his commitment. After a bit, as best I can tell, we talked past each other. Every now and then, the Spodek Method doesn’t resonate and this conversation looks like one of them. His description of how he sees the world and my read don’t seem to overlap. I suspect he felt I didn’t understand him or his world. I read him as guarded, not[…] Keep reading →

Aren’t we living in the best time in history? Don’t we have to keep pressing forward to avoid returning to medieval serfdom or the Stone Age and everyone dying young? No. History, anthropology, and archaeology show these beliefs wrong. Humans weren’t living on the verge of starvation or nonstop working all day long. Other cultures than the one we descended from enjoyed more health, longevity, abundance, resilience, and freedom than[…] Keep reading →

You’ve heard every politician pay lip service on the environment. They talk abstractly about carbon dioxide levels, solutions to spend more money, and something about a future improved by electric cars and solar panels (conveniently missing how these “solutions” pollute). How many share their personal experiences? How many share their vulnerabilities we know they have? Derek shares his personal experience honestly facing environmental challenges himself. What does it feel like[…] Keep reading →

This episode is available on video. Before our conversations, I tended to see Warren as mainly focused on issues where men and boys suffer that society doesn’t see, downplays, or ignores. I still see him as a rare luminary on such issues. As he mentions, many people, up to the White House, seem unable or unwilling to consider the possibility. But I’m seeing him focusing on solutions, both systemic and[…] Keep reading →

If you’ve been following Michael and my conversations so far, you know to expect thoughtful, considerate conversation coming from different perspectives. Each time we find deeper understanding, share more, and listen more. You won’t be disappointed this time. In this episode we talk about concepts from the book The Moral Case for Fossil Fuels and the philosophy behind it. Since I’ve started reading the Christian Bible, we talk about Romans[…] Keep reading →

Nakisa talks about her community in Charlotte, North Carolina, the environmental and social challenges it faces, the level of engagement, the biases in difficulties in engaging for people who work long or unusual hours, advantages to big businesses, and other challenges. She also talks about her work facing these challenges, organizing and enabling people to solve them. We talk about civic engagement beyond voting, acting beyond in election years, and[…] Keep reading →

Doug is the opposite of the catastrophe we’ve made of the food industry. He created a restaurant with no trash cans; not for the customers, not for the staff, nor for suppliers. Talk about a role model. You can do it too. He can’t do it for you. Neither can I. Only you can do it for yourself, but now you know you can. Step one: try. Step two: don’t[…] Keep reading →