Heavy Things Lightly

So what the heck happened with Whoopi and her (Old World?) take on race? Heers takes a quick look at why Whoopi may not be as crazy as she seems and how her ideas are fundamentally an Old World view. Don't think that's true? Get ready for the Greeks to blow your mind. Links: Race and Ethnicity in the Classical World: https://www.amazon.com/Race-Ethnicity-Classical-World-Translation/dp/16...

The Supra (also sometimes known as a Keipi ) is an ancient feasting dinner from the Georgian Republic. Today Heers talks about how this feast unites heaven and earth and exposes deep truths about ourselves and each other. You can find more information about the Supra below. Links: The Symbolism of the Supra, Daniel Padrnos: https://thesymbolicworld.com/articles/the-symbolism-of-the-supra/ 2 Part S...

Welcome back! We apologize for the short hiatus last week, but we are back on schedule and this week John talks postmodernism. What were all those crazy French philosophers talking about? And how is it in fact a sort of return to old world thinking? If you're interested in joining our podcourse and want a deep dive into the same themes and ideas as WAWTAR follow the link below to find out mor...

Jake Marquez and Maren Morgan join the WAWTAR podcast to talk about the major ecological and societal issues facing us today. Jake and Maren are partners, environmental activists and the creators of "Death in the Garden," a multimedia project that spans film, writing, and podcasting to talk about and educate on issues like globalization, our cultural aversion to death and its consequence...

Uncle Seth returns to help answer the burning question, "What or who is an American?" As expected there are some differences of opinion. As always John takes the time to lift Seth's spirits at the end with comments from the listeners. If you're interested in joining our podcourse and want a deep dive into the same themes and ideas as WAWTAR follow the link below to find out mor...

This week Heers returns to wrap up the question of children. In the first part he examined the new world view on children. This week he goes old school, as in 7th century old school. Historically how were children viewed? And how does that inform our understanding of them today? If you're interested in joining our podcourse and want a deep dive into the same themes and ideas as WAWTAR follow...

Nicholas Kotar joins WAWTAR again for a discussion about the narratives we are using to find our way through life. Nick walks us through ideas of rootedness in story telling, the coming metaverse reality, and how it all got to this point. Nicholas Kotar is a storyteller, vocalist, and translator with his own podcast, In a Certain Kingdom, that explores Slavic myths and their symbology: https://pod...

What are children? Cosmic mystery? Pain in the ...? It's a very large question, but one that invites all sorts of interesting discussion when viewed from different perspectives. In the West we see a rise in the percentage of parents regretting having children. Is that even a possibility in the Old World? Join Heers as he takes on children in part one of this two part series. If you're in...

Story time! Dan Shays and his rebellion are revisited by Heers today as an allegorical exploration for COVID, lock-downs, and what is "good" for you and me.  Maybe big pharma is good. Maybe everyone receiving the vaccine is great. But maybe Mr post-revolutionary Shays would have gotten a little rowdy over all of this. WAWTAR now has a Facebook group: Why Are We Talking About (More) Rabbi...

What is alone time really? And isn't that really just "sitting at my desk and working" time? The Old World sees it as a potential sickness and in the West as a necessity. Come explore (alone or otherwise) what this very common thing actually is with us on WAWTAR. Like the intro music? That was Hilltop who will be joined by Brunes Charles and Georgia Heers for the First Things Founda...

 What does success look like? Well the NoVo Foundation seems to think that we can measure it using love as a metric. But how does that work? And as some have noted, can love really be quantified so easily? John tackles this and counters with an old world concept called the nous - which offers a possible meeting ground for these concepts. Links: Quartz article by Suzanne Guillette - https://tinyurl...

Foreign aid...what's it really? Did George Washington have a foreign aid policy? And is it only about sending aid overseas, or is there an element of receiving as well? Or is it all about making lots of money? Heer's takes a quick look at what aid is and how it's delivered. WAWTAR now has a Facebook group: Why Are We Talking About (More) Rabbits? Join us for more conversation at: ht...

Welcome! Welcome! Today John dives into the dowry (not to be confused with bride price - don't worry we clear that up). What was it, what is it, and how has it transformed in the modern world? Also, yes, there are people who kidnap their brides and we talk about that too. WAWTAR now has a Facebook group: Why Are We Talking About (More) Rabbits? Join us for more conversation at: https://www.fa...

