SeekingPlumb

Robbin Milne & I share in our excitement for this book & trees!

Trees! Did you know they can "smell" & "taste?" Or that they share & support each other? That they're stronger, healthier, & live longer when they live in community, aka in a forest? Resources: The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben Email: seekingplumbpodcast@gmail.com Instagram: instagram.com/SeekingPlumb

A few calls from a new listener encouraged me to understand kindness & politeness slightly differently. Another caller brings up questions around empathy & the role of social media/news in our culture. Email: seekingplumbpodcast@gmail.com Instagram: @seekingplumb

It’s a family secret that's spanned decades & lifetimes, never to be uncovered. But curiosity still keeps us guessing. • Email: seekingplumbpodcast@gmail.com • Instagram: @seekingplumb • Music: "Touch of Ice" by Borrtex From the Free Music Archive CC BY NC https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Borrtex/Touch_of_Ice/

With the constant influx of information & the set rules of government and rules of social engagement, we've fallen into default patterns of operation. We assume that things are done a certain way because someone else has told us so or because they've "always" been done that way. We're left feeling frustrated and impotent, because some have gamed the political system which has affected us socially, as well. It's long past time we adapt to now, today, and rewrite the "rule books." (Recorded the day after "Can we deviate as a nation?" Or 22 June 2018.) Email: seekingplumbpodcast@gmail.com Music: "Snowflake" by Borrtex From the Free Music Archive CC BY NC https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Borrtex/Snowflake/Snowflake

After a few weeks back in my birth country, it's taking some adjusting to. In Canada we do see a lot of US news, but there's still a lot we don't see. Almost as an outside observer but still invested, I see the overdramatization of the already disturbing news. I see patterns in what's being consumed, & wonder how it affects the brain - the individual and the societal. I also reflect on the difficulties faced in attempting to move towards change, let alone how it might be approached. Music: "We Are Saved" by Borrtex From the Free Music Archive CC BY NC https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Borrtex/We_Are_Saved/We_Are_Saved

The Sophists & Socrates had differing perspectives on how we determine right & wrong, while Aristotle saw things a little differently. Inadvertently, my journey seems to land me in Aristotle's neighborhood. Along the way, you'll hear snippets from my day to day here in Las Vegas.

A phrase caught my eye this weekend: "Enforced Monogamy." To say it made me bristle even in the context presented would be an understatement. After recently hearing phrases like the "deregulation of the sexual marketplace", well, I needed to know more. How closely did each of these fit with the Red Pill Movement, "incels", & others of their ilk? Do the arguments of these groups make much or any sense? Are there other ways to look at their concerns? Email: seekingplumbpodcast@gmail.com Show Notes: bit.ly/2GFnLqE Music: "We Are Saved" by Borrtex From the Free Music Archive CC BY NC freemusicarchive.org/music/Borrtex/We_Are_Saved/We_Are_Saved

Preparing for another summer, I share how the Vegas glamour has fallen away. But maybe I've been looking in all the wrong places, & the magic isn't completely absent from the city. Email: seekingplumbpodcast@gmail.com Music: "Come Fly With Me" by Frank Sinatra "Bewitched" by Frank Sinatra "Cheek to Cheek" by Frank Sinatra "That's Life" by Frank Sinatra "The Best Is Yet To Come" by Frank Sinatra

In the book, Sophie's World: A Novel About the History of Philosophy by Jostein Gaarder, Sophie Amundsen receives a question by mail: "Where does the world come from?" Sophie asks a couple of interesting questions. Can something be created out of nothing? Can something always exist? I have a few questions of my own to add to the mix, taking into consideration things like what type of expanding universe we might exist in, the "Arrow of Time," & a few other tid-bits. Email: seekingplumbpodcast@gmail.com Show Notes: bit.ly/2Ibrqhb Music: "We Are Saved" by Borrtex From the Free Music Archive CC BY NC freemusicarchive.org/music/Borrtex/We_Are_Saved/We_Are_Saved

