Speaking of Faith - podcasts

I listened to “Quarks and Creation” because I am generally interested in science and how it relates to religion. This podcast was an interview with John Polkinghorne, a PhD mathematical physicist from cambridge who also served at a professor of mathematics at cambridge. He resigned his position to become an ordained anglican priest, now he has written several books talking about how Religion relates to science. Polkinghorne made a very clear distinction between the scientific information in the bible and the religious information it provides. For instance, Polkinghorne talks about how God could have created the universe in 7 days but instead, created a universe where life could evolve to become it’s own. According to him, religion is not a scientific one but a spiritual one. However, he does try to compare religion to the abstractness of the world explained by quantum field theory. In quantum field theory, a particle has both wave and particle like qualities, and when you ask a wave question it gives a wave like response, and the same for asking a particle like question. If this is the way that the world really is, then Polkinghorne argues that religion could also be like this. In relation to jesus, when asked a divine question he is the son of god, when asked a human question he is a human. Polkinghorne’s final point is that God does intervene in everyday light, be he does so in ways that can not be singled out. He could make it rain or convince someone to be more optimistic by praying, because God could allow such things to occur without people knowing it was he who had done it.

Whether or not I would recommend it depends on what the other person wants to get out of this podcast. I would reciommend it to someone who would like to see some deeper meaning into their religious values. Polkinghorne provides some interesting arguments about religions and how it can be viewed. If you are someone trying to find a scientific explanation of religion, I would not recommend it. Polkinghorne give a lot of ifs and maybes, but not many hard facts.

I listed to "Einstein's God" because I've been learning about Einstein in physics and then more I learn about him, the more intrigued I become about his life and his works. This podcast was about, as you may have guessed, Einstein's take on god. Tippet began the podcast with a quote about Einstein not believing in a personal god who would interfere with his creature's every day to day life, but believing in a god as nature and as a universal spirit. Though Einstein didn't believed in such a personal god, he did believe in the "mystery of the eternity of life". He didn't believe in a reward and punishment type of system when it came to god, but he did admit that "science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind."
While some scientists might use their findings to discredit god, Einstein seemed to fall deeper into a belief of 'cosmic sense' the more he learned and understood about the universe. In an article he wrote for the New York Times, he stated that the most important aim of art and science was to awaken this cosmic sense within the people who are receptive to it. In closing, Tippet quoted Einstein, "Morality is of the highest importance – to us but not for god." This suggests that, as stated earlier, Einstein did not believe in the god that people personified and projected their own beliefs onto - but believed in the god of universal spirit.
Firstly, I would recommend this podcast to anyone who enjoys Bach. As a tribute to Einstein's avid concert attendance and his love of Bach, concertos and preludes are played as background music for the entire podcast. The first song, Second Suite, Prelude, is my favorite. So, if you like Bach, go for it. If you are looking for a deeper understanding of what Einstein believed god was, this is an alright podcast to listen to. Unfortunately, Einstein is no longer with us and Tippet instead spoke with too other scientists who did their best to express their own beliefs and what Einstein might have believed in. I would have liked to hear it from the horses mouth, but I know that is impossible unless I can find that wormhole.

