Beauty & Mr. B

I speak often, openly, about the qualities and powers of the spirit, together with my musings on history, philosophy, sociology, anthropology, and everything else. Never, however, before this episode have I shared with listeners how I, myself, experience the spirit. In this episode I share how, early in the morning, often I feel the chill of a dawn breeze and, with it, a spirit that awakens and regenerates my soul. How do I underst...

In this episode I present listeners with a brief overview of how, together, we might begin to rethink the whole idea of education. The established "education" system ... is dead, period! Therefore, it's time for us -- that's right, you and me -- to develop the capabilities that will be required to create a new system, one that, gradually over time, will empower and inspire future generations of students to take ...

This is it, listeners, the culmination of my series of diary entries that examine the phenomenon of modern anger. It's, I think, what we've all been waiting for, the truth we need to overcome the chronic underlying anger that holds us back -- in order that we can begin to engage in the process of advancing toward the vision of what we as individuals and society can become ... individuals who are active agents in the progr...

Well, so far in this exploration of modern anger, Mr. B has considered various ways that anger is often expressed in society today, the true emotion at the root of modern anger (you might be surprised!), and, most recently, what exactly serves to trigger our feelings of anger. Now, the time has come for Mr. B to explore why exactly,  we react to anger the way we do: Why do we tend to run and hide from feelings of anger? Hmm... Here...

In this diary entry, Mr. B continues to explore the phenomenon of twenty-first century anger: What triggers anger?!? He's already taken a look at some ways that anger is expressed in society today. He's already denied, then admitted, his own anger. Mr. B has even explored the truth about anger, of what emotion truly lies at the deepest root of this modern phenomenon of anger. (If you haven't already listened to that ...

Well, Mr. B's come  clean: He's finally admitted that, no matter how hard he's tried to deny it... He's still angry!! In this episode, Mr. B does his best to understand that anger is, really, the outward expression of something internal, buried deep within the heart, the essential core of who we truly are -- LOVE. Please join Mr. B as he continues with Part II of his three-part diary exploration of how we, in th...

Mr. B is about to walk through a door that's "supposed" to remain closed, to enter a space censored out of "correct" public discourse, a place to be avoided and denied ... the bitterness and anger, even contempt, that exists within our inmost selves during these troubled times. In this episode, Mr. B brings this 21st century anger to the surface where an open, direct, and honest discussion of this paralyzin...

What does modern spirituality look like? In this, the third diary entry of his second season, Mr. B moves beyond modern society's censorship of open, public discussion of spiritual questions to consider what it actually  means, today, to walk along a truly spiritual path. This question is important -- as within it lies the potential to unlock not only our own potentials as individuals and but also the capacities of the whole o...

Let's face it, the reality that so many in the world today live within the midst of tremendous suffering, both material and spiritual. Can we help those who suffer, or ourselves? How? Simone Weil has left us with some wise counsel, advice which Mr. B shares in this, his second diary entry of his new podcast season. Please, take the time to listen... In these times, honestly, what can be more important than learning how to brin...

This is the last installment of the final episode of "Season One." It builds on the others, and is intended to bring our discussion of the question, "what is beauty?," full circle... from what constitutes beauty to how the statement, "I know in my heart," qualifies, in fact, as a truth that is beautiful. This segment begins with a story -- with Mr. B's story, in fact -- of how his life has gradual...

In this segment Mr. B moves past an examination of the quality of "beauty" and begins to consider the truth of the translogical statement, "I know in my heart." This is a truth that exists beyond the ability of the human mind to fully comprehend, a truth so large that it can only be held within the vast expanse of the human heart. Join Mr. B as, here, he starts to unfold the process of reconnecting with the hear...

It's time, finally, to dig into the meaning and importance of beauty in our lives! In this episode, the first of three parts, Mr. B explores in some depth the quality of beauty. What makes something, anything, a thing of beauty? Why does beauty exist? What purpose does beauty serve, in our own lives and in the life of society? All this leads to a discussion, which starts in this episode, of what beauty, exactly, attracts Mr. B...

I know that Mr. B has lately been encouraging listeners to really dig in and engage actively in the living out of personal growth, so it only seems right that now Mr. B would take some risks himself ... like embracing the mysteries of the most beautiful of the literary arts, poetry! Here, Mr. B shares five of the poems that have mystified and challenged him, provides just enough commentary (he hopes) to inspire us to embrace our in...

This episode continues with what it means to truly grow as a person and become an active agent, a protagonist, in the progress of society. Mr. B starts this episode with a discussion of what is required for an individual to begin "living" growth and then he provides listeners with two examples. One example, in story-form from the 19th century Danish philosopher Soren Kierkegaard, describes a modern age, ours, that has bec...

This episode explores the meaning of "growth," especially personal growth. In this, Part One, Mr. B outlines the modern idea of growth, and he does his best to recover what "to grow" was originally meant to convey. You might be surprised! In Part Two, next week's episode, Mr. B will consider how someone might begin to move beyond understanding and actively participate more effectively in the process of livi...

We've been brought up with the idea that each correct answer we accumulate constitutes another bit of knowledge we possess. In this episode, Mr. B openly questions the equation of knowledge with the possession of correct answers. Instead of a paradigm that bases knowledge upon the answer, Mr. B proposes that a more complete paradigm of knowledge must be centered on the asking of questions. It is only when we move beyond the on...