The From the Field Series is a conversation between First Things Foundation Field Workers and John as they explore the lesser talked about aspects of life. This is not a series devoted to what FTF does per se, but rather, a meaningful look at how experiences and decisions shape our lives. This week Isabella Copeland joins us from our Appalachian site to talk about her experience as a hospital chap...

Big companies have become the movers and shakers of the modern world. But was it always that way? How were merchants understood in the "old world?" And do big, global companies have a problem that most of us aren't discussing? WAWTAR now has a Facebook group: Why Are We Talking About (More) Rabbits? Join us for more conversation at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/797121200908155 In...

In the "Old World" you see a lot of interesting things. A truck lodged in the roof of a Guatemalan hut for instance. You also see, especially in Africa, men holding hands. What is that all about? You might be surprised to find out that the underlying reasons are more important culturally than is first apparent. WAWTAR now has a Facebook group: Why Are We Talking About (More) Rabbits? Joi...

John and Uncle Seth back for more as they bite into what exactly happened to individuality and community in the last year. Was there a chance to unite under a common cause and repair social rifts? Or is taking horse de-wormer really the issue at stake here? WAWTAR! Interested in joining First Things Foundation? We are looking to send people to Sierra Leone and the Georgian Republic! Check out our...

Welcome back! John has been ruminating since his trip to Africa (Mozambique - where we might be working at some point in the future, stay tuned!). He was noticing trash. Or the lack of it. And it got him thinking about how we enlightened folk think about waste. Is it all bad? Interested in joining First Things Foundation, we are looking to send people to Sierra Leone and the Georgian Republic! Che...

On this episode of WAWTAR, John is joined by iconographer Aidan Hart. They talk about the role icons and secular art play in society alongside a more detailed discussion on why icons look the way they do. Aidan has been a professional icon painter and carver for over thirty years with works in over twenty countries of the world in a wide range of mediums. He has experience with panel and wall pain...

John has returned from a trip to Mozambique where slave castles and the old world mixed in his brain to produce this episode. It's a little about our culture (Chuck D and Public Enemy), it's a commentary on the Enlightenment and the cost of utopian dreams. And it's a reflection on all the "leftover" people when utopian dreams fall through. Interested in joining First Thing...

Jonathan Jackson joins the show to talk about art and Orthodoxy, how Orthodoxy has affected his view on art, and a discussion on what beauty might be.  Jonathan is a five-time EMMY® Award-winning actor and Critics’ Choice Award nominee, who has starred in numerous TV and films including ABC/CMT’s hit drama “Nashville,” “General Hospital,” “Tuck Everlasting,” among others His band Enation has perfo...

La Tanya Hall is a renown singer and musician who has played with some of the world’s most celebrated artists, including  Steely Dan, Diana Ross, and Aretha Franklin among many others. She has also appeared as a solo artist in her own right with the  American Composers Orchestra, The Denver Symphony, and the St. Louis  Symphony and at jazz clubs around the world. Her new record, Say Yes (Blue  Can...

Fr. John Strickland is an Orthodox Priest, teacher, and podcast host of Paradise and Utopia on Ancient Faith Radio. He is also the author of several books including: The Making of Holy Russia , The Age of Division , and The Age of Paradise . He joins John Heers today discussing the historical roots of the secular dimension. What was the world view before it included a secular "space?" An...

Welcome one and all yet again to "Why Are We Talking About Rabbits?" This week is an Uncle Seth special where we attempt to close out some outstanding topics. Whether that happens or not is entirely unknown.  Teaching and parenting are on the table alongside the new never normal COVID-19 reality and God. It's Uncle Seth folks, everything is up for grabs. Interested in joining First...

Interested in joining First Things Foundation? Check out our Join FTF page: https://first-things.org/opportunities for more info, or email Daniel at danielpadrnos@first-things.org . We are going to Georgia this September and you should come! Keipi Journeys by FTF is an immersive 10 day trip across the Georgian Republic. Past Journeys have included stops in Kazbegi, Tusheti, Tbilisi, and Kakheti am...