I chose to listen to "Demonstrations, hopes, and dreams". I honestly scrolled through the options about ten times, listened to the beginnings of a couple others, and finally decided on this podcast. It was the most recent, and I felt the most important entry to listen to considering what recently took place in Egypt.
Scott Altran, a worldly anthropologist was the guest. The discussion was prompted by the protests in Egypt, but ultimately the main discussion revolved around the average American's incorrect perception of terrorism and the democratic change that's being made in youth around the world. Altran believes that there is a crash of cultures taking place around the world, and that technology enables youth from different parts of he globe to connect and thus our world view's collide - people have an infinite amount of knowledge and information at their fingertips, and advancements happen at an extremely fast rate - Altran thinks that the American government doesn't currently have the current means to keep up with the social changes of our time.
Terrorism was continually discussed. Altran remarked, "Never in human history has so few people with so few actual means caused such fear in so many". In America especially, there is a skewed vision of terrorism: it is often sean as this hugely dangerous force, but in actuality there are very few terrorists with few resources. It's not the fact that there are good or bad ideologies out there, it's not the fact of lack or presence of economic opportunities, it's whether there are paths in life that can lead them to something that's more congenial to the way we life in the world.
The vast majority of people who could possibly become the worlds terrorists face the question "should we go the path of martyrdom or should we go the path of good and honesty?"
Altran references an exchange between Reagan and Gorbachev - Reagan said lets make aliens our enemy and unite - That same principal exists presently. As humans we are wired to look for enemies and competition, what we must to is unite the world behind a common enemy: an idea, killing, violence - we must cease to fight each other. This and many other ideas were discussed in the podcast.
Lincoln said "do I not destroy my enemies when I make them my friend?" You either exterminate your enemy or make them your friend - we must make friends and unite.
I would most surely recommend this podcast to others; the ideas and current events discussed should be understood and known by everyone in order for our society to have educated and wise citizens

The podcast I listened to was called "The Meaning of Intelligence," and I'll be honest, I chose it because the name caught my interest. I mean, who doesn't want to know the meaning of intelligence? In the podcast, Krista was talking with a UCLA teacher named Mike Rose about the difference between physical and intellectual intelligence in american culture and the "social-predestination" that's present in education systems today which fails to adapt to "hand minded" children. It also described the difference between intelligence when used for "physical work" (hairdressing, waitressing, construction working) vs. "intellectual work" (any occupation that requires a degree to earn). Mike talks about how he grew up the son of an Italian immigrant, and describes the expectations set upon him by society regarding his circumstances. However this changed in high school when his entrance exam was mixed up with another person's with the same last name, resulting in his entrance to a college prep-school. Throughout the podcast, he talks about educative environments and how it's important for children to feel comfortable in their learning environments so that the can experiment and grow intellectually. He also talks about how children tend to be put into two groups, "hand minded" children, or in other words, children who will grow up and pursue physical occupations, and "abstract minded" children, who ideally grow up to be the intellectuals. The components that most often determine which group a child will be placed in are their, literacy, schooling, class and location.
One thing he mentioned that I found really interesting was that historically, a higher respect was placed on "practical experience," or in other words, manual labor and hard workers, people who had a lot to show from their lives. These days, people learn less from "practical experience" and more from books. In order to get a decent job today, a person needs certain degrees and certifications to prove their qualified. The jobs that require physical work, such as waitressing, definitely aren't given enough credit today, because they require a large combination of other skills such as memory work, scanning and prioritizing that people often overlook. All in all, he emphasizes the importance of mixing intellectual book learning with practical, hands-on experience. He differentiates the two types of learning as "above the neck" vs. "below the neck" learning.
I enjoyed this podcast, and would recommend it to others, although it didn't really teach me a lot about religion. It did relate a lot to life though, and I think the ideas proposed are important to consider, especially since it won't be long before I'm stepping into the world economic competitiveness and these are some issues I may find myself coming to face.

I listened to "Muslim Women and Other Misunderstandings." Because I had some questions about what the middle east thought about muslim women that were raised during Topics. It was mainly about the cultural significance of the veil and how muslim women view it. One of the first things the speaker said was the most muslim women don't wear the veil. The second thing is that it is not seen as a "mark of separation". However, the main thing is that the veil is not seen the same way in each part of the islam world. Each country views it differently. The history of the veil is also interesting. Way back when both men AND women wore head coverings. But only upper class women wore facial veils. So back then, veils were considered a mark of being elite! However, the west has always seen islam as inferior and often brings up the veil as an example of that.
Two things I learned from this podcast are about Sharia law and Saudi Arabia. First thing, Saudi Arabia and other fundamentalist nations gained a lot of oil money. They used this money to preach their version of fundamental islam which in my opinion has led to a lot of the current problems in the middle east.
The next thing is that Sharia law is a VAST body of law. One could piece together the law to give justice to women, but of course, conventual Sharia Law is biased against women.

