First Creatures

Contemplation is something we tend to think of ancient Greek philosophers or medieval monks doing, not as something a modern person would do unless they were especially religious or erudite. In this episode, Ellen invites us to consider that contemplation may actually belong to all of us, like a birthright, and that it may bring a happiness and freedom we might have been seeking elsewhere. After exploring the meaning of the word--from modern day usage, to a 12th century Scotsman's formulation, to the word's Latin and Greek origins--Ellen suggests a few simple ways we can all start to incorporate contemplation into our busy, modern, perhaps secular lives.

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What time is it? That such a bizarre question has become commonplace shows how thoroughly we have internalized the clock and accepted it as reality. It's hard to think of time in any way other than minutes and seconds, which has made us as a species incredibly productive (and a bit neurotic) over the last several centuries. In this episode, Ellen explores how this miraculous invention took hold of our minds, and how we might wriggle free.

References:

Technics and Civilization (1934) by Lewis Mumford

Revolution in Time (1983) by David S. Landes

The Relevance of the Beautiful (1977) by Hans-Georg Gadamer

Cello Concerto in B minor, op. 104 (1895) by Antonín Dvořák

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Many of us wrestle with our attention, struggling to read a book or even watch a TV show without picking up our phones. But what if the way we talk about attention is making things worse? What if we are cheapening something that is sacred? In this episode, Ellen discusses three inspiring ways of thinking about attention, and why it's worth it to make the effort.

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What does wondering have to do with wonder? In this episode, Ellen explores the relationship between the two--how one can lead to the other, and vice versa--and why it's important to do both.

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Did you ever play games as a kid that didn't require any special equipment or the ability to move around? Games that you could play on endless car trips or while waiting in a long line? Such games were our primary line of defense against boredom back in the days before smartphones. Now that we're adults (adults with smartphones, no less), could it still be beneficial to have a few games like this up our sleeve?

In this episode, Ellen Riccio describes four games and activities you can play inside your head, all by yourself, when you want to get out of your head. These games gently coax you out of your thought loop and into having a conversation with the world.

The games:

(5:45) A Hundred Years From Now

(14:35) The Documentary Game

(20:50) This is Not a Tree

(28:55) A Poem

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Just hanging out with friends. It sounds like something from a bygone era, or like something you did when you were younger. In this episode, Ellen makes a case for doing it now, even (especially) if you are a busy adult saddled with responsibilities.

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In this episode, Ellen talks about what it means to come to our senses--to gather our senses--and how doing so opens up possibilities for lingering, contemplation, conversation, and more.

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In this episode, Ellen shares how going for a daily walk--the same one for eight years straight--has become much more than physical exercise.

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First Creatures is a podcast that provides inspiration and moral support for lingering. But what is lingering, exactly? In this introductory episode, Ellen Riccio gives the surface a good scratch.

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