Podcasts about Civilization

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Latest podcast episodes about Civilization

Boring Books for Bedtime
The Story of Ancient Irish Civilization, by P.W. Joyce, Part 2

Boring Books for Bedtime

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 16, 2026 50:44


Let's honor a certain March holiday with more from this history of Ireland. This time, the magical powers of druids, the rise of Christianity, and a tiny island's giant reputation for scholarly excellence. Also, the fairy realm! History truly contains multitudes.   Help us stay ad-free and 100% listener-supported! Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/boringbookspod Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/d5kcMsW   Read "The Story of Ancient Irish Civilization" at Project Gutenberg: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/41666    Music: "Calling Other Worlds," by Lee Rosevere, licensed under CC BY, https://leerosevere.bandcamp.com   If you'd like to suggest a copyright-free reading for soft-spoken relaxation to help you overcome insomnia, anxiety and other sleep issues, connect on our website, https://www.boringbookspod.com.

Return To Tradition
When A Civilization Rejects Christ The King: Warning Message From Bishop Joseph Strickland

Return To Tradition

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 15, 2026 18:14


What does that look like in practice? How about when the "pastor" with the ear of the Secretary of War says that Catholic worship and veneration should be publicly banned.Sources:https://www.returntotradition.orgorhttps://substack.com/@returntotradition1Contact Me:Email: return2catholictradition@gmail.comSupport My Work:Patreonhttps://www.patreon.com/AnthonyStineSubscribeStarhttps://www.subscribestar.net/return-to-traditionBuy Me A Coffeehttps://www.buymeacoffee.com/AnthonyStinePhysical Mail:Anthony StinePO Box 3048Shawnee, OK74802Follow me on the following social media:https://www.facebook.com/ReturnToCatholicTradition/https://twitter.com/pontificatormax+JMJ+#popeleoXIV #catholicism #catholicchurch #catholicprophecy#infiltration

The Times of Israel Daily Briefing
BONUS - Bret Stephens: America and Israel are engaged in a common fight for civilization

The Times of Israel Daily Briefing

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 15, 2026 43:30


Welcome to What Matters Now, a weekly podcast exploring key issues currently shaping Israel and the Jewish World, with host Amanda Borschel-Dan speaking with Bret Stephens, a The New York Times columnist and the editor-in-chief of Sapir magazine. Recent polling indicates that only roughly half of Americans support the US-Israel war against Iran's Islamist regime. Stephens weighs in on why the current conflict can be both "Trump's war" and a just war. Far from feeling that Israel dragged the US into this war, he says that for the first time in recent history, the US has a partner with whom to wage a war. "This war is different, not because it's a war for Israel. It's a war with Israel," says Stephens. But is the American public capable of internalizing the Iranian regime as an existential threat? In answer, Stephens asks whether a patient with stage II cancer should be advised to wait to treat it until it develops into stage IV. "Thank goodness we're acting now rather than just waiting on events," says Stephens. Assessing today's global dynamics and the authoritarian axis of Iran, Russia, North Korea and China, he turns to the 1930s, when the world was experiencing a series of conflicts that eventually led to World War II. He warns there is no Hollywood ending in sight. And so this week, we ask Bret Stephens, what matters now. What Matters Now podcasts are available for download on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by Gabriella Jacobs and edited by Ari Schlacht. IMAGE: New York Times columnist Bret Stephens (YouTube screenshot) / Beirut, Lebanon, March 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Courtenay Turner Podcast
Ep.499: Phoenix Rising or Civilization Burning?

The Courtenay Turner Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 13, 2026 112:12


Are Brett and Eric Weinstein principled outsiders — or architects of a technocratic reboot of America? Investigative journalist Johnny Vedmore joins Courtenay Turner for a deep-dive into the documented trail of connections, papers, and associations that reveal what the Weinstein brothers are actually building — and who they are building it for. In this episode:

Long History: Civilization Is Older Than We Thought

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 12, 2026 47:58


In this episode of Live Players, Samo Burja and Erik Torenberg explore ancient complex human society that likely predates agriculture and written history by thousands of years. They discuss ancient seafarers, violence in prehistory, how archaeology needs to change, how irreplaceable historical evidence is being lost, and more. — Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction & Palladium Issue 19 03:30 Ancient Seafaring & Mariners at the Dawn of History 15:00 Native Americans & Pre-Clovis Settlements 20:37 Genomics & Violence in Prehistory 25:14 The Decay of Historical Knowledge & The Digital Dark Age 35:42 Reforming Archaeology for the Future 46:54 Closing thoughts — Palladium Magazine Issue 19: https://www.palladiummag.com/2025/11/17/palladium-19-long-history/ Bismark Analysis: https://www.bismarckanalysis.com/ x.com/samoburja x.com/eriktorenberg — Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details, please see https://a16z.com/disclosures. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

American Conservative University
Jordan Peterson, Elon Musk. The Most Eye Opening 20 Minutes Of Your Life, "Civilization Will Disappear" Unless We Fix This NOW

American Conservative University

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 11, 2026 32:29


Jordan Peterson, Elon Musk. The Most Eye Opening 20 Minutes Of Your Life, "Civilization Will Disappear" Unless We Fix This NOW   The Most Eye Opening 20 Minutes Of Your Life | Jordan Peterson Motivation Watch this video at- https://youtu.be/agjhcL9nFQ0?si=ea6I_M6ParaCCSl7 Champions Mentality 365 152K subscribers 1,047,390 views Jan 18, 2026 UNITED STATES The most direct, brutal, and life-changing 20 minutes you'll hear from Jordan Peterson. If you've been feeling stuck, tired of overthinking, tired of wasting time, and tired of staying in the same place while your life slowly slips away... this is for you. Hit play, turn up the volume, and ask yourself one honest question: "Am I becoming stronger... or just staying comfortable?" This video is a carefully curated Jordan Peterson experience designed to wake you up, rebuild your mindset, and force you to confront the truth you've been avoiding. No motivation tricks. No fake hype. Just responsibility, meaning, and real strength built through pain. This video features powerful insights from Jordan Peterson's talks and interviews, centered on: The only way out is through Why weakness destroys your future Becoming dangerous but disciplined How wasted time becomes wasted life Why meaning is a moral obligation How bitterness turns into revenge Turning suffering into strength Who is Jordan Peterson? Jordan Peterson is a Canadian clinical psychologist, former university professor, and bestselling author known worldwide for his teachings on personal responsibility, discipline, meaning, and psychological strength. Over the past decade, he has become one of the most influential voices in modern self-improvement, helping millions of people break out of weakness, confusion, and self-destruction through truth, structure, and personal accountability. He is best known for his books 12 Rules for Life and Beyond Order, where he explains why life is painful, why suffering is unavoidable, and why the only real way forward is to become stronger, more capable, and more disciplined. His message is simple but difficult: stop lying to yourself, stop wasting your time, take responsibility for your life, and build a life that can withstand tragedy. Jordan Peterson's work speaks directly to people who feel lost, unmotivated, anxious, or stuck in comfort and procrastination. He teaches that meaning is not something you find by chasing pleasure - it's something you earn through responsibility, sacrifice, and daily self-improvement. His philosophy has helped people rebuild their mindset, repair their habits, and develop the strength to face life head-on instead of running from it. Follow Jordan Peterson: YouTube:    / @jordanbpeterson   Instagram:   / jordan.b.peterson   Books: 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos, Beyond Order: 12 More Rules for Life, and Maps of Meaning: The Architecture of Belief. Special Thanks (Credits): Chris Williamson -    / @chriswillx   Joe Rogan -    / @joerogan   Jocko Willink -    / @jockopodcastofficial   John Stossel -    / @stosseltv   Bite-sized Philosophy -    / @bitesizedphilosophy   Margaret Hoover -    / @firingline   What you'll get in this video: Why being harmless isn't the same as being good How to build real strength and self-control Why wasting time is destroying your future How to stop staying in a miserable situation Why meaning matters more than happiness How responsibility protects you from bitterness How to transform pain into purpose Why watch till the end: This video is designed to push you into action, not just make you feel inspired for 10 minutes. Save it. Rewatch it when you feel lost, weak, or tempted to quit. This is what real mental strength sounds like. Disclaimer & Transformative Use Notice: This video was edited, structured, and produced by Champions Mentality 365 for motivational, educational, and inspirational purposes. All footage, interviews, and speeches have been significantly transformed through original editing, cinematic color grading, narrative restructuring, text commentary, and unique storytelling to create a new, original work. I do not claim ownership of the original clips or audio used. Full credit and respect go to the original speakers, creators, and production teams. This video is created under the principles of Fair Use (Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976), allowing for transformative uses such as commentary, analysis, motivation, and educational storytelling. No copyright infringement is intended. This project exists to inspire discipline, responsibility, and personal growth. #JordanPeterson #Motivation #Discipline #SelfImprovement #MentalToughness #Mindset #Meaning #Responsibility #NoExcuses #ChampionsMentality365   Elon Musk: "Civilization Will Disappear" Unless We Fix This NOW Watch this video at- https://youtu.be/nfdfaXJxOtw?si=OkhUwhICW_2AQG8O Jesse Kelly 113K subscribers  Mar 10, 2026 Elon Musk is warning about birth rates. How do birth rates link to feminism? Jesse Kelly and Inez Stepman discuss. LIKE & SUBSCRIBE FOR NEW VIDEOS DAILY:    / @jessekellydc   Watch Full Editions Of I'm Right With Jesse Kelly: https://bit.ly/3V2F2Tt Check Out Jesse's Latest Interviews With Big-Name Guests: https://bit.ly/48UxEzn Here Are Jesse's Can't-Miss Monologues: https://bit.ly/3UZBWQl Subscribe To Jesse Kelly Wherever You Get Your Podcasts Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7fy7hsV... Watch Jesse Kelly nightly on The First TV at 9pm ET: TheFirstTV.com/watch Follow Jesse Kelly On all social platforms X - X.com/@JesseKellyDC Instagram - Instagram.com/JesseKellyShow Facebook - Facebook.com/@JesseKellyDC

Monocle 24: Meet the Writers
Luka Ivan Jukic on the enduring significance of Central Europe

Monocle 24: Meet the Writers

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 11, 2026 30:53


Georgina Godwin meets journalist and historian Luka Ivan Jukic, whose latest book, Central Europe: The Death of a Civilization and the Life of an Idea, explores the emergent rebirth of the region.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Come Let Us Reason Podcast
What Happens When a Civilization Ignores God? The Bible Already Told Us

Come Let Us Reason Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 10, 2026


What Happens When a Civilization Ignores God? The Bible Already Told Us In this episode of the Come Let Us Reason Podcast, Lenny Esposito explores Deuteronomy 4 and Moses' warning that cultures survive only if they listen to God's Word, remember the lessons of the past, and pass those truths to the next generation.Drawing from thinkers like C.S. Lewis, Chesterton, and Roger Scruton, this episode examines how the erosion of Judeo-Christian foundations threatens modern society—and why the biblical warning is more relevant today than ever.

Conservative Review with Daniel Horowitz
Either End the Islamic Infiltration or Die as a Civilization | 3/9/26

Conservative Review with Daniel Horowitz

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 9, 2026 61:26


There is no sugarcoating this. In light of the rash of “Ramadan” terror attacks in America, the time has come for a complete moratorium on this form of immigration. I make the case for why Trump must use the DHS funding bill for immigration reform and why it's a bigger deal than the SAVE Act. Next, I'm joined by Krista Schild of the RAIR Foundation, who observes how Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott's designation of the Muslim Brotherhood in Texas has no teeth in it. The legislature needs to convene a special session. Meanwhile, Islamists with connections to some of the worst terrorists continue to run education facilities and mosques in Texas. Even rural Texas is being colonized with more mosques. This is a do-or-die moment for our civilization. Blue states are gone. Will Texas follow Mamdani's New York City?   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Crazy Wisdom
Episode #536: From Filament to Agents: The Tools Keep Getting Cheaper and the Judgment Keeps Getting Scarcer

Crazy Wisdom

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 9, 2026 42:54


In this episode of Crazy Wisdom, Stewart Alsop sits down with Andre Oliveira, founder of Splash N Color, a bootstrapped 3D printing e-commerce business selling consumer goods on Amazon. The two cover a lot of ground — from how Andre went from running 40 FDM printers out of South Florida to offshoring manufacturing to China, to how he's using Claude Code to automate inventory management and generate supplier RFQs across 200+ SKUs. The conversation stretches into bigger territory too: the San Francisco AI scene, the rise of AI agents and what they mean for the future of the internet, whether local on-device AI will eventually replace cloud-based tools, and why building physical products will stay hard long after software becomes easy. It's a candid, wide-ranging conversation between two self-taught builders figuring things out in real time. Follow Andre on X: @AndreBaach.Timestamps00:00 — Andre introduces Splash N Color, his Amazon-based 3D printing e-commerce business and explains the grind of running 40 FDM machines in South Florida.05:00 — The conversation shifts to Claude Code and how Andre built an inventory automation system to manage sales velocity and RFQs across 200+ SKUs.10:00 — Stewart and Andre compare notes on Opus 4.6, debate Codex vs Claude, and Andre breaks down the new Agent Teams feature in Claude Code.15:00 — Discussion turns to the San Francisco AI scene, the viral OpenClaw launch event that drew 700 people, and what's capturing the city's imagination right now.20:00 — The pair wrestle with data privacy, the illusion of it since 2000, and whether full transparency of personal data might actually serve people better.25:00 — Stewart pitches his vision of local on-device AI replacing cloud tools entirely, and they debate the 10–15 year timeline for mainstream societal adoption.30:00 — Andre traces his origin story: a high school dropout from Brazil who spotted a 3D printing opportunity on Facebook Marketplace and got lucky timing with COVID.35:00 — They explore whether AI-generated 3D models and DfAM will automate physical manufacturing, and why proprietary specs keep the space stubbornly hard.Key InsightsLifestyle businesses deserve more respect. Andre spent months feeling inadequate scrolling through Twitter watching founders announce funding rounds, before realizing his cash-flowing, location-independent business was already the goal. The social media version of entrepreneurial success warped his perception of what he actually had built.Claude Code is becoming an operating system. Stewart describes running Claude Code as having a second OS on top of MacOS — one that makes the underlying machine legible in ways it never was before. Both guests use it not just for coding but as a primary interface for understanding and operating their businesses.Agent Teams changes how work gets done. Andre explains that Claude's new multi-agent feature lets you assign a team lead and specialized roles that communicate with each other in parallel, essentially running an autonomous task force inside your terminal — a meaningful leap beyond single-instance prompting.Physical manufacturing will stay hard. Even as AI-generated 3D models improve, tolerances of 0.5 millimeters can mean the difference between a product working or not. Design for manufacturing is a separate discipline from design itself, and proprietary specs mean open source models rarely hit commercial quality.The internet is heading toward agents. Both guests agree that AI agents will increasingly handle tasks humans currently do manually online — booking services, making payments, coordinating logistics — with the human internet potentially becoming secondary to a machine-to-machine layer.Iteration is the real value of 3D printing. Andre pushes back on 3D printing as a business unto itself, framing it instead as a prototyping tool. The true value is rapid iteration on housing, tolerances, and fit — not the printer, but the speed of the feedback loop it enables.Technology compounds in layers. Andre closes with a tech-tree analogy: each generation normalizes the tools of the previous one and builds the next layer on top. Agentic coding today is what the internet was in the 90s — the foundation for something we can't yet fully see.