I'd recommend this episode to others. It clarifies a lot of things.

The podcast I chose was "The Meaning of Intelligence." I chose this podcast metacognition is of some interest to me. In other words, thinking about the way we think.

There were two main points made in this podcast that resinated with me. The first being the way society looks down upon labor workers, and the second being how colleges read into standardized test scores.

The man being interviewed, Mike Rose, began the first point with background of children who find themselves in hard labor professions. Typically, these kids are brought up in poor families and receive little education, compared to the kids who take on corporate professions, who receive college preparatory education. Obviously, Rose's point about this is that society looks down people work these hard labor jobs, despite the importance of their professions. WIthout these labor workers, the upper class cannot live a clean, healthy life style.

The second point I was interested in was based on standardized test scores. The point Rose makes about say, the SAT, is that students who do well clearly have intelligence, but the students who do not score as high does not mean they are any less intelligent. There are many reasons these students don't do as well, such as lack of experience. Many colleges today are starting to read less into these scores because they realize there is more to a students intelligence than a test.

To conclude, I would recommend this podcast because there are valuable lessons that it teaches you. It also points out important flaws in society that many people do not know exist. Overall, I found this podcast made interesting points, but some of it was dense and hard to follow.

I listened to the episode "The Happiest Man in the World" which is an interview with a French Buddhist monk named Mattieu Richard, who is now 65 years old. I decided to listen to it because I was curious as to why and how Richard became the "happiest man in the world" and what he thinks it means to be "happy."

The podcast begins with an overview of Mattieu Richard's life beginning with his childhood, how he was raised agnostic, about his early academic studies, etc. He was originally a highly influential scientist. He had a Ph.D. in molecular genetics, but he later left his scientific career for the buddhist path. He says that he did this because scientific research "can't solve the fundamental questions of life." He does, however, consider the spiritual life as a "contemplative science." So it seems like he has a very scientific approach to his religion and spirituality.

Next Richard and Tippett talk about mind training, looking within the self, and basic consciousness. Richard has meditated for more than 40,000 hours. He talks about how meditation can increase neuroplasticity in the brain and how looking inward can be very healthy and beneficial for our brain, spirits, bodies, etc. During his segment Richard also said that "people can be brilliant but also miserable" which I think is very true and also very interesting.

Next Richard talks about his own definition of happiness and why others have labeled him as the "happiest man in the world." Richard describes happiness as a "flourishing within the self." It is "a way of being that gives you the resources to deal with the ups and downs of life." Tippett adds that we live in a culture where happiness gets totally watered down, it's a very vague word. For example, "buy this toothbrush and you'll be happy." So what is happiness? It can't purely just be about the material consumerist aspect of our lives.

Tippett asks Richard: "How does one become happy?" and he responds, "Bring benevolence in your mind….cultivate compassion….the same way you have to practice chess, you have to cultivate happiness." Essentially Richard describes happiness as a life discipline. The same way that people set twenty minutes aside a day for exercise, people should set aside twenty minutes to cultivate compassion and to work towards happiness.

Overall I thought this was very interesting. I think that people perceive, interpret, and feel the word "happiness" very differently and it's interesting to hear what Mattieur Richard has to say about it. I would recommend listening to it, although it is a bit long.

-sarah purgett

Posting for Zane Wold -

For my "Speaking of Faith" assignment, I chose the podcast, "Stem Cells, Untold Stories." I have heard Stem Cell research being thrown around on the radio for a while now, and the concept seems to be quite life changing. I chose this podcast to further investigate this experiment.

The podcast starts out explaining the magnificent experiment by Dr. Taylor of the University of Minnesota. The doctor injected stem cells into a rat heart and the heart all of a sudden came to life. This is truly a big step for science.

