Making Change

This is the first episode I created with Alitu!Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/making-change--4113720/support.

The United States is the most powerful national on earth economically and militarily, and it is at the forefront of medical and technological innovation, but it suffers from a history of political polarization and socialization that periodically threatens its future. Loneliness is a surprising cause. I will explore with you the epidemic and loneliness, suggest detailed alternatives for its future, and a vision of flourishing society with more and more people who are blessed with mental health and an end to isolation.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/making-change--4113720/support.

A critical antidote to polarization around life and death matters is for Americans to develop three key skills: learning together common facts, listening to each other deeply, and establishing consensus ethical values on saving lives. To do this, we need another central skill of conflict healing rooted in all great global civilizations: self-examination and self-care. We can do this and move beyond polarizing politics.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/making-change--4113720/support.

A critical antidote to polarization around life and death matters is for Americans to develop three key skills: learning together common facts, listening to each other deeply, and establishing consensus ethical values on saving lives. To do this, we need another central skill of conflict healing rooted in all great global civilizations: self-examination and self-care. We can do this and move beyond polarizing politics.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/making-change--4113720/support.

The world has just witnessed the hope of a new birth of civilization in Syria after 15 years of a murderous war against its people and after 50 years of severe dictatorship. How will we respond?Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/making-change--4113720/support.

This episode of Making Change explores the positive value of stress tests on American society and American democracy. Americans right now, for the sake of their own health and the health of American society, need to see the positive opportunities of this election outcome despite its disappointing outcome for tens of millions. This is an opportunity. Let me prove to you exactly how.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/making-change--4113720/support.

Building relationships through compassion and moral reasoning has a distinctive effect on the future of a country and its ability to reconcile with its past. There are specific ways to train the mind and incorporate this training into a new approach to education. We need more compassion, moral reasoning training, focus on the future, and focus on habit formation and mind training to flourish as a society and truly heal the conflicts that are holding us back from a sustainable future. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/making-change--4113720/support.

There will be 1.5 billion senior citizens across the planet by 2050, and there is an immense opportunity for them to participate the productivity and meaningfulness of the human endeavor. Come listen to how I propose this happens. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/making-change--4113720/support.

Good information, bad information and how to know the difference, this episode offer the skills of the mind to discern current events in a more informed way that makes positive change in the world and in ourselves. Have a listen to what happened to the ship and the bridge, reactions to that event in the media, and what we can learn! Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/making-change--4113720/support.

In this week's episode, Dr. Marc Gopin explores the concept of Deepening Democracy and how it is essential in our polarized United States. Deepening democracy and the celebration of democracy are critical to the way we need to think on a day-to-day basis. We need to celebrate the ideas of democracy. We need holidays not about presidents, not about heroes, and not about extraordinary figures. Instead, we need to celebrate freedom or the Bill of Rights. We need to celebrate the idea of people having to work together for compromise and sharing of power. There is a way for us to be kinder, smarter, and more cooperative in the United States. But it takes education, it takes making our best democratic ideas into a focal point of 1) our intellectual, cognitive, and emotional development, and 2) our social lives together as a nation of shared rituals, habits and celebrations.Follow us on Facebook: fb.me/MakingChangePodcastFor questions and comments, please reach out at makingchange.crdc@gmail.com

"We need our minds working together on a philosophy of life, looking at the world around us in a way that is filled with love." - Dr. Marc Gopin In this week's episode, Dr. Gopin explores how “The Love of this World” is an essential ingredient for the survival of the Earth's biosphere. By focusing on how we can positively change our minds to change the world, this episode probes the way in which getting past humanity's threat to the future of life on Earth depends upon our collectively finding ways to express an intense love of this world. We can develop a philosophy and a spirituality that embraces not only the Earth but all of humanity, even when we fight and oppose one another.Follow us on Facebook: fb.me/MakingChangePodcastFor questions and comments, please reach out at makingchange.crdc@gmail.com

