It's a cozy Monday night with Mr. Frank Betkowski and most of the crew: Lilly Killinger, Jessica Dang, Annie Mohr, and Cole Piraino. Let's see if we can make music philosophical.

Episode 9 in a 🌰:
How can two people who grow up together like different music? Can music be meaningful without being political? We look at milieu and the role of sadness and dopamine in what we listen to. It grows into an interesting talk on screen time, with Mr. B offering new insights as a non-GenZer.

TIMESTAMPS

[00:00:27] When and how our music taste forms

[00:02:28] Performative taste, cultural influence, and parental impact

[00:04:04] Songs that grow on you vs. hit instantly

[00:06:26] Mood-congruent music and emotional resonance

[00:08:51] Are songs getting less meaningful?

[00:10:00] Cancel culture, fear, and music's political retreat

[00:11:55] Do young people value time differently?

[00:14:02] Phones, screen time, and generational comparison

[00:16:00] Phone policy backlash and digital detox

[00:17:32] What would you do with unlimited time?

[00:19:48] Do we have souls—and can you die from a broken spirit?

🥜 Hypothetical Nut of the Day

If you had all the time in the world and didn’t have to work, what would you do?

Hope you enjoyed the ep!

I'm back with Elie Shimaoka to explore mysterious aspects of life.

Episode 8B in a 🌰:
Human's capacity to be objective, the experience of joy vs. the feeling of joy, and the divine nature of nature: we talk a little more about life's surprises. Along the way, we look at some hypothetical and real situations (like AI).

TIMESTAMPS:

[00:00:19] Self-awareness through struggle

[00:04:12] Fight or flight?

[00:08:47] Objectivity, third-person thinking, and sensitivity

[00:13:32] The Experience Machine: Would you trade experience for emotional simulation?

[00:22:01] The process of art vs. the product of AI

[00:25:00] Mistakes, nature, and human wisdom

🥜 Hypothetical Nut of the Day:

Hope you enjoyed the ep!

I talk with my best friend Elie Shimaoka on why it's so hard to be yourself, especially around other people.

Episode 8A in a 🌰:
First impressions. Self-conscious thoughts. What is it like to be authentic? Elie and I open up about the faces we wear, the overthinking, and our elusive feeling of chemistry that can’t be explained by language, culture, or even shared values.

TIMESTAMPS:

[00:00:33] First impressions and social overthinking
[00:03:18] Defining the “authentic self”
[00:07:21] Chemistry, connection, and soulmates
[00:11:34] On openness and attracting the right people

🥜 Hypothetical Nut of the Day:

Hope you enjoyed the ep!

We're back in the Socratic forum with your familiar crew. I'm with Annie Mohr, Lilly Killinger, Yule Kwon, Cole Piraino, Jessica Dang and joined by Ryan Du Plessis and Arnav Rao. We talk burnout and competition, and the difference between winning and not losing.

Episode 7 in a 🌰:

We look at the fear of being a "try‑hard," genuine versus strategic compliments, and the line between healthy drive and harmful burnout. We swap race‑day stories, academic anxieties, and confessions about what really fuels our motivation. An honest, high‑energy exploration of success and self-worth.

TIMESTAMPS

[00:00:00] Why “trying” is uncool – the rise of nonchalance

[00:04:40] Jealousy, compliments, and “glazing” culture

[00:10:23] Winning vs. not losing

[00:18:50] Academic pressure & the fear of disappointment

[00:25:35] Defining burnout and spotting it in yourself

[00:34:00] Process love, positivity, and team energy

🥜 Hypothetical Nut of the Day

Do you strive to win…or simply to not lose—and how would your choices change if results were private?

Hope you enjoyed the ep!

In this quiet episode, I ponder with An Yan on whether humans are inherently greedy, transitioning to progress in life.

Episode in a 🌰:
From genetically modified bananas to monkey economics, from gender inequality to the structure of societies, An and I wade through hard-hitting questions: Are humans naturally selfish? Can society function without leaders? Why strive for perfection if it’s unreachable? We talk morality, mortality, and meaning.

TIMESTAMPS

[00:00:22] Are humans born greedy?

[00:02:39] Monkey economics and loss aversion

[00:04:38] Gender roles and historical power shifts

[00:08:08] Do humans need leaders?

[00:10:00] Why striving requires inequality

[00:11:45] Would perfection ruin everything?

[00:14:08] If death is inevitable, why live?

[00:15:51] Random stardust or divine purpose?

[00:17:01] Are we the universe experiencing itself?

[00:18:52] Is finding purpose even useful?

[00:21:02] If your meaning was assigned, would you feel trapped?

[00:23:25] Creating your own spark vs. having a moral compass

🥜 Hypothetical Nut of the Day

If perfection guarantees stagnation, should we even try to improve?

Hope you enjoyed the ep!

In part two of this outdoor conversation, me and the same curious crew look at morals, beliefs, and God.