Dr. Taylor began her journey ino science because her brother had cerebral palsy. She then inderictly got involved in muscles, and soon the heart. She made it her objective to create a heart. she would take hearts from animals, use soap to clean out all the dead cells, and used it as the beginning structure of her creation. she added new cells into the heart and it began to beat. She goes on saying that this was one of her two "yes" moments. the first when she made the cell transplant, and second when her co-workers called her and told her it was beating. Definitely two "wow" moments. She hopes that she has opened a door for other people to go into the subject of stem cells with the heart.

Dr. Taylor continues to talk about the negative connotation around stem cells. she makes it clear that stem cells are not cells of fetuses, they are actually fertilized egg fetus. People don't realize that this is a new concept and they don't fully understand it all so they jump to conclusions. Stem cells are actually in every persons body and people don't realize that as people age they need more stem cells to heal themselves more rapidly. as we age they seem to die so more is needed. Cell therapy is very common so people need to relax a bit.

I really do believe that people need to listen to this. Stem cells come from everywhere and they are so common and they do not deserve to have this negative connotation around it. Over time wear and tear sets in and we need stem cells so we can continue to heal ourselves as we age.

Choosing a podcast was a more difficult task to do considering there were so many different choses. It wasn't until I talked to my dad and made him look through the options that I decided to listen to "Demonstrations, Hopes, and Dreams." Why he selected this podcast out of all the other options is unknown, he just randomly selected but I am happy he chose this one. It was a good podcast to listen to considering what has been happening in Egypt and their struggle with Revolution.
The podcast had a guest present, anthropologist Scott Altran, where their discussion was started by the Egyptian protest but was soon made a apparent that the discussion was not going to be about the protests but more about the incorrect view American's have on terrorism and the democratic change thats being around the world involving the youth. Altran believes that technology enable youth from different parts of the globe to connect which then makes our world views collide, he believes this is a reason for why he believes there is a crash of cultures taking place around the world among other reasons. He also feels that the American government currently does not have the current means to keep up with the social changes of the time.
As the podcast continues the issue of terrorism is continually discussed. The American thought of terrorism is very skewed compared to thoughts of terrorism around the world. Americans see terrorism more as a dangerous force but looking at the bigger picture there are very few terrorist groups and many of them are laking the resources compared to the US to pose much of a threat, but of course we still need to have our guard up in case of any emergency.
During the podcast Altran references an exchange between Reagan and Gorbachev. What Reagan said was lets make aliens our enemy and unit which is the same idea that exists in our now a day times. The idea of Americans looking and finding competition and enemies was mention throughout the podcast and was that it is what Americans do to make the world seem united. Whether or not that is the truth is really up to the onlooker and their point of view.
Given what the current issues around the world are today i would definitely recommend for people to listen to this podcast. It is very informational but also interesting. There never seemed to be a time when they were discussing irrelevant or unimportant. I am very pleased that my dad randomly selected this podcast for me to listen to.

Gay Marriage - Broken or Blessed?

I chose the podcast, "Gay Marriage - Broken or Blessed?" I chose this because I wanted to listen to a podcast that has a lot to do with a contemporary social issue, which this one does. This podcast has opened my eyes on the topic at hand, and I learned that religion plays a much bigger role in it than i expected.

The podcasts begins with a background information on the topic at hand. Numerous people are quoted and cited, such as George Bush, people who are both for and against gay marriage, and people from different religious views and their take on the topic. Some things that I found out from this intro are as follows: The modern debate on gay marriage has a lot to do with religion. Evangelicals especially are deeply seated in this ongoing debate. Same sex marriage is legal in only 4 countries. Massachusetts alone allows gay marriage.

A story cited was when news broke that Rev. Ted Haggard, a staunch opponent of legalizing gay marriage, had allegedly been cheating on his wife with a male prostitute, the evangelical community was in shock.
"I probably cried all morning," says Michelle Richmond, one of 14,000 members of Haggard's Church. Evangelicals are a huge opponent of same sex marriage. They think that marriage should be between a man and a woman only, and that the bible says that, and you are not allowed to deviate from the script.

This is just one of the many situations cited that provides an inside view on the situation. The people interviewed were of differing ethnic, religious, and political views and really gave a wide spectrum on the debate.

