Episode 3: Nothing real can be threatened

In this conversation, Jacob and Scott talk about…

* their feelings about the Covid vaccine (Jacob just got his first dose)

* the mixed reactions around masks

* the placebo effect in our collective health

* the need for embracing a fuller picture of things

* holding space for the lived experience of our fellow humans

* viewing the pandemic through a more holistic lens

* the weight of uncertainty in our lives

* reactionary versus rational thought

* the need for empathy without having to experience what people are going through

* the many inequities revealed during the pandemic

* how do we show up for ourselves in times of stress and uncertainty

* the healing power of a regular journal practice

* getting in touch and playing with the inner self

* the downsides of people-pleasing and why nice is a bad word

* how Hey Jacob, Hi Scott was almost Hey Scott, Hi Jacob

* Scott’s fear of seeming demanding with Jacob

* deepening friendship with honest communication

* being honest to avoid resentment

* the need for approval

* getting to know each other’s triggers

* taking responsibility for your feelings in a communication

* the value in investigating your own triggers

* how easy it is to put off and dismiss the hard conversations

* trusting where truth and vulnerability takes a dialogue

* Scott’s insecurities about last week’s podcast

* how crippling fear of judgment can be

* squelching our deepest truths in order to be liked

* the importance of understanding that you matter

* the hurt caused by not understanding that you matter

* the fact that your worth is not earned but inherent

* the ways in which love for others can help us love ourselves more deeply

* self-love as a support for everything else good in our lives and world

* how we project our own qualities onto others

* the ability within us all to love ourselves no matter what

* the beautiful music of Chris Assaad (www.chrisassaad.com)

Books that Jacob mentioned:

Inner Gold: Understanding Psychological Projection by Robert A. Johnson

Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace

Books that Scott mentioned:
Heavy by Kiese Laymon

Here’s the poem Jacob read at the end of the show:

Wild Geese

by Mary Oliver

You do not have to be good.

You do not have to walk on your knees

For a hundred miles through the desert, repenting. You only have to let the soft animal of your body

love what it loves.

Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine. Meanwhile, the world goes on.

Meanwhile, the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain are moving across the landscapes,

over the prairies and the deep trees,

the mountains and the rivers.

Meanwhile, the wild geese, high in the clean blue air, are heading home again.

Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,

the world offers itself to your imagination,

calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting — over and over announcing your place

in the family of things.