Episode in a 🌰:
Do we all have the same morals? What’s the difference between a belief and a value? Why do bad things happen to good people? This episode turns personal and philosophical as the group reflects on religion, altruism, and whether doubt might actually make belief stronger. Chirp chirp.

TIMESTAMPS

[00:00:31] Are we born with the same morals?

[00:03:35] Baseline morals vs. beliefs

[00:06:35] Do beliefs ever contradict morals?

[00:13:01] Are morals just evolution in disguise?

[00:21:44] Suffering, doubt, and belief in God

[00:27:18] Is purpose possible without religion?

🥜 Hypothetical Nut of the Day

Hope you enjoyed the ep!

We're in the first part of "In the Company of Birds and Doubt," a precious two-part discussion outdoors. I'm joined by the crew Annie Mohr, Cole Piraino, Lilly Killinger, Yule Kwon, plus one new member, Jessica Dang, to debate bias, morality, and how we make hard choices.

Episode in a 🌰:Should we live by reason or emotion? Is altruism real, or evolutionary self-preservation in disguise? Is “evil” a choice? From creepy vans to the trolley problem to a flying shoe, we wrestle with the deep stuff.

TIMESTAMPS

[00:00:33] Bias

[00:08:30] Utilitarianism vs. Personal Relationships

[00:16:00] What is evil? Action vs. Intent vs. Consequence

[00:27:49] Should you be friends with people who have similar morals as you? Baseline Morals

🥜🥜 Hypothetical Nuts of the Day

1.Imagine a world where people don't have biases.

2.If you were stranded on an island with other humans and no source of food, would cannibalism be morally okay?

Hope you enjoyed the ep!

I chat with my friend and 1W buddy Janie Miller to ask the question that plagues highschool students: is the straight-A, resume-builder grind really worth it if you’re miserable along the way?

Episode in a 🌰:

We start with means vs. ends and talk about genuine fulfillment, from skipping physics because it sparks zero joy to choosing low-paying but meaningful work like teaching. We try and find the line between “healthy discomfort” and burnout, whether true altruism exists, and why it’s okay to be selfish sometimes so you can keep helping others.

TIMESTAMPS

[00:00:29] College apps & “doing it for the resume”

[00:08:54] Job-offer thought experiment: money vs. love of the work

[00:17:05] Selfish, selfless, and finding a healthy line

[00:30:34] Are tiny kindnesses the only true acts of altruism?

🥜 Hypothetical Nut of the Day:

You’re offered a high-paying job you don’t enjoy OR a lower-paying job you love. What do you choose?

Hope you enjoyed the ep!

The deepening conversation closes with new members Katie Lee, Asami Puff, Kyle Hwang, and joining us at the end - Imangali Zhakan and Mr. Kerr (resident philosophy teacher). As before, I'm with the old crew: Annie, Yule, Cole, and Lilly. We take a raw, unfiltered dive into our school Mercersburg, an extended look into privilege, empathy, and whether good intentions are ever enough.

Episode in a 🌰:

How should we give back? Do we owe anything at all? From trust funds to trickle-down ethics, this episode questions the morality of wealth, the possibility of true empathy, and whether growth matters more than happiness. Along the way, the group unpacks why privilege is so hard to define.

TIMESTAMPS:

[00:00:23] When does failure stop being a blessing?

[00:03:54] Privilege and addiction: is “just try harder” a fair stance?

[00:08:22] Is private school a bubble?

[00:13:14] Giving back: what counts, and when does it matter?

[00:19:39] Can you make change without money?

[00:27:01] Money. Do we even have an ultimate goal, or do our desires evolve?

[00:36:24] Empathy vs sympathy. Moral weight of inheritance

[00:48:44] Are we intellectually evolved enough to be truly moral?

🥜 Hypothetical Nut of the Day:

Is it worse to be born with privilege and do nothing, or to be born without it and never have to face the guilt?

Hope you enjoyed the ep!

The movie room turns into a Socratic forum. I am again with Yule Kwon, Annie Mohr, Lilly Killinger, and Cole Piraino, focused on the central question: Are we morally responsible for the underprivileged?

Episode in a 🌰:

The group debates what being morally good is like in a world with inequality. From Peter Singer to Elon Musk, they explore whether caring is enough, or if true morality demands real sacrifice. Along the way, they unpack wealth guilt, responsibility, the usefulness of failure, and how empathy might be more learned than innate.

TIMESTAMPS:

[00:00:23] Can people change? On valleys, resilience, and spiritual metaphors

[00:04:50] What does it mean to “lose your soul”? Money, morality, and happiness

[00:08:26] Peter Singer, guilt, and the inertia of privilege

[00:15:32] Should you blame yourself for someone else's suffering?

[00:19:59] Elon Musk, selfishness, and whether genius excuses immorality

[00:26:35] Wrapping up (recall to 3A) - Pain as blessings

🥜 Not-so-Hypothetical Nut of the Day:

We discuss Elon Musk, and also take ourselves as case studies. [Please note that all opinions only reflect that of the speaker's, and are not intended to offend!]

Hope you enjoyed the ep!