In this episode, Dr. Marc Gopin interviews Dr. Heidi Ravven, Professor of Religious Studies at Hamilton University, on the urgency of embracing election celebrations for the future of democracy. As they have stated in print (https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/559308-celebrate-voting-a-different-approach-to-securing-a-democratic-american ), we Americans urgently need to safeguard the future of democracy through a creative and ritual embrace of the right to vote for every single American citizen, a celebratory approach to voting that will bind us together as one country. One of the interesting things about America is its civil religion. We need to think about how we engage emotions in American civil religion much more carefully. How, Marc Gopin and Heidi Ravven ask, can we engage emotions in a way that brings us together as Americans, rather than the current way in which politics and social media tear us apart? American civil religion means everything that we do that makes us feel American with a kind of sacred devotion. The Fourth of July is a prime example because it brings together Americans in ceremony. Such celebrations are important in terms of freedom and equality, and they can be used to define us as Americans. Our basic moral belief in elections as a human right can be celebrated through ceremonies and rituals that acknowledge our identity as Americans. Political polarization tends to distort the brain of most citizens, driving us to obsess about how we are completely different from each other. In Making Change's latest episode, Dr. Heidi Ravven makes the case for how much we actually have in common in terms of shared values of pluralism, respect, and equality. This is the first step, emotionally and psychologically, towards building a better relationship to the democratic process and towards elections. Elections can become a focus of many rituals, customs and ceremonies that will bring us together as a nation of common ethical values rather than a nation headed toward fragmentation. Follow us on Facebook: fb.me/MakingChangePodcastFor questions and comments, please reach out at makingchange.crdc@gmail.com

"We need to learn from what helps dementia patients to cope and to feel loved. We need to look at ourselves in society as patients in need of care, as patients who often cannot remember moment to moment why we should be together as a country, why we should take care of each other, or why we should be good to each other, regardless of political or religious stance."- Dr. Marc Gopin Here are some of the things that work with dementia patients and also could work with our whole society when we forget to love and care for each other: 1. Greetings of care, 2. Focusing on positive emotions, 3. Deep breathing, 4. Smiles, 5. Making safe environments, and 6 Repeating ourselves again and again to reassure and guide. These ways of being with dementia patients are also lessons that we need to learn about ourselves when we are at our most vulnerable and confused, as we are today as a society. We must focus on the present, the here and now, the moment-to-moment gestures of compassion and care. We must be infinitely patient to build local and national politics together. Politicians' jobs are to fight for control, but our job as citizens is to band together and build a society that is safe, prosperous, and equal for everyone. Follow us on Facebook: fb.me/MakingChangePodcastFor questions and comments, please reach out at makingchange.crdc@gmail.com

We are living through a time of American history when a system of political enemies pitted against each other is the worst in memory. This is occurring significantly even within families, but especially between different geographic areas of town, suburbs, and countryside. We have separate places to get our news, separate places to socialize, and separate places of worship. We are living apart increasingly along political divides that never occurred before, as if we are two tribes dividing up and preparing for warfare. History and science suggest that this is the beginning of stigmatization, hatred, and violence. But we do have a choice. We can choose to humanize each other across enemy divides, and we can especially seek out those who are angry, unhappy, and miserable. Empathy with those in misery may be a way out of serious American conflict. We will explore how in this podcast. Follow us on Facebook: fb.me/MakingChangePodcastFor questions and comments, please reach out at makingchange.crdc@gmail.com

"What is true security? Some people argue it is loving everyone who comes into your country. Other people think it is about being very careful, about not letting anyone in and about carefully examining each case of an immigrant. Together, we can discover bipartisan efforts of dealing with immigration properly and ethically. We can truly make our country one of homeland security."Using the show Star Trek's motto of “Go where no man has gone before”, Dr. Marc Gopin illustrates how since the dawn of time, humans have always traveled from one area to the next with a spirit of exploration. As he analyzes the United States' expansion of democracy and the start of many wars in the pursuit of power, Dr. Gopin argues that true homeland security can be found not in the building of walls but instead in our common moral values of love, compassion, and respect for one another. Follow us on Facebook: fb.me/MakingChangePodcastFor questions and comments, please reach out at makingchange.crdc@gmail.com

