Here are a few of my favorites from the past month. Some have been truly convicting (the last three mentioned), two just down right entertaining (Lost in America and Running with Donkeys), and one a bit of a can opener to the world of mental illness (Kirkbridge Plan) which was unconsciously followed by me watching The Joker, episode three of Modern Love, and two 30 for 30 documentaries - Rodman: for better or worse and Tommy , all of which deal with mental illness in one way or another.
Anyway, here are a few favorites from the past month or so! If you have any suggestions, let me know! I’m all ears.
Lost in America, by This American Life : Stories of people who are lost, histories that are lost, and things that are lost. This show was recorded onstage in front of audiences on a five-city tour in May 2003. The cities: Boston, Washington DC, Portland Oregon, Denver and Chicago.
Running With Donkeys with Chris McDougall : A few years ago, Chris’ family adopted a donkey named Sherman who had been neglected by an animal hoarder. Their solution to getting Sherman happy and healthy was to give him a purpose and teach him how to burro race, a feat that became an amazing adventure in itself. The book is Chris McDougall’s most personal work and explores the importance of purpose and community in how both animals and humans survive and thrive.
The Kirkbridge Plan, by 99% Invisible : Today, there are more than a hundred abandoned asylums in the United States, many of them not all that different from Buffalo State. It’s one of the reasons we’re all so familiar with the idea of the big empty asylum in the woods. Few stop to wonder where all these structures came from, but, in fact, all of this was part of a treatment regimen developed by a singular Philadelphia doctor, a physician who was obsessed with architecture and how it could be harnessed therapeutically to cure those who’d become insane.
Screaming Into The Void: How Outrage Is Hijacking Our Culture, And Our Minds, by Hidden Brain : An exploration of how the satisfactions of outrage affect our politics, our communities, and our minds.
Maslow’s Human Needs, by TED Radio Hour : Humans need food, sleep, safety, love, purpose. Psychologist Abraham Maslow ordered our needs into a hierarchy. This week, TED speakers explore that spectrum of need, from primal to profound.
Transparency, by TED Radio Hour : Sometimes, being truthful can be uncomfortable—even risky. But can radical honesty and openness change things for the better? This hour, TED speakers take transparency all the way to its limit.
Enjoy the day, and happy listening.
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