2020 may have majorly fucked us, but what followed—what was revealed to us—was how institutions operate, the persistent cloaking of racist attitudes, and even how class functions. Take ,for example, buying groceries. When we go to Giant Foods, Whole Foods, or Costco, what are we expecting? Are we expecting a certain standard of cleanliness? How do we react to people that we encounter?

We investigate the absurdity of America’s mythologies, by reading Chapter 1 of Kurt Vonnegut’s Breakfast of Champions. Why have we blindly accept strange traditions in flag raising and lowering? What does the symbology on our money refer to? Why has the year ‘1492’ been drilled into our brains?

We then detour into ethics. Everything has the potential to be art. Reflecting back on Albert Camus’ The Myth of Sisyphus, we discuss creation, existence, and meaning-making. Can every day objects be art? If I place a toilet in a museum, does that make it art? 

We try to find an intersection between the poor whites in rural Maryland vs poor blacks in inner city Baltimore. For some, their struggle is seen as valiant, commendable and “American.” While others may see their struggle as a symptom of a system that no longer needs them. Or as Frank would put it, “A foot in two different rivers.” As 2020 draws to a close we begin to look more for solutions to our problems instead of focusing on the issues. Raising awareness of the humanity in both rivers will be our new focus. 

Thanksgiving. Conveniently placed 3 weeks after an election, just to remind you of who is still posting 2010 Joe Biden memes on Facebook.

 Like many of you, it is a day of mass gorging, resting, gorging again, and then holding your stomach in the mirror like a bean bag. We all have fond (or not so fond) memories of Thanksgiving day.

In this episode, we share with you our family’s food traditions, our recipes (some of them), and the daunting task of hosting your own Thanksgiving.  

Power. What exactly is it, who really has it, and what does it mean? For Kelly, it’s the ability to enact change around himself. For Frank, it’s being aware of power’s corruption, and how we avoid its seduction. We all have our own definitions of power. The question we have for you is How Much Power Do You Give Power?

How much time and space have you given to the powers that control you? Or, do you believe that you are your own center of power and nothing can manipulate it? How do you maneuver through this power hungry world? We try to look at how a man's rise to power has shifted and unearthed the entire landscape of America. Blanket generalizations of groups of people will not work to solve these questions. We try to dive deeper into the psyche of the silent powers that run this country. Giving awareness to hypocrisy destroys ignorance. There’s a distinct difference between poetry and just words. As Audre Lorde wrote in 1978,

“The difference between poetry and rhetoric

is being ready to kill

yourself

instead of your children.”

When will it be socially acceptable to not have it all? When will having enough be commonplace? Do all of our actions, economical or political, boil down to an attitude towards our own wealth? We have lived with the hope of living The American Dream, but to what length will we go to achieve it? Would we stab our brother in the back for an opportunity of a lifetime? Would we gamble with other people's money if it was socially acceptable? Under the guise of "Just Doing Business" we have damaged our humanity. We have made it OK to benefit from another's detriment. We have made it OK to exploit the lesser among us, while the richer prosper. Is there a way for us to be a participant in this system without compromising our moral integrity?

Will we finally accept what the evidence has shown us? Will we continue to fight, or are we humble enough to let go? 2020 alone has taught us innumerable lessons about empathy toward ourselves, by practicing self-care, but also about empathy towards people, by communing with others: listening and understanding. Can we really put ourselves in another’s shoes?

The Trump presidency has, not only exacerbated racism and inequality in this country, but has snuffed out our basic decency. Our country has revealed its naked underbelly. As the Gospel according to Twitter would read, “Live your life in such a way that the entire planet doesn’t dance in the street when you lose your job”. 

While inequality grows, so does our lack of empathy. By suspending the ego, we can see the bigger picture; we can see humanity for what it is. Can we feel vulnerable, without fear of backlash or contempt? What would it mean if we could 

How much does the Earth cost? Does it have value? If so, what kind? There are many ways to view this question, not just materialistic. Are we prepared to deal with the consequences of our actions on this planet? With more than 7 billion people, it’s difficult to see how our individual actions impact our daily life. While this is a difficult question to answer, it’s important to pay attention to how we treat each other, to be in a safe space of like-minded people where we can shed stereotypes. 

Ultimately, the cost of the Earth—the cost of living on the Earth—will be the little things that add value to ours lives: eating from a restaurant you haven’t been to in years, or talking to an old friend. Did we really live our lives in the moment? 

What does America look like? Why is it considered a “melting pot” of nationalities and identities? At any one moment, we enter new social environments, meet new people, and attempt to identify with them. We recall our own ancestry and heritage when talking about ourselves, but do we know who our ancestors are, and what they did? We get caught up in our own, singular identity. We forget the influence of how other cultures have shaped who we are. How far back can we trace our family line in the United States? Our answer to this will speak to our connection with the land, here. Our ancestors can teach us a lot about ourselves. For some of us, they may even embody our spirituality, shaping our beliefs, norms, and soul. 

For others, it may be confusing: who are my ancestors and why does it matter? Investigating our family tree may provide answers to who we are and where we come from. It may inform us of where we are going. We are the past and future. We get to decide—regardless of where we come from—how our heritage has shaped us by choosing our proudest and darkest ancestral lines to best suit our narrative. Nevertheless, it is important to learn our history, to not make the same mistakes as our forefathers, to learn the lessons that have come from before. 

How do we self-actualize, i.e. what do we imagine for ourselves and the sort of life we want to create? There are many ways to be on this path. Therapy, meditation, the writing process. Yet, we become overextended. We realize that we may need help in understanding key insights about ourselves. It is an act of discovery, a journey. There is no rush. Through the writing process, for example, one arrives at the answer, that the means to create poetry and literature is already in front of us. It is a matter of capturing what we mean and writing it on the page. Picking up the pencil, and beginning the craft, constructing—with our own hands—the sort of life we imagine for ourselves. However, we may attempt to self-sabotage, or play mind tricks with ourselves. We may doubt ourselves. This is all a part of the process of figuring oneself out. Everyone’s process is different. 

What does it mean to be human within a culture, and how do we shape it? Big inventions and insights change humanity forever, but it is the persistent day-to-day decisions that invest in our culture. Even everyday attitudes of generosity, kindness, and humility can contribute to evolving who we are. A lot of these small displays of graciousness have been lost; holding doors, listening to one another, even simple compliments seem to have evaporated. What does it mean to be human today, and how has it changed throughout history? We may be surprised to find how culture is radically different, even in our own country, yet alone a different continent. We discuss the mechanisms that divide us as well as what we can contribute, as artists, as laborers, and as everyday people, and how the reverberations of today: politically, spiritually, and intellectually, will shape our tomorrow.