Zenlarge Show

The co-hosts of the popular Zen Parenting Radio Podcast join Chris and I for a hearty discussion on Parenting. Cathy and Todd Adams discuss their particular way of being self-aware parents and how they overcome the daily challenges of being responsible parents.

Some takeaway points from this podcast are:

-Parenting is "simple... but not easy"

-Steve provides a really bad sports analogy

-How to handle not becoming "offended" when a child yells back at you or disrespects the parent

-We spend a good bit of time talking about the partnership of parents and how important that is, and also how to manage that relationship in a healthy way

Steve's Aftershow Deep Thoughts:

Oddly (but not so oddly), I walked away from this interview noticing a parallel between 'Parenting Podcasts' and 'Business Management Podcasts' because they both share the same language and structure. Both topics are about empowering the individual who is being managed to be free and creative but yet there is always a need for safe boundaries. Both topics tackle the issue of establishing order. Both topics understand that a reward system is necessary. Both topics understand that discipline must be catered to foster learning from the example (the fear of punishment is a powerful motivator to curb behaviors but not so much a motivator to be innovative).

Management and parenting may just be one in the same. Is there a relationship between how we treat children and how we treat adults? Are there universal behaviors and treatments that can be gleaned from one topic and transferred to the other topic?

Obviously, I will concede that this may not always be the case (diaper changing for example) but in most situations you can transfer a success/failure example in the parenting realm and achieve a relative success/failure in the business realm. It certainly is worth noting and experimenting with in your personal life. 

Until next time... take care. 

Steve

Stefan Molyneux joins my co-host and I for a discussion about injecting philosophical morals and ethics into our parenting. Stefan introduces and describes what it means to be a 'Philosohical Parent' and reminds us that the relationship between the parent and child is unique in it's structure and therefore we must recognize this disparity of power and respect it. 

After a short introduction to the topic I quiz Stefan on how he would handle this situation and that situation in which Stefan responds with several tools that he uses. After a few short discussions of 'how-to's' Stefan realizes that not all tools are fool-proof and universal and will require preparation on the part of the parent, thus requiring a parent to be vigilant and aware. Stefan then brings the discussion back to the morals and ethics of these examples.

We end this episode strangely enough, gushing and fawning over the work of Stefan Molyneux. He is afterall the 'King of All Content' and has recorded thousands of hours of media, which could easily dominate one's thinking and spare time. Maybe I should have quizzed him on his rise to the position as 'Cult Hero' in the Libertarian scene, but I failed to do so... maybe next time.

Cronyism + Capitalism = Crapitalism.

Chris and I recap the election briefly and talk about the future of the Republican Party.

Once every four years I became fully engaged in the "political super-cycle" and this time around is no different. In this episode I focus my energy on the topic of debating. After my interest was picqued through the Presidential Debates I went searching for other debates and found this debate "Stefan Molyneux vs. Sam Seder" and decided to record a podcast on the material brought up in the debate.

In this debate Molyneux and Seder debate Libertarinism and in my opinion Seder is the victor, though his victory was purely a victory of debating "style" rather than "substance". Seder was able to disarm Molyneux from some of his more effective arguments before he had the chance to fully engage them. 

For this reason of losing on style rather than substance I decided to discuss the common pitfalls of defending Libertairinism and how to counter the arguments.

How could we not talk about the debates? The political season is upon us and which war-monger shall we choose?

You'll hear my synopsis of the past two debates and why none of it really matters. Also, should I vote or should I not vote?

Beyond our discussion about the debates we also talk about my book recommendation Albions Seed and why I chose this particular novel to read. The discussion surrounding the book brings us to a larger discussion about the founding of this country.

After an extended break I (think I) will be back on a semi-regular basis putting out shows. I've reformatted the show down to 30 minutes (or so) in an effort to get me back in the podcast-o-sphere.

This episode is a meandering conversation with Chris Stefanick on various topics. As you might imagine I am a bit rusty on podcasting but I will get back into the swing of things before long.

Steve

A while has passed since our last podcast but after a long break I'm back with a podcast about Bit Coin.

Bit Coin is a digital currency that is not affiliated with any person, country, or nation. It is an independently operating currency that is very much still in it's infancy after almost four years of being circulated. But in this interview Brian Nugent explains that Bit Coin is not just some passing fancy, it is actually an emergent technology that has the momentum to upend the current monetary system... or to out it more bluntly, the current monetary regime. 

This interview is an eye-opening look into what could very well be the future of money. Please don't miss this informative podcast.

Why is it that I've focused the last two podcasts on the Trivium (and soon to be three podcasts)?

The reason is that I think it is vitally important to understand this ancient form of understanding so that we may better interpret the world around us. The Trivium teaches a systematic and methodical approach to learning.

Whenever we come upon new information our minds intuitively begin dissecting it, but can our intuition (or gut feeling) be trusted? Are we wired correctly? Where did we receive our intuition? These are questions I cannot answer completely. Is it our culture? Is it our education? Is it genetic?

The Trivium is a conscious thought based approach to overcome our built-in programming. We can consciously make a choice to re-wire our intuition so that we categorize information and then dissect it from a more methodical standpoint. 

This is mind-altering stuff, yet it seems so simple and basic. I know that many listeners feel the same way because after the last show with Jan I received more thank-you's than I have ever had about a podcast. Many of the comments were similiar to mine, the Trivium is simple and basic yet mind-blowing.

Steve

Jan Irvin, host of the popular Gnostic Media podcast stops by to talk about the Trivium education. This podcast covers a general overview of what the Trivium is and how a knowledge of the Trivium can help you discern what is 'true' from what is fallacious. 

The Trivium is an ancient method of critical thinking that has three components; grammar, logic, and rhetoric. These three components make up the only three of the seven Liberal Arts. The other four concepts are covered in the Quadrivium (but we did not cover that in this episode).

Jan explains how the sophisticated class (the elites, the sophists, the powerful) has employed the Trivium to use mind control over the lower classes of society. Due to the fact that the educated class has access to better critical thinking skills they employ techniques to manipulate the minds of the less educated. Think of advertisements, campaign slogans, and government propaganda.

With a knowledge of the Trivium (which can be self-taught and is easily accesible) anyone can quickly learn techniques to identify logical fallacies and propaganda. 

An introspective podcast into the results of what happens when I tell myself the story of 'how bad things could get'. Is this a dangerous activity? Will I follow the path of the Unabomber? Can I be a functional member of society?