RockneCAST

The power, renewal and growth that comes from resting, the final step before healing. This is the third in a four part series inspired by Thich Nhat Hanh's book The Heart of Buddha's Teaching.

This the second in a four part series on reversing the rampaging horses of our mind with techniques outlined by Zen Buddhist Monk Thich Nhat Hanh. I also identify a breathing technique to calm the mind that I learned from my man crush Andrew Huberman, cyclic sighing, both the why, and how.

Have you ever felt like you're on a runaway stagecoach? Running fast, running strong, but not really knowing where you are going. I know I certainly have except I am one of the horse, galloping hard, but not know precisely where. In situations like this, Zen Buddhist Monk Thick Nhat Hanh, advises the best thing you can do is to simply stop, preventing further mistakes while running strong and allo...

In this episode, we will primarily explore Robert F Kennedy's favorite poet, Aeschylus, whom he quoted in his extemporaneous encomium upon learning that Martin Luther King Jr. had been murdered by an assassin. " Even in our sleep, pain which cannot forget, falls drop by drop upon the heart until in our own despair, against our will, comes wisdom through the awful grace of God." No on...

In this episode, we explore the concept of hugr. According to Neil Price, author of the viking history book Ash and Helm, it roughly translates as "soul", but it's even deeper than that. Hugr is the "absolute essence of you, free from all artifice or surface affect." It embodies personality, temperament, and character. This episode explores the importance of aligning the inner soul with the outer...

This about about diving deep into your greatest fears lying in the Shadow. Confront What You Fear. There is no other choice. Confrontation fears does not ensure a successful outcome. Avoidance of your fears guarantees failure, only resulting in a delayed manifestation of your worst fears. In this episode, we explore how Luke Skywalker obtained the power of the Force by confronting and experiencing...

Wasn't going to do a podcast this morning, but came across a timely passage from Reuben Youngdahl's daily devotional for June 2. It just made a real impact on me. So I am sharing it with you...

Hey, podcast listeners! I just dove into an incredible 1987 biography on Ronald Reagan by Garry Wills, hands-down one of the best I’ve read about him. This isn’t just a timeline of Reagan’s life—it’s like stepping through a time portal into his world, feeling what shaped him. Unlike most Reagan bios that zoom in on his presidency, this one focuses more on what made Reagan, well, Reagan: his boyhoo...

In this episode, we'll cover the first Judgment set forth in The Creative, the first chapter in the ancient book of wisdom, the I Ching . The Judgment "The Creative works sublime success, furthering through perseverance." This episode addresses those words. The translator, Richard Wilhelm, concluded his introduction with: "May the same joy in pure wisdom be the part of those read the translation a...

Just finished "The Explorer's Gene" by Alex Hutchinson. Hutchinson is a classic polymath, holding a PhD in Physics and masters in journalism. He is also an accomplishing runner and adept, having written NY Times best selling book called "Endure: Mind, Body, and the Curiously Elastic Limits of Human Performance." The Explorer's Gene is about the power of exploring the unknown, breaking routines, an...

Just had a dream about wolves. So I thought I'd do a podcast on wolves. In this episode, we explore "wolf energy" through books, legends, and Wheels of Time, the hit Amazon fantasy series. We'll also cover former NBA coach Phil Jackson, his wolf pack quote, Rudyard Kipling, and the Old Norse word for wolf. Carl Jung and Robert Bly also make an appearance. I finish with two books...

I finally finished Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. First published in 1990, it has now become a classic in the field of positive psychology. You're probably aware of the punchline of the book: flow is the Goldilocks zone between excessive stress and anxiety and boredom. It involves optimal difficulty suited to a skill set. But the book is more than the punchline. It covers flow in all aspects of...

Two words, "Don't Judge". Could an entire philosophy arise from two words? This episode explores the connection between Andy Reid's success and those two words. I thought about those words after rereading Shannon Lee book about her father's philosophy in her book, Be Water, My Friend . She outlined the Parable of the Empty Cup, a story that Lee frequently used to illustrate t...

