Emotional Numbness and Navigating Criticism

Join Stuart 'The Wildman' Mabbutt and William Mankelow, the down-to-earth co-hosts of The People’s Countryside Environmental Debate Podcast, as they dive into uncharted waters with no preparation, no scripts, just honest, genuine and relatable discussions.

In this episode, they tackle thought-provoking questions from Paco in Wimbledon, England, and Fanaka from Kenya.

First up is the question from Paco which is as follows:

“What does nothing feel like?”

From Paco’s question, Stuart reflects on the concept of emotional numbness, exploring the idea of experiencing a lack of feelings when confronted with some things.

William challenges the notion, asserting that as humans, feeling nothing, is impossible.

The conversation takes an introspective turn as they explore meditation, and the philosophical question of whether true nothingness, can ever be achieved.

The second listener question of this episode is from Fanaka, and her question is:

“As co-hosts you speak openly, but that opens you up to criticism in return. How do you deal with that?”

Inspired by Fanaka’s question, William and Stuart share their experiences of criticism, acknowledging that it's a rare occurrence, but a valuable one when it happens.

Stuart, known for his candid expressions, and not shying away from taboo subjects, discusses how there's a feeling of frustration within him, with certain topics rarely openly being discussed, which is sometimes relieved by discussing some of the questions sent in by listeners. He also goes onto talk about how he welcomes criticism as a tool for growth.

During this discussion the co-hosts speak about when they revisited a past controversial episode, with a ‘critics' points in mind during that particular second discussion, demonstrating their commitment to evolving themselves and engaging in meaningful discussions.

What do you make of this discussion? Do you have a question that you'd like us to discuss? Let us know by sending an email to ⁠[e-mail]

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This podcast's overall themes are nature, philosophy, climate, the human condition, sustainability, and social justice. 

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