The Hopeful Humanist Cafe

Welcome to another "Just Two Ones" episode where Danielson and I talk about a bunch of thoughts connected to Critical Thinking with a short special appearance from Woodrow.  Let's blither ... ORIENTING THOUGHTS: 1) “Moving beyond I don’t know” (Danielson) 2) Memorizing is not learning. (Danielson) T-SHIRT IDEAS: 1)"Read Widely" & "Imagine the Unimaginable" both by Danielson 2) "Just Two Ones Among...

Welcome to a glimpse into a snippet of a private sharing from myself to Captain Jack.  From the outside, I must say, this episode is definitely unconventional and hopefully it will not prove to be a slippery slope (haha!).  The flavour of this episode is reminiscent of my "T-shirt ideas, novel first sentences, and et cetera moments" concept piece. Here, literally,  I am soaking in some thoughts ab...

This episode is the unexpected part two to episode 60.  Danielson and I continued to explore our respective relationships with the book "Siddhartha," a book we both initially picked up in early adulthood and have revisited a number of times over the different chapters of our unfolding lives.  The first order of business was to provide a synopsis of the book, an important task overlooked in episode...

In this historic episode, I am joined for the first time ever with a guest - the one and only Danielson - for an unedited, in-the-moment, blithering conversation about Hermann Hesse's classic novel, "Siddhartha."  Although we initially intended to start the conversation off by providing a synopsis of the story, we never actually got around to it and just dove into a back and forth discussion about...

This is my creative take on a psychometric tool referred to as the "Rorschach Test." Subjects are presented with ambiguous inkblots and invited to share their perceptions/interpretations with clinicians to analyze.  The goal is to discover underlying personality traits.  My goal is not so lofty.  It is simply to share something creative that might cause for the listener a "moment of reflection" ab...

Quote: "Right now the world is entirely focused on people's physical health, and for good reason. But I urge everyone to take mental health just as seriously as you do your physical health. Use preventative measures and learn to spot the signs when you are struggling. Reach out to family, friends or medical professionals."    - Natalie Romero from her  article, "I Am Struggling With Low-Grade Depr...

Join me as I talk with Captain Jack and Danielson for over 30 minutes  about a word - BOOMPF -  we collectively brought into existence merely with the socially constructed wags of the tongue - this is the power of the declarative speech act!  To prevent confusion, note that we are birthing the word "BOOMPF" to be distinguished from the words boomp, boomf, and whoomp (feel free to perform your own...

Welcome to episode 56!  Before making our way to constructing for ourselves a list of action steps to resolve conflict in a future episode, in this episode, I will provide a definition of conflict, make brief mention of Kilmann's conflict resolution styles, and share a tip about what a person can do when going to the "balcony" (William Ury) to get some perspective about the terrain of the conflict...

Salutations and welcome to a very brief tribute to the ... ... ... long pause!! For me, this was one full minute of fun.  I invite you to experiment with the long pause for dramatic effect.     Show Case Resource: 1) What do you think about this long pause? Caught off guard, unprepared, or a pause for deliberate effect? This clip is called, "Trudeau pauses for 21 seconds before answering question...

Conflict is inevitable.  As the saying goes, "Conflict is not the problem ... the problem is how we approach and solve the conflict."  In this episode, by inviting you the listener to participate in two thought experiments, I hope to raise thoughts about what the conflict resolution landscape might look like.  Additionally, below I have included three videos from William Ury, who co-authored the b...

Let me start off by saying, "I very much enjoy long pauses as they provide 'fill-in-the-blank" interactive opportunities for the listener."  Having shared that, it should come as no surprise then that this episode concludes with an ("awkward"??) long pause that will invite you to think about what you might do during this long weekend to "flower water"/"selectively water" seeds of mindfulness befor...

Aesculus Hippocastanum!  In this episode, I will tell you how to have a chestnut fight.  I believe it is a North American variation of a game that is called ¨Conkers¨ in England and has been played for generations.  I try to weave some additional thread-like thoughts from Thich Nhat Hanh and Maslow´s Hierarchy of Needs into the discussion in the hope of fostering an opportunity for love and belong...