Just finished Iron John - A Book about Men by Robert Bly. It's book for men of all ages. Every man and woman should read it. Men need to read it to uncover what it means to be a man. Women need to read it to understand the men in their lives: fathers, sons, brothers, and spouses. Bly explores Deep Masculinity through legend of Iron John, a story from the Brothers Grimm. In this episode, I shar...

Just in Chicago for a week, and I learned about the Ginger and Turmeric Latte at the Oud's Coffee House. In this episode I cover the health benefits of ginger and turmeric. I explore why antioxidants are so important and the perils of oxidative stress. Finally, I will tell you how to make a Ginger and Turmeric Lattes!

This entire episode is about "The!" , the downside of excessive simplicity. Instead, we should strive for Goldilocks Complexity, the minimal number of steps to achieve a particular result. I started thinking about this topic after reading Ben Guttman's excellent book Simply Put - Why Clear Messages Win and How to Design Them . I loved this book. It is right up there with James Clear&...

If you think about it, nearly our entirely education is predicated about discerning what's true and what's false. I started thinking about this with the uptick in "conspiracy theories" and their relation to the pending release of JFK, RFK and MLK files. As I have followed those stories, the question arose: Does this even really matter to me? We need to marshal our energies to foc...

Did Jeffrey Epstein die by murder or suicide? In this episode, I argue that we should use Bayesian statistics to frame the debate. Indeed, we should use this approach to frame most "conspiracy theories". Most such theories are derided as compelling storytellers weaving half truths to fit their narrative. Bayes offers a more analytical approach. 1. Make an educated guess about the probability of an...

This episode explores the power of Donald Trump through Jungian analysis. Jung best illustrates the mysterious power of Trump. Granted I doubt Trump has ever read Jung, but he manifests the hero/lion archetype perfectly. He is our modern Aslan, the Lion King. He also trusts the power of his own instincts tapping the collective subconscious of all.

Yes! It is, but under certain circumstances it is not. This episode explores the power of the liberal arts under the right conditions and those circumstances where it would not be worth it. We'll explore differential sibling outcomes, the limitations of awareness versus applying, micro-versus macro, offering a solution versus doing it, the limitations of "practical", Robert Noyce (in...

This episodes what it means to "radiate" the light of Christ both literally and metaphorically. In the first part, we'll explore Moses' use of the veil after going to the mountain to experience God, source of all light and creator of all things. Exodus 34:29-25. Moses literally radiates so much light that he had to cover his face with a veil. In this second part, we'll discuss Paul's description o...

In this episode, I take on the trope, "Nice Guys Finish Last". This would be something to be concerned about if it were true. I see no significant evidence of that and in fact, the overwhelming amount of evidence suggests the opposite. In episode, I first define what I mean by "nice" and I do not mean by being "nice". I then define the the opposite of being nice, the...

Just watched three really good documentaries on James Files (admitted grassy knoll shooter), Chauncey Holt (CIA Contract worker behind knoll), and Zach Shelton (FBI agent investigating the Mob/JFK link). I don't put my thumb on the scale whether any of those documentaries are true or false as such. Rather, I argue that we'll be able to assign probability assessments to their reliability. How? By o...

In this final episode of this three part series on Lewis' book, The Abolition of Man , I explore why Lewis cared so much about preserving the Way, the Source, the Tree of Life. Whatever you call It, the Source of all living things and values, you cut down at your own peril. The stakes are high, not only for us individually, but for our civilization. The Tree preserves our Freedom. Cutting it down,...

In this second episode of a three part series, I explore the Way, the second chapter of C.S. Lewis' book, The Abolition of Man. Lewis argues for the acknowledgement of what he calls the Way or the Tao. He begins with a quote from Confucius, "It is upon the Trunk upon which the Gentlemen works." In this episode, I ride along with Lewis as he examines the Trunk and the importance of re...