“The first step of moral deliberation is to realize that ‘I don’t know exactly what the suffering is of people who I cannot see’, and listen, listen, listen. Discussion and storytelling are key elements of conflict prevention, and we can do this as a part of a moral awakening – an awakening to acquire a vision of something that we never have seen. Have the courage to be humble and recognize that we don’t know about everyone around us and we might be wrong in our preconceptions.” – Dr. RothbartOur society is faced with a multitude of ethical dilemmas stemming from the COVID-19 crisis, from the loss of life, economic recession, needs of healthcare workers, and social disconnection. In this week’s episode, Dr. Gopin interviews Dr. Dan Rothbart, professor of conflict analysis and resolution at the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution at George Mason University and co-director of the Program on Prevention of Mass Violence. Dr. Rothbart assesses the current state of politicization of the COVID crisis and outlines an ethical process for a moral discussion and moral thinking. By listening to the suffering of others and learning about the different experiences around us, we can reach a state of balance to meet the needs of others with our own involvement. Humility is the path to wisdom. For more information on Dr. Rothbart, click here: https://bit.ly/2NJvmKqFollow us on Facebook: fb.me/MakingChangePodcastFor questions and comments, please reach out at makingchange.crdc@gmail.com

“I planted a rose bush near my mailbox several years ago. I thought it was a good idea at the time. It grew and got bigger, but when mail carriers would come by, the rose bush would prick them. So I eventually realized I had to take the rosebush down. I cut it down, but it came back. And every time I cut it down, it continued to come back. After time, I realized to cut down the manifestation of the rosebush, I had to get to the root. This is what we have done in America. We planted the issue of race, years ago, in the American psyche, and we utilized that to support the issue of slavery. Over time, the issue of race grew back, through slavery, the Civil War, Reconstruction, and the 1960s Civil Rights movement, and the prickly rose bush of race came back again and again. These bushes continue to prick us today and erode equality and justice for all. The solution is to solve the problem at its root.” – Rev. SadlerWe are at a moment in time where we can recreate our future. In this episode, Dr. Gopin interviews African American scholar, theologian and activist Reverend Dr. Rodney Sadler on transforming our racialized America. With personal insight and words of wisdom, Dr. Sadler reviews the past with America’s history of slavery and the present with protests sparked by the death of George Floyd and others. But he provides a hopeful outlook on the future with solutions to our racialized society, starting with the reimagination of the ideological issue of race itself.This conversation is meant for listeners of all backgrounds.For more information on Rev. Rodney Sadler, please visit https://bit.ly/2zOTbNEFor more information on U.S. massacres, visit https://bit.ly/2NuG7k1For more information on five other race massacres, visit https://bet.us/2YYUNNxQuestions and comments can be sent to makingchange.crdc@gmail.comCheck out our other episodes in Making Change: https://apple.co/2xF9bkdFollow us on Facebook: https://bit.ly/3cwnDd8

“You don’t deny regrets, but instead, you can take those regrets you may have as an individual, or as a community, or as a country, and you put them back into the past with your imagination. Once you put them back into the past, you imagine what you could have done then if you had made the right choice, you take that wisdom of the present and speak to your old self. You change your destiny in your heart so that you can better live the wisdom in the present. We can say who we are and who we will be.” Regret, while painful at times, is a key part of positive change. Those who do not regret anything are sociopaths. But constant and perpetual regret damages as well. Regret, when properly channeled, can be a central part of personal and social change.By using psychological and neuroscience studies and an excerpt from the timeless film “Shawshank Redemption” and Morgan Freeman's immortal words, Dr. Marc Gopin shows us how the method of looking into the past with the wisdom of the present can shift the thought pattern of our minds away from a place of anxiety, anger, and depression, to instead become a place of learning, optimism, and adaptation.For questions and comments, please reach out at makingchange.crdc@gmail.comFollow us on Facebook: https://bit.ly/3cwnDd8

“Gratitude gives us a vision of the world that starts to spell optimism and happiness even in the midst of extraordinary circumstances.”In this time of quarantine and social distancing, it’s up to us to decide how to create our community. Dr. Marc Gopin discusses how gratitude can help us when we may feel like we have lost everything, from loved ones being affected by the virus to our own isolation and separation from everything we hold dear. Gratitude shows us and the people around us that we are not alone, and through gratitude, kindness, love, and compassion can persist.

“The answer of the Buddy Bench in the time of corona is the intimacy that comes with relationships being victorious over the disease and caring for others across these physical boundaries. “The coronavirus (COVID-19) presents us with a new challenge of creating a sense of community, of belonging, and of responsibility to each other. Everybody needs to be loved and cared for during this pandemic. Dr. Marc Gopin discusses the Buddy Bench, a study conducted among elementary students, and how lessons learned from it can help us show compassion and be observant about the needs of people around us. For questions and comments, please reach out at makingchange.crdc@gmail.com

“The answer of Buddy Bench in the time of corona is the intimacy that comes with relationships being victorious over the disease and caring for others across these physical boundaries. “ The coronavirus (COVID-19) presents us with a new challenge of...