Hacker Public Radio
HPR4590: Playing Civilization V, Part 9

Hacker Public Radio

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 6, 2026


This show has been flagged as Clean by the host. In our next look at the game mechanics for Civilization V we examine a new feature in Civilization 5, City-States. These are independent cities controlled by the computer that are also players to some degree in the game, and you can interact with them. And they are key to winning a Diplomatic Victory. Playing Civilization V, Part 9 - City States This was a newly introduced feature in Civ 5, and they play an important role in the game. They represent the small countries that are not running the world. They do not produce Settlers, so they do not expand beyond the one city, though that city can, and will expand its borders in a similar way to how your cities can grow. They do not start with a military unit, but they can produce military units and defend themselves. They can also build buildings in the city, but not Wonders. They do have a single vote each in the World Congress (or later the United Nations), making them a key to a Diplomatic victory. City States start out neutral with regards to the players, but your interactions with them can affect how they feel about you. For example, if you send units through their territory they will get hostile, but if you give them gifts they will get friendly. And if you wish you can go to war with them and take them over. This will affect your diplomatic relations with other players and other city states, but if you have decided on a war of conquest as your victory type, that won't matter to you, right? As mentioned, if you want to go for a Diplomatic victory you want to be allied with as many of them as possible to get their votes in the World Congress or the United Nations. But even if you don't need their votes, there are other benefits from friendly relations. There are two levels to friendly relations: Friendly, and Allied, and the benefits get better as the relations improve. City State Types With the expansions there are 5 types of City State: Militaristic, Maritime, Cultured, Mercantile, and Religious. The benefits you get are: Militaristic – If you are friends the city state will periodically gift you a unit, which will appear in your city which is closest to the city state. If you are allies the units will show up more often. Maritime – If you are friends they will add two food to your Capital city. If you are allies they will add one more food to every city you have. Cultured city states share their culture with you, at one rate if you are friends and at double the rate if you are allies. Mercantile city states give you an added 3 Happiness when you are friends. If you are allies you keep the added happiness, but in addition get access to a luxury resource that cannot be obtained any other way, and that also adds Happiness. Religious city states give you a one-time bonus of Faith when you first meet them, then provide added Faith per turn. Note that Cultured and Religious city states increase the amount of Culture or Faith they provide with each new era, so the earlier you develop your relations with them the better the benefit. Managing Relations With City States There is a mechanism in the game which keeps track of points to define your relations with city states. On this numerical scale, Neutral has a value of 0, Friendly 30 or above, and Allied 60 or above. In the other direction, once you go into negative numbers they become Angry, if if you go negative enough it becomes War. A city state can only ever have one ally. If only one player has more than 60 influence points, that player will become the patron of the city state and they will ally to that player. If two or more players have more than 60 influence points, the player with the most points gets the ally. As the game goes on, you may get a message that a city state you had as an ally has suddenly allied to someone else. This is the result of the other player gaining influence points in some way, often by gifts. You can also gain influence points by promising to protect a city state, but do this with your eyes open. If you do not follow through on your promise it will enrage the city state and you will lose a lot of influence with them. Your influence with a city state has a natural resting point at 0, or Neutral. That means that barring other factors, a positive number will fall over time, and a negative number will rise over time. So if you sent one of your units through their territory they will be angry for a period, but if nothing else happens they will return to Neutral. But on the other side, you don't stay allied with them forever unless you find ways to keep adding influence points. One way is to eliminate barbarian camps near to the city state. In fact, this is one exception to the rule about sending units through their territory. If you are doing it to attack the barbarians, you are seen as a protector, not an invader, and there is no penalty. Another way to gain influence is by completing a quest from a city state. Each city state you are in contact with will periodically give you a quest, and if you fulfill it you will gain influence points. This can include killing a barbarian camp or killing nearby barbarian units (though you can do that at any time, you don't need a quest). Some others include acquiring a Great Person of a certain kind, building a certain World Wonder, bullying another city state, finding a Natural Wonder, and so on. You do not need to fulfill a quest. For example, if your strategy calls for allying with other city states, you might want to pass on bullying another city state. There is no penalty for not fulfilling a quest, just a bonus when you do fulfill one. Another way to gain influence is with gifts. The most effective is Gold, and one large sum is more effective than several small ones. For a Diplomatic victory strategy, you should plan on having a large Treasury as you approach the end game so that you can buy allies in time for the crucial vote. You can also gain a small amount of influence points by gifting units. I make it a practice to do this whenever I have units that I don't want any longer. These could be obsolete units that have no upgrade path, for instance. I don't want to pay maintenance on them as that is a drain on my Treasury, and I could just delete them, but gifting them to a city state gives me a small amount of influence. Another way to get a big jump in your influence with a city state is to capture and then a return one of their Workers. Most often this happens when a barbarian has captured the Worker, and then you capture it. You have the option of keeping the Worker for yourself, and in the early game I would probably do that because the Worker is so valuable. But at a certain point I have enough Workers, and getting the 45 influence points for returning it starts to be more effective. Remember that you have to keep earning influence points to keep up your relations, so even if you get an ally of a city state for a few turns. it will naturally decay back to Neutral. By around the middle of the game if you playing well you can start to invest the resources needed to maintain your relationships. City States and War If you are allied with a city state and you get into a war with another player, a city state you are allied with will join you in the war. Of course, the same is true for the other player, so the war between the two players could also involve 3-4 city states dragged in as allies. You cannot make peace with a city state while it is allied to a player you are at war with. You have to first make peace with that player (or wipe them out if that suits you). However, if you can get more influence with that city state and supplant the other player you can get that city state to ally with you can turn around and attack your enemy. Generally a large cash gift can do this, once again showing the utility of a fat Treasury. Exploration You cannot have diplomatic relations with a city state you haven't met, so this reinforces the idea that you have to explore the map as soon as possible. Of course, you have to balance this with other priorities, such as expanding your cities and defending them, but finding the right balance is what all the Civilization games are about. On most maps this means you should be giving some attention to developing your naval power and technologies. There seems to be a bias to city states being coastal, and in many cases they are on small islands. Of course there are a number of motivations for exploring the map. First of all, you need intelligence of what you are up against with the other players. And unless you are on a very large land mass, you will want to find added lands for settlement. Finding Natural Wonders adds to Happiness in your Empire, so finding them all is important. And last, the unexplored sections of the map have a strong tendency to spawn barbarian units against you. Early on you cannot traverse Ocean tiles and need to stick to Coastal tiles. The unit here is the Trireme, which you can build once you discover Sailing. I will usually build 1-2 Triremes in a coastal city to go around the coast of the land mass I am on and scout out the situation. If another land mass or island is sufficiently close I can cross to it without entering an Ocean tile and extend my exploration. But to really explore the whole map you need to get to Caravels. This Renaissance Era unit becomes available when you discover Astronomy, and is essentially a naval scouting unit. It can enter Ocean tiles. Links: https://civilization.fandom.com/wiki/City-state_(Civ5) https://civ-5-cbp.fandom.com/wiki/Detailed_Guide_to_Diplomacy https://www.palain.com/gaming/civilization-v/playing-civilization-v-part-9/ Provide feedback on this episode.

Love and Compassion Podcast with Gissele Taraba
Ep. 89 – Creating a more compassionate civilization from our current state of fear with Robertson Work

