In democracies, policies are correlated with public opinion, but why? The obvious explanation is that people choose representatives, and those representatives give them what they want. But maybe the causal arrow points in the other direction—maybe elites choose policies, and the public gradually figures that since that’s how things are, it must be right.
The death penalty is usually a third-rail—touching it means instant, well, death to reasonable discussion. In this case, the death penalty happens to be a rare topic for which good data exists, and is one upon which nearly everyone has a strong opinion. That combination enables the discussion in that article. It’s not about the death penalty being right, wrong, good, nor bad. Rather, the discussion is asking: Who indeed is really in charge in a democracy.
What role does play have in professional spaces, and how can podcasting facilitate conversations about it?
Podcasting serves as a gateway to deeper dialogue about human connection and creativity.
I wanted to talk with people who brought play into their professional spaces in part because of the tension between the fun of play and the resistance from others saying, ‘If you want to succeed professionally, you have to be more serious.’
~ Mary Hendra (3:28)
The conversation centers around podcasting as a medium for creating meaningful dialogue and exploring deeper themes, particularly the concept of play in professional settings. Mary shares her journey into podcasting, explaining how an interest in intimate, conversational formats led to creating a podcast about integrating play into work environments. She discusses how play fosters authenticity and challenges societal norms around professionalism.
The discussion also goes into the technical and emotional aspects of podcasting, including preparing questions, handling unexpected moments, and maintaining natural conversations despite the constraints of recording. Mary shares insights from their experience interviewing diverse guests and reflects on how play transforms professional interactions and personal development.
Takeaways
Play in professional spaces — Play challenges traditional workplace norms and fosters authenticity.
Podcasting as a learning tool — Hosting a podcast provides opportunities to explore new topics and engage with diverse perspectives.
Conversation dynamics — Asking visceral, open-ended questions can create relaxed and meaningful dialogue.
The role of preparation — Balancing structured questions with spontaneous conversation enhances podcast quality.
Play and societal expectations — Discussing play uncovers tensions between fun and societal demands for seriousness.
Podcasting challenges — Navigating technical and interpersonal hurdles helps improve the craft of interviewing.
Authenticity through play — Play helps individuals reconnect with their true selves and approach challenges with clarity.
Resources
Mary Hendra’s Website — Contains links to her work, podcast updates, and details about her projects.
Lead with a Dash of Play Podcast — A podcast focused on the intersection of play and professionalism, launching soon. Will be linked on Mary’s website.
With our six actors all on stage, the play begins and my story ends. As an epilogue to the performance, I add some brief remarks about the practical lessons that we may learn from the story. Our species faces two great tasks in the next few centuries. Our first task is to make human brotherhood effective and permanent. Our second task is to preserve and enhance the rich diversity of Nature in the world around us. Our new understanding of biological and cultural evolution may help us to see more clearly what we have to do.
Arranged as a pleasant conceit, Dyson lays out a sweeping and crystal clear history of our understanding of evolution. That alone is worth reading. The real gems however, are to be found in his commentary in the final paragraphs; Don’t skip to the end.
The three great things of life are: Good health; Work; And a philosophy of life. I may add, nay, must add, a fourth—Sincerity. Without this, the other three are without avail; And with it you may cleave to greatness and sit among giants.
Remembering Freeman Dyson, assembled by John Brockman, is long read. If you know who Dyson was, you’ll be excited to discover the collection at the other end of that link. It contains a wide array of voices. Buried way way way at the end is an hour-long essay read by Dyson himself, (which I confess I’ve not yet listened to.)
… excellence is not a law of physics. Excellence is a moral act.
You create excellence by deciding to do so, nothing more. It doesn’t matter if you went to the wrong school, or were born on the wrong side of the tracks, or working the wrong job.
You go into the situation and you go the extra mile. Your decision. You own it. You own the potential downsides as well.
Stone isn’t naturally malleable, and yet, Japanese artist Hirotoshi Ito (previously) carves his sculptures to make the material appear as if it can be unzipped or sliced with a butter knife.
I’ve only just recently learned of This is Colossal. Only a few weeks into following them—RSS for the win!—and they are definitely living up to their self-assessment.
The chronological summary of a man’s life is of all composition for students perhaps the most futile. […] “What of it?” remains to be asked at the end; And if the student begin there, not rewriting the annals, but seeking throughout the characteristic traits, the typical activities, the expression of individuality, he will find no better practice. Thus not only the reader, but far more the writer, gains by the abandoning of the order of chronology.
In early January, I started regular co-working sessions with a friend, Sumana Harihareswara. She read that post from 2013 about wanting to write more, and emailed me to see if I wanted to form an accountability team to work on our writing together. She’s making progress on her book, and I’m writing more here: we’ve been able to get a lot more done together than trying to work solo and power through.
There are many paths to the top of Mt Getting Stuff Done. If you find yourself currently off the beaten path, this article is a nice trail map. It mentions cadence in the sense of “don’t break the chain” or “routine is your friend.” I want to talk about a recent epiphany I’ve had about a different way to look at cadence.
There are several things I’m currently doing which require ongoing, incremental effort. And for a long time, each of them to varying degrees, just wasn’t getting done to my satisfaction. I had repeatedly set goals, blocked out time, etc. Recently—unrelated to my points here about cadence—I’ve been making superlative progress on these things. (Because, reasons.) And I find that now I can see the cadence is much faster than it needs to be to reach my long-term goal. When these things weren’t getting done at all, I had an idea of the amount of work that was required to make meaningful progress. Now I can see that I can actually slow down. I’ve known, for these projects, just a teeny-tiny amount of work, would work. But I didn’t really believe it, until I had a cadence, and truly apprehended how teeny-tiny I could actually scale my efforts and still make meaningful progress.