RockneCAST

In this episode, I discuss the inaugural speech, The Difference, that my Grandpa Cole gave in 1963 as President of Texan Lutheran College (now Texas Lutheran University).  When I visited Texas Lutheran a couple of years ago, I obtained what I believed to be the first draft of that speech, which was originally called A Consuming Fire.  I don't know for sure, but I think he might have thought that title too intense a title given the subject matter of the speech, the role of a Christian Liberal Arts in higher education in the 1960s.  The essence of that speech is about our divine power within all of us to experience and absorb the powers of creation in math, science and philosophy.  He changed it, but I am keeping it because it connects well with the dragon energy of Bruce Lee.  

I make some what I found to be surprising connections between my Grandfather's ideas and the ideas of Bruce Lee.  They both sought to connect with the consuming fire of creation within us as we connect to the divine power of the Universe, the infinite dragon energy within all of us.  

I also connect a verse in the Consuming Fire to Weston Noble.  

Blown away that I discovered this speech one day after doing a podcast on Bruce and Weston lighting your inner fire.   Just. Blown. Away.  

(Note, I have 0 knowledge about what Bruce Lee's ideas on traditional religion were.  Shannon discussed some of that in her book, but that was not the focus of the book.  I am not making any implication as to what they were or not.  All I know for sure is that he would have kept an "empty cup" as to the mysterious power of existence and to take daily actions to connect with that power.)

Total gratitude to Bruce and Shannon for connecting me to my grandfather in this way.  

We're continuing our series of podcasts on the philosophy of Bruce Lee through the book Be Water, My Friend - The Teachings of Bruce Lee by his daughter Shannon Lee.  Whoa I love this book!  This is podcast is a meditation on what Bruce and Weston did to discover their inner power, that is how that lit the inner fires of their souls to advance their purposes in life.  

Bruce's inner fire reminded me of another incandescent soul, my choir director Weston Noble, who completely transformed and inspired so many people throughout his career at Luther College. I discuss Weston's book, Creating the Special World, a series of curated lectures by Steven Demorest, a former student of his.  Weston had such a magnetic spirit who had such a clear sense of purpose in everything he did, sharing the beauty of music.  He aligned his mind, body, and spirit in everything that he did to advance his life's mission.  Like Bruce, he accomplished so much and left us so many gifts that continue to bear fruit even today.  Grateful that both souls have touched my life in different ways.  

Check out links to these books at www.rocknecole.com.

We continue our mutual journey on the life and teachings of Bruce and Shannon Lee.  I am incredibly inspired by the gift that Shannon has provided through her mediations on the life and teachings of Bruce Lee.  Shannon has experienced an incredible amount of pain in her life, the loss of  her father at four as well as the untimely death of her brother Brandon.  She wouldn't wish it on anyone and would give anything to have been able to experience the vibrant lives of her brother and father.  But that pain has given her an incredible wisdom that has made her such an incredible guide to the teachings of her father Bruce.

In this episode, I explore that the growth that occurs through purpose driven pain or as Shannon calls it, "skillful frustrations" that we subject ourselves to reach our goals.  Bruce called this "means," which is daily purpose driven discomfort to grow our minds, our bodies and spirits.

We also detour to the Ringo Starr of the Stoics, Musonius Rufus, a guide on the virtues of hardship in life as it reach is and conclude with Kelly Clarkson.

I hope you get the opportunity to read Be Water, My Friend - The Teachings of Bruce Lee. The book can be purchased also by clicking on the link in the Bruce Lee Show Notes at www.rocknecole.com. Love this book!!

In this first in our series on the Teachings of Bruce Lee, we explore the seemingly obvious concept of the virtue of keeping an open mind through the Parable of the Empty Cup.  Whoa, Shannon and Bruce have such an intriguing way of teaching simple, yet profound concepts that we think we know, but so often ignore in our own lives.  Bruce's power arose from his ability to self examine and opening his mind up to the powers the Universe while also drilling down and mastering what he really did know.  This yin yang of knowledge and unknowledge is one of the many things that made him such a powerful, charismatic, and transformational figure.

For those who want to learn more, buy Be Water, My Friend - The Teachings of Bruce Lee by his daughter Shannon Lee.  A portion of your purchase will help fund the show through the Amazon Associates program.  

I just read an awesome book, Be Water, My Friend, The Teachings of Bruce Lee by his daughter Shannon Lee.   This book is now on my essential reading list along with Walden by Henry David Thoreau and Meditations by Marcus Aurelius.  I absolutely loved it!    I am going to do a series of daily episodes about various teachings in the book.  I am no expert on Bruce Lee.  I just read this book about three weeks ago, but whoa, this was just an awesome, good vibe, life changing book.  Would love to have you join me this week for my daily exploration of the teachings of Bruce Lee and how it applies to our daily lives. Love, love, love this book!

