Hope and time are inseparable. We divide ourselves into nations based on cultures and lines drawn on maps. But humans as a collective all cling to hope. If there is one thing next to love that is common among humans of all nations, it is hope. But time plays its role as well. The story of LZ 129 Hindenburg tells the story of both, and how 90 seconds changed it all.

But one singular event can challenge even the strongest hopes. For an individual. For a community. For the world.

What is hope to you? How do you define it through your perceived experiences? Have you experienced a significant life event that challenged or bolstered your own hopes?

In May, 1937, a new form of transatlantic air travel was on the verge of becoming the next big thing. For a nearly three decades, airships took to the skies handling various duties. Beginning in the 1920s, airships ferried passengers from place to place, including crossing the ocean.

Whether you realize it or glossed over it, you have probably seen the iconic images of a burning airship, known to most people simply as a “blimp.” The expectations and hopes and dreams of generations changed forever in 90 seconds.

What you may not know is that this image represents so much more. A day that brought the world moving images and sound recordings never before seen by the mass public. Videos and sounds that told a horrid story of loss. Of tragedy. And unfortunately, a day where a collective hope for the future saw its darkest hour of the time.

That’s another theme explored in this podcast episode: Time. Time and its place in history are relative for each person to the context of when and where they were born. What is tragic to one generation, something jarring and haunting, may be nothing more than a near-forgotten photo decades later. Do we remember what history taught us a hundred years ago? Listen and think about your own experiences in the world you know, and the context in which you know it.

Join host Robert Falkenberg for a minute-by-minute account of the day the LZ 129 Hindenburg sailed the skies over New Jersey until it made its final approach. Not just for the end of that voyage, but for all time.

Approximately 30 minutes.

Enjoyed this episode? Leave a review! Also, check out Episode 009, Lions and Kittens: Stoicism, Ernest Hemingway, and Santiago.

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How much of your family history do you know? Are you sure? It’s important to pass stories of our ancestors down so they don’t get lost. So that our children have an identity that spans more than just their own lifetime.

Are these people from the past just photos of distant relatives? Or do they mean something?

Perhaps it’s easy for parents to assume their children know things about them or their ancestors. But if these stories aren’t passed down, how would the children know?

It was an abandoned house sitting in the middle of a crop field that opened the door for Robert Falkenberg to discover a whole host of information he never knew.

Join Robert Falkenberg as he discusses what he learned about his own heritage after taking a ride out west with his parents. Then consider your own genealogy and history. What do you know? What do you want to know? Find someone and ask them.

Discover more about yourself. About 28 minutes running time.

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A letter. One of many written by the author. In this episode we explore the letter and the life of the author, who was an artist.

The letter reveals the depths of the artist’s struggle with psychosis and depression. But his life, discussed between breaks in the letter, illustrates what the life of someone who is truly gifted with genius or brilliance might look like. Not easy. Troubled.

Or perhaps the troubled mind or depression creates the genius or brilliance?

“La tristesse durera toujours.”

It’s an examination of a tortured mind. And this examination allows us to get a better picture of those around us who may be struggling with similar issues. When we examine this artist’s life, we see that perhaps those troubled and depressed souls among us have something within them that would be a tragedy to miss.

Join Author Robert Falkenberg for a reading of this letter and look at the artist’s life. This letter is in the public domain. Approximately 31 minutes..

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Are you a lion or a kitten? Did stoicism get it right? Should we be living as the stoics believed, existing more in the present and focusing on what’s within us and less on what’s outside? Are the virtues we possess such as strength and courage and temperament the key to true peace, versus reaching for health, wealth, or reputation?

Join Author Robert Falkenberg for a dive into some of Ernest Hemingway’s life in this discussion of stoicism. Was Hemingway a stoic, or did he just channel stoicism through Santiago, his protagonist in The Old Man and the Sea? Has a belief system that has been around for thousands of years, practiced by Marcus Aurelius and other greats, provide a solid look at how to navigate life?

We’ll also examine the tragedy of the Hemingway family genes that may have been a reason for his premature death.

Have you always wondered where the word “stoic” derives? What makes a person stoic in the face of bad news or pain or sadness? How does it help one to live in the present, to focus on the now, and learn to be comfortable alone? Jump back into time with Robert Falkenberg to look at the tenets of stoicism and their ideas for living a virtuous life. He relates his own experience on his first solo mountain backpacking trip to the idea of testing oneself.

Does The Old Man and the Sea provide a glimpse into Hemingway’s psyche when he penned the novella? Was Hemingway practicing or avoiding stoicism? Did biology do him in? Or was it a choice he made with a clear head?

Listen in Apple Podcasts or here on the player! About 45 minutes total run time.

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What does growth look like? Is it a straight line? No! It’s a series of peaks and valleys. Growth isn’t linear.

Robert Falkenberg takes a look at the lives of several successful people from Henry Ford to Stephen King to Thomas Edison to J. K. Rowling who suffered setbacks on their way to accomplishing their goals. What was their mindset during this process? How did they face failure?

Are you in a fishbowl of failure? Or does your perspective lean toward acknowledging that failure is on the roadmap to success?

He also ties in the ideas of balance and perspective when it comes to working towards a dream or goal. The author looks at notes from Episode 003 of the Robert Falkenberg Author Podcast about Albert C. Brooks’s ideas of happiness. How do you maintain happiness and balance while chasing your dream?

Join Robert Falkenberg for Episode 008 of the Robert Falkenberg Author Podcast.

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Listen to Episode 007 of the Robert Falkenberg Author Podcast! Available now!

The author briefly discusses his book signing for Deceit Runs Red at Inkling Books on April 25th.

Then he dives into a discussion of greatness and genius, and how those who seem to have one or both often exhibit other character traits that can be interpreted by others as self-destructive. Is it possible to remove these traits from a person exhibiting them and keep the genius?

Would these geniuses or greats still have maintained these achievements without these traits?

The author takes a look at Tim Grover’s theories in “Relentless.”

Join Robert Falkenberg and make your own decisions regarding whether greatness or genius comes with a price. Approximately 40 minutes. Find it on Apple Podcasts or listen from the web player.

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No one ever thinks they’re the bad guy. The author examines the idea of villains, and how people’s perspective influences whether they consider themselves villains. The Mason County Hoo Doo War and the life of former Texas Ranger Scott Cooley.

What makes a villain? The type of act? The absence of a necessary act? One act? Several acts?

The villain, or “bad guy,” is only seen that way from one side, right? Or is the villain still a villain by virtue of being who they are, regardless of their motives or which side they’re on? In 1875-76, the Mason County Hoo Doo War raged in the Texas Hill Country.

After you listen to Episode 006, I’d love to hear from you in the comments to see how you shake out on this particular story. Villain? Or no?

Don’t forget to go to robertfalkenberg.com for more posts and podcasts!

Thanks for listening!

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The author shares his candid experience with driving his daughter’s car; how “someday” never comes, even for legends like Val Kilmer.

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The author talks about happiness. Can it be boiled down to a science? The author reads Katydids, one of his essays.

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