I really enjoyed this podcast because it was a contemporary issue that people should be more educated about. I strongly recommend this podcast to anyone who wants to educate themselves on the subject or are just interested in the relationship between religion and the laws currently upheld.

According to the podcast, Quarks and Creation, it states that in order to truly understand the real world one must know the physics of it and religion as well. As John Polkinghorne, science is only one layer of the world and it treats the world as an object that we can pull apart and explore.
I completely agree with this because although science plays one of the biggest roles in our worlds future, there is a lot more going on in the world that effects who we are. Later in the podcast, Polkinghorne compared the science portion related to the bible and the religious portion. He talks about God and how technically he could have created the universe in seven days but instead he created it so over time, it could evolve and keep evolving. According to Polkinghorne, God is around us every day but is involved in a way where no one knows he's there.
I would only recommend this podcast to people who have an interest in physics or at least science. He loves to talk about quantum physics and how big of a role it plays in our world. However, Polkinghorne wasn't a very convincing man when he was explaining the science of religion so it was hard to believe some of the things he stated but it was a very interesting thought to consider.

Beginning on page 2, Smith describes four things that he says this book “is not.” Do you agree or disagree with the authors decision to consciously avoid doing these things? Why or why not?

In regards to the first point: I agree with him about not going into detail with extreme emphasis on names dates and social influences, because just like he said, there are plenty of books that do that already, and the fact that the book would probably end up being way too long, and would lose his original intention of providing his readers with a general knowledge of ideas not so much of precise facts from a historical standpoint.
In regards to the second point: Especially with the way religions are now, it would be impossible to give an “overall” view of each religion because each religion has so many sub-religions (if you will) that make what each group believes very unique and would take much more than a chapter to discuss, and relay to the readers without offending someone (which is basically impossible in the realm of religion) Just like he says “how is it possible to say in a manageable chapter what Christianity means to all Christians?” and that goes for any religion he talks about. I definitely agree with his position on trying to do reasonable justice to many different perspectives, instead of trying to catalogue each specific one and get it right. I also agree with him when he talked about deciding which religions he should talk about, and that there are some that pretty much everyone should know about, or at least be somewhat acquainted with being that our world now has become such a mix of cultures, to be a well-functioning member of our current world you have to have at least some general knowledge of other religions.

Revenge and Forgiveness
Just looked interesting and I wanted to know more.

Science has revealed that we’re more equipped for forgiveness than revenge. How do we calm the revenge, and work on the forgiveness intuition? Getting revenge and forgiveness. Beyond revenge, analyzation of social scientific studies, and biology and brain chemistry studies to learn about forgiveness. Revenge = disease, cured by civilization, not seen as a physical impulse we’re prone to under circumstances. Ruthlessness is an advantage in survival of the fittest. A cure for revenge would not help people triumph, based on simplistic understanding of human nature and evolution.

REVENGE:
It’s all throughout the animal kingdom. A study on chimpanzees showed that if a chimp is harmed by an individual that it’s living with, it has the ability to remember who that is, and target aggression back at that individual in the 10 or 20 minutes after the initial incident. Seen in Macacks too, very status conscious and intimidated by power. Low ranking individuals won’t harm high ranking individuals but instead will find a relative of the high ranking individual and harm that one in retaliation. It’s as if they’re saying “I can’t get you back, but I’ll hurt your family” which is really similar to human behavior. When they harm the family member, they’re doing it while the high ranking one is watching. Human society regulates themselves by this type of interactions. Fear of retaliation makes so you can cultivate a reputation as a hot head, sort of like an insurance policy. Anytime you disrupt the system of government or policing, so people can’t trust that they’re interests are going to be protected, that desire for revenge comes back to protect themselves. The emotions and reactions that rise in response to grievance are kind of hard wired into us, they serve a purpose. Anger is a moral response. Anger in response to injustice is reliable as happiness when winning the lottery. The brain activity looks the same as the satisfaction of a craving. Doesn’t come from a sick like mean part of our brains, it’s all to solve a problem or satisfy a craving. Revenge is natural.