Love and Compassion Podcast with Gissele Taraba

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 6, 2026 71:56


TRANSCRIPT Robertson: [00:00:00] Gissele: Hello and welcome to the Love and Compassion podcast with Gissele. We believe that love and compassion have the power to heal our lives and our world. Gissele: Don’t forget to like and subscribe for more amazing content. And if you’d like to support the podcast, please go to buy me a coffee.com/love and compassion. Today we’re talking about how to become a more compassionate civilization in light of the world’s most recent events. Robertson Work is a nonfiction author, social ecological activist, and former UNDP policy advisor on decentralized government, NYU Wagner, graduate School of Public Service, professor of Innovative Leadership and Institute of Cultural Affairs, country Director, conducting community organizational and leadership initiatives. Gissele: He has worked in over 50 countries for over 50 years and is founder of the Compassionate Civilization Collaborative. He has five published books and has [00:01:00] contributed to another 13. His most well-known book is a Compassionate Civilization. Every week he publishes an essay on Compassionate Conversations on Substack. Gissele: Please join me in welcoming Robertson work. Hi Robertson. Robertson: Hi Giselle. How are you? Gissele: I’m good. How about yourself? Robertson: I’m good, thank you. I here in the Southern United States. I’m glad you’re in wonderful Canada. Robertson: great admiration for your country. Gissele: Ah, thank you. Thank you. Gissele: I wanted to talk about your book. I got a copy of it and it was written in 2017, but as I was reading it, I really found myself listening to things that were almost prophetic that seemed to be happening right now. What compelled you to write Compassionate Civilizations at this moment in history. Robertson: Yes. Thank You you so much, and thank you for inviting me to talk with you today. Robertson: And I wanna say I’m so touched by the wonderful work of the Matri Center for Love [00:02:00] and Compassion. I have enjoyed looking at your website and listening to your podcast and hearing Pema Chodron speak about self-love. If it’s okay, I’d like to start with a few moments of mindful breathing Gissele: Yes, definitely. Robertson: okay. I invite everyone to become aware of your breathing, being aware of breathing in and breathing out. Breathing in the here and in the now. Breathing in love. Breathing in gratitude. I have arrived. I am home. I’m solid. I am free breathing in, breathing out here now. Robertson: Love [00:03:00] gratitude. Arrived home solid free. Okay. And to your question, after working in local communities and organizations around the world with the Institute of Cultural Affairs and doing program and policy work with UNDP and teaching grad school at NYU Wagner, I felt called to articulate a motivating vision for how to embody and catalyze a compassionate civilization. Robertson: So each of us can embody, even now, even here, we can embody and catalyze a compassionate civilization in this very present moment. We don’t have to wait, you know, 50 years, a hundred years, a thousand years. we can embody it in the here and the now. So I was increasingly aware of climate change, climate disasters, [00:04:00] the rise of oligarchic, fascism, and of course the UN’s sustainable development goals. Robertson: I also had been studying the engaged Buddhism of Thich Nhat Hahn for many years, and practicing mindfulness and compassionate action. As you know, compassion is action focused on relieving suffering in individual mindsets and behaviors, and collective cultures and systems. The word that com it means with, and compassion means suffering. Robertson: So compassion is to be with suffering and to relieve suffering in oneself and with others. So, I gave talks about a compassionate civilization in my NYU Wagner grad classes and in speeches in different countries. Then in 2013, I started a blog called The Compassionate Civilization. So in 2017, there was a [00:05:00] new US president who concerned me deeply and who’s now president again. Robertson: So a Compassionate Civilization was published in July of that year, as you mentioned, 2017. The book outlines our time of crisis and provides a vision, strategies and tactics of embodying and catalyzing a compassionate civilization, person by person, community by community. Moment by moment it it includes the movement of movements, mom that will do that. Robertson: Innovative leadership methods, global local citizen, and practices of care of self and others as mindful activists. So there’s a lot in it. Yeah. The Six strategies or arenas of transformation are environmental sustainability, gender equality, socioeconomic justice, participatory governance, cultural tolerance and peace, and non-violence, socio. Robertson: So since then [00:06:00] I’ve been promoting the Compassionate Civilization Collaborative, as you mentioned, to support a movement of movements. The mom, Gissele: thank you for that. I really appreciated that. And I really enjoyed the book as well. It’s so funny that, the majority of people see a world that doesn’t work and they want things to change, but they don’t do something necessarily to change it. When did compassion shift from a private virtue to a public mission for you? Robertson: Great question. Thank you. I think it began the private part began very early in my Christian upbringing. I was raised by loving parents to love others. You know, love of neighbor is the heart of Christianity. And understand that love is the ultimate reality. You know, that you know, as we say in Christianity, God is love. Robertson: So then when I went off to college at Oklahoma State University, I found myself being a campus activist. So I shifted to activism for civil rights. We were [00:07:00] demonstrating for women’s rights and for peace in Vietnam. As you know, the Vietnam War was raging. And after that, I attended Theological Seminary at Chicago Theological Seminary, but. Robertson: My calling happened when I was still in college, and it was in a weekend course, just a one weekend in Chicago. Some of us drove up and attended a course at, with the ecumenical Institute in the African-American ghetto in Chicago. And my whole life was changed in one weekend. I mean, I woke up that I could make a difference and I could help create a world that cared from everyone, you know? Robertson: And here I was. I was what? I was a junior in college. So then after that, I worked after college and grad school. I worked in that African American ghetto in Chicago with the Ecumenical Institute. And then in Malaysia, I was asked to go to Malaysia and my wife and I did [00:08:00] that, Robertson: And then. We were asked to work in South Korea, which we did. And then the work shifted from a religious to secular is we now call our work the Institute of Cultural Affairs. And from there we worked in Jamaica and then in Venezuela, and then back in the US in a little community in Oklahoma Robertson: And then I also worked in poor slums and villages. So then with the UNDP. I worked in around the world giving policy advice and starting projects and programs on decentralized governance to help countries decentralize from this capital to the provinces and the cities and towns and villages to decentralize decision making. Robertson: Then my engaged Buddhist studies particularly with Han and his teachers and practice awakened me to a calling to save all sentient beings. what [00:09:00] an outrageous calling, how can one person vow to save all sentient beings? But that’s what we do in that tradition of the being a BofA. Robertson: So through mindfulness and compassionate actions. So then I continue my journey by teaching at NYU Wagner with grad students from around the world. I love that so much. Then to the present as a consultant, speaker, author, and activist locally, nationally, and globally. So Gissele has been quite a journey, and here we are in this moment together, in this wild, crazy world. Gissele: Yeah, for sure, One of the things that I really loved about your book that you emphasize that we need to have a vision for the world that we wanna create. If we don’t have a vision, then we can’t create it, right? many of us are, focusing on anti, anti-oppressive, anti crime, anti this, anti that. Gissele: But we’re not really focusing on what sort of world do we wanna create? and I’ve had conversations with so many people, and when I ask the question, if people truly [00:10:00] believe. The human beings could be like loving and compassionate, and we could create a world that would be loving and compassionate for all many people say no. Gissele: And so I was wondering, like, did you always believe that civilization could be compassionate or did you grow into that conviction? Robertson: Great question. I definitely grew into it. Yeah. even as a child, I was awakened, you know, by the plight of African Americans in my country, in our little town in Oklahoma. Robertson: So I kind of began waking up. But I wasn’t sure, how much I or we could do about it. So I really grew into that conviction through my journey around the world working in over in 55 countries, it’s interesting the number of people your podcast goes to serving people and the planet. Robertson: So. Everywhere I worked Gissele, I was touched by the local people, that people care for each other, you know, in the slums and squatter settlements, in villages, in cities, the, the rich and the [00:11:00] poor. everywhere I went regardless of the culture, the language, the races, the issues the, the local people were caring. Robertson: So my understanding is that compassion is an action. It’s not just a feeling or a thought. It’s an action to relieve suffering in oneself and in others. but suffering is never entirely eliminated. You know, in Buddhism, the first noble truth is there is suffering, and it continues, but it can be relieved as best we can with through practices, through projects, through programs, and through policies. Robertson: So what has helped me is to see, again, a deep teaching in Buddhism that each person is influenced by negative emotions of greed, fear, hatred, and ignorance. And yet we can practice with these and to become aware of them and just, and to let them go, you know, and to practice evolving into loving kindness as [00:12:00] you, as you do in in your wonderful center. Robertson: Teaching more loving, kindness, trust and understanding. We can embrace inner being that we’re all part of everything. We’re all part of each other. You know, we’re part of the living earth. We’re part of humanity. I am part of you, you are part of me. And impermanence, you know, that there is no separate permanent self. Robertson: Everything comes and goes, and yet the mystery is there’s no birth and death. ’cause you and I. we’re part of, this journey for 13.8 billion years of the universe, and yet we can, in each moment, we can take an action that relieves our own suffering and in others. So, as you said, a vision is so, so important. Robertson: I’m so glad you touched on that, that a vision can give us a calling to see where we can go. It can motivate us, push us, drive us to do all that we can to realize it, you know, if I have a vision for my family. To care for my family. If [00:13:00] I have a vision for my country, if I have a vision for planet Earth, that can motivate me to do all I can do to make that really happen. Robertson: So right now there are so many challenges facing humanity, climate disasters. Oh my, I’m here in Swanno where we’ve had a terrible hurricane in 2024. We’re still recovering from it. Echo side, you know, where so many species are dying of plants and animals. It’s, it’s one of the great diebacks of in evolution on earth, oligarchic, fascism. Robertson: Right now, we’re in the midst of it in my country. I can’t believe it. You know, you’re, you’re on 81. I, I thought I was, gonna die and still live in a country that believed in democracy and freedom and justice. And so now here we, I have to face what can I do about oligarchic, fascism and social and racial and gender injustice. Robertson: Other challenges, warfare. And here we are in this crazy, monstrous war [00:14:00] in the Middle East. You know, what can we do? What can I unregulated? Artificial intelligence very deeply concerns me. we’ve gotta regulate artificial intelligence so it doesn’t hurt humans and the earth. Robertson: It doesn’t just take care of itself. So, you know, it’s easy Gissele to be despairing and to give up, you know, particularly at this moment. But actually at any time in our life, we’re always tempted to say, oh, well, things will be okay, or There’s nothing I can do, you know, but neither of those is true. Robertson: There are things we can do. We can stop and breathe and continue doing what we can where we are. with what we have and who we are. We do not have to be stopped by despair or by cynicism or by hopeism. We don’t. So thank you for that question about vision. I vision still wakes me up every day and calls me forward. Robertson: I’m sure it does. You as well. Gissele: Yeah. I [00:15:00] mean, without vision, it’s like you don’t have a map to where you’re going to, right.what’s our destination if we don’t have a vision? And so this is for me, why I loved your book so much. you are helping us give a vision Gissele: I mean, the alternative is what is the alternative? there’s my next question. What happens to a society that abandons compassion? Robertson: Exactly. Well, I sort of touched on it before. it falls into ignorance and into greed. Wanting more wealth, more power. for me for my tribe and, and falls into hatred, falls into fear, falls into violence, and that’s happening now, she said. Robertson: But I love what Thich Nhat Hahn reminds us of, of is that if there is no mud, there is no lotus. And that, that means is, you know, if there is no suffering, there can be no compassion . So without suffering and ignorance, there is no compassion or wisdom, because suffering calls us to relieve it. when I see [00:16:00] my wife or children in pain, I want to help them. Robertson: or when I see others, neighbors, you know, during the pandemic, our neighbors took food and water to each other. You know, after the hurricane, neighbors brought us water. suffering calls the best from us, it can, it can also call, call other things. But again, there’s no mud. Robertson: The lotus cannot grow. So we can continue the journey step by step and breath by breath. So that’s what I’d say for now. but that’s an important question. Gissele: you said some key things including that, people have a choice. They can choose to be compassionate, or they can choose to use that fear for something else, right. Gissele: But I often hear from people, well, you know, they want institutions to change. why are the institutions more, equitable, generous, compassionate and you know, like. I don’t know if we have a vision for what compassionate institutions look like, [00:17:00] what would compassion look like at that level? Robertson: Oh, that’s where those six areas you know, the compassion would look like practicing ecological regeneration or sometimes called environmental sustainability. You know, that we we’re part of the living Earth gazelle, We’re not separate from the earth . We breathe earth air, we drink earth water. Robertson: We you know, the earth. Hurricanes come. The earth. Floods come We are earthlings. I love that word, earthlings, and so, how do we help regenerate the earth as society? And that’s why, you know, legislation aware of climate change, you know, to reduce carbon emissions. Robertson: The Paris Accord, and that’s just one example, how do we have all laws for gender equality so that women receive the same salaries as men and have the same rights. as men, we gotta have the laws, the institutions you know, and the participatory democracy, that we have a constitution. Robertson: a constitution is a vision. of what we are all about. Why are, we’re [00:18:00] together as a country, so that we can each vote and express our views and our wishes, and that government is by foreign of the people. It is. So it’s, it’s critical, you know, that we vote and get out the vote again and again and again. Robertson: And to create those laws, those institutions they care for everyone. And the socioeconomic justice. we need the laws and institutions that give full rights to people of color to people of every culture and every religion, and every gender every transgender, every human being, every living being has rights. Robertson: That’s why the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is so important. I’m so grateful that it was created earlier in the last century in my country our country cannot go to war without congressional approval. Robertson: Aha. did that just not happen? Yes. But it’s in the Constitution. the law says that we must talk about it [00:19:00] first. We must send the diplomats. We must doeverything we can before we harm anyone. War is hell. there are other ways of dialogue and diplomacy. Robertson: we can do better. But again, it takes the laws and institutions. Gissele: thank you for that. I do think that we have some sort of sense in terms of what we find doesn’t work for us, right? these institutions don’t work, they’re based on separation, isolation, punishment, and we see that they don’t work. We see that, like inequality hurts everyone. Gissele: We see that all of these things that we’re doing have a negative impact, including war. And yet we don’t change. What do you think prevents societies from becoming more compassionate? Robertson: if we’re in a society that if harming people through terrible legislation and laws and policies that makes it hard for people then have to either rebel and then they can be you know, killed. Or they have to form movements peaceful movements like the [00:20:00] Civil Rights Movement in my country, you know, with Martin Luther King leading peace marches and our peaceful resistance, in Minneapolis, the peaceful resistance to ice, so what one big thing that’s, that makes people think they can’t be compassionate again, is the, larger society, you know, the institutional frameworks and legislations and laws and government practices. Robertson: But even then, as we’re seeing, you know, in Minneapolis and everywhere, and Canada is leading in so many ways, I think I, I’m so grateful for the leadership of your, your prime minister, calling the world thatwe must not let go of the international rules rules based international practices that we’ve had for the last 80 years, my whole life. Robertson: You know, we’ve had the, the UN and the international rules and now some powers want to throw those out, but no, no, we are gonna say no. we’re [00:21:00] surrounded by forces of wealth and power as we know. And however we can each do what we can to care for those near hand, far away, the least the last, and the last for ourselves, moment by moment. Robertson: Breath, breath by breath. And sometimes we, the people can change history and the powerful can choose compassion. And, we’ve changed history many times. We’ve created democracy. We, the people who have created civil right. Universal education and healthcare of the UN and much more. Robertson: you touched a moment ago on the pillars of a compassionate civilization. You know, there are 17 UN sustainable development goals, as you know, but I decided 17 was a big number, so I thought, why don’t we just have six? That’s why my book, it has six arenas of transformation for ease of memory and work. Robertson: and they are environmental sustainability, gender equality, socioeconomic justice, participatory governance, cultural tolerance, peace and nonviolence. So modern [00:22:00] societies can be prevented from being compassionate also by Negative emotions as we were talking about, of ignorance, greed, hatred, and violence. Robertson: Greed thinking, I need more wealth. I’m a billionaire, but I need another billion. You know, I’m the richest billionaire in the world, but I wanna buy the US government hatred, violence. So these all for me, all back into the Buddhist wisdom of the belief that I’m a separate self. Robertson: Therefore, all that’s important is my ego. Hell no, that’s wrong. You know, my ego is not separate. When I die, my ego’s gone. You know, all that’s gonna be left when I die, or my words and my actions, my actions will continue forever. my words will continue forever. May I, ego? No. So the, if I believe my ego is all there is, and I can be greedy and hateful and fearful and violent, but ego, unlimited pleasure and narcissism, fear of the other, ignorance of cause and effect, these don’t have to drive us. So [00:23:00] structures and policies based on negative