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"Work-ethic" - J.V. Hilliard
My guest, J.V. (Joe), is best known for his work as the epic/dark fantasy author of The Warminster Series (https://www.jvhilliard.com/), but he has also worked in Washington D.C. as a lobbyist. I thought this was a super interesting background because to write novels and create characters/entire worlds from scratch, you have to really observe and understand the nuances of human nature. When you pair that with his background and the work he's done as a lobbyist I figured he would have some really interesting perspectives and views.
Joe started with "work-ethic" as his most important value. He spent a lot of his childhood studying his dad and uncle who helped him gain an appreciation for the importance of a strong work-ethic. As you'll hear in the conversation, this value also led to Joe feeling that some from the younger generations today lack work-ethic, are too entitled, and are caught up on the "participation trophy" mentality. The result is we have stopped trying to push ourselves and to sacrifice to make the world better for future generations.
We had a really interesting discussion around all of this, where we challenged ourselves to consider the other perspective. We explored Joe's childhood and if it would've been better if his dad was around more and not working so much. We also tried to understand if there is a good reason younger generations seem to focus more on the individual and deprioritize work-ethic and sacrifice above all else.
In all of this, there is an obvious persona Joe could be labeled as-- e.g., middle age white guy, DC lobbyist, believes in traditional values, looks down on "participation trophies,", etc. He can start to look like the epitome of the problem many people have with "conservatives" today. It was interesting to explore this through the context of character development in a novel. Good characters are complex, they are multi-faceted, and they don't fit cleanly into a box. I think Joe is similar. He certainly has some views that can be provocative, but they are rooted in him valuing the importance of sacrifice and striving to be better. That doesn't mean you have to agree with him, but I do think it means it is more useful to try to understand his perspective rather than dismissing it.
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By Terry McMullen
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My guest, J.V. (Joe), is best known for his work as the epic/dark fantasy author of The Warminster Series (https://www.jvhilliard.com/), but he has also worked in Washington D.C. as a lobbyist. I thought this was a super interesting background because to write novels and create characters/entire worlds from scratch, you have to really observe and understand the nuances of human nature. When you pair that with his background and the work he's done as a lobbyist I figured he would have some really interesting perspectives and views.
Joe started with "work-ethic" as his most important value. He spent a lot of his childhood studying his dad and uncle who helped him gain an appreciation for the importance of a strong work-ethic. As you'll hear in the conversation, this value also led to Joe feeling that some from the younger generations today lack work-ethic, are too entitled, and are caught up on the "participation trophy" mentality. The result is we have stopped trying to push ourselves and to sacrifice to make the world better for future generations.
We had a really interesting discussion around all of this, where we challenged ourselves to consider the other perspective. We explored Joe's childhood and if it would've been better if his dad was around more and not working so much. We also tried to understand if there is a good reason younger generations seem to focus more on the individual and deprioritize work-ethic and sacrifice above all else.
In all of this, there is an obvious persona Joe could be labeled as-- e.g., middle age white guy, DC lobbyist, believes in traditional values, looks down on "participation trophies,", etc. He can start to look like the epitome of the problem many people have with "conservatives" today. It was interesting to explore this through the context of character development in a novel. Good characters are complex, they are multi-faceted, and they don't fit cleanly into a box. I think Joe is similar. He certainly has some views that can be provocative, but they are rooted in him valuing the importance of sacrifice and striving to be better. That doesn't mean you have to agree with him, but I do think it means it is more useful to try to understand his perspective rather than dismissing it.