Episode 34 - The Theory of Common Man

Our world is obsessed with "great men" who go to the furthest extremes of human excellence at any cost.  It exalts, celebrates, and otherwise immortalizes this version of "greatness" to the expense of alternatives that might balance that with qualities like character or wisdom.  Think of professional athletes turned political activists; think of billionaires turned medical experts; think of beautiful movie actors turned social influencers.  In other words, we live in an age that dismisses the common man.  

Chad dons a white lab coat and a tinge of sarcastic high-mindedness as the lead for this thought experiment.  Ben sniffs and skitters here and there through the maze of Chad's many machinations, as the two set out to establish a potentially groundbreaking theorem (will the world ever be the same?).  The term "common" carries such a drab connotation - how can we properly reinvigorate its meaning?  What do the wisest teachers in history say about what makes a man "great"?  And what did George Bailey, Tyler Durden, and Montgomery Gentry all intuit about genius of being a common man? 

SHOW NOTES:

Illustration of "Gotheotherwayism" (Seinfeld):  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Y_6fZGSOQI

Aristotle's Golden Mean:  https://prezi.com/qppf2e4zyjgo/aristotle-the-golden-mean/?frame=3a3e97f0b0fe600f828aae52ba0118741fe695cf

George Bailey's Rant:   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4ne13Zft9Q

Scripture Reference (Micah 6:8):  https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=micah%206%3A8&version=ESV

Chesterton Quote (it wouldn't hardly be an episode without one):  https://www.azquotes.com/quote/1253754