emotions and the delusion of a separate self and harm for the earth. We don’t have to live that way. We don’t have to believe propaganda and misinformation and ignorance, and we can provide the education needed and the experience. Robertson: We don’t have to accept wealth hoarding. You know, why do we have billionaires? Why isn’t $999 million enough? Why doesn’t that go to care for everyone and to care for the earth? So again, we have to let go of wealth hoarding of power hoarding. Robertson: we don’t need all that wealth. We don’t need all that power. We can, we can care for each other. We can care for the earth. Gissele: There, there are so many amazing things that you said. I wanted to touch on two the first one is that I was having a conversation with an indigenous elder, and he said to me, you know, that greed is just a fear of lack, right? Gissele: And it really stopped me in my tracks because, when we see people hoarding stuff in their [00:24:00] house, we think, well, that’s abnormal. And yet we glorify the hoarding of wealth. But it isn’t any different than any sort of other mental health issue in terms of hoarding. And so that really got me to think about the role of fear. Gissele: And, if somebody’s trying to hoard money, it’s not getting to the root of the problem, issue. It’s never gonna be enough because they’re just throwing it into an empty hole. It’s a a billion Jillian, it’s never gonna be enough because it’s never truly addressing the problem. Gissele: But one of the things that you said as we were chatting is, that the wealthy, the elite, they can choose compassion, they can always choose it, which is an amazing insight. And yet I wonder, you know, in terms of people’s perspectives of compassion and power, do you think that the two go hand in hand or can they go hand in hand? Gissele: Because I think there might be some worries around, well, if I’m more compassionate, then I’m gonna be, taken advantage of, I’m gonna be, a mat. what is your [00:25:00] perspective? Robertson: Oh, I agree with everything you said and your question is so, so important. Thank you so much. Robertson: there are billionaires and then there are billionaires like Warren Buffet. Look, he’s given. Tens of billions of dollars away, hundreds of billions of dollars away, and other billionaires have done that. And then there are the billionaires, who think 350 billion isn’t enough. Robertson: You know, I need more. Well, that’s crazy. That is sick. That is sad that, that is a disease. And we have to help those people. I feel compassion for billionaires who think they need another 10 billion or another a hundred billion, or they need five more a hundred million dollars yachts, or they need another 15 $200 million houses around the world and that that is very sad. Robertson: And that they’re really suffering. They’re confused. Yeah. They forget what it means to be human. They’ve forgotten what it needs to be. An earthling that we’re just here for a moment. Gissele: Agree. Robertson: We’re just here for a moment, for a [00:26:00] breath, and we’re gone. Breathe in, we’re here, breathe out, we’re gone. And so we can stop. Robertson: We can become aware of that fear, as you said. We can take good care of that fear. I love the way Thich Nhat Hahn says. He says, hello, fear, welcome back. I’m gonna take good care of you. Fear. I’m gonna watch you take care of you. You’re gonna Evolve. ’cause everything is impermanent. Everything changes. So fear will change. Robertson: Fear can change. Fear always changes It evolves into Another emotion, another feeling, So let it go. Let it go. In the truth of impermanence. ’cause everything is impermanent. Fear is impermanent. So we also can remember the truth of inter being that I am part of what I fear, I am part of. Robertson: This current federal administration. You know, I’m part of the wealthy elite, and it is part of me. I fear of the US administration right now, but it is part of [00:27:00] me and I’m part of it. I fear climate change, but it is part of me. I’m part of it. I fear artificial intelligence , unregulated. I fear old age, but boys, I’m 81 and a half, it’s here. Robertson: So I’m gonna take care of it. I’m gonna say, Hey, old man, I’m gonna take care of you. And they’re all me. There’s no separation. I love Thich Nhat Hahn’s word. We enter are, we enter are now, how can I stop, become aware of fear, breathe in and out, and know the truth of inter being and impermanence and accept it. Robertson: Care for it. get out to vote, care for the self, write , speak, do what I can to care for what I can. My family, my neighbors, my city, my county, my country, my world. And everything changes. Everything passes away. Everything comes in and out of [00:28:00] being, what happened to the Roman Empire? Gissele: Mm, Robertson: what’s happening to the American Empire. Everything comes in and goes out like a breath, breathing in and breathing out. And then everything transforms into what is next? What is next? what is China going to bring? Ah, there is so much that we don’t know, Robertson: I love Thich Nhat Hahn’s teaching that. when we become aware of a negative emotion, we should Stop, breathe, smile. And then say, oh, welcome. Fear. Welcome back. Okay, I’m gonna take care of you. Okay, we’re in this together. Robertson: And then you just, you keep breathing in awareness and gratitude and things change. Your grandkid calls you, your baby calls you, your dog, your cat. You see the clouds, you see the earth, the sun. You see a star. You realize you’re an [00:29:00] animal. You know the word animal means breath. Robertson: We are animals. ’cause we breathe. We’re all breathing. So I love that. You know it. I love to say I am an animal. ’cause I, you know, we, human beings are often not, we’re not animals. We’re superior To animals, you know? Right. we are animals, that’s why we love our dogs and cats and we can love our, the purposes and the elephants and the tigers and the mountain lions and, and the cockroaches and the chickpeas and the cardinals we are all animals. Robertson: We’re all breathing. So I love that. Gissele: Yeah. Yeah. Oh, that was so beautiful. I felt that also, I really appreciated the practice too. In this time when we, like so many us are, are feeling so much fear and so much uncertainty and not knowing how things are gonna pan out, to just take a moment to breathe and reconnect to our true selves, I think is so, so fundamental. Gissele: And I hope that listeners are also doing it with us. you know, as I have [00:30:00] conversations with people around the world we talk a lot about, the way that the systems are set up, the institutions. Gissele: And it took a lot of hard work for me to realize that we are the institutions, just like you said, so the institutions are made up of people. And I was so glad to see that in your book, that you clearly say, you know, like it’s about people. It’s about us. It’s like we make up these institutions, you know? Gissele: And when I’ve looked at myself, I’ve asked myself, who do I wanna be? What do I really, truly wanna embody? And my greatest wish for this lifetime is to embody the highest level of love and to truly get to the point where I love people like brothers and sisters, that I care for them and that we care for one another. Gissele: And yet, there are times when I wanna act from that place, but the fear comes up, the not wanting or not trusting or believing when the fear comes up, how can compassion really help us change ourselves so that we can create a [00:31:00] different world? Robertson: What you said is so beautiful, and your question is so powerful. Thank you. Yes. And I’m gonna get personal here. we can do what we can, we can take care of ourselves, we can take care of others as we can, but we shouldn’t beat ourselves up when we can’t. You know? Robertson: So I, here I’m 80, I’m over 81, and I have issues with balance and walking, and I have some memory issues and some low energy issues. So I have to be kind to myself. I, so I’ve just decided that writing is my main way of caring for the world. That’s why I publish one or two essays a week on Substack, on Compassionate Conversations for 55 countries in 38 states. Robertson: And so I said, you know, I used to travel around the world all the time. Not anymore. I don’t even want like to travel around the county. Robertson: Anyway, I’m an elder , so I have to say , okay, elder, be kind to [00:32:00] yourself, but also do everything you can, write everything you can speak with Gazelle if you can. Robertson: I also have to decide who I’m gonna care for. I’ve decided I’m gonna care for my wife who just turned 70 and my two kids and my two grandkids, my daughter-in-law, my cousins and nieces and nephews, my neighbors here and North Carolina. Robertson: The vulnerable, you know, I give to nonprofits who help the hungry and the homeless to friends and to people around the world through my writings and teachings And so the other day I drove to get some some shrimp tacos for my wife and me for dinner. Robertson: And a lady came up and she had disheveled hair. And she just stood by my car and I put the window down a little and she said. can you drive me to Black Mountain? that’s not where we were. I was in another town. ‘ cause I’m out of my medicine. Robertson: She just, out of the blue said, stood there and said that. And I thought, [00:33:00] oh, oh, hmm. Oh, so, oh yes. So I, I wanted to say, but who are you? How are you? Do you live here? Do do you have any friends or family? Do you, you, can I give you some money? Do you have, but I was kind of, I was kind of struck dumb, you know? Robertson: I thought, oh, oh, what should I do? And so I said, oh, I’m so sorry I don’t live in Black Mountain. And she said, oh. And she just turned and walked away and she asked two other cars and they said no. And then she walked away. And then she walked away. I thought, oh, Rob, Rob, is she okay? Does she have a family? Robertson: Did she have a house? What if she doesn’t get her medicine? How can she walk to that town? Could you have driven her and delayed taking dinner home to your wife? And then I said, but I don’t know. And then I thought, oh, but she’s gone. And I then I said, okay, Rob. Okay, Rob, [00:34:00] you’ve lived 81 years. You’ve cared for people in the UN in 170 countries. Speaker 3: Yeah. Robertson: And you’ve been in 55 countries, you’re still writing every week, you’re taking care of your neighbors and family and friends. Don’t beat yourself up. Old guy. Don’t beat yourself up. But next time, you know what Rob, I’m gonna say, Hey, my dear one, are you okay? I don’t have any money, but I can I buy you? Robertson: We are here at the taco shop, Can I buy you dinner? I would, I’m gonna say that next time, Rob. I’m gonna say that. and then I also gazelle,I’m gonna support democratic socialist institutions. You know, some people are afraid of that word, democratic socialist. Robertson: But you know, the happiest countries in the world are democratic socialist countries. Finland is the world’s happiest country. Denmark, Sweden, Norway, the Netherlands, Iceland, those are in the top 10 [00:35:00] when they’ve, when there have been analysis of, if you, if you Google happiest countries in the world, Robertson: those Nordic countries come up every year. Why? They are democratic socialist countries. You pay high taxes and everybody gets free college. You know, free education, free college, free health everybody gets taken care of in a democratic socialist country in the Nordic countries and New York City. Robertson: I’m so proud that our new mayor in New York City Zoran Mai is a democratic socialist. He is there to help everybody, but particularly those who are hurting the poor, the hungry , the sick, or the people of color, women, the elderly, the children. I’m so proud of him and I write about him on my substack and I write him Robertson: I he’s one of my heroes just like Bernie Sanders is one of my heroes. And Alexandria Ocasio Cortes, a OC is one of my, my heroes, CA [00:36:00] Ooc. So, and you know, I used to never tell anybody I was a Democratic socialist ’cause I was afraid. I thought, oh, they’ll think I’m a socialist. Hell no. I am now proud to say I’m a democratic socialist. Robertson: I’m a Democrat. I vote the Democratic ticket, but I’m always looking for progressives, progressive Democrats, you know, democratic socialist Democrats. because, you know, our country can be more like Finland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, the Netherlands, Iceland New York City. New York City is showing us the way America can be like a New York City. Robertson: I’m so proud of New York City and I used to live in New York City so as an old person. I can only do what I can do. and I’m not saying, oh, I poor me. I can’t do anything. No, no. I’m not saying that. I’m saying I can do a hell of a lot as this 81-year-old, it’s amazing what I can do, but that is why I write and speak and care for my family, neighbors, friends, the poor. Robertson: [00:37:00] Donate to nonprofits for the homeless and the hungry vote. Get out the vote. So yes, that’s my story. Gazelle. Gissele: I totally relate. I mean, I’ve been in circumstances like that as well, where you wanna help. But the fear is like, what if a person kills you? What if they don’t really have medication? Gissele: What if you get hurt or they try to rob you or they have mental health problems? Mine goes to protection and it is very human of us to go there first. And so, so then we get stuck in that ping pong in that moment and then the moment passes and you’re like, you know, was it true? Could I have driven that person? Gissele: And that would’ve been something I wanted to do for sure. But in that moment, you are stuck in that, yo-yo, when the survival comes in. And so helping ourselves shift out of that survival mode, understanding and learning to have faith and trust. And for me that’s been a work in progress. Gissele: It really has been a work in [00:38:00] progress. The other thing I wanted to mention, which I think is so important that we need to touch on. It’s the whole concept of socialism. So I was born in South America before I came to Canada and so I remember lots of my family members talk about this, there’s many South American countries that got sold communism, as socialism we’re talking about approaches that instead of it being like a democratic socialism that you’re talking about, which is the government, make sure that people are taking care of and that the people are probably taxed and provided for what would happen in those countries was that. Gissele: Everything got taken away. People were rationed certain things, and, it was horrible. it was not good, but it was not socialism. And there was many governments that took the majority of the money, then spent it on themselves, left the country, took it themselves, and so especially the Latin American community is very much afraid of socialism because they think back to that, the [00:39:00] rationing of electricity, the rationing of food, the rationing of all of that stuff, it wasn’t provided openly. Gissele: It was, everybody gets less. And so you have these people with this history that then have come to the US and think they don’t want socialism. They think democracy means that people aren’t gonna take stuff away from them, but that’s not what it means either. ’cause I don’t even know if like in North America we have a true democracy. Robertson: so thinking about reframing of how we think or experience democratic socialism, that it doesn’t mean less for everybody and in everything controlled by the government. It means being provided for abundantly and, also having the citizens be taxed more, which means we are willing to share our money so that we can all live well, Beautiful. Beautiful. Oh, thank you. Hooray. Wonderful. What country are you? May I ask where you coming? Gissele: Yeah, of Robertson: course. Gissele: Peru, I Gissele: [00:40:00] Yeah. Robertson: Wonderful. I’ve been to Peru a few times. A wonderful, beautiful country. And I, I lived in Venezuela for five years. ‘ cause I love, I have many friends in Venezuela. Robertson: But anyway I agree with everything you just said. That’s why I said what I said that I now can, I can confess that I am a democratic socialist. And that’s not socialism. It’s a social democracy is what it’s called. Yeah. That’s what they call it in Finland and Denmark and so on. Robertson: They call it social democracy. It’s democracy. But it, as you say, it’s cares for everyone and for the earth. We have to always add and the earth, ’cause you know, all the other species and, and the other life forms and the ecosystems, the water, the soil, the air, the minerals the plants, the animals. Robertson: and we have the money, as you said. I mean, if I had $350 billion, think of what taxes I could pay if the tax rate was, you know, 30%. [00:41:00] And rather than nothing, some of these, some of these folks pay, Gissele: well, I think we have glorified that we all wanted that, right? Like we got sold this good that oh, we should all want to be as wealthy as possible, right? And so we normalize the hoarding of money. Not the hoarding of other stuff, right? Gissele: And so we have allowed that, which gets me to my, next point, you talk about the environmental impact as part of a compassionate society, which absolutely is necessary. Gissele: And as human beings, we can be so lazy. We want convenience. We want to, have our package the next day. We don’t wanna wait. are we willing to pay higher wages? Are we willing to wait? Longer for our packages, like, are we willing to, invest in our wardrobe instead of buying fast fashion? Gissele: We don’t do these things and these have environmental impacts, and it also have human impacts, and at the end, they have impact on us. What can we do to ensure that, that we address that [00:42:00] complacency so that we are creating a fair, affordable , and compassionate world. Robertson: So important. Thank you. Robertson: It’s, it’s a life and death question. So yes, we should always ask about ecological and social impacts and take actions accordingly. That’s why I recycle every day. You know, some people say, oh, recycling is stupid. What do they really do with this, with it? You know, are they, are they really careful when you, they pick it up? Robertson: but I recycle religiously every day That’s why I support climate and democracy through third act. There’s a group that Bill McKibbon has started here in the US called Third Act. It’s a group of elder activists, activists over 60 who are working on climate and democracy issues. Robertson: So I’m doing that. That’s why I vote and get it out to vote. And as I said, I vote for Democrats and Democratic socialists. That’s why I write and speak and vote for ecological regeneration for social justice, for peace, for [00:43:00] democratic governance. It’s so critical that we keep questioning our actions like. Robertson: Okay, why am I recycling? Is it really worth the time? You know, deciding about every item, where it goes, and then putting out it out carefully and rinsing it first. And is that really going to help the world? ’cause you also know we need systemic changes, because you can always say, oh, but what the individual does doesn’t matter. Robertson: We need laws, we need institutions of ecological regeneration, and we need laws on caring for the climate and stopping climate change. So you can talk yourself out of individual responsibility when you realize that we need laws and institutions that protect the environment. Robertson: But it’s both. It’s both. what each person does, because there are millions of us individuals. So if there are millions of us act responsibly, that has, is a huge impact. And then if we [00:44:00] also have responsible laws and institutions that care for the environment as well as all people, then that’s a double win. Robertson: So I agree with you. We have to keep asking that question over and over and making those decisions and they’re hard decisions. We have to decide. Gissele: Yeah, I’ve had to look at myself like one of the commitments I’ve made to myself is not buying fast fashion. And so, investing in pieces, even though sometimes I feel lack oh my God, spending that much money on this, you know? Gissele: Yeah. It all comes back to me. if I am not willing to pay a fair wage, that means that the next person doesn’t get a fair wage, which means they don’t wanna pay a fair wage and so on and so forth. And then it comes back to me, you know, my husband has a business and then, you get people that don’t also wanna pay a fair wage. Gissele: It’s all interconnected. And so we have to be willing, but that also goes to us addressing our fear, our fear of lack, that we’re not gonna have enough. All of those things. And