Heavy Things Lightly

Welcome! Welcome! Today John dives into the dowry (not to be confused with bride price - don't worry we clear that up). What was it, what is it, and how has it transformed in the modern world? Also, yes, there are people who kidnap their brides and we talk about that too.

WAWTAR now has a Facebook group: Why Are We Talking About (More) Rabbits? Join us for more conversation at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/797121200908155

Interested in joining First Things Foundation? We are looking to send people to Sierra Leone and the Georgian Republic! Check out our Join FTF page: https://first-things.org/opportunities for more info, or email Daniel at [email protected]

Gagimargos! Wait, what does that mean? Learn more about the Georgian Supra, why it's integral too our work, and its symbolic significance here: https://thesymbolicworld.com/articles/the-symbolism-of-the-supra/

If you like this podcast, please consider leaving a review with your comments. Your support keeps this podcast alive and allows us to broaden our discussion. You can also check out First Things Foundation: https://first-things.org/ for more information on who we are and what we do.

You can support our work around the world and this podcast by visiting https://first-things.org/donate - all recurring donors will also gain access to our weekly Podcourse: https://first-things.org/wawtar-podcourse where we further explore New World, Old World themes in an online class setting (capped off by a Supra dinner at the end of the semester).

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Credits
Music:
Intro / Outro Provided by Edward Gares / Pond5.com

Sound effects and additional music:
Sounds provided by https://www.zapsplat.com

2 years. Deep cultural immersion. Intense personal discovery. See what it means to become a Field Worker with FTF: https://first-things.org/opportunities or email Daniel at [email protected] for more information.

Please leave a review with your comments! Your support keeps this podcast alive and allows us to broaden our discussion.

"Why Are We Talking About Rabbits?" takes you beyond rhetorical "rabbits" and the shallow approach that the media and most thinkers today take to examine contemporary cultural phenomena. Using theology, history, philosophy and years of travel in Mali, the Republic of Georgia, Haiti, and beyond, John Heers offers a refreshing take to how we got to where we are now. WAWTAR is all about talking about those heavy things… lightly.

Credits Music: Intro / Outro Provided by Greg Gilbertson & Band

The From the Field Series is a conversation between First Things Foundation Field Workers and John as they explore the lesser talked about aspects of life. This is not a series devoted to what FTF does per se, but rather, a meaningful look at how experiences and decisions shape our lives.

This week Isabella Copeland joins us from our Appalachian site to talk about her experience as a hospital chaplain and her intimate and life changing experience with death and those coming to terms with it.

WAWTAR now has a Facebook group: Why Are We Talking About (More) Rabbits? Join us for more conversation at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/797121200908155

Interested in joining First Things Foundation? We are looking to send people to Sierra Leone and the Georgian Republic! Check out our Join FTF page: https://first-things.org/opportunities for more info, or email Daniel at [email protected]

Gagimargos! Wait, what does that mean? Learn more about the Georgian Supra, why it's integral too our work, and its symbolic significance here: https://thesymbolicworld.com/articles/the-symbolism-of-the-supra/

If you like this podcast, please consider leaving a review with your comments. Your support keeps this podcast alive and allows us to broaden our discussion. You can also check out First Things Foundation: https://first-things.org/ for more information on who we are and what we do.

You can support our work around the world and this podcast by visiting https://first-things.org/donate - all recurring donors will also gain access to our weekly Podcourse: https://first-things.org/wawtar-podcourse where we further explore New World, Old World themes in an online class setting (capped off by a Supra dinner at the end of the semester).

---

Credits
Music:
Intro / Outro Provided by Edward Gares / Pond5.com

Sound effects and additional music:
Sounds provided by https://www.zapsplat.com

2 years. Deep cultural immersion. Intense personal discovery. See what it means to become a Field Worker with FTF: https://first-things.org/opportunities or email Daniel at [email protected] for more information.

Please leave a review with your comments! Your support keeps this podcast alive and allows us to broaden our discussion.

"Why Are We Talking About Rabbits?" takes you beyond rhetorical "rabbits" and the shallow approach that the media and most thinkers today take to examine contemporary cultural phenomena. Using theology, history, philosophy and years of travel in Mali, the Republic of Georgia, Haiti, and beyond, John Heers offers a refreshing take to how we got to where we are now. WAWTAR is all about talking about those heavy things… lightly.

Credits Music: Intro / Outro Provided by Greg Gilbertson & Band

Big companies have become the movers and shakers of the modern world. But was it always that way? How were merchants understood in the "old world?" And do big, global companies have a problem that most of us aren't discussing?