"A combination of love and intelligence is the key to our survival and recovery. Love connects us all in a common battle with death. Intelligence connects us with the use of our higher minds to fight for each other's lives."The coronavirus (COVID-19) has completely changed our way of life and our interactions with those around us. Join Dr. Marc Gopin in this week’s episode as he shares his insight on what you can do to combat this virus on your own in such a divisive time. For questions and comments, please reach out to Makingchange.crdc@gmail.com

"We can conquer the biggest challenges of our day with a deeper approach to the moral way that we think and we act.” In this episode of Making Change, we explore how decisions made by humans can change from inciting violence and corruption to instead promoting peace. Using the Prophet Isaiah’s metaphor of “turning swords into plowshares”, Dr. Marc Gopin discusses the impacts of the recent coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak and its impacts on human interactions. Tune in to listen to Dr. Gopin’s take on how we can use our minds in a positive and healthy way to combat the implications of this virus. For questions and comments, please reach out to Makingchange.crdc@gmail.com

What happens when empathy makes you feel miserable? How can you change the way you empathize with people in a healthier way that does not hurt you internally and does not blame other people? Instead of focusing on the negatives, channel those feelings into compassion and feeling love for someone. I hope you enjoy this episode, and I welcome comments, opinions, and reactions.

“Never before in history has there been something this direct and this constant that unites us in a place of fear, and alertness, and emotion. “ The coronavirus (COVID-19) has completely changed our way of life and our interactions with those around us....

In this episode of Making Change, we explore how decisions made by humans can change from inciting violence and corruption to instead promoting peace. Using the Prophet Isaiah’s metaphor of “turning swords into plowshares”, Dr. Marc Gopin discusses the...

What happens when empathy makes you feel miserable? How can you change the way you empathize with people in a healthier way that does not hurt you internally and does not blame other people? Instead of focusing on the negatives, channel those feelings...

Does it make the world a better or worse place when we attempt to truly understand people who do terrible things? We explore this with two contrasting example, one a reviewer who cannot stand a former extremist who is trying to live out a life against...

Making Change: A Podcast on positive change, the art and science of what needs to happen to make ourselves better, to make society better, and make the earth better. For questions & comments, please reach out at: makingchange.crdc@gmail.com

Making Change: A Podcast on positive change, the art and science of what needs to happen to make ourselves better, to make society better, and make the earth better. For questions & comments, please reach out at: makingchange.crdc@gmail.com

Making Change: A Podcast on positive change, the art and science of what needs to happen to make ourselves better, to make society better, and make the earth better. For questions & comments, please reach out at: makingchange.crdc@gmail.comRelevant Sources:https://www.bullying.co.uk/anti-bullying-week/choose-kindness/

Making Change: A Podcast on positive change, the art and science of what needs to happen to make ourselves better, to make society better, and make the earth better. For questions & comments, please reach out at: makingchange.crdc@gmail.com Relevant Sources:- https://www.alz.org/nc- https://www.wvnews.com/news/wvnews/historic-breakthrough-wvu-rockefeller-neuroscience-team-first-to-use-ultrasound/article_cfe6fefc-eee9-5add-b853-23642a0a91a7.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&utm_campaign=user-share&fbclid=IwAR3LA3f02TdroL9Hv4fE_yhHFDSnkYLp__yUWfFfqVOUTzLrUPcTdLd3h7c

Making Change: A Podcast on positive change, the art and science of what needs to happen to make ourselves better, to make society better, and make the earth better. For questions & comments, please reach out at: makingchange.crdc@gmail.comRelevant resources related to this topic:- https://www.npr.org/2018/09/24/651052970/how-a-rising-star-of-white-nationalism-broke-free-from-the-movement

Making Change: A Podcast on positive change, the art and science of what needs to happen to make ourselves better, to make society better, and make the earth better. For questions & comments, please reach out at: makingchange.crdc@gmail.comRelevant resources related to this topic:https://blacklivesmatter.com/resources/https://www.npr.org/tags/376083743/-blacklivesmatter

Making Change: A Podcast on positive change, the art and science of what needs to happen to make ourselves better, to make society better, and make the earth better. For questions & comments, please reach out at: makingchange.crdc@gmail.com