The Reasonably Good Life
This podcast is about using Reason to pursue the Good Life in this complicated world. We all want to be happy and don’t wish to suffer. However, this is often a formidable challenge! In recent decades, America, as well as many other parts of the world, have become increasingly polarized. Each side comes to view the “other” as an enemy to be vanquished. Yet, on some level, we all know that this is not the way. As a wise man once said, “A house divided against itself cannot stand.” The level of polarization makes it difficult to tackle other societal problems effectively, including COVID-19, climate change, poverty, racism, and pollution. The good news is that we human beings are adaptive and resilient. We can leverage these qualities and the powers of reason to learn, grow, and improve as individuals. As we are all members of society, as we make such individual improvements, we improve society as well. We all want a better world that is conducive to greater happiness and life satisfaction, yet the change must start with us. I hope you join me on this journey in the pursuit of greater understanding, growth, and life satisfaction.
Episodes
17 episodes
How Can We Reduce Gun Violence in America?
After the tragic mass shooting deaths of 19 elementary school kids and two teachers in Uvalde, Texas on May 24, 2022, America is, once again, doing some soul searching. We have had over 200 mass shootings thus far in 2022, and there's no end in...
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Season 2
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Episode 10
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25:27
Zen Buddhism, Psychotherapy, and Living Skillfully
In this episode of The Reasonably Good Life, I interview licensed psychologist and ordained Zen Buddhist priest Dr. David Zuniga. Dr. Zuniga's a good friend of mine, and we've have many wonderful conversations in the past, so I thought it would...
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Season 2
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Episode 9
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1:10:39
Navigating the Challenges of Psychotherapy (interview by Karly Fritsch)
In this episode, I am interviewed by Karly Fritsch, who is in a master's program at St. Bonaventure University in New York - on her way to becoming a licensed professional counselor. We discuss a range of topics such as some of the challenges o...
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Season 2
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Episode 8
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54:21
Life as a Psychologist (interview by Emma Lian)
In this episode, I was interviewed by Emma Lian, who is a junior at Westlake High School in Austin, Texas. She is a smart and studious young woman who reached out to me on her own accord to ask me some questions about the practice of psychology...
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Season 2
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Episode 7
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1:40:15
Are Screens Bad for Young People? (Part 2)
Are screens as bad for young people as we fear? This is the second part of my interview with Dr. Christopher J. Ferguson, a psychology professor at Stetson University, and one of the world's leading researchers on the effects that screens are h...
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Season 2
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Episode 6
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59:46
Are Screens Bad for Young People?
Are screens as bad for young people as we fear? We cover all of the important topics in this episode of The Reasonably Good Life (so much so that I had to break this into two episodes). In this episode, I interview Dr. Christopher J. Ferguson. ...
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Season 2
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Episode 5
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1:53:29
Leggo My Ego: Freeing Ourselves from the Tyranny of the Ego
We evolved to have an ego because having a coherent sense of self can help us to survive and thrive. However, our ego can become overly-attached to just about anything - status, power, prestige, other people, our team, tribe, or political party...
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Season 2
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Episode 4
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38:27
Hold On Loosely: How and Why Attachment Can Lead to Suffering
The more we are able to manage our suffering in life, the happier we will be. It's difficult to be happy when we are miserable! Of course, some suffering is part of the human condition and inescapable. Yet, we often suffer more than we need to ...
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Season 2
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Episode 3
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43:17
Why Do We Suffer More Than We Need To?
We all suffer in life, and some of us suffer more than their fair share. That said, we all suffer more than we need to suffer. Why is that? The better we understand the nature of our suffering, the more strategies we can learn to reduce it. Joi...
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Season 2
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Episode 2
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37:16
The Purpose and Problem of Suffering
Most of us have been dealing with more suffering in recent years with problems like the ongoing pandemic, increased polarization, natural disasters, and other calamities. Why do we suffer and what can we do about it? We have all probably heard ...
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Season 2
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Episode 1
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42:12
Why Do We Believe in Fake News, Lies, and Conspiracy Theories?
We like to think of ourselves as reasonable people who seek truth. As we navigate the complexities of this world, we want to know the truth so that we can make skillful decisions. Yet, it is extremely easy for us (myself included!) to be led as...
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Season 1
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Episode 7
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25:18
Are Facebook and Instagram as Bad for Teens as We Fear?
Frances Haugen is the "whistleblower" who was a former project manager at Facebook. She amassed internal documents that became part of the Wall Street Journal's investigative report known as "The Facebook Files." Some of these documents alleged...
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Season 1
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Episode 6
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24:50
Why Does It Always Seem Like It's the End of the World, Even When It's Not?
Throughout history, it seems like every generation worries that the end of the world is near. This trend has continued to this very day. When we read the headlines and our social media feeds, it is hard not to fall into despair. But reality is ...
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Season 1
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Episode 5
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32:31
6 Root Causes of the World's Problems
Why does the world have so many problems? Why are some of them so difficult to overcome? While there are many reasons, I explore six factors that I believe contribute to these problems. Importantly, the more we understand the root causes of the...
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Season 1
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Episode 4
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31:09
What is the Secret of Success?
There are countless books, articles, and opinions on the subject of success. We all want to be "successful" in life, whatever that means! Is there a secret to it? While not necessarily a secret, I cover a critical key to success in this e...
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Season 1
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Episode 3
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28:56
What Is the Purpose of Life?
It's a miracle that we exist at all. As far as we know, we only have this one life to live. What are we supposed to do with it? How then shall we live? In a manner of thinking, "What is the purpose of life?" is the Ultimate Question. How ...
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Season 1
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Episode 2
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18:42
An Introduction to The Reasonably Good Life
Welcome to the first installment in my new series, "The Reasonably Good Life"! It's about using Reason to pursue the Good Life in this complicated world. If you are like me, you are tired of seeing and hearing about all of the craziness in Amer...
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Season 1
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Episode 1
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28:06