I've done us both a disservice under the guise of wanting to conquer misconceptions, but really it was done from a place of fear. I wanted to be seen, to be heard, to be accepted. Not labeled, dismissed, reviled or deemed despicable. I wanted to encourage & learn from conversation. I wanted to avoid painful situations, but I only set myself up. In this episode, I attempt to hit the re-set button, to determine a new way of doing things going forward. I hope you'll stick with me. So... this is my confession: I'm gay. Email: seekingplumbpodcast@gmail.com Music: "Snowflake" by Borrtex From the Free Music Archive CC BY NC freemusicarchive.org/music/Borrtex/Snowflake/Snowflake

Yesterday's "dance", a la Alan Watts, took me to the park, to soak up the rich environment. A little later, Grimm's The Fox & The Geese make an appearance.

When & why do we decide to stop asking “why?” Why do we decide to stop investigating? Email: seekingplumbpodcast@gmail.com ShowNotes: bit.ly/2Ia8TVU Music: "Last Day of High School" by Borrtex From the Free Music Archive CC BY NC https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Borrtex/Last_Day_of_High_School

As Georgie Dee requested, two more stories from Alan Lightman's book, Einstein's Dreams. While the book's theme is time, these particular selections look at freezing or being stuck in time from slightly different angles. I rather enjoy the journeys into the imagination and the opportunities for reflection these tales offer. Twitter & Instagram: @SeekingPlumb Email: seekingplumbpodcast@gmail.com Music: "Sense of Music" by Borrtex From the Free Music Archive CC BY NC https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Borrtex/Sense_of_Music/Sense_of_Music

When you interact, when you say something positive or do something positive for me, is it because you mean it? Or do you want something in return? Are you seeking to use me? To what end? Are you looking to “succeed?” What is “success?” We expect there are pros to just about any answer to this question, but what are the cons to your definition?  Digging deeper, the idea of success permeates every layer of our psyche — individually and culturally. It’s reflected in our language, how we interact, & how we deem each other worthy. But… what is it we really want? Email: seekingplumbpodcast@gmail.com ShowNotes: bit.ly/2Hn2hmJ Music: "Snowflake" by Borrtex From the Free Music Archive CC BY NC https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Borrtex/Snowflake/Snowflake

Why must the nation conform to their rigid, dated point of view? In an attempt to save lives, average citizens are required to use band-aid "solutions." Living in fear so others can cling to a flawed illusion of "safety?" When do we decide rhetoric & money no longer reign? That people, simply by their mere existence, are valuable. Worthy. Music: "We Are Saved" by Borrtex From the Free Music Archive CC BY NC https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Borrtex/We_Are_Saved/We_Are_Saved

Building on the People-centric City Design episode, I consider new information to add to or aid in revising those previous ideas. Scientists have determined that the layout of a city affects the temperature it will be, come night, relative to its daytime temp. Elon Musk's Hyperloop will offer speed and safety for distance travel, but the Loop will ideally replace subways & local buses while decreasing traffic congestion. Show Notes: bit.ly/2p9RDWc

(Caution: This episode may be triggering and/or offensive.) At first, we may have said Bill & Susan were in love, but would we say love is present in that relationship, now? We shift perspectives to look at a very familiar but very old tale. By comparison, is this a prime example of fatherly love or an exception to the rule?

There are many reasons, ways, & typical places to debate. I peek at just a couple, after brushing with a live scenario. If I were to attempt a public debate, I theorize a possible approach - but would it be effective for my goal(s)? Can these ideas translate to online interactions?

SeekingPlumb brings the thinky & Georgie Dee brings the spice, as they ponder Anchor, audio, language, & communication.

This episode includes more of the gun violence conversation we've had over recent days. From the #CeaseFire movement in Baltimore, to universal Health Care, to somehow communicating with individuals like the NRA elite. Next episode, the gun violence & mental health.

Three days after the high school mass shooting in Florida, and things were proceeding as per usual. Frustrated, I attempted to find a different approach to this massive issue. A first step in a major undertaking. From there, the conversation moved into the topic of mental health, the possibility of using psych evals, and the potential consequences of going that route plus more. In the meantime, the youth determined and are planning a far less complicated & more immediate "solution."