Podcast appearances and mentions of Greg M Epstein

Greg M. Epstein reads from E.B. White's essay, Once More to the Lake, and Madeline Ostrander's essay on the ethics of bringing children into a world facing climate uncertainty, reflecting on how nostalgia and future anxieties shape our understanding of legacy and purpose. He explores how our connections to the past and future influence not only how we experience the present but also how we find resilience in facing today's challenges. Today's guest is Greg M. Epstein, the Humanist Chaplain at Harvard and MIT and author of Good Without God. For two decades, Greg has built a community of secular and non-religious students and thinkers. He discusses how humanism, self-reflection, and embracing vulnerability can lead to meaning and connection, even in the face of existential challenges. Greg's reflections offer insight into staying grounded and finding purpose amid overwhelming change. Get book links and resources at 2pageswithmbs.com and subscribe to the 2 Pages newsletter at 2pageswithmbs.substack.com. Greg reads from two essays: first, E.B. White's Once More to the Lake, and then Madeline Ostrander's How Do You Decide to Have a Baby When Climate Change Is Remaking Life on Earth? contemplating memory and time. [Reading begins at 14:27] Hear us discuss: “What if I could have, with the opportunities that were available to me, lived more deeply, appreciated more fully, connected more passionately, and done more to help others?” [04:27] | "I learned to feel regret at a young age... I regretted being who I was because I felt that it was incredibly important to be somebody else." [10:29] | "If we didn't grieve, if we didn't take time to feel deep sadness when we lose someone... then we wouldn't be paying them proper respect and in the sense we wouldn't be paying proper respect to the energy and time that we've invested in them. | “The pursuit of perfection is the biggest force taking us away from our ability to experience beauty and meaning.” [43:28]

EARTH PATH by Starhawk COMPLEXITY by Mitchell Waldrop RED MARS by Kim Stanley Robinson  CHAOS by James Gleick UNSCHOOLED by Kerry McDonald THE PAGAN BOOK OF LIVING AND DYING by Starhawk and M. Macha Nightmare ALWAYS COMING HOME by Ursula K. LeGuin DIGITAL MINIMALISM by Cal Newport GOOD WITHOUT GOD by Greg M. Epstein

This episode is an edited version of a live event held at WBUR's Cityspace on May 15, 2023. A full-length video of the event is available here. For decades, studies from around the globe showed that happiness followed a U-shaped curve across the lifespan. For many people, the teens and twenties were some of the happiest and most carefree times of life — a period to be enjoyed before happiness began to drop and hit its low point around 50. BUT, over the past 10 years, a seismic change has taken place. The front end of the happiness curve collapsed, meaning that teens and twenties are now the most unhappy time of life. From the increasing use of social media, to being isolated from friends during the pandemic, to the academic pressures of applying to college, to growing up in a world that feels threatened from climate change, gun violence, and political strife, the reasons for this crisis in mental health are many. The solutions, however, have been few. But there's a growing sense (and data) that when it comes to finding a way through challenging times, looking back at ancient wisdom for strategies on how to thrive — how to find joy, peace, empathy, and meaning — can help. Join Dave and a panel of experts and voices from Gen Z to explore the science behind when and how secular and spiritual practices might help young adults (and really any of us) deal with the stresses and disconnection of modern life, whatever our spiritual beliefs (including none at all). Guests: Dr. Laurie Santos is the Chandrika and Ranjan Tandon Professor of Psychology at Yale University. She hosts The Happiness Lab Podcast and created the record-breaking courses “The Science of Wellbeing” (the most popular course at Yale) and “The Science of Wellbeing for Teens.” Greg M. Epstein serves as the Humanist Chaplain at Harvard University and at MIT — a role in which he supports the ethical and communal lives of nonreligious students. He's also the author of the New York Times bestseller Good Without God, and recently served as president of Harvard University's 40+ chaplains. Tyler VanderWeele is the John L. Loeb and Frances Lehman Loeb Professor of Epidemiology at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, where he directs the Human Flourishing Program. His work has been internationally recognized for illuminating the factors that underlie health and wellbeing in adolescents and adults.