the biggest fundamental [00:45:00] fear, and you mentioned death to me, is the ultimate Gissele: fear That we must overcome I think once we do, like, I think once we understand that we are not, this human vessel. Gissele: that we’re not just this bag of bones and live in so much constrained fear that perhaps we could. really open up ourselves to be willing to be more compassionate . What do you think? Robertson: Absolutely. I’m with you all the way. Yes. We fear death because we’re caught in that illusion of a separate permanent self. Robertson: You know, it’s all about me. Oh, this universe is all about me. The universe was created 13.8 billion years for me. Robertson: Yeah. But it’s all about me and particularly my ego, honoring my ego. Building up my ego, praising my ego being, you know, that’s why I wanna be rich and famous. Robertson: Fortunately, I never wanted to be rich or famous, but that’s another story. We’ll talk about that some other time. But everything and [00:46:00] everyone is impermanent. When I realized that truth and it, it came to me through engaged Buddhism, but you could, you could get that truth in many, many ways. Robertson: That everything and everyone is impermanent. we’re part of the ocean. But the waves don’t last forever, do they? But the ocean lasts forever. Robertson: So My atoms, are part of the 13.8 billion year old universe. my cells are part of the living earth. Yes, they remain When I die, you know, go back into the earth. back into the soil and the water and the air but My ego doesn’t remain. What, what remains, as I said before, are my actions. Robertson: Everything I did is still cause and effect. Cause and effect. Rippling out. Rippling out. Okay. Rob, what did you do? What did you say? did you help that, did you touch that? Did you say that? so my actions and words continue rippling forever. So Ty calls that, or in the Plum Village tradition of engaged Buddhism, it’s called my continuation. Robertson: Your actions and your words [00:47:00] are your continuation that last forever as your actions and words will continue through cause and effect touching reality forever. So when my ego does not remain so I can smile and let it go. I often think about my continuation. You know, I say, well, that’s why, maybe why I’m writing so much and speaking so much. Robertson: And caring for so many people every day, you know, caring to care for my wife and my children and grandchildren and friends and neighbors, and the v vulnerable and the hungry, and the homeless, and the, and my country, and my city, and my county, and my, and why do I write substack twice a week? Robertson: And containing reflections on ecological, societal, and individual challenges and practices. And so every, week I’m writing about practices of mindfulness and compassion. So I’m trying to be the teacher. I’m trying to send out words of mindfulness and compassion so that they will continue reverberating when I’m dust, Robertson: So [00:48:00] I’m reaching out. In my substack to just those 55 people in 55 countries, in 38 states, touching hearts and minds and even more on social media. every month I have like 86,000 views of my social media. Why do I do it? It’s not just about ego, you know? Robertson: Oh, Rob, be famous. No, Rob is not famous. I’m a nobody. I gotta keep giving and giving and giving, you know, another word, another action, so I can, care for people around me through personal care, donations, voting, volunteering workshops, I’m helping start a workshop in our neighborhood on environmental resilience through recycling, through group facilitation. Robertson: I’m trained in, facilitation. I’ve been trained my whole life to ask questions of groups so they can create their own plans and strategies and actions. that’s some of my answer. Robertson: I hope that makes some sense. Gissele: Thank you very much. I appreciated your answer and it made me really think you are one of our compassionate leaders, right? [00:49:00] You’re, you’re kind of carving the way and helping us reflect, ’cause I’ve seen some of your substack, I’ve seen like your postings. Gissele: That’s actually how I kind of reached out to you. ’cause I was so moved by the material that you were sharing, the willingness to be honest about what it takes to be compassionate and how hard it can be sometimes to look at ourselves honestly, because we can’t change unless we’re willing to look at ourselves. Gissele: All aspects of ourselves, like you said, we are the billionaires, we are the oligarchy, we are all of these people. The racism that voted that in the, the racism that continues to show the fear, all of that is us. And so from your perspective, what do compassionate leaders do differently? Robertson: Yes. Well, it great question. Robertson: what do compassionate leaders do differently? Well, he or she or they. Robertson: are empathic. I think it starts with empathy. What are like, what are you feeling? What are you thinking? Robertson: What are you, what’s happening in your life? So an empathic [00:50:00] leader listens to other people. They see where other people are hurting. They care. They ask questions and facilitate group discussions, enable group projects. They let go of self-importance, you know, that it’s not all about me. Robertson: They let go of narcissism. They let go of, the ego project. They help others be their greatness. They care for their body mind so that they can care for others. and they donate and vote and recycle and more and more and more and more. did you know in Denmark. In elementary school every week, children are taught empathy. Robertson: You know, they have courses on empathy, Robertson: when I was growing up, I,didn’t have courses in school on empathy in church school, you know, in my Sunday school at, in my church. I was taught to love my neighbor and to love everyone, and that God was love. But in school, in my elementary [00:51:00] school and junior high and high school, we didn’t talk about things like empathy and compassion. Gissele: Yeah. Thank you for sharing that. I did know about Denmark ’cause my daughter and I are co-writing a book on that particular topic. The need to continue to teach love and compassion in, Gissele: being a global citizen. Right? And, and I’m doing it with her perspective because she just graduated high school, so she has like the fresher perspective, whereas mine’s from like many moons ago. Gissele: We need to continuously educate ourselves about regulating our own emotions, having difficult conversations, hearing about the other, other, as ourselves. Because that’s, from my perspective, the only way that we’re gonna survive. a friend of mine said it the best that we were having a conversation and she does compassion in the prison system and she says, I can’t be well unless you are well. Gissele: My wellness depends on your wellness. And that just hit me in my heart, like, ugh. Not that I live it every day, Robertson, Gissele: every day I have to choose and some [00:52:00] days I fail, and other days I do good in terms of like be more loving and compassionate and truly helping the world. But it’s a choice. It’s a continual choice. So this goes to my biggest challenge that maybe you can help me with, which is, so I was having this conversation with my students. We were talking about how. In order to create a world that is loving and passionate for all, it has to include the all, even those who are most hurtful, and that is really difficult . Gissele: I’m just curious as to your thoughts on what starting point might be or what can help us look at those who do hurtful things and just horrible things and be able to say, I see God within you. I see your humanity. Even though it might be hard. Robertson: Yes, It is hard. several years ago when I would hear [00:53:00] leaders of my country speaking on the media, I would get so repulsed that I would turn it off but I began practicing. Robertson: I practiced a lot since those days and I realized, you know. People who hurt, other people are hurting themselves. they’re actually hurting. they’re suffering. People who hurt others have their own suffering of, they’re confused. they’ve forgotten what it means to be human. Robertson: They’re, full of, greed, of their own fears, all about me. Maybe they’re filled with hatred they become violent. they’re suffering. I still find it very difficult to read or listen to certain people. Robertson: But what I do is I stop and I breathe and I smile and I say, okay. Robertson: I care. I’m concerned about you. I don’t know what I can do, but I am gonna do everything I can to care for the people, being hurt, you know, like my fellow activists in [00:54:00] Minneapolis are doing, or elsewhere, we could mention many places around the world where people are risking their own lives. Robertson: You know, in Minneapolis, two activists were killed, Ms. Good Renee Good, and Alex Pretty were killed because they went beyond their fear, you know? they got out there in the street because the migrants were being hurt and they got killed. Robertson: So, you know, At some point you have to come to terms with your own death, I don’t know if I have a, a minute to go or 20 years, I still have to let go. And so how do I care for my wife, my family, my friends, my neighbors my country, the vulnerable, the homeless, the hungry, and, as you said, for the wealthy and powerful who are hurting others, you know, starting wars attacking migrants, killing activists. Robertson: It’s hard. You know? So I have to say, I love the story of [00:55:00] when during the Vietnamese war Thich Nhat Hahn and his monks. They did not take sides. They did not say we’re on the side of the Vietnamese or the us. They did not take a side in the war. This is hard for me ’cause I, I usually take sides. Robertson: The practice was, okay, we’re not going to support we’re Vietnamese or the us. Were going to care for everyone. So they just went out caring for people who were getting hurt and during the war, people who were hungry, people who needed food, people who were bleeding, Robertson: So they decided their role was to care for those who were hurt not to attack. To say, I’m for the blue and I’m against the red. They said, I’m just gonna, care . Like, the activists in Minnesota, They’re, they’re not attacking ice, they’re singing to ice. Robertson: And so yes, we have to acknowledge our own anger. [00:56:00] I’m angry with these politicians. sometimes I want, to hate them, but I have to say, I do not hate you, my friend. You are confused. You’re so confused. You’re hurting others. So you’re so hurtful. Robertson: You don’t realize how you’re hurting others. But, I’ve got to try to stop you from hurting others. I’ve got to try to help those who are hurt and maybe I’m gonna get hurt, you know, because in the civil rights movement, if you’re out there doing on a peace march, you might get beaten up. Robertson: as I said, I’ve lived in villages, poor villages, and. Urban slums in several countries. And some people could say, well, that’s stupid. You could get hurt. You know, you could, you could as a white person living in a African American slum or in a Korean village or in a Venezuelan village, Robertson: So, you know, I say, was I stupid? Was I risking and I was with my wife and children? Was I risking the lives of my wife and children by living in slums and, and villages? Yes. Was I stupid? I mean, [00:57:00] no, I wasn’t stupid, but I was risking our lives. But I somehow, I was, called I wanted to do it. I said, okay. Robertson: but my point is it’s risky, you know? And you have to keep working with yourself. That’s why I love the word practice. Robertson: You know, in Buddhism we keep practicing, and I love your, the teaching of that you have on your website of Pema Chodron, you know, on self-love. You know, you have to keep practicing. How do I love myself? Say, okay, I’m afraid and I’m just this little white person, but or I’m this little old white person, but I’m gonna do everything I can and be everything I can. Robertson: I really appreciated the story of Han not choosing sides. I mean, you’re right. If we are going to see each other’s brothers and sisters and is is one global family, we can’t pick a side over the other, even though we so want to. Gissele: And, and I’m with you. when I think that there’s a [00:58:00] unfairness, when there’s people that are vulnerable or suffering, I’m more likely to pick to the side that is like, oh, that person is suffering. They’re the victim. But what you said is spot on. People that truly lovewho have love in their heart, like when you were raised with love. Gissele: You had love to give others because your cup was full. So it overflowed to want to help others, to want to love others. People that are hurting, that don’t have love in their hearts are those that hurt other people. Robertson: Mm-hmm. Gissele: They must because they must be so separated from their own humanity. Robertson: Yes, yes, yes. Gissele: And yet things are changing. You mentioned Minnesota, and I wanted to mention that I love that they’re doing the singing chants, and they’re not making them wrong. they’re singing chants like you can change your mind. You don’t have to be wrong. You don’t have to experience shame and guilt for the choice you’ve made. You can always change your mind. And in your book, you talk a lot about movements. Do you wanna [00:59:00] share a little bit about the power of movements and helping us create a compassionate civilization? Robertson: Oh, yes. Thank you. I’m, I’m a big movement fan. it started in college with the Civil Rights Movement. I realized, wow, you know, if a lot of people get together and do something together, it can make a difference. Like the Civil Rights movement. Gissele: Yeah. Robertson: And the women’s movement and peace movement. Robertson: And like in Vietnam, the peace movement, we could really make a difference if we get out in March. I think that being an individual or part of an organization that is part of a movement can be a powerful force. And so I focus in my life and that, that book on the six movements that I’ve mentioned, and those movements can work together. Robertson: And when they work together, they become a movement of movements. They become mom. Hmm. I like that because I I’m a feminist and I think that we need so [01:00:00] desperately we need more feminine energy inhumanity and in civilization. Robertson: So I’m a unapologetic feminist. And so that’s why I like that the movement of movements, the acronym is Mom, you know, and so it’s the Moms of the World will lead us like you. And so they’re the movements of ecological regeneration, socioeconomic justice, I’m repeating gender equality, participatory governance, cultural tolerance, peace and non-violence. Robertson: And you know, we also have the Gay Rights Movement, the democracy movement. there’s so many movements that it made a huge difference. So. I began saying that I, after writing the book, I said, okay,now my work is the work of the Compassionate Civilization Collaborative. Robertson: And I decided I wouldn’t make an organization, I it, wouldn’t have a website, I wouldn’t register it. I wouldn’t raise money for it. It would just be anybody and everybody [01:01:00] who was part of the movement of movements who was working to create a compassionate civilization. Robertson: So that’s what I did. And that’s where I am. I’m this old guy in my home. I don’t get out a lot. I don’t drive a lot. I just drive to nearby town. I have a car, but I don’t use it a lot. I don’t like to walk up and down hills. Robertson: IAnd sometimes I can’t remember things and I say, Hey, but look, you have so many friends all over the world and you can keep encouraging through your writing. So that’s why I keep writing, you know, it is for the movement of movements. Robertson: I guess that’s why I write. here’s something I want to share, something I thought or felt or something that I wrote about. And maybe it will touch you. Maybe it’ll encourage you. Maybe we’ll help you in your life. Robertson: I live in a homeowners association neighborhood. It’s a neighborhood that has a homeowners association. We’re 34 families and we have straight families, gay families. we have white families and non-white families. [01:02:00] We have Democrats, Republicans and Socialists. Robertson: We have Christians and Buddhists and Hindus. And so what I do, I say, Hey, we’re all neighbors. We all helped each other during the pandemic. We all helped each other after the hurricane. It doesn’t matter what our politics are or our religion or our sexuality, we’re all human beings. Robertson: We’re all gonna die. we all want love. We all want happiness. And We can be good neighbors. We don’t have to have ideology, you know, we don’t have to quote the Bible, we don’t have to quote Buddha. We can just be good neighbors. So we’re gonna have a workshop this spring And so we’re all going to get together down the street in this big room, in the fire station, and we’re gonna have a two hour workshop. And will it help? I don’t know. Will it make us better neighbors? I don’t know. Why am I doing it? I’m driven to do it. I’ve done workshops all over the world and I wanna do a workshop in my neighborhood. Robertson: I’ve done workshops with the un, I’ve done [01:03:00] workshops with governments, with cities So I love to facilitate. I love getting people together to solve problems together to listen to each other, respect each other, to honor each other. Gissele: so I’m just gonna ask you a couple more questions. But I’m just gonna make a comment right now about what you said because I think it’s so important. Gissele: Number one is I love that your neighborhood is a microcosm of what our world could be like . The fact that people got together to help and make sure that people were taken care of. If we could amplify that, that could be our world. I think that’s such a beautiful thing. Gissele: And the other thing that I think is really fundamental is that even through your life, you are showing us that some people are going to go pickett. And that’s okay. Some people are gonna write blogs to help us, and that’s okay. Some people are gonna do podcasts, and that’s okay. There are things that people can do that don’t have to look exactly the same. Gissele: Some people are going to have more courage, and they’re going to put their bodies in front and potentially get hurt. Other people, maybe they can’t do [01:04:00] that. So there are many different ways to help. The other thing that you said that was really, really key is the importance of moms . And that was one of the things that really touched me about your book, the acronym. Gissele: I was like, oh my God, I so resonate with this. Because I do feel that we need more feminine energy. We really kind of really squash the feminine energy. But the truth of the matter is we need more because fundamentally, nurturance is a mother energy is a feminine energy. Gissele: Compassion’s a feminine energy. Yes, yes, yes, Robertson: yes, yes, Gissele: so if I can share my story. Last night I was at hockey game. My son was playing hockey. Robertson: Mm-hmm. Gissele: And our team they don’t like to fight. Gissele: We play our game and we have fun and we’re good. And so the previous teams that were there, it was under Youth 15, most of the game was the kids fighting. And taking penalties. And so the game ends, the people come off the ice and two men that are starting to get like into a fight [01:05:00] now, woman got in front of them. Gissele: Wow. and said, we all signed a form that said, this is just a game. Remember who this is for? even though she was elevated, she totally stopped that fight between two men that we were not small. And So it was, it was really interesting. Robertson: Wonderful. Gissele: it was a woman who actually stopped a fight Gissele: It’s the feminine power. And that doesn’t mean, and I wanna make this clear, that doesn’t mean that men have to be discarded or have to be treated the same way that women are treated. ’cause I think that’s a big fear. That’s a big fear that some white males have. It’s no, you don’t have to be less than, Robertson: right. Robertson: We need Gissele: to uplift the feminine energy. So there’s a balance. ’cause right now we’re not balanced. Robertson: Exactly. Exactly. Oh, boy. Am I with you there? there’s a whole section in my book, as you noticed on gender equality I’m gonna read a tribute to Mothers I. Robertson: Tribute to Mothers Giving Birth to New Life, nurturing, [01:06:00] sustaining, guiding, releasing, launching, affirming Love. Be getting Love a flow onwards. Mother Earth, mother Tree, mother Tiger, mother Eve. My grandmother’s Sally and Arie, my mother, Mary Elizabeth, my children’s mother, Mary, my grandchildren’s mother, Jennifer, my grandchildren’s grandmothe