I have included a link to the book in the show notes at rocknecole.com.  If you buy through the link, a portion of the proceeds will help fund the RockneCast.

Whoa... This was probably one of my best podcasts so far.  I interviewed one of the most delightful, balanced, and wise people that I personally know, Mary Elizabeth Williams.  We discuss in depth, her career as an opera star, the obstacles, the triumphs, and the wisdom that she has acquired along the way.

Mary and I attended Luther College together in the mid-90s.  I got to know her because we were both in Nordic Choir together for two years.  At the time, she seemed destined to become an opera star, but as we discussed during this episode, that destiny wasn't always so sure.  There were moments when it didn't appear so inevitable.

Gulp, at one point, she even considered becoming a lawyer!

I love being a lawyer, but the world would have lost an incredible treasure if she didn't align with her life's purpose, to impart beauty and passion to the world through charismatic personality and voice.  This would have been roughly akin to Einstein considering becoming an insurance salesman prior to discovering relativity.  Thank goodness she chose opera!

In addition to opera, we discussed a self care strategy, book recommendation, and we even discuss an intriguing aspect of her father's life in France during WWII, a life so interesting that I think Mary should write an inspired by real life novel about that part of her father's life.

This cast was a delightful journey for me, learning from such an intriguing and passionate soul.  This was a fun one!!

In this episode, I interview Iowa City Councilor John Thomas.  We discuss a recent proposal to convert Market and Jefferson Streets from one way to two ways, and also, discuss some larger urban planning trends in the late 20th and 21 centuries through the lens of Iowa City, including historic neighborhoods, walkability, neighborhood commercial, and suburban development.

We also discussed several book recommendations, all of which can be found in John Thomas Show Notes at rocknecole.com.

John is an incredibly engaging personality with a clear, elegant mind.   Iowa City is fortunate to have him on our Council.  We had a really fun conversation!  Plug this one for your weekend walk!

My friend Brad Lund and I have a conversation about the past, present, and future of liberal arts.  Brad and I graduated in the 90's from Luther College, a small liberal arts college in NE Iowa.  Brad and I met about a month ago in Decorah as his son was visiting Luther College.  I thought it would be fun to have him on the RockneCast.  Brad is a good vibe dude!  We discuss our experience at Luther, his son's current search for post-secondary college, and whether the liberal arts remains relevant amidst the increasing specialization in the modern world.  

This is a great episode for all, but especially for those with high school kids trying to figure out whether a small liberal arts college makes sense for them.

In this episode, I discuss the awesomeness of Iowan Robert Waller through his essay, "The Turning of 50", an essay in this non-fiction book, "One Good Road is Enough."  He released One Road in 1989, just three years before his phenomenal best seller, "The Bridges of Madison County."  Waller seamlessly wove so many threads into his dynamic life: business, math, music, emotion, logic, and of course, writing, something he did on the side of his career as an academic in the business college at the University of Northern Iowa.  

Waller sold over 60 million books with Bridges and made a Madison County a literary destination, much in the same way that Twain made a Hannibal a permanent stop in the American literary trail.  He did that by following his passion and by living and breathing the liberal arts in everything he did.    

I share a personal connection to Waller through a high school English teacher, a moment that significantly changed my life.  I also discuss exuberant stoicism, the joy that comes with the acknowledgement of our mortality, the driving force to live to the fullest while we are here.  I thought of Waller as the embodiment of what liberal arts means and the power it can give in helping us to weave threads into the fabric of our own lives.    

Waller represents not schmaltz or sentimentality as some critics have suggested.  He lived in unity with the inner voice, damn what the critics thought of him.    Next week, we will be featuring Brad Lund, a master polymath, actor, lawyer, programmer, comedian, musician, philosopher, and incredibly talented life force.   We will discuss the power of liberal arts and give our views on the past, present and future of liberal arts education for small colleges.

In this episode, I interview Dr. Josh White, co-founder of the Community Health Initiative along with Dr. Chris Buresh.  They met at the University of Iowa College of Medicine and later co-foundered this incredible medical non-profit whose mission is to provide high quality medicine to Haitian residents.  We discuss the challenges of non-profits and the learn more about the incredible Haitian people and culture.  Dr. White is also from my hometown of Decorah and is a fellow Luther College graduate.

Check out Dr. White's book recommendations at rocknecole.com and the donation link for this awesome non-profit.

This was a fun one to do!!