Humanist Chaplain at Harvard and MIT Interview starts at 3:53 and ends at 42:11 Links Greg Epstein's  bio page at Harvard and MIT Greg's Twitter account The Humanist Chaplaincy at Harvard and MIT - Click Here to donate “My name is Greg, and I'm addicted to tech” by Greg M. Epstein at The Boston Globe - January 1, 2021 “In Memory of Tom Ferrick: America's First Atheist Chaplain Died” by Greg M. Epstein at The Huffington Post - January 22, 2014 New York Times obit of the Rev. Peter J. Gomes - March 1, 2011 Good Without God: What a Billion Nonreligious People Do Believe by Greg Epstein My interview with Bryan Hudson, founding pastor of New Covenant Church in Indianapolis, Indiana - December 25, 2020 Smart Recovery Alcoholics Anonymous Light Phone, reMarkable tablet Amazon Halo Next Week's Guests Thad McIlroy and Cliff Guren, co-authors (with Steve Sieck) of COVID-19 and Book Publishing: Impacts and Insights for 2021, available for free download here. Morning Journal flash briefing for Alexa If you'd like brief daily updates on technology, books, marriage, and puppies, you can follow along with my Morning Journal flash briefing. From your Echo device, just say, “Alexa, enable Morning Journal.” Then each morning say, “Alexa, what's up?” or “Alexa, what's my flash briefing?” I post a five-minute audio journal each day except Sunday, usually by 7:30 am Eastern Time.  The Kindle Chronicles is now available at Audible Podcasts. The only thing missing are ratings! If you have time, please consider leaving one in order to help others learn about the show.  Right-click here and then click "Save Link As..." to download the audio to your computer, phone, or MP3 player.

What is a good life in the time of COVID-19? With no definitive return to “normal” in sight, where do we find hope? What do we do with our fear, and how do we handle extended isolation? Greg M. Epstein, the Humanist Chaplain at Harvard and MIT, a New York Times bestselling author and award-winning convener of ethical communities, embarks on a journey of reckoning with these questions and more, in an attempt to reclaim and reinforce what the pandemic has stolen from so many of us this year: our humanity. Supported by a Grant from MIT's MindHandHeart, this hour-long special starts at the heart of this crisis, as Greg talks with Helen Ouyang, a New York City E.R. doctor whose April New York Times Magazine cover story documented her struggle to maintain her own humanity while healing others. Jessi Gold, a leading campus psychiatrist, helps us manage the anxiety and depression levels we're all neck deep in right now. And Lama Rod Owens, an inspiring Black, Queer Tantric Buddhist Lama, helps us manage our lingering, heartbroken rage (about ... *gestures broadly at everything*), even as he tends his own.

A prominent leader in the national movement to build positive, inclusive, and inspiring humanist communities, Greg M. Epstein has served the country’s rapidly growing population of non-religious people for nearly two decades. Described as a “godfather to the [humanist] movement” by The New York Times Magazine in recognition of his efforts, Epstein was also named […]

As religious communities deal with bans on mass gatherings, legal disputes are popping up across the country. What's happening now, and what could we see more of when the country begins lifting restrictions? This week, Amanda Tyler and Holly Hollman examine the key issues in these lawsuits (starting at 12:45) and talk about how courts are ruling in the various cases, including drive-in church services (19:42). Plus, they share how they're learning about other religious traditions as people of faith continue to respond to the coronavirus pandemic. Segment 1: A patchwork of orders and how the vast majority of churches are responding (starting at 00:40) Amanda mentioned this research from PRRI that shows most Americans stayed home for Easter and oppose religious exemptions to “stay-at-home” orders. Amanda also mentioned this story in The Washington Post: Cellphone data shows coronavirus kept churchgoers at home in every state on Easter. Amanda shared two tragic examples of the coronavirus impacting religious communities: The church choir in Washington state that saw members fall ill with the coronavirus after a rehearsal in March. The death of Bishop Gerald Glenn, the pastor of New Deliverance Evangelistic Church in Richmond. Amanda and Holly talked in general about cases and the three religious liberty principles to keep in mind on episode 8 of this podcast series. They also discussed “stay-at-home” orders on episode 6.   Segment 2: Lawsuits across the country, including drive-in churches (Starting at 17:25) Holly mentioned DriveInMovie.com, a website with news and information about drive-in movie theaters. Read the Department of Justice's Statement of Interest in the Mississippi case about a church holding a service in a parking lot at this link. For a look at some of the various cases being litigated, read this post on the “Latest News” section of our website.     Segment 3: Where did we see religion respected in our world? (starting at 41:37) Holly talked about the American Humanist Association's “Ask an Atheist” day, which included a Facebook Live from Greg M. Epstein, Harvard University's humanist chaplain. You can watch it here. Amanda mentioned this story by Aysha Khan for Religion News Service: Gift drive for the children of Muslim inmates seeks to serve the “hidden ummah.”

In this episode, Bo Bennett speaks with Greg Epstein, Humanist Chaplain at Harvard University and Executive Director of the Humanist Hub, about his recent article in Salon, "Ta-Nehisi Coates woke me up: Lessons on race, atheism, and white privilege". From HumanistHub.org: Greg M. Epstein serves as the Humanist Chaplain at Harvard University, and is author of the New York Times Bestselling book, Good Without God: What a Billion Nonreligious People Do Believe. He sits on the executive committee of the 36-member corps Harvard Chaplains. In 2005 he received ordination as a Humanist Rabbi from the International Institute for Secular Humanistic Judaism, where he studied in Jerusalem and Michigan for five years.

Freethought Radio will talk with Harvard's Humanist Chaplain, Greg M. Epstein, author of the new book, Good Without God: What a Billion Non-Religious People Do Believe.