EXPLORACAST

What happens when a fundamentally good concept gets subverted and pushed well past the borders within which it best functions? What happens when this new conceptbecomes an actual threat to the original one? Welcome to our discussion on patriotism pushed too far into becoming jingoism. What is that, you might ask? Listen in as the Exploracast team begins to unpack this growing anddangerous trend. 

In our second "ism" discussion, the Exploracast team takes on the concept of hedonism. The debate got energized as we struggled to make space for seeking pleasure as a reasonable human pursuit but standing strong against those whose pleasure pursuits come at a great expense to others and themoral fiber of society.

Stealing from the famous Ruth Bader Ginsberg quote, we consider another way of discriminating against one another. This time it's about ageism and how easily we can slip into making negative and even pejorative assumptions about others based on how old or how young they are. We even talk about how easily we can also use the same negative thought processes against ourselves.

We can all remember important lessons that we learned when we were younger. There are also those things we reflect on that we wish we had learned sooner but for our stubbornness or youthful pride. Then there are those lessons we learnedconceptually but have a history of struggling to live up to. The team explores these ideas in their own lives and with those they are close to..

Everybody is talking about AI and many of these conversations are laced with fear and uncertainty. For today's podcast, the Exploracast team is joined by Dr. Mike McCullough as they begin talking through not only the fears but also some of the enormous positive possibilities that AI may bring. Where do you stand on AI? 

The Camino de Santigo, also known as The Way of St. James, dates back to the 10th century and has been long considered one of the most important pilgrimages in Christendom.Exploracast is pleased to welcome our guest, Scott Wojahn, who completed one of the routes earlier this year. Listen to histhoughtful reflection on what was found on this pilgrimage and in many ways, what he continues to discover these months later.

Oxford Languages defines lamentation as "The passionate expression of grief or sorrow, weeping". In this episode, we have a passionate (maybe even a bit heated!) discussion about how to fully express "grief or sorrow" without falling prey to the urge to throw in the towel and give up trying to change what's bothering us if it is, in fact, changeable.

It's easy to get overwhelmed at how things are in the world right now. That makes it understandable and, in some ways, reasonable to feel like checking out and avoiding all the mess. We get it. In this episode, the Exploracast teamsteps back for a moment to offer a more general but also personal view to how we, as caring citizens like you, experience this difficult time. 

There are many old narratives on what it means to be a "real man". We all know the long lists of what real men do and don't do, express and can't express. feel and shouldn't feel. The question is whether this so-called "toxic masculinity" is ultimately healthy and good for the person who approaches life this way or the people with whom they are closelyassociated. 

I believe that the only way things don't ultimately get better in a difficult time like this is when people lose hope and disengage in working to make the world a better place. So, in today's podcast we discuss the powerful value of hope and the kind of hope that strengthens us and motivates positive change.

Who do you trust to tell you the truth outside of your closest friends and family? Are you operating on a basic assumption that people in power are as prone to telling lies as much as they are the truth? Maybe the path to power nowadays,unfortunately, includes a willingness to lie when it is more expedient than truth telling.