Why not start your morning with a daily dose of inspiration about self-care and happiness?  Below, I have provided links to calendar creations from both Action for Happiness and the Greater Good Science Center.  Also, I share some thoughts about the idea that self-care is selfish and indulgent.  My thought, which would make a great T-shirt tag is this: "When you take care of yourself, you take car...

In this open pod (open mic) episode, part 2 of a possible 3 in a series on Common Sense, I hand over the discussion, without introduction, to Danielson to share his ruminations about common sense and politics or maybe more aptly the politics of common sense.  Danielson brings to the conversation some "hmm" thoughts that seem really relevant especially as the time arrives for our neighbours down so...

In this episode, I wrestle with the relative and universal qualities of common sense.  While I do not have anything definitive to offer, I still believe there is value in having conversations that generate questions, even in the absence of answers.  It is a "seed" conversation about an "idea in flow."  Additionally, I introduce some preliminary thoughts about something I call, "The Tendencies of T...

In this episode, I talk about an idea worth writing about.  I have attached the article that sparked for me a number of interesting questions about the impact of covid-19 on professional sports.  I leave my meandering thoughts with this question: So what do you think?  Is it in fact an idea worth writing about?  If so, maybe it is time for you to "Blog it or Vlog it!"     News Article:  1) Raptors...

With the rise of remote work, it could be helpful to look for the red and green flags in our ability to separate our work lives from our personal lives.  If we are not careful life spheres (what I like to call "Life Domains), might blur in such a way that one sphere creeps into and violates the boundary of another sphere.  A red flag/green flag inventory will help us keep our feet firmly on the gr...

Join me, Steve, The Hopeful Humanist, for another unscripted blithering moment as I talk about an activity for standing up to anxiety called, "The Things On My Plate Mind-map."  In this episode, the activity is the showcase resource.  While it is pretty straight forward it is none-the-less very impactful in terms of creating perspective that can allow for some calm.  Do not lose out on what is rig...

Join me for a creativity-building activity as we imagine working in the "Off Script Living" department for a car manufacturer to explore ways to help Generation Alpha adjust to a mobile existence in a jobless world.  In order to equip our children and youth for the world of tomorrow, creativity has to be a major focus for the learning curriculum of the 21 Century.  How else to foster it than to pl...

"What if" is an example of an automatic negative thought (ANTs) that fuels anxiety.  In this episode, instead of turning away from the debilitating "what if," with mindfulness the "what if" is compassionately embraced to nurture more positive empowering thoughts (PETs).  The episode ends with the invitation to reflect upon the possible benefits of opening up to "Positive E-Psychotherapy" for one a...

As the accidental experiment of remote work/telecommuting unfolds in response to a Covid-19 reality, what are the implications we will discover downstream of this new social reality as people sit in front of screens for inhumane amounts of time, looking at surreal representations of co-workers on ZOOM one may never have met in real face-to-face time?  Heavy stuff, eh! But seriously, take care of y...

What does a beach party have to do with the meaning of life?  In this morning file, I invite you to join me and Woodrow II as we start off the day with some music and a thought for the day to make one think.  The thought of the day is a quote from Viktor Frankl which is one of my favourites about the meaning of life. The quote comes from the book, "MAN'S SEARCH FOR MEANING," which I believe is a m...

Open the curtains, get comfortable, and sip some tea for a moment of mindfulness to orient the day.  I discovered this gem while reading, "Awakening The Buddha Within," by Lama Surya Das.  I would like to quote what Lama Surya Das wrote about this prayer on page 184: "The Buddha himself said that if you repeatedly practice this meditation and recitation - with a forgiving, loving heart, while reli...

Jump into this episode (#40 and not #37 as would be expected) with me as I talk about the importance of showing care in the way we talk to one another to avoid avoidable regrets.  Words, while limiting, are also powerful.  We need to be mindful and practice "Right Speech."  During this episode, appropriately, I was wearing my "No Regrets" T-shirt which I attempt to link into the conversation at th...

A two word title for a "One Word" podcast episode - possibly the shortest podcast episode ever!  In this episode, Blazing Phoenix takes centre-mic for another Sanity Quickie.  Before listening to the episode, I would like to invite you to join me in a creativity challenge.  Imagine you have been asked to create an episode for a podcast called, "The Happier Quest."  Specifically, you have been give...