WAWTAR now has a Facebook group: Why Are We Talking About (More) Rabbits? Join us for more conversation at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/797121200908155

Interested in joining First Things Foundation? We are looking to send people to Sierra Leone and the Georgian Republic! Check out our Join FTF page: https://first-things.org/opportunities for more info, or email Daniel at [email protected]

Gagimargos! Wait, what does that mean? Learn more about the Georgian Supra, why it's integral too our work, and its symbolic significance here: https://thesymbolicworld.com/articles/the-symbolism-of-the-supra/

If you like this podcast, please consider leaving a review with your comments. Your support keeps this podcast alive and allows us to broaden our discussion. You can also check out First Things Foundation: https://first-things.org/ for more information on who we are and what we do.

You can support our work around the world and this podcast by visiting https://first-things.org/donate - all recurring donors will also gain access to our weekly Podcourse: https://first-things.org/wawtar-podcourse where we further explore New World, Old World themes in an online class setting (capped off by a Supra dinner at the end of the semester).

---

Credits
Music:
Intro / Outro Provided by Edward Gares / Pond5.com

Sound effects and additional music:
Sounds provided by https://www.zapsplat.com

2 years. Deep cultural immersion. Intense personal discovery. See what it means to become a Field Worker with FTF: https://first-things.org/opportunities or email Daniel at [email protected] for more information.

Please leave a review with your comments! Your support keeps this podcast alive and allows us to broaden our discussion.

"Why Are We Talking About Rabbits?" takes you beyond rhetorical "rabbits" and the shallow approach that the media and most thinkers today take to examine contemporary cultural phenomena. Using theology, history, philosophy and years of travel in Mali, the Republic of Georgia, Haiti, and beyond, John Heers offers a refreshing take to how we got to where we are now. WAWTAR is all about talking about those heavy things… lightly.

Credits Music: Intro / Outro Provided by Greg Gilbertson & Band

In the "Old World" you see a lot of interesting things. A truck lodged in the roof of a Guatemalan hut for instance. You also see, especially in Africa, men holding hands. What is that all about? You might be surprised to find out that the underlying reasons are more important culturally than is first apparent.

WAWTAR now has a Facebook group: Why Are We Talking About (More) Rabbits? Join us for more conversation at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/797121200908155

Interested in joining First Things Foundation? We are looking to send people to Sierra Leone and the Georgian Republic! Check out our Join FTF page: https://first-things.org/opportunities for more info, or email Daniel at [email protected]

Gagimargos! Wait, what does that mean? Learn more about the Georgian Supra, why it's integral too our work, and its symbolic significance here: https://thesymbolicworld.com/articles/the-symbolism-of-the-supra/

If you like this podcast, please consider leaving a review with your comments. Your support keeps this podcast alive and allows us to broaden our discussion. You can also check out First Things Foundation: https://first-things.org/ for more information on who we are and what we do.

You can support our work around the world and this podcast by visiting https://first-things.org/donate - all recurring donors will also gain access to our weekly Podcourse: https://first-things.org/wawtar-podcourse where we further explore New World, Old World themes in an online class setting (capped off by a Supra dinner at the end of the semester).

---

Credits
Music:
Intro / Outro Provided by Edward Gares / Pond5.com

Sound effects and additional music:
Sounds provided by https://www.zapsplat.com

2 years. Deep cultural immersion. Intense personal discovery. See what it means to become a Field Worker with FTF: https://first-things.org/opportunities or email Daniel at [email protected] for more information.

Please leave a review with your comments! Your support keeps this podcast alive and allows us to broaden our discussion.

"Why Are We Talking About Rabbits?" takes you beyond rhetorical "rabbits" and the shallow approach that the media and most thinkers today take to examine contemporary cultural phenomena. Using theology, history, philosophy and years of travel in Mali, the Republic of Georgia, Haiti, and beyond, John Heers offers a refreshing take to how we got to where we are now. WAWTAR is all about talking about those heavy things… lightly.

Credits Music: Intro / Outro Provided by Greg Gilbertson & Band

John and Uncle Seth back for more as they bite into what exactly happened to individuality and community in the last year. Was there a chance to unite under a common cause and repair social rifts? Or is taking horse de-wormer really the issue at stake here? WAWTAR!

Interested in joining First Things Foundation? We are looking to send people to Sierra Leone and the Georgian Republic! Check out our Join FTF page: https://first-things.org/opportunities for more info, or email Daniel at [email protected]

Gagimargos! Wait, what does that mean? Learn more about the Georgian Supra, why it's integral too our work, and its symbolic significance here: https://thesymbolicworld.com/articles/the-symbolism-of-the-supra/

If you like this podcast, please consider leaving a review with your comments. Your support keeps this podcast alive and allows us to broaden our discussion. You can also check out First Things Foundation: https://first-things.org/ for more information on who we are and what we do.

You can support our work around the world and this podcast by visiting https://first-things.org/donate - all recurring donors will also gain access to our weekly Podcourse: https://first-things.org/wawtar-podcourse where we further explore New World, Old World themes in an online class setting (capped off by a Supra dinner at the end of the semester).

---

Credits
Music:
Intro / Outro Provided by Edward Gares / Pond5.com

Sound effects and additional music:
Sounds provided by https://www.zapsplat.com

2 years. Deep cultural immersion. Intense personal discovery. See what it means to become a Field Worker with FTF: https://first-things.org/opportunities or email Daniel at [email protected] for more information.

Please leave a review with your comments! Your support keeps this podcast alive and allows us to broaden our discussion.

"Why Are We Talking About Rabbits?" takes you beyond rhetorical "rabbits" and the shallow approach that the media and most thinkers today take to examine contemporary cultural phenomena. Using theology, history, philosophy and years of travel in Mali, the Republic of Georgia, Haiti, and beyond, John Heers offers a refreshing take to how we got to where we are now. WAWTAR is all about talking about those heavy things… lightly.

Credits Music: Intro / Outro Provided by Greg Gilbertson & Band

Welcome back! John has been ruminating since his trip to Africa (Mozambique - where we might be working at some point in the future, stay tuned!). He was noticing trash. Or the lack of it. And it got him thinking about how we enlightened folk think about waste. Is it all bad?

Interested in joining First Things Foundation, we are looking to send people to Sierra Leone and the Georgian Republic! Check out our Join FTF page: https://first-things.org/opportunities for more info, or email Daniel at [email protected].

Gagimargos! Wait, what does that mean? Learn more about the Georgian Supra, why it's integral too our work, and its symbolic significance here: https://thesymbolicworld.com/articles/the-symbolism-of-the-supra/

If you like this podcast, please consider leaving a review with your comments. Your support keeps this podcast alive and allows us to broaden our discussion. You can also check out First Things Foundation: https://first-things.org/ for more information on who we are and what we do.

You can support our work around the world and this podcast by visiting https://first-things.org/donate - all recurring donors will also gain access to our weekly Podcourse: https://first-things.org/wawtar-podcourse where we further explore New World, Old World themes in an online class setting (capped off by a Supra dinner at the end of the semester).

---

Credits
Music:
Intro / Outro Provided by Edward Gares / Pond5.com

Sound effects and additional music:
Sounds provided by https://www.zapsplat.com

2 years. Deep cultural immersion. Intense personal discovery. See what it means to become a Field Worker with FTF: https://first-things.org/opportunities or email Daniel at [email protected] for more information.

Please leave a review with your comments! Your support keeps this podcast alive and allows us to broaden our discussion.

"Why Are We Talking About Rabbits?" takes you beyond rhetorical "rabbits" and the shallow approach that the media and most thinkers today take to examine contemporary cultural phenomena. Using theology, history, philosophy and years of travel in Mali, the Republic of Georgia, Haiti, and beyond, John Heers offers a refreshing take to how we got to where we are now. WAWTAR is all about talking about those heavy things… lightly.

Credits Music: Intro / Outro Provided by Greg Gilbertson & Band

On this episode of WAWTAR, John is joined by iconographer Aidan Hart. They talk about the role icons and secular art play in society alongside a more detailed discussion on why icons look the way they do.

Aidan has been a professional icon painter and carver for over thirty years with works in over twenty countries of the world in a wide range of mediums. He has experience with panel and wall painting, mosaic, stone and wood carving, metalwork and church architecture. He has also published various books on the art of iconography and was at one time a hermit.

Aidan's book: Icons in the Modern World (https://tinyurl.com/4dpr63zx)
Orthodox Arts Festival: https://www.orthodoxartsfestival.com/

On the Orthodox Arts Festival (from the website): "The Orthodox Arts Festival is an online event devoted to Orthodox Christian Artists that takes place every year. Our goal is straightforward. To provide possibilities for all active Orthodox Artists, as well as to share their combined creativity and inspiration with the rest of the world."

"Our Inspirational sparks are as different as our places of origin, yet we are bonded by our shared love of Orthodoxy and the arts. Iconography, Fine Arts, Photography, Film, Church Music, and Literature are the fields represented during the Festival. All of the works are based on Orthodox Christian ideas, culture, and values."

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Interested in joining First Things Foundation? Check out our Join FTF page: https://first-things.org/opportunities for more info, or email Daniel at [email protected].

Gagimargos! Wait, what does that mean? Learn more about the Georgian Supra, why it's integral too our work, and its symbolic significance here: https://thesymbolicworld.com/articles/the-symbolism-of-the-supra/

If you like this podcast, please consider leaving a review with your comments. Your support keeps this podcast alive and allows us to broaden our discussion. You can also check out First Things Foundation: https://first-things.org/ for more information on who we are and what we do.

You can support our work around the world and this podcast by visiting https://first-things.org/donate - all recurring donors will also gain access to our weekly Podcourse: https://first-things.org/wawtar-podcourse where w

2 years. Deep cultural immersion. Intense personal discovery. See what it means to become a Field Worker with FTF: https://first-things.org/opportunities or email Daniel at [email protected] for more information.

Please leave a review with your comments! Your support keeps this podcast alive and allows us to broaden our discussion.

"Why Are We Talking About Rabbits?" takes you beyond rhetorical "rabbits" and the shallow approach that the media and most thinkers today take to examine contemporary cultural phenomena. Using theology, history, philosophy and years of travel in Mali, the Republic of Georgia, Haiti, and beyond, John Heers offers a refreshing take to how we got to where we are now. WAWTAR is all about talking about those heavy things… lightly.

Credits Music: Intro / Outro Provided by Greg Gilbertson & Band

John has returned from a trip to Mozambique where slave castles and the old world mixed in his brain to produce this episode. It's a little about our culture (Chuck D and Public Enemy), it's a commentary on the Enlightenment and the cost of utopian dreams. And it's a reflection on all the "leftover" people when utopian dreams fall through.

Interested in joining First Things Foundation? Check out our Join FTF page: https://first-things.org/opportunities for more info, or email Daniel at [email protected].

Gagimargos! Wait, what does that mean? Learn more about the Georgian Supra, why it's integral too our work, and its symbolic significance here: https://thesymbolicworld.com/articles/the-symbolism-of-the-supra/

If you like this podcast, please consider leaving a review with your comments. Your support keeps this podcast alive and allows us to broaden our discussion. You can also check out First Things Foundation: https://first-things.org/ for more information on who we are and what we do.

You can support our work around the world and this podcast by visiting https://first-things.org/donate - all recurring donors will also gain access to our weekly Podcourse: https://first-things.org/wawtar-podcourse where we further explore New World, Old World themes in an online class setting (capped off by a Supra dinner at the end of the semester).

---

Credits
Music:
Intro / Outro Provided by Edward Gares / Pond5.com

Sound effects and additional music:
Sounds provided by https://www.zapsplat.com

2 years. Deep cultural immersion. Intense personal discovery. See what it means to become a Field Worker with FTF: https://first-things.org/opportunities or email Daniel at [email protected] for more information.

Please leave a review with your comments! Your support keeps this podcast alive and allows us to broaden our discussion.

"Why Are We Talking About Rabbits?" takes you beyond rhetorical "rabbits" and the shallow approach that the media and most thinkers today take to examine contemporary cultural phenomena. Using theology, history, philosophy and years of travel in Mali, the Republic of Georgia, Haiti, and beyond, John Heers offers a refreshing take to how we got to where we are now. WAWTAR is all about talking about those heavy things… lightly.

Credits Music: Intro / Outro Provided by Greg Gilbertson & Band

Jonathan Jackson joins the show to talk about art and Orthodoxy, how Orthodoxy has affected his view on art, and a discussion on what beauty might be. 

Jonathan is a five-time EMMY® Award-winning actor and Critics’ Choice Award nominee, who has starred in numerous TV and films including ABC/CMT’s hit drama “Nashville,” “General Hospital,” “Tuck Everlasting,” among others

His band Enation has performed alongside artists across the musical spectrum, including post-punk legends Echo & The Bunnymen and he is also a published author. His current books include a work of Mystical Poetry entitled, “Book of Solace and Madness” and the non-fiction prose “The Mystery of Art”, which has been translated into multiple languages.

Links:

• Jonathan's website: https://www.jonathanjackson.com/home
• The Mystery of Art: https://tinyurl.com/55dzb6az
• Enation: https://www.youtube.com/c/EnationMusic

 On the Orthodox Arts Festival (from the website): "The Orthodox Arts Festival is an online event devoted to Orthodox Christian Artists that takes place every year. Our goal is straightforward. To provide possibilities for all active Orthodox Artists, as well as to share their combined creativity and inspiration with the rest of the world."

 "Our Inspirational sparks are as different as our places of origin, yet we are bonded by our shared love of Orthodoxy and the arts. Iconography, Fine Arts, Photography, Film, Church Music, and Literature are the fields represented during the Festival. All of the works are based on Orthodox Christian ideas, culture, and values."

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Interested in joining First Things Foundation? Check out our Join FTF page: https://first-things.org/opportunities for more info, or email Daniel at [email protected].

Gagimargos! Wait, what does that mean? Learn more about the Georgian Supra, why it's integral too our work, and its symbolic significance here: https://thesymbolicworld.com/articles/the-symbolism-of-the-supra/

If you like this podcast, please consider leaving a review with your comments. Your support keeps this podcast alive and allows us to broaden our discussion. You can also check out First Things Foundation: https://first-things.org/ for more information on who we are

2 years. Deep cultural immersion. Intense personal discovery. See what it means to become a Field Worker with FTF: https://first-things.org/opportunities or email Daniel at [email protected] for more information.

Please leave a review with your comments! Your support keeps this podcast alive and allows us to broaden our discussion.

"Why Are We Talking About Rabbits?" takes you beyond rhetorical "rabbits" and the shallow approach that the media and most thinkers today take to examine contemporary cultural phenomena. Using theology, history, philosophy and years of travel in Mali, the Republic of Georgia, Haiti, and beyond, John Heers offers a refreshing take to how we got to where we are now. WAWTAR is all about talking about those heavy things… lightly.

Credits Music: Intro / Outro Provided by Greg Gilbertson & Band

La Tanya Hall is a renown singer and musician who has played with some of the world’s most celebrated artists, including  Steely Dan, Diana Ross, and Aretha Franklin among many others. She has also appeared as a solo artist in her own right with the  American Composers Orchestra, The Denver Symphony, and the St. Louis  Symphony and at jazz clubs around the world. Her new record, Say Yes (Blue  Canoe Records), debuted in November of 2020. 

She is also a teacher, having created the first vocal jazz degree program at Oberlin Conservatory five  years ago and continues to teach there as an associate professor of jazz voice.

In this episode John and La Tanya sit down to talk about the roots of Jazz, and by extension, almost all modern music not classical in nature. They discuss the soul and it's reaction to the beauty found in music. And along the way there is a Light-O-Meter test and a bunch of musical insight.

Links:

• About La Tanya: www.latanyahall.com

Interested in joining First Things Foundation? Check out our Join FTF page: https://first-things.org/opportunities for more info, or email Daniel at [email protected].

Gagimargos! Wait, what does that mean? Learn more about the Georgian Supra, why it's integral too our work, and its symbolic significance here: https://thesymbolicworld.com/articles/the-symbolism-of-the-supra/

If you like this podcast, please consider leaving a review with your comments. Your support keeps this podcast alive and allows us to broaden our discussion. You can also check out First Things Foundation: https://first-things.org/ for more information on who we are and what we do.

You can support our work around the world and this podcast by visiting https://first-things.org/donate - all recurring donors will also gain access to our weekly Podcourse: https://first-things.org/wawtar-podcourse where we further explore New World, Old World themes in an online class setting (capped off by a Supra dinner at the end of the semester).

---

Credits
Music:
Intro / Outro Provided by Edward Gares / Pond5.com

Sound effects and additional music:
Sounds provided by https://www.zapsplat.com

2 years. Deep cultural immersion. Intense personal discovery. See what it means to become a Field Worker with FTF: https://first-things.org/opportunities or email Daniel at [email protected] for more information.

Please leave a review with your comments! Your support keeps this podcast alive and allows us to broaden our discussion.

"Why Are We Talking About Rabbits?" takes you beyond rhetorical "rabbits" and the shallow approach that the media and most thinkers today take to examine contemporary cultural phenomena. Using theology, history, philosophy and years of travel in Mali, the Republic of Georgia, Haiti, and beyond, John Heers offers a refreshing take to how we got to where we are now. WAWTAR is all about talking about those heavy things… lightly.

Credits Music: Intro / Outro Provided by Greg Gilbertson & Band