We Are Not Saved
Meta-Competition and the Downfall of Civilization [Essay]

We Are Not Saved

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 5, 2026 23:52


Or how America went from the platonic ideal of goal-scoring to the messy theatricality of flopping. And whether we can stop it before someone get's stoned in the forum.

Doomer Optimism
DO 301 - Open Source Civilization: Marcin Jakubowski of Open Source Ecology

Doomer Optimism

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 4, 2026 74:59


When Your Tractor Breaks, Open Source the Whole CivilizationMarcin Jakubowski, founder of Open Source Ecology, joins Ashley to talk about his 20-year project to open source the blueprints for civilization, starting with a broken tractor on a Missouri farm and expanding into a full Global Village Construction Set of 50 industrial machines. They get into the abundance vs. scarcity mindset, solar concrete, modular open source housing at $100K build cost, why proprietary design is a bad mental model, and how Marcin is now recruiting 75 people for his Future Builders Academy to finish the whole set by 2028. If you've ever been frustrated by planned obsolescence, right to repair, or the cost of building anything in America, this one's for you.https://www.opensourceecology.org/

america missouri open source civilization marcin open source ecology marcin jakubowski
Again With This: Beverly Hills, 90210 & Melrose Place
DC S05.E12: Sleeping Arrangements

Again With This: Beverly Hills, 90210 & Melrose Place

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 2, 2026 45:30


Jen and Dawson have now been housemates nearly as long as they've been dating, and Jen is getting itchy: she's grossed out when Dawson wants to use her toothbrush (which he only has to because she commandeered his for makeup purposes) and violated when he starts going through her stuff in the bathroom. Jen channels these feelings into advice for the female students who call in asking for relationship tips, which is fine until Dawson tunes in just as she's saying that although you can delay it with sex, all men leave. Jack is finding out this is true in a sense at the frat house: as he moves in to a capacious single, upperclassman Blossom is moving into a shared room with Eric. Turns out Jack is right to be suspicious about how THAT arrangement came about. On the heels of Pacey's big promotion at [eye-roll] Civilization, Melanie returns with a thrilling offer: her uncle bought a bigger boat and he's taking it out to sail around the Greek Islands...in three days. What will Pacey do? And will his increased contact with Audrey sway his decision? Professor Wilder's new course boasts both Joey and Elliot, the guy Joey literally bumped into in the season premiere. After Wilder (creepily) notices Elliot watching Joey during class and (even more creepily) forces him to talk to her, Joey has to determine whether it's worth getting involved with one of Audrey's exes...or is he? Don't sleep on our episode on "Sleeping Arrangements"!JOIN THE AWT CLUB

The Life Money Balance™ Podcast
Trust, Freedom, and the Future of Finances & Civilization: A Conversation with George Kinder

The Life Money Balance™ Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 2, 2026 64:08


If trust erodes, your money feels it.Markets depend on it. Institutions rely on it. Your financial future is built on it.In this conversation, Dr. Preston Cherry and George Kinder examine why courage, not algorithms, will determine whether trust holds or collapses.

Centered From Reality
Civilization and Its Discontents (with Hardy Bullock)

Centered From Reality

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 28, 2026 24:44


In this episode, host Alex sits down with Nevada County Supervisor Hardy Bullock for a wide-ranging conversation about power, responsibility, and the future of American society. From debates around AI companies like Anthropic and political pressure campaigns, to Sam Altman's framing of energy as the defining constraint of our time, they explore what happens when institutions lose trust and the country feels culturally unmoored. At the center of it all is a harder question: when do you double down on fixing what's broken—and when is it rational to walk away and head for the hills?

Liberty Nation with Tim Donner
Childbirths, Civilization and Defense

Liberty Nation with Tim Donner

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 27, 2026 39:49 Transcription Available


Seg 1 – The Death of The CousinSeg 2 – Trump Affordability EffortsSeg 3 – Arsenal of Freedom TourSeg 4 – What's So Bad About America First?

Board Game Barrage
#355: Anticipation Auction: Games of 2026

Board Game Barrage

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 26, 2026 81:04


I think it's fair to say that we crushed this last year (although some of us better than others), so it's only correct and right that we should return to do it again. What are the best games of 2026 going to be? Well, only we know, but we're willing to part with that information. Get your fat stacks ready. Before we set ourselves up for failure, we talk about Alibis, Mosaic: A Story of Civilization, and Cyclades: Legendary Edition. 03:02 - Alibis 09:18 - Mosaic: A Story of Civilization 23:25 - Cyclades: Legendary Edition 36:27 - Anticipation Auction 2026 41:18 - The Game Makers 44:25 - Cozy Stickerville 46:39 - Brass: Pittsburgh 50:35 - The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers - Trick-taking Game 54:04 - Revenant 56:21 - World Order 59:31 - Dark Pact 01:02:28 - The Great Library 01:03:56 - Spirited 01:05:25 - Realm of Reckoning 01:08:55 - Avalon: The Riven Vale 01:12:57 - La Patisserie Rococo 01:14:24 - Nippon: Zaibatsu 01:17:24 - Rewild: South America 01:18:44 - Movers and Shakers Submit your games for the Listener Top 20 at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/top20 Get added to the BGB community map at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/map Send us topic ideas at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/topics Check out our wiki at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/wiki Join the discussion at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/discord Join our Facebook group at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/facebook Get a Board Game Barrage T-shirt at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/store

MEFC Sermon Audio - Midland, MI
Civilization and Hope

MEFC Sermon Audio - Midland, MI

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 24, 2026 40:15


Midland Evangelical Free Church Sermon Audio Midland, MI

The Pop Culture Cafe
Ozzie and Harriet: Retreat from Civilization

The Pop Culture Cafe

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 23, 2026 29:46


TPCCafe Radio Presents Classic Comedy, Ozzie and Harriet: Retreat from Civilization This episode provided by the Old Time Radio Researchers Group. www.otrr.org

retreat civilization ozzie ozzie and harriet old time radio researchers group
GameStar Podcast
Von Gothic bis Game of Thrones: Unsere Most Wanted Spiele 2026

GameStar Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 22, 2026 100:20 Transcription Available


Ba'al Busters Broadcast
Edda Reborn Ep 7 plus Makers of Civilization Intro

Ba'al Busters Broadcast

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 21, 2026 184:06


Some of us hear the war drum in our hearts, and know exactly what our role is, our purpose, our destiny. Are you one as well? Are you this era's DOOMERS?Become a top tier member for only 10:https://patreon.com/c/KristosCastYou can get our AWESOME Hot Sauces here: https://SemperFryLLC.comand right now you can use code: Foodstar for 6% Off.Many thanks for the channel campaign help. We're still a ways away from the goal. See the links below to help get the stuff we need. Thank You!Use Code BB5 here: https://SemperFryLLC.comClick Picture on the Right for the AZURE WELL products and use code BB5 for your discount.Find clickable portals to Dr Monzo and Dr Glidden on Dan's site.Join Dr. Glidden's Membership site here:https://leavebigpharmabehind.com/?via=pgndhealth⁠Code: baalbusters for 25% OFFMake Dr. Glidden Your DoctorPods & Exclusives AD-FREE!https://patreon.com/c/KristosCasthttps://buymeacoffee.com/BaalBustershttps://paypal.me/BaalBustershttps://GiveSendGo.com/BaalBustersTwitter Account: https://x.com/KristosCasthttps://open.spotify.com/show/0vtEmTteIzD2nB5bdQ8qDRBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/ba-al-busters-broadcast--5100262/support.

Ba'al Busters Broadcast
Makers of Civilization Ep 2 Remembering Who You Are

Ba'al Busters Broadcast

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 21, 2026 183:49


Mankind's Beginnings have been the most guarded and tampered with secret and is binding us in a spell of institutionalized superstition.  The True Makers of Civilization were a fair and just class of noble leaders and guardians of mankind.  Very bad people have poisoned our legacy and co-opted our achievements. This series and this channel is an effort to restore our identity and break the spell cast over us. We are not to be subjugated. We are the representatives on Earth of the benevolent Creator.  Adam-Thor knew this.  He led with fairness and protected people from the dark sorcerers who were terrorizing lands in Ancient times.  It's time we remembered who we are and our noble purpose.  The Eda/Edda or Knowledge ie the History of Civilization is the greatest tool for Breaking the Spell over mankind. Even if the Nordic Goths are not your ancestors, they benefitted and protected all people that they held dominion over. They improved the lives of those they civilized with their innovations in agriculture, science, mechanics, metal work, art, and defense. They were fair and just and worthy of the role of guardian and protectors over their territories. Who better to lead?Some of us hear the war drum in our hearts, and know exactly what our role is, our purpose, our destiny. Are you one as well? Are you this era's DOOMERS?Become a top tier member for only 10:https://patreon.com/c/KristosCastYou can get our AWESOME Hot Sauces here: https://SemperFryLLC.comand right now you can use code: Foodstar for 6% Off.Many thanks for the channel campaign help. We're still a ways away from the goal. See the links below to help get the stuff we need. Thank You!Use Code BB5 here: https://SemperFryLLC.comClick Picture on the Right for the AZURE WELL products and use code BB5 for your discount.Find clickable portals to Dr Monzo and Dr Glidden on Dan's site.Join Dr. Glidden's Membership site here:https://leavebigpharmabehind.com/?via=pgndhealth⁠Code: baalbusters for 25% OFFMake Dr. Glidden Your DoctorPods & Exclusives AD-FREE!https://patreon.com/c/KristosCasthttps://buymeacoffee.com/BaalBustershttps://paypal.me/BaalBustershttps://GiveSendGo.com/BaalBustersTwitter Account: https://x.com/KristosCasthttps://open.spotify.com/show/0vtEmTteIzD2nB5bdQ8qDRBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/ba-al-busters-broadcast--5100262/support.

Tamil Lit Stories
ஒரு பண்பாட்டின் பயணம்! சிந்து முதல் வைகை வரை - நூல் அறிமுகம் | Journey of Civilization | Jeya Maran

Tamil Lit Stories

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 21, 2026 36:47


மேடைப் பேச்சுகள்:   • மேடைப் பேச்சுகள்  மொழி சொல்லும் வழி:   • மொழி சொல்லும் வழி  Cruise to Kaviripoompattinam (பட்டினப்பாலை):   • Pattinapalai  Memories of Madurai (நெடுநல்வாடை)   • Nedunalvaadai  திருக்குறள் கதைகள்:    • Thirukkural  Children Stories (குழந்தைக் கதைகள்):   • குழந்தைக் கதைகள்  இலக்கணம் in a fun way:   • இலக்கணம்  நாடகங்கள்:   • நாடகங்கள்  சமையல்:   • Cooking  கவிதைகள்:   • கவிதைகள்  

Too Busy to Flush
Ep. 213: The Collapse of Civilization: AI, Human Laziness or Door Dash?

Too Busy to Flush

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 20, 2026 69:53


Intro: Ash Wednesday, Lent, and Mardi Gras.17:04: An update on AI since last week and Cheney's commentary.21:05: AI crushes a medical diagnosis.26:47: The average person's Door Dash budget and the short line between Door Dash and collapse of civilization.32:46: Humanity wants the bare minimum, and adapting to new circumstances.36:57: We went skiing and had forced disconnect time.41:10: Food inflation and a recipe to turn any red meat into deli-style lunch meat.48:20: FB Marketplace comedy52:50: A reflection on Sandra McCracken's Grace Upon Grace.59:12: You are either moving towards or away from your spouse, pressure points in marriage like tidiness and forgetting to schedule reminders, and throwing this away without telling them.1:08:59: Show Close____________________________CanavoxPique Tea - Referral Link (it's super-delicious and healthy)Wealthfront Referral LinkMolly's preferred Stone Heating PadIncogni (data removal and internet anonymizer) Get full access to Too Busy to Flush at www.toobusytoflush.com/subscribe

Discover Lafayette
Dr. Charles Boustany – Cardioscular Surgeon, Former U. S. Congressman for 3rd Congressional District, Lifelong Learner

