The Currently Podcast Episode 3: Special Edition-Expanding Our Imaginations During Tumultuous Times
Hello Everyone,
Welcome to this special edition of the Currently podcast. When I started this show I made a commitment that we would dive into current events and so instead of our regularly scheduled episode. I invited a special guest who has plethora of personal and professional experience dealing with social change, upheaval, faith and civic involvement to help answer questions I had that I know are similar to questions and emotions many of you have been experiencing.
We get into social media and the role it is playing and how to deal with online and real life disagreements over these issues.
But we also go into bigger philosophical ideas about civic discourse, what we can learn from the civil rights movements of the past and the role of faith and institutions at this moment in time. He calls for an expansion of our imagination to find different ways to respond to these events.
We even looked at the connection between sports and civic life in our country. One of my big takeaways is that we want to dig into love but lets think about what love looks like when it becomes action oriented.
I want to share that it’s ok to feel grief, anger and sadness as it can be hard to be witness to these ugly truths. Throughout the course of this conversation we talk about why these emotions are valid and how they can actually be positive if we can channel them appropriately.
Last week before these events unfolded I was thinking about the intersection of the personal and the political and how change actually happens. My friend Melissa reminded me of a quote from a book I read recently called the Untethered Soul that I think applies to what is happening now it reads.
No expansion or evolution can take place without change and periods of change are not always comfortable. Change involves challenging what is familiar to us and daring to question our traditional needs for safety, comfort, and control. This is often perceived as a painful.
What we are experiencing now then is also part of an opportunity for evolution and expansion of ourselves and of our nation.
I want to encourage you all to share this conversation with your loved ones, friends and to start engaging in these seemingly uncomfortable conversations in your own lives. Our guest gives us several actionable personal and public ways of us getting started.
Here’s the reality though we must brace ourselves for what’s to come, these issues we are seeing have deep historical roots and so they won’t be solved in one fell swoop.
We are living history and this means we will all get to play a role in what happens next.
In my newsletter tomorrow I will be sharing reading materials, books that have touched me this week or that I found gave profound meaning to what it’s happening. You can subscribe on betsyaimee.com to receive it.
Since this was a special edition: I will be back next week another great guest!
Till then remember to stay informed but don’t feel the need to stay immersed. Joy is still one of our greatest act of resistance.
Show Notes: