No but really, what's a human right? Have we always had them? Where and when did they appear on the scene? And how do they relate to what's going on all around the world?

Links:

• Human Nature: Indian Perspective Revisited
• Al Islam Org
• Daoism: Anthropology
• Fr. Silouan, art

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 for more information on who we are and what we do.

We are hiring and looking for people to join us in Appalachia! Check out our Opportunities page for more information.

Credits

Music:
Provided by Edward Gares / Pond5.com

Sound effects:
"Swoosh Transition" 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

Teenage rebellion, the most angsty of times on our way to adulthood. And it happens to all of us...or does it? Come explore what adolescence and the road to adulthood looks like for us Enlightened folk and for those Old World cultures.

Links:

• Can teenage defiance be used for good? - New York Times
• The Myth of the Teen Brain - Scientific American
• Teenagers, Why do They Rebel - Web MD
• Yes Your Teen is Crazy - Michael J. Bradley

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 for more information on who we are and what we do.

We are hiring and looking for people to join us in Appalachia! Check out our Opportunities page for more information.

Credits

Music:
Provided by Edward Gares / Pond5.com

Sound effects:
"Swoosh Transition" 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 to episode nine! In this episode Heers is joined by doctor, acupuncturist and traditional Chinese medicine practitioner James Mohebali. They talk nature, new vs old world medical practices and of course, COVID.

Links:

• Rasputin biography
• Rape of Man and Nature, Sherrard

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. Finally, if you're interested, check out First Things Foundation for more information on who we are and what we do.

Music:
Provided by Edward Gares / Pond5.com

Sound effects:
"Swoosh Transition" 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 this episode we explore Truth. But that's a super heavy topic so we decided to come at it from a couple of different angles including juju from Africa, what it means to "take an oath," (do we even do that anymore?), and of course what the term "fake news" hints at. Welcome to episode 8!

Links:

• Format.com Pics of local juju doctors
• John Tillotson, Archbishop of Cantebury
• Oaths from an Islamic Perspective
• Journal of African Law, Jstor
• A Profane History of Early Modern Oaths, by John Spurr

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. Finally, if you're interested, check out First Things Foundation for more information on who we are and what we do.

Music:
Provided by Edward Gares / Pond5.com

Sound effects:
"Swoosh Transition" 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 this episode Heers brings on his daughters to see what their understanding of history is, what the midnight removal of the Columbus statue indicates, and how our perception, really our understanding, of history fundamentally changed after the Enlightenment.

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. Finally, if you're interested, check out First Things Foundation for more information on who we are and what we do.

Music:
Provided by Edward Gares / Pond5.com

Sound effects:
"Swoosh Transition" provided by https://www.zapsplat.com;
"Dramatic_2" was served by the Freesound project and produced by www.digifishmusic.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

Kanye has been saying some very interesting things of late. Comments on Planned Parenthood and Margaret Sanger open the door to exploring the world view of Sanger: was she a racist as Kanye claims? Or is she something else? To answer this question we go back and take a look at her speech, "My Way To Peace" (link below), examine it and use it to explore the roots of her world view (lig). 

And along the way we encounter the most tasty of Enlightenment thinkers, Mr. Bacon.

Links:

• The Imaginative Conservative
• Francis Bacon’s God
• My Way to Peace by Margaret Sanger
• The Symbolic World: Kanye West Runs for President
• Forbes Interview with Kanye West
• The Jefferson Exacto Knife Bible

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. Finally, if you're interested, check out First Things Foundation for more information on who we are and what we do.

Music provided by Edward Gares / Pond5.com

Sound effects obtained from the following:
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

Heers dives deep into an "old world" description that includes the physical aspects in addition to the cultural and philosophical bits. We also bring on a special guest, Georgia, to test out the latest and greatest in technological gadgetry: the Light-O-Meter.

To take the Light-O-Meter test click here.

For a deep dive into WAWTAR, register for our weekly "WAWTAR Podcourse" with John Heers. This semester's title is "Are you a Communist, a Capitalist, or a Christian?" Find out more about the course and how to join (it's never to late!) here.

Interested in joining First Things Foundation? Check out our Join FTF page for more info, or email Daniel at [email protected].

Like writing? Like this podcast? Find out how you can continue the discussion further by submitting a blog over at First Things Foundation here.

Gagimargos! Wait, what does that mean? Learn more about the Georgian Supra and its symbolic significance here.

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 for more information on who we are and what we do.

Music provided by Edward Gares / Pond5.com

Sound effects obtained from the following:
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 this episode John takes a deeper look at the symbolic manifestations of man and woman in architecture, how it relates to the Old World understanding of marriage, and how the love match began to change all that. It's a fascinating ride from ancient Egypt, through the Victorian age with Jane Austin, up until the present where we get to all the confusion surrounding gay marriage.

Further Reading:

• On Obelisks, NOTED
• Jane Austin's Guide to Happily Ever After
• "What Would The Greeks Have Thought About Gay Marriage?", Robert Reilly - The Catholic Exchange
• The Significance of the Minaret as the Symbol of the Official Religion, Athirah Kamal
• Gay Friendly Travel Index

Example Pictures:

• Photo of St. Peter's Basilica with obelisk
• Washington Monument with Capital
• Example of a Mosque's architecture
• Orthodox Church example w/ Theotokos

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. Finally, if you're interested, check out First Things Foundation for more information on who we are and what we do.

Music provided by Edward Gares / Pond5.com

Sound effects obtained from the following:
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

Much of today's show is culled from experiences with married folks in West Africa, Guatemala and the Caucuses. Those marriages and those people, including lovely couples who have come and shared their Hindu arranged married stories with me in an academic setting, create the fodder for today's conversation. For more on this, join us for trip to the old world. Once COVID finds its way past, we will again be taking people to visit our friends in the places where we work. Come along and learn as we have learned. Peace!

Further Reading:
Stephanie Coontz, History of Marriage
Polygamy and Islam
Hinduism and Marriage Rites
Peter Paul Rubens and Descent from the Cross

Music provided by Edward Gares / Pond5.com

Sound effects obtained from the following:
https://www.zapsplat.com
https://www.freesoundslibrary.com
https://www.freesfx.co.uk/

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

Personal race reparations using Venmo? What are the payments for and why is this happening? And where is it coming from? The head? The heart? Or somewhere else... With an "Old World" lens I'll try to make sense of contemporary phenomena.

To learn more about John Heers and First Things Foundation visit first-things.org. And also, think about working for us! You might just end up finding your way out of the Matrix and into a most wonderful and tumultuous version of yourself.

Please rate the podcast and share with your friends, and thank you for listening!

Further Reading:
Philip Sherrard, Rape of Man and Nature
Renes Descartes and his correspondences with the Princess of Bohemia
The life of Seraphim of Sarov

Music provided by Edward Gares / Pond5.com
Sound effects obtained from 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