Discover Lafayette

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 20, 2026 52:07


On this episode of Discover Lafayette, we welcome Charles Boustany, a retired cardiovascular surgeon who served as the U.S. Representative for Louisiana's Third Congressional District from 2005 to 2017. Most recently, he earned a Master's degree in history from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Dr. Boustany was honored with the Richard G. Neiheisel (Phi Beta Kappa) Graduate Award, recognizing the graduate student with the highest academic accomplishment in a classical arts and sciences degree. Dr. Boustany reflects on a life that has bridged medicine, public service, and now scholarship, and what lifelong learning means at every stage. Growing Up in Lafayette — Medicine and Mentorship “I grew up here in Lafayette and went to the old Cathedral Carmel, which was 1st through 12th grade,” he shares, recalling his early education before attending USL (now UL Lafayette) for pre-med studies. Following in his father's footsteps, he completed medical school and surgical training at Charity Hospital in New Orleans, an experience he describes as legendary in its rigor and reputation. A formative influence on his life and career was Dr. John Ochsner. “John taught me not only the techniques and things you learn as a heart surgeon. He taught me how to be a surgeon, how to be a doctor. He was an amazing individual and a lifelong friend.” After additional cardiovascular surgery training in Rochester, New York, Dr. Boustany returned home, practicing for 14 years before an unexpected health challenge changed his trajectory. Dr. Boustany speaks with pride about his family's immigrant story and how it shaped his view of opportunity, responsibility, and community. “For me, the oldest of ten kids, a doctor, a mom who believed in community service… thinking about the fact that my grandparents all came from Lebanon. They had nothing. They came to this country and the opportunities were there if you took advantage of them.” He describes that journey as something bigger than one person's career: “It's just one of many great American stories.” He ties his family's arrival and the immigrant fabric of Lafayette to what makes the community distinct: “That's what makes Lafayette so unique for a city its size. It's got a very diverse population, and it has a population that has an international outlook, which creates all kinds of opportunities.” And he adds a personal glimpse into the household that raised ten children: “My mother had a lot of energy and she kept us all in line, amazingly.” A Turning Point — Health Care and Public Service At age 48, after developing severe cervical spine issues that forced him to retire from surgery, Dr. Boustany faced a crossroads. That moment coincided with a deeply personal family health crisis in 2001: “This was a very distinctive point in time for me. I was at the peak of my career in my surgical practice. But 2001 was this horrible year for me, my wife and our kids. Both kids had different life threatening conditions that cost a ton of money out of pocket over and beyond what insurance could pay. It was a huge, huge struggle. Navigating the health care system is a disaster. It was hard for me. I wondered, “What are people doing? How are they managing this?” The experience stayed with him. As he watched national debates over health care and foreign policy unfold, he felt called to act. “Honey, I gotta make a difference,” he told his wife Bridget one early morning before announcing his decision to run for Congress. Dr. Charles Boustany pictured while serving in Congress. Photo credit: Ed Lallo/Gulf Seafood News In Congress — Katrina, Rita, and “Rita Amnesia” Dr. Boustany's first year in Congress was defined by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. While national attention centered on New Orleans, much of Southwest Louisiana was devastated by Rita. “I had to get all of it amended to include Rita. And that’s when I coined the term ‘Rita Amnesia.'” He recalls warning a national reporter: “My fear is that we’re going to have Rita amnesia.” The phrase stuck and became part of the legislative fight to ensure Southwest Louisiana was not forgotten. He also recounts a pivotal moment after Katrina, when First Lady Laura Bush spent the day touring Lafayette with him. “I was told initially she’s going to be on the ground for about 45 minutes. So I arranged to take her to the Cajun Dome and then Acadian Ambulances’ communication center to see what was going on. Well, she ended up spending the whole day with me. When I took her back to the airport, she thanked me and said, what else do you need? I said, I need 15 minutes on the phone with your husband. Sure enough, Sunday morning at 6 a.m., my cell phone rings and it’s President Bush. He called me Doc. You know, he had nicknames for everybody. He said, Doc, I heard Laura had a good trip down there. What’s going on? What do you need? I said, bottom line is the state doesn’t have the capacity to deal with the magnitude of what we have. We need federal assets down here to help out in New Orleans. He said, ‘I’ll talk to the staff. You get the delegation to Baton Rouge at 9:00 tomorrow morning. Monday. The governor is going to be there. I’m coming in with my team, and we’re going to have a powwow, and we’re going to talk about this and organize it.’ And that’s when everything changed. That’s when he brought in General Honore.” That conversation helped catalyze greater federal coordination and response. Reflecting on those chaotic days, he credits his surgical training: “My career as a surgeon dealing with really dire, immediate emergencies, I just sort of methodically figured out, okay, this is what I can do. This is what I’m going to do. And I didn’t panic.” How a Surgeon Approaches Congress Dr. Boustany explains how medicine shaped his legislative style: “As a surgeon, I had to deal with people from all walks of life. It could be a grandmother or the CEO of a prominent company. It could be a farmer, or somebody who has no insurance and is poor. I had to learn to be able to communicate with the full spectrum of humanity. I think that gave me an advantage, as a doctor, but also as a surgeon, because I had to gain the trust of these people. You know, I’m going to operate on your heart, stop your heart and do all this stuff. So, being able to present yourself in a way and communicate with people from all walks of life, different levels of education and earn their trust was a big asset for me when I traveled the district and tried to find support. That training, that background was very helpful.” He approached Congress with humility, seeking advice from senior members in both parties. One piece of counsel stood out: “One of the most prominent ones was don’t be a know it all. Pick a few subjects and learn everything there is about it. Once you start to speak about these things, people will quickly see that you know what you’re talking about and then they’ll respect you. But if you go down there and spout off on every issue, people see through that pretty quickly.” He developed expertise in health care, foreign policy, energy policy, and international trade, areas that later informed his graduate studies in European history and international affairs. Returning to the Classroom After leaving Congress and later retiring from consulting, Dr. Boustany found himself restless. A seminar course at UL Lafayette rekindled a lifelong passion for history. “The more I’m thinking about this, I really love this history stuff. I don’t want to just be a consumer of history. I don’t want to just read about it. I want to maybe I can contribute to the field.” His master's research took him to Columbia University's Rare Books and Manuscripts division, where he spent a week combing through primary source documents to complete his thesis. Receiving the Neiheisel Award was especially meaningful: “It was thrilling for me when I finished this master’s program to get the Richard Neuheisel Award, because my very first semester at USL in 1974, I took a world Civilization class with him, and I was told he’s a really hard, demanding teacher. And other students, when they asked me what I had signed up for and I told them, they said, you need to drop that class. He’s a really tough professor. You don’t want to take it with him. And I said, oh, that’s the kind of guy I want to take it with. And I did. And you know, I got an A in his class and he and I subsequently became friends. I’d go sit and talk in his office. We’d just talk about history.” Dr. Charles Boustany on UL – Lafayette campus. He was awarded the Richard G. Neiheisel Phi Beta Kappa Graduate Award, named in honor of the professor who ignited his passion for the subject more than five decades ago. The Neiheisel award is presented to a graduating master's student each fall and spring for the highest academic accomplishments in a classical arts and science degree. Dr. Boustany has now been accepted into the PhD program in history at Louisiana State University, where he plans to study modern European history beginning in 1500 — research that will require time in European archives. Health Care Philosophy — “Information, Choice and Control” When asked what still matters in health policy, Dr. Boustany reduces it to six words. “Information, choice and control.” “People want clear information about their health condition and their options… They want that to be between them and the doctor.” And equally important:“Affordability, accountability and quality.” “Quality is critically important. If you put quality first, I think the cost will come in line.” Lifelong Learning and Adaptability Dr. Boustany closes with a reflection that defines this next chapter: “I repeat a quote from Louis Pasteur, who was a famous scientist, and he was once asked, what’s the key to all this amazing stuff you’ve discovered? He said, it’s simple. Chance favors the prepared mind. You prepare your mind for whatever’s going to happen. And one of the keys in getting older and being able to deal with challenges in life is adaptability and education, and preparing your mind for what you know, to be able to pivot, to be adaptable is critically important for anybody going through life. And we also see that we will survive. Sometimes it doesn’t seem like it.” From the operating room to the halls of Congress to the archives of Columbia, and now toward a PhD, Dr. Charles Boustany's journey is a testament to resilience, intellectual curiosity, and a lifelong commitment to service. He is even considering expanding his master's thesis into a book, and perhaps, one day, a memoir. For Lafayette, it is another reminder that some of the most compelling American stories begin right here at home.

BitchStory
Ep 107 - Lady Librarians Saving Civilization

BitchStory

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 19, 2026 44:35


During the 19-teens and through the Great Depression, women and particularly black women were holding together literacy in society with their bloody fingertips and blistered feet. In this episode we discuss the Packhorse Librarians of Kentucky, and the black librarians of the Harlem Renaissance. Literacy is power, guys. And Black history is American history. And women's history is still sadly overlooked, which is why we do this podcast!Kelly's creative projects of the moment: Goddess justice arc 2026 calendar Well behaved women keychains

Disintegrator
LONGUE DURÉE II Pt. 2 (w/ Rosi Braidotti)

Disintegrator

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 18, 2026 69:30


We're joined by Rosi Braidotti, Distinguished University Professor Emerita at Utrecht University and founding director of the Centre for the Humanities, for a wide-ranging conversation on posthumanism as both a philosophical project and a political orientation.Braidotti's work has constructed one of the most sustained and consequential accounts of what comes after the collapse of Eurocentric 'humanism.' The conversation traces the long arc from her early intervention on nomadic subjectivity, a materialist corrective to postmodernism's drift into linguistic relativism, through the ethical and ontological turn that her posthumanist project represents. Where poststructuralism gave us the critique of the subject as origin, nomadism gave us a subject that is grounded, embodied, multiple, and in motion.Central to the episode is the missing link in the American reception of French theory: the radical materialist tradition of Deleuze and Guattari, which diagnosed capitalism's schizophrenic logic (its ability to deterritorialize and adapt faster than any opposition) long before it became common sense. Braidotti traces the suppression of that critique through the French Communist Party's blacklists, the invention of "French theory" as an exportable product stripped of its political economy, and the consequences for a left that lost the ability to think technogenesis, cognitive capitalism, or the mutation of subjectivity under media saturation.The conversation then turns to fascism as concept rather than historical event: the philosophical move that Deleuze and Guattari made and that Foucault named in his preface to Anti-Oedipus. This allows Braidotti to connect micro-fascism (the cult of negativity, the eroticization of power-as-humiliation, the viral spread of impotence) to the coherent neo-fascist philosophical tradition running from Alain de Benoit through the Heritage Foundation and Budapest to Peter Thiel's Yale dissertation on sacrifice. While the left blocked its own analytical capacities, the right was doing serious philosophical work.Against all of this, Bradiotti proposes affirmative ethics: a Spinozist praxis of activating what a body can do. The episode ends thinking through scale, how affirmative ethics operates from the city to the planetary, and the urgency of the European federalist project as the only existing institutional attempt to participate in decisions about what we could possibly become.Some references:Rosi BraidottiPatterns of Dissonance, Polity Press, 1991Nomadic Subjects: Embodiment and Sexual Difference in Contemporary Feminist Theory, Columbia University Press, 1994Metamorphoses: Towards a Materialist Theory of Becoming, Polity Press, 2002Transpositions: On Nomadic Ethics, Polity Press, 2006The Posthuman, Polity Press, 2013Gilles Deleuze & Félix GuattariAnti-Oedipus: Capitalism and Schizophrenia, 1972 (English trans. 1977, preface by Michel Foucault)A Thousand Plateaus: Capitalism and Schizophrenia, 1980Félix GuattariThe Three Ecologies, 1989 (English trans. 1991)Michel FoucaultPreface to the American edition of Anti-Oedipus, 1977SpinozaEthicsTheological-Political TreatiseAntonio NegriThe Savage Anomaly: The Power of Spinoza's Metaphysics and Politics, 1981Genevieve LloydPart of Nature: Self-Knowledge in Spinoza's Ethics, University of Minnesota Press, 1994Spinoza and the Ethics, Routledge, 1996Antonio DamasioDescartes' Error: Emotion, Reason, and the Human Brain, 1994Looking for Spinoza: Joy, Sorrow, and the Feeling Brain, 2003Simone de BeauvoirThe Second Sex, 1949Frantz Fanon — mentioned in relation to decolonial thought and the anti-fascist generation Herbert MarcuseOne-Dimensional Man, 1964Eros and Civilization, 1955Rosa Luxemburg — cited as an ecological thinker; the dialogue with Lenin in Zurich narrated by Isaiah Berlin Isaiah Berlin — on Spinoza and radical enlightenment; on Rosa LuxemburgAltiero SpinelliThe Ventotene Manifesto, 1941 — founding document of the European federalist projectDonna Haraway"A Cyborg Manifesto," 1985VNS Matrix"A Cyberfeminist Manifesto for the 21st Century," 1991Alain de Benoist — neo-fascist philosopher, intellectual architect of the European New Right; cited as formative influence on Steve Bannon and the Heritage Foundation / Budapest / Rome foundation networksJulius Evola — philosopher of Italian fascism; cited alongside de Benoist as daily reference for BannonPeter Thiel — PhD dissertation on René Girard and the concept of sacrifice, Stanford / Yale; position papers on technological selection and extinction

Conversations That Matter
Marco Rubio and Rupert Lowe: Restoring Civilization

Conversations That Matter

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 17, 2026 10:42


Marco Rubio's speech in Munich and Rupert Lowe's "Restore Britain" advertisement are encouraging reminders that there are still statesmen who get it. They understand national identity, the importance of Christianity, and the need for decisive action now to restore civilization. Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/conversations-that-matter8971/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Auf ein Bier von Gamespodcast.de
Runde #569: Die Atombombe – Popstar unter den Massenvernichtungswaffen

Auf ein Bier von Gamespodcast.de

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 14, 2026 101:23


Atombomben. Eigentlich nicht so geil. Außer, man jagt gerade in „Fallout 3“ die Siedlung Megaton in die Luft, nuked sich durch das Endgame von „Civilization“ oder kriecht im „Modern Warfare“ aus dem Hubschrauber. Einst das Schreckgespenst des Kalten Krieges, gehören Nuklearwaffen inzwischen zur Ikonografie der Popkultur. In Spielen sind sie gleichermaßen Belohnung am Ende eines Tech-Trees oder Zerstörungsinstrument böser Gruppen, die wir dringend aufhalten sollten. In diesem Podcast sprechen wir daher über die Darstellung von und den Umgang mit Atomwaffen in Spielen und fragen uns, ob die allzu sorglose Integration von Atompilzen vielleicht schon bald nicht mehr so flockig über die Bühne geht. Timecodes: 00:00:00 - Einleitung 00:22:26 - Zwischen technischer Faszination und Grusel 00:41:06 - Atombombe als Spielmechanik 01:15:49 - Popkulturelle Verarbeitung In dieser Folge zu hören: Dom Schott, Jochen Redinger, Andre Peschke Ab mit euch und Abo aboschließen! https://www.gamespodcast.de/abo

Ba'al Busters Broadcast
Edda Reborn Ep 01 Intro History of Civilization

Ba'al Busters Broadcast

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 14, 2026 267:10


   If there was anyone I could talk to from history, apart from family members, it would be Laurence Austine Waddell. This is the true history not of civilization, but of our ancestors, and the roots of the stories bastardized by bards and biblical writers. The bible has terrestrial origins in real people who lived and breathed. Our history was stolen and mythologized into obscurity.Many thanks for the channel campaign help. We're still a ways away from the goal. See the links below to help get the stuff we need. Thank You!Use Code BB5 here: https://SemperFryLLC.comClick Picture on the Right for the AZURE WELL products and use code BB5 for your discount.Find clickable portals to Dr Monzo and Dr Glidden on Dan's site, and it's the home of the best hot sauce, his book, and Clean Source Creatine-HCL.Join Dr. Glidden's Membership site here:https://leavebigpharmabehind.com/?via=pgndhealth⁠Code: baalbusters for 25% OFFMake Dr. Glidden Your DoctorPods & Exclusives AD-FREE!https://patreon.com/c/KristosCasthttps://buymeacoffee.com/BaalBustershttps://paypal.me/BaalBustershttps://GiveSendGo.com/BaalBustersTwitter Account: https://x.com/KristosCasthttps://open.spotify.com/show/0vtEmTteIzD2nB5bdQ8qDRWant Dan's book or his Award winning hot sauces and spicy honey?Go here: https://SemperFryLLC.comBooks and Documentaries You Should Own: https://www.bannedbyamazon.com/Use Code: BBDan for 10% OffFind clickable portals to Dr Monzo and Dr Glidden on Dan's site.Subscribe to the NEW dedicated channel for Dr Glidden's Health Solutions Show https://rumble.com/c/DrGliddenHealthShowBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/ba-al-busters-broadcast--5100262/support.

