Dennis is in St. Louis and asks Julie… why has being successful not gone to your head?  They spend time defining success versus accomplishment.  Many American kids when asked what they want to be when they grow up answer: famous.  Fame is wildly overrated… what matters is that you’ve touched people with good values.  They discuss the inversions in modern American society… we have privileged people protesting privilege.  Contrived victimhood is sickening.  Why is merit considered to be a white supremacist value?  Don’t say America is not systemically racist… the Left IS systemically racist.  Is there anything the Left could do that would persuade a Democrat to vote Republican?  Julie mentions her great interview with Monica Harris, the author of The Illusion of Division.  How do you navigate the widening moral and civilizational gap in this world and maintain friendships?  Dennis advocates compassion in the micro and standards in the macro.   

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They discuss an auto debacle Dennis had in Minnesota regarding leaving a note.  Which leads to Julie sharing that her dad’s check was stolen from the mail.  Crime appears to be on the rise, and there is more sympathy for the criminal than ever… is this social justice… a consequence of secular society?  While explaining why he left a note… Dennis asks… which is better… doing the right thing for the sake of it, or because one believes that God is judging?  If there are no rewards and punishments …morality in society is dead.  Does dignity keep good individuals from doing bad things?  There is a crisis of religion in the US… people who grew up with religion keep the values but lose the religion.  Dennis recalls his visit to death row at Angola State Prison.  There is an antidote to evil… Judeo-Christian values.

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Dennis and Julie discuss getting rid of social media in one’s life.  Social media has its benefits… does it facilitate goodness?  Are you living or posting… or both?  We are more connected than ever… yet loneliness levels continue to rise.  Dennis recommends Julie read The True Believer by Eric Hoffer.  NYT’s columnist David Brooks wrote a piece in Atlantic about the moral crisis in the country… Dennis reacts …it’s important to read the other side.  Quit assuaging your loneliness in politics.  Truth is everything… we have one life to live… it cannot be based in make believe.

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We are living in a morally corrupt culture.  Dennis and Julie review some of the protests and reactions to the Israeli/Gaza conflict in America.  Vivek Ramaswamy went after the RNC and Ronna McDaniel in the 3rd Republican debate.  With the influx of the Muslim population… America is changing, Europe is changing… do most Muslims want Israel annihilated?  How much of our upside-down culture should be attributed to white liberals?  The mask is off wokeism.  Western civilization is better than other civilizations… why can’t we just admit it… and openly want more of it.  How long will people continue to vote Democrat based on the topic of Abortion?  Democrat Jews… would you rather vote for a Pro-life Anti-Israel candidate or a Pro-choice Pro-Israel candidate?  The Pro-Choice movement is overwhelmingly narcissistic.  We excuse evil by saying that it’s “sick!”  The Left is rampant with emotionally weak people.

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Dennis laments the title of his book Still the Best Hope.  People need respites.  If you think you’re always right… you will live an unfulfilled life. It is important to know your own blind spots and trust others who do not share them.  Fame is fleeting.  The differences between males and females are special and necessary.  If you believe it, you can achieve it… this is nonsense.  Guardrails are more important than nurturing.  Love is overrated.  Is fame more alluring than wealth?

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Does saying one went to Harvard carry the same weight it did two years ago?  Will you pressure your children to attend an elite university?  The cancer of Leftist thought is eroding once respected institutions.  How bad do things need to get before average Americans wake up to the danger of the Left?  Every country has issues… most of the United States’ issues are contrived.  If you are great at something, does it always follow that you love doing it?  Do certain occupations attract people who desire power over others?  Tough parents, not abusive parents… are better parents than solely loving parents.  Making yourself a victim harms you.

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Dennis postulates that much of life’s pain comes from surprise… that’s why it’s so important to have a realistic view of the world.  People tend to think they are immune from things that happen to “the other guy,” but you are “the other guy.”  Dennis recalls a speech at a London synagogue where he realized most people believe that being a good religious person provides some level of protection from bad things happening to you.  What happened in Israel strengthens Dennis’ faith.  What are the origins of radical Islamic violence?  Julie reacts to the students at Harvard protesting Israel and the Candace Owens - Megyn Kelly feud.  For Dennis being young does not excuse your ignorance… you are what you do.  Cancel culture is detrimental on both sides of the aisle.

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Dennis and Julie were deeply troubled by the developments between Israel and Hamas.  The number of Israelis killed in the Hamas attack is the largest since the Nazis in the Holocaust.  Dennis and Julie are baffled by groups that blame Israel for the conflict.  The American Jew is disappearing.  Israel is the canary in the world’s coal mine.  We should be the most enlightened people to ever live… given our resources and technology …and yet we may be the least enlightened.  Wisdom and knowledge are not related.  America must be strong… or the rest of the world is in danger.  Is Biden to blame?  The existence of evil is tough enough, but the moral confusion about it is only making things more difficult.  You should never be a sheep.  The silver lining of the horrific attack is …there were 9-11 conservatives …there may be 10-7 Zionists.  Morally we are all two people – micro and macro.

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Dennis and Julie ask… when did it become uncool to get old?  Wanting to look younger makes sense… but acting younger is not dignified.  You can judge a society on how they treat the vulnerable.  Julie recalls some takeaways from her visit to Oklahoma for a speech.  The truth is good… not something to fear because it’s uncomfortable.  In some cases, empathy has become toxic.

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Character matters.  “What is my nature,” is important... at least as important is “what person do I want to be.”  What will be in your obituary?  The thing we want most from others is for them to be good... but we don't apply the same demand to ourselves.  Does it matter that behaving ethically makes you feel good?  Why doesn't Dennis set his phone to silent when broadcasting?  Actions trump thoughts.  Is Vivek a fake? Soundbites are often taken out of context.  The press is so untrustworthy.  Do people know they're being lied to?  Are they too jaded to react?  Where is the outrage?  For some... it is easier to lie than to enter cognitive dissonance.  Ideologies are luxuries... and can be as irresponsible as drunk driving.

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