Our current obsession with mindfulness and productivity hacks shows just how much we worry about our ability to stay present and to focus. But while we may conclude that our dwindling capacity to concentrate is the result of the machinations of the attention industry, concerns about attention are much older than we may think. Patrick and Anna discuss the history of paying attention, the specific ways in which our attention is eroded these days and also what we can do about it.

In this episode Patrick and Anna talk about the ingredients of a good life: about flourishing, eudaimonia and hedonism, as well as about Schadenfreude and its opposites.

The second episode of The Coach & the Cowboy, Anna and Patrick talk about Stoicism. Why has there been such a notable revival in interest in Stoic thought recently? What does that tell us about our own age? And what are the key insights of Stoicism that are still useful for us today and that can help us make wiser decisions on where to focus our energy and attention?

What Patrick and Anna share is: 

·      A deep curiosity about other people’s perspectives and ways of thinking. 

·      An appreciation of nuance and complexity. 

·      A sense of being politically homeless. 

·      An interest in looking more deeply at current trends and dogmas.

·      A love of Stoic thought.

·      A desire for conversations that are not about point-scoring, poking holes into other people’s arguments or converting them to our ways of thinking, but that are based on respect and a genuine wish to learn.