Ba'al Busters Broadcast
Edda Reborn Ep 4 Baldr is LOKI is Abel is Lucifer is Baal

Ba'al Busters Broadcast

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 14, 2026 210:10


  Is there references to modern day or higher technology recorded in the writings of this 5,000 year old battle between the Noble Goths and the Saturnal Serpent-Wolf Cult?  This event in history was etched in stone, written of, and retold from Cappadocia & Carchemish to Sumer, Persia, India as recorded in the Vedas, Egypt, and the ancient Britons.  The evidence is undeniable, and stands as the most important incident in mankind's history.  This was the battle for the establishment of Civilization, a Reign of Reason and brotherly love against a wickedly EVIL cult of human sacrificers who opposed the elevation of mankind.  They were having too much fun dominating and terrorizing the people of the Earth, and despised our ancestors for their liberation and protection of the people of the early world.  This hatred for all that is good has remained the defining characteristic of these descendants of the Serpent cult to this very day.  This Saturn cult established the 3 Abrahamic religions as masks of morality to lure in the unsupecting and control them through their belief systems. But really, the followers are unwittingly paying tribute and devotion to the demonic forces and most wickedly evil people ever to disgrace the realm.      We pick up at Scene XVIII: Loki/Baldr/Typhon/Abel/Baal/Lucifer is cast out of "Heaven" banquet hall of Thor by Miok/Cain/Kon aka Archangel Michael, Thor's powerful son. The roots of every story retold in the Old Testament/Tanakh are rooted in a Gothic Arya conquest from 3,000 years prior to the Moon Cult's inverted retelling. The cult of human sacrifice and pharmakeia or poisoning and witchcraft are telling the biblical stories from their perspective. We were misled, but we are breaking the spell.Become a mid tier member:https://patreon.com/c/KristosCastYou can get our AWESOME Hot Sauces here: https://SemperFryLLC.comand right now you can use code: Foodstar for 6% Off.Many thanks for the channel campaign help. We're still a ways away from the goal. See the links below to help get the stuff we need. Thank You!Use Code BB5 here: https://SemperFryLLC.comClick Picture on the Right for the AZURE WELL products and use code BB5 for your discount.Find clickable portals to Dr Monzo and Dr Glidden on Dan's site.Join Dr. Glidden's Membership site here:https://leavebigpharmabehind.com/?via=pgndhealth⁠Code: baalbusters for 25% OFFMake Dr. Glidden Your DoctorPods & Exclusives AD-FREE!https://patreon.com/c/KristosCasthttps://buymeacoffee.com/BaalBustershttps://paypal.me/BaalBustershttps://GiveSendGo.com/BaalBustersTwitter Account: https://x.com/KristosCasthttps://open.spotify.com/show/0vtEmTteIzD2nB5bdQ8qDRBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/ba-al-busters-broadcast--5100262/support.

Space Nuts
Cosmic Dust in a Jar, Volcanic Eruptions on Io & Following the Coal to Find Extraterrestrial Life

Space Nuts

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 13, 2026 31:32 Transcription Available


Sponsor Link:www.incogni.com/spacenuts Cosmic Dust in a Jar, Volcanic Eruptions on Io, and the Quest for Intelligent LifeIn this exciting episode of Space Nuts, hosts Andrew Dunkley and Professor Fred Watson delve into a series of captivating cosmic stories that will spark your imagination. From the groundbreaking creation of cosmic dust in a lab to the simultaneous volcanic eruptions on Jupiter's moon Io, this episode is a treasure trove of astronomical insights.Episode Highlights:- Cosmic Dust in a Jar: A Sydney PhD student has synthesized cosmic dust in a laboratory setting. Andrew and Fred discuss the implications of this breakthrough for our understanding of how complex organic molecules form in space, and whether this could reduce the need for future space missions to gather samples from asteroids.- Simultaneous Volcanic Eruptions on Io: The hosts explore the extraordinary event of five volcanoes erupting at once on Io, revealing insights into the moon's geological activity. They discuss the gravitational forces at play and how this discovery challenges previous theories about Io's solid interior.- Follow the Coal to Find Intelligent Life: A new theory suggests that the presence of coal may be a key factor in the development of intelligent civilizations. Andrew and Fred unpack the idea that access to natural resources could influence technological advancement, raising questions about the rarity of intelligent life in the universe.For more Space Nuts, including our continuously updating newsfeed and to listen to all our episodes, visit our website. Follow us on social media at SpaceNutsPod on Facebook, Instagram, and more. We love engaging with our community, so be sure to drop us a message or comment on your favorite platform.If you'd like to help support Space Nuts and join our growing family of insiders for commercial-free episodes and more, visit spacenutspodcast.com/about.Stay curious, keep looking up, and join us next time for more stellar insights and cosmic wonders. Until then, clear skies and happy stargazing.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/space-nuts-astronomy-insights-cosmic-discoveries--2631155/support.

Pod Casty For Me
Soderbergh Ep. 25: Side Effects (2013) with Jane Altoids

Pod Casty For Me

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 13, 2026 126:54


Listen to this episode twice and call us in the morning! That's just a joke and is not medical advice. But we ARE talking about Soderbergh's 2013 pharmaceutical thriller SIDE EFFECTS today, with our friend poet/podcaster/famous celebrity Jane Altoids! Topics may include: Hitchcock, the history of madness, women being called crazy, big pharma, our own experiences with mental illness, Blake Lively, Soderbergh's then-impending retirement, the asylum and the prison, the mad rights movement, CONTAGION, and more. Give it a listen! Further Reading: Health Communism by Artie Vierkant and Beatrice Adler-Bolton Quick Fixes by Benjamin Y. Fong Madness and Civilization by Michel Foucault Soderbergh interview by Nigel M. Smith for Indiewire "Trojan Horses and Immaculate Math: An Interview with Steven Soderbergh" by Ignatiy Vishnevetsky "How New York's mentally ill get lost in courts, jails and hospitals" by Ben Hattem Further Viewing: DOUBLE INDEMNITY (Wilder, 1944) GASLIGHT (Cukor, 1944) SPELLBOUND (Hitchcock, 1945) LES DIABOLIQUES (Clouzot, 1955)   Follow Jane Altoids: https://x.com/staticbluebat Follow Pod Casty For Me: https://www.podcastyforme.com/ https://twitter.com/podcastyforme https://www.instagram.com/podcastyforme/ https://www.youtube.com/@podcastyforme Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/PodCastyForMe Artwork by Jeremy Allison: https://www.instagram.com/jeremyallisonart  

The P.A.S. Report Podcast
Election Integrity: The Founder Who Warned Us All

The P.A.S. Report Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 12, 2026 16:14


Election integrity is the "kill switch" of a Republic. If the process is compromised, the system fails. In this America's Founding Series episode, we look at the forgotten story of William Richardson Davie and why his 1787 warnings about foreign influence and factional corruption are the exact reasons we need the SAVE Act today. Explore how Davie's experiences as a Revolutionary War cavalry officer shaped his defense of election security, clean voter rolls, and the constitutional authority behind the Elections Clause. His warnings about factional corruption, foreign influence, and manipulated election rules echo today's debates over voter ID, citizenship verification, and the SAVE Act. What You'll Learn Why the Founders feared corrupted elections more than foreign armies How William Davie explained the Elections Clause as a safeguard against factional abuse Why clean voter rolls and citizenship verification protect public trust How voter ID fits into the Founders' vision of election integrity Why modern debates over the SAVE Act reflect unresolved Founding era concerns This episode connects America's founding warnings to today's election integrity debates and explains why a constitutional republic cannot endure without a secure and trusted electoral process.

Focus on the Family Commentary
Make Our Civilization Great Again

Focus on the Family Commentary

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 12, 2026 1:30


Is America in trouble? Jim Daly says why it’s easier than we think for a powerful civilization like ours to disappear from history and explains what you and I can do today to prevent it. Support Family Ministry If you enjoyed listening to Focus on the Family Commentary, please give us your feedback.

The Nations of Canada
Episode 288: The Suicide of Civilization

The Nations of Canada

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 11, 2026 41:41 Transcription Available


Summer 1914.  Canadians prepare for a war far from their shores, that will nevertheless change their lives forever. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-nations-of-canada--4572969/support.

Ron and Nick's Best Friend Podcast
280. Social Media and the End of Civilization as We Know It.

Ron and Nick's Best Friend Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 9, 2026 52:15


Ron and Nick talk about a listener's experience with hearing the Spirit and answer a listener's question about anger and social media.Daily 7A The Movement Launch Meeting ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Launch Code⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠5 minutes to light the fuseHear from GodRemember who we areReceive blessingGo change the world

Science & Futurism with Isaac Arthur
Wormhole Stableways – Constructing and Navigating Artificial Shortcuts Through Space (Narration Only)

Science & Futurism with Isaac Arthur

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 8, 2026 35:48


Could we build wormholes and travel the galaxy? Exploring stable wormholes, spacetime shortcuts, and the future of interstellar civilization.Get Nebula using my link for 50% off an annual subscription: https://go.nebula.tv/isaacarthurWatch my exclusive video The Future of Interstellar Communication: https://nebula.tv/videos/isaacarthur-chronoengineering-manipulating-time-as-technologyCheck out Joe Scott's Oldest & Newest: https://nebula.tv/videos/joescott-oldest-and-newest-places-on-earth?ref=isaacarthur

Science & Futurism with Isaac Arthur
Wormhole Stableways – Constructing and Navigating Artificial Shortcuts Through Space

Science & Futurism with Isaac Arthur

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 8, 2026 36:09


Could we build wormholes and travel the galaxy? Exploring stable wormholes, spacetime shortcuts, and the future of interstellar civilization.Get Nebula using my link for 50% off an annual subscription: https://go.nebula.tv/isaacarthurWatch my exclusive video The Future of Interstellar Communication: https://nebula.tv/videos/isaacarthur-chronoengineering-manipulating-time-as-technologyCheck out Joe Scott's Oldest & Newest: https://nebula.tv/videos/joescott-oldest-and-newest-places-on-earth?ref=isaacarthur

The Josh Hammer Show
Islam's War Against Civilization Isn't Over

The Josh Hammer Show

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 6, 2026 42:03 Transcription Available


On today’s show, Josh opens with breaking news following the attorney general’s announcement that the alleged mastermind behind the Benghazi attack has been arrested. He explains why this development serves as a reminder that the fight against radical Islam is far from over—and what it says about the true purpose behind America’s military strength. Josh is then joined by bestselling investigative journalist Peter Schweizer to discuss the growing threats from global mass migration, as outlined in his new book The Invisible Coup. Together, they break down the geopolitical challenges confronting America and what they mean for the country’s future. Later in the show, Josh reflects on how tragedies—like the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie—often bring Americans together in hopes of a positive outcome, highlighting the moments that still unite the nation. To close, Josh previews the Super Bowl, weighs in on the controversy surrounding the halftime show, and explains why he’ll be tuning in to the alternative programming being put on by TPUSA.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ruth Institute Podcast
The Long Term Impact of the Sexual Revolution with Jennifer Morse

Ruth Institute Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 5, 2026 37:12


Dr. Jennifer Morse goes on the Think Biblically Podcast:   "What are the main tenets of the sexual revolution and who are some of the main victims? How do the debates over gender connect to the overall sexual revolution? Who are some of the main victims of the sexual revolution? What is the view of the body in gender ideology and how is that different from a Christian view of the body? We'll answer these questions and more with our guest, Dr. Jennifer Morse, founder and president of the Ruth Institute. Dr. Morse is the President and founder of The Ruth Institute, an interfaith international coalition to defend the family and build a Civilization of Love. Dr. Morse was a campaign spokeswoman for California's winning Proposition 8 campaign, defining marriage as the union of a man and a woman. She has authored or co-authored six books and spoken around the globe. Her work has been translated into Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Polish and Chuukese, the native language of the Micronesian Islands."

The Salty Pastor
How to KILL christian civilization for good...

The Salty Pastor

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 5, 2026 29:19


If someone wanted to permanently destroy Christian civilization, how would they do it? In this episode, Pastor Doug flips the question on its head to expose the beliefs, behaviors, and quiet compromises that slowly hollow out faith from the inside. This conversation challenges listeners to think clearly about truth, discipleship, and the everyday choices that either preserve or erode a Christ-centered way of life.Support the mission of the Salty Pastor podcast! Visit our donations page at https://pushpay.com/g/thesaltypastor to help us continue sharing truth with a world in need.Discussion Questions:What attitudes or practices most subtly undermine Christian faith over time?How does neglecting personal discipleship affect families, churches, and communities?What intentional habits can help believers strengthen faith and preserve Christian witness in daily life?

The Salty Pastor
How to kill christian civilization.

The Salty Pastor

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 3, 2026 32:30


What actually destroys a Christian civilization—and how does it happen from the inside out? In this episode, Pastor Doug explores the subtle beliefs, habits, and compromises that quietly erode faith, truth, and moral clarity over time. Rather than pointing fingers outward, this conversation challenges Christians to examine how neglecting truth, responsibility, and discipleship can weaken the very foundations meant to sustain a God-honoring society.Support the mission of the Salty Pastor podcast! Visit our donations page at https://pushpay.com/g/thesaltypastor to help us continue sharing truth with a world in need.Discussion Questions:What cultural or spiritual compromises most threaten Christian faithfulness today?How does personal discipleship—or the lack of it—affect the health of a wider Christian community?What practical steps can believers take to strengthen faith, truth, and responsibility in everyday life?

The Average Episcopalian
Ep. 40 - BCP Prayers for The Collapse of Civilization

The Average Episcopalian

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 2, 2026 59:32


Sometimes we all need a reminder to choose prayer over despair. In today's episode, we're doing another review of 4 of our favorite prayers from the Book of Common Prayer. These prayers challenge us to be meek (watch out brats, it's Meek Summer 2026) and they remind us that even though it can feel like evil is winning, God sustains. Can't get enough of the Average Episcopalian? Visit our webiste & shop for merch: theaverageepiscopalian.com Follow us on Instagram: @average.episcopalian Sign up for our monthly Substack newsletter: averageepiscopalian.substack.com More questions? Send us an email: average.episcopalian@gmail.com

ADAPT 2030 | Mini Ice Age Conversations
(The Civilization Cycle Podcast #604) The System Is Breaking Faster Than You Think

ADAPT 2030 | Mini Ice Age Conversations

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 31, 2026 28:32


Something fundamental is breaking, not just the weather, not just the economy, but the belief system that held modern life together. We will be surprised looking back how quickly stability disappeared when systems we depended on began to fail.  ☕ Buy a Double Espresso to Support Civilization Cycle Podcast ✨

ADAPT 2030 | Mini Ice Age Conversations
(The Civilization Cycle Podcast #603) The world Will Not Be as You Envision

ADAPT 2030 | Mini Ice Age Conversations

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 30, 2026 51:06


Earth's magnetic field weakening and Sun is becoming volatile seem to mirror patterns we have been warned about for millennia. At the same time, banks, credit agencies, governments and tech platforms are losing control of the systems that define ownership, identity and trust.  ☕ Buy a Double Espresso to Support Civilization Cycle Podcast ✨