Run away from friends who want you to fear something, who never question themselves, who won’t let you think for yourself, who try to change you into the person they think you should be, who revise your joy downward, who deprive you of your feelings, and who are afraid to tell the truth.

Voltaire’s garden is inside ourselves, within our own mind. Empty your life. Mind your own garden. Do what you love. Build a wall. Your mind is your kingdom. If you find peace there, you won’t need to look for it elsewhere.

Dogs have a philosophy of life with 12 guiding principles: Dogs love to learn. Humans are special. Dogs don’t compare themselves to other dogs. Dogs value a natural life. Dogs are trustworthy. Dogs are compassionate. Dogs practice moderation. Dogs are humble. Dogs pay attention. Dogs can neither deceive nor be deceived. Dogs are virtuous. Dogs love unconditionally. A reading of Bukowski’s poem on man’s best friend concludes this podcast.

The goodness and badness of human behavior is determined using intentions and outcomes. Yet, as Shakespeare’s Prince Hamlet proves, judging mistakes is hopelessly messy. This episode offers four practical ways to overcome fear of making mistakes.

We invest more thoughtful, rational decision making in adopting a dog than in creating a new person. Procreation should not be automatic. To be a conscious choice, procreation should ask and answer — How much? Why? For what?

Why does it hurt to tell and to be told the truth? Why does truth hurt more than lies? Without false beliefs, fantasies, and illusions, truth wouldn’t hurt. It hurts to face the truth behind the lies we live by.

Why do utterly pointless things having no purpose or benefit? The real cost of pointlessness is the number of heartbeats one must pay for it.

Why is finding life’s meaning so difficult? Look right in front of your eyes! Eight of life’s most profound truths are hidden by familiarity.

Why is finding life’s meaning and purpose so difficult? Actually, it’s easy, once you understand why you’re looking for two things as different as the menu and the meal, the map and the journey.

Let’s reason out the abortion debate through the mind of a philosopher, addressing the big questions and finding answers that agree with your own wisdom and good sense.