Love & Understanding

In this episode, John speaks with Dr. Jeremy Shearmur about Karl Popper's popular paradox of toleration. They highlight the importance of distinguishing criticisms of a person from criticisms of an idea, and how this can be difficult since our identities can contain so many ideas. They emphasized the importance of bringing humility and the recognition of our own fallibility to any critical discuss...

In this episode of Love & Understanding, I sit down with philosopher Jeremy Shearmur, who worked closely with Karl Popper for nearly a decade, to explore what it means to live in an “open society.” We begin with Popper’s central insight: that knowledge is always provisional, and that progress depends on our willingness to be wrong, to receive criticism, and to revise our beliefs. From there, w...

In this episode, John speaks with Britt Hartley. Britt is the author of a #1 bestseller in secular spirituality. Her book is titled No Nonsense Spirituality. Britt has a masters degree in theology. She considers herself a secular spiritual director, sufi mystic, nihilism survivor, religious deconstruction coach, and a Program Director for Spiritual Direction Training. Britt was a blast to speak wi...

In this episode, John speaks with the writer and philosopher Shiv Sengupta , who is quickly rising the ranks in Substack's top 100 Philosophers. Shiv is an incredibly clear and introspective thinker, who carries a remarkable intellectual prowess while still remaining humble and ultimately grounded in wisdom - his empty, interconnected, ever-changing nature. You can learn more about him at his webs...

In this episode, John speaks with Linnea Butler. Linnea Butler is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, who holds a Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology and a Master of Science in Molecular Biology. She founded Bay Area Mental Health, where she helps people with trauma, PTSD, depression, and anxiety using a number of modalities, including DBT, sensorimotor therapy, ketamine assisted psychot...

In this episode, John speaks with Prashanthi Amarnath about her book Embracing Paradox, which pulls from Taoist wisdom. We discuss the Taoist concept Wu Wei, or effortless action, love, parenting, identity, and the paradox between science and mysticism, among other subjects. You can find Prashanthi's book here .

In this episode, John speaks with Mike Kewley about his book The Treasure House: Discovering Enlightenment Exactly Where You Are . Mike Kewley is a leading Mindfulness Teacher, TEDx Speaker, and Author based on the Isle of Man, UK. With over 25 years of experience exploring meditation, spirituality, and nonduality. Mike combines deep insight with practical wisdom to help people transform their eve...

In this episode, John explores how we can apply the Buddha's four foundations of mindfulness to our daily lives.

In this episode, John speaks with Kat van Oudheusden about the nature of non-duality. Early in life, Kat was an attorney but then, after discovering her own non-dual nature, she moved into coaching professionals and business teams from a selfless leadership perspective. She is now a full-time writer. She is the author of four books and writes daily on Substack about her own direct non-dual experie...

In this episode, John explores the mind-state of effort, which is the most common translation from the Pali word "virya." Virya is one of three mind-states, along with concentration and mindfulness, the Buddha singles out for us to cultivate in his Noble Eightfold Path, which is a kind of training program to bring peace of heart and mind not only to ourselves but to the world around us.

In this episode, John shares a chapter titled Love from his book The Unbound Heart: Spirituality Without Dogma or Superstition. Because we are habitual creatures who have likely developed unhealthy thoughts and behaviors, John encourages the listeners to actively build a formal practice of loving-kindness into their lives. He encourages you to rewire your neural pathways with some love fiber.

In this episode, John shares a chapter from his book The Unbound Heart: Spirituality Without Dogma or Superstition.

This episode is a recording from Project Human, John's community, where they engage in a bi-weekly Zoom meeting. In this discussion, the community discussed the importance of stories and frameworks in our lives.

In this episode, John speaks with the philosopher and academic Neil Durrant. Neil grew up in a Christian home, eager to become a minister. So, he spent the early years of his adulthood committed to the Anglican Church. After receiving a degree in linguistics, studying Arabic, Old Norse, and an aboriginal language of Australia, Neil then taught himself Hebrew and Greek, before getting a theological...

In this episode, John speaks with C.B. Robertson (Chris), a self-described Classical Pagan. Chris points out that we often overvalue the historical truth of a myth at the expense of its deeper meaning. He offers up the myths of 'Santa Clause' and 'The Boy Who Cried Wolf' as examples. Finally, as an anecdote to nihilism born out of a faith crisis, Chris stresses the importance of participating in m...

In this episode, John interviews Elina Jerschow, M.D., M.Sc, about her upbringing in Russia, her exit after the collapse of the Soviet Union, and her new life in the West. John and Elina also discuss her meditation practice, particularly her relationship with Vajrayana Buddhism. Elina is a board-certified allergist and immunologist with specialized expertise in Aspirin-Exacerbated Respiratory Dise...

In this episode, John invites his dear friend Kandice Knoelk over to take some Molly (MDMA) as they explore how everything circles back to Love. Kandice is a Writing Coach, who helps people connect with their authentic voice by pointing them to the infinite source of love, wisdom, creativity, and play within their own hearts and minds. If you want to work with Kandice, you can reach her at scribbl...

In this episode, John speaks with Tomer Duwek, an Israeli American artist and Zen monk. You can find Tomer's art at https://www.tomerduwek.com He is also on Instagram and Facebook.

A conversation with Loch Kelly about healing, spiritual development, and non-dual mindfulness. Loch Kelly is offering John's listeners a special discount code for the Mindful Glimpses App, available here: https://mindfulglimpses.com/specialoffer/ Loch Kelly is the creator of the new groundbreaking meditation and wellness app, Mindful Glimpses . An award-winning author, psychotherapist, and nondual...

Listen to the trailer for the podcast Love & Understanding, hosted by John Driggs.

In this episode, through his own personal struggle, John explores some skillful reflections to help us work through anger, fear, and distrust.

In this episode, John speaks with Ben Painter, the co-founder of Whole School Mindfulness, an organization dedicated to funding and placing Mindfulness Directors in schools. Interested in getting mindfulness in your school: https://wholeschoolmindfulness.org

In this episode, John shares a personal reflection on gratitude.

In this episode, we'll continue our exploration of the question of good and evil by examining Plato's political and moral theory of tyranny. We will then contrast this to the political theory of Athens, under the leadership of Pericles, which we learned about in the last episode titled "Who Decides What Is Right & Wrong?".

In this episode, we will explore the foundation of our morality. We've seen how the Greeks came to better understand the physical world, as well as things like happiness. But we haven't asked if and how we can come to better understand our own morality. How do we know what is right and wrong or good and evil?