The tariffs won’t just affect your wallet—they’ll also affect your soul. In this episode, we walk through 5 spiritual side effects of an economic downturn (per Abraham Maslow, Karl Marx, and Simone Weil). Then we’ll talk through 3 philosophically-rooted tips for tending to your soul during (yet another) unprecedented time. Are the people wearing milkmaid dresses to the club a recession indicator? What would Karl Marx think about you hating your coworkers who won’t stay late at the office? How can we prioritize spirituality at a time like this without being navel-gazey? Let’s talk about it.

EPISODE OUTLINE

00:00 Intro

03:16 5 spiritual impacts of a recession

03:45break

06:39 1. Accessing spirituality gets harder

06:52 Maslow’s hierarchy of needs

08:37 Simone Weil and Simone du Beauvoir clash

11:05 Everyone’s an existentialist until the rent is due

12:31 2. Resurgence of traditional faith systems

12:39 Hemline index

13:36 Moral panics during recessions

13:52 Today: trad wives, homesteading and Catholic core

14:28 The link between economic security & decline of religious affiliation

16:33 3. Disconnection from nature and each other

16:58 Karl Marx’s 1844 paper on alienation of labor

21:23 4. Escapism becomes more tempting than ever

21:44 Lipstick index

22:40 TikTok restock videos as a recession indicator

23:10 Alcohol sales during recessions

23:54 TikTok shop dupe culture as a recession indicator

24:35 5. We’re ripe for spiritual expansion

25:42 The god shaped hole (Pascal)

26:27 3 practical tips for spiritual health during a recession

26:42 1. Other people are not your competition

27:28 “Be kind to people and ruthless to systems”

27:40 2. Tactile hobbies and reconnecting with the fruits of our labor

29:38 3. Spirituality during hard times is best served pragmatically and people-focused

31:58 Challenge: noticing me versus them moments

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