FORGIVENESS:
Natural selection, just like revenge. A lot of biologists have been trying to figure out what allows human beings to be cooperative creatures because that makes us unique among mammals. Cooperation among relatives, people we’ve never met, that we aren’t related to etc. We are then able to do things together, and create more. Tolerance for mistakes, you can’t get organisms that will work together through thick and then despite hard things that happen, if they aren’t willing to tolerate each others mistakes. Every day acts of forgiveness are incredibly common among people who know each other. It’s more often like a band-aid on a scrape, but only slightly more interesting. Accepting limitations then moving on. Parents don’t put effort into forgiving kids, you just accept it and you move on. We have a natural tolerance for misbehavior of our children, incredibly mundane, we don’t give it a second thought but we do it all the time.

For the speaking of faith assignment I decided to listen to the podcast called “Words that Shimmer”. I chose this podcast because I love to write and listen to poetry. Here Krista is joined by Elizabeth Alexander, a famous poet throughout the United States. Elizabeth is notable for many different contributions to poetry. She’s written thousands of pieces and has been featured in many different places, like Obama’s inaugural address. In this podcast, Krista and Elizabeth talk about poetry and how it is becoming a very big topic among the media and public.
Elizabeth Alexander is a professor of African American Studies at Yale University. Her life story and the environment she lives in are a source of influence for her poetry and writings. As the podcasts rolls on Krista begins to interview Elizabeth. Here we find out that Elizabeth was born and raised in Washington. She tells her viewers that in her school, as a child, Elizabeth was expected to become very successful. She says that African-American children in Washington “just don’t mess up” and that “people died for you to go to school”—so the expectations were very high. I found this very interesting because I, personally, am also expected to become very successful. It was very interesting to see my culture in correlation to Elizabeth Alexander’s community.
Something that Krista kept repeating during this podcast was that “poetry comes up more and more now-a-days”. In my point of view, this is very true. Elizabeth and Krista begin to talk about how poetry is a source of “The Truth” and that people are beginning to use and read poetry because of the truth they perceive. Elizabeth says “truth tellers, people crave the truth. Kids want to hear shimmering words—they’ll always ask you about what it means”.
As the podcast nears the end Krista asks Elizabeth about the poetry piece she performed at Obama’s inaugural address. Elizabeth is fascinated and it seems like her words cannot be put into “words”. Elizabeth is energetic about everything and her love for poetry is evident. People always seem to think that poetry is a piece of writing about romantic love but Elizabeth says, “Poetry is not always about love, but rather bringing people together”.
As the podcast and interview ends, Elizabeth concludes with a piece of her own known as “One week later in the Strange”. Here Elizabeth talks about the death of a very famous poet known as Lucio Cliffton who passed away just last February. Here Elizabeth notes that the death of an old poet will own spawn new ones and it is like a week passing in the world.

Independent Assignment #1
Arjun Sridhar

I listened to Translating the Dalai Lama. I chose this episode because I really wanted to learn more about Buddhism and also learn more about the Dalai Lama through his English translator, Thupten Jinpa.
This podcast was all about Thupten Jinpa and his experiences with the Dalai Lama. Thupten Jinpa first met the Dalai Lama when he was a little child in northern India. He then became a monk at an early age and then moved on to study philosophy and ethics at Cambridge and has been the Dalai Lama’s English translator since 1985. Thupten Jinpa begins talking about meditation. He tells Krista Tippet that meditation has been popularized. But Buddhists believe that meditation can really be anything and is truly defined as moving from one state of mind to another. Thupten Jinpa goes on to talk about the Dalai Lama’s teachings and morals. He talks about how the Dalai Lama has become a public figure and tours the world spreading his message. Jinpa goes on to talk about how the Dalai Lama redefines the goodness in each human being stressing that although the media focuses on violence and crime; each human being has good in them. Although the Dalai Lama simplifies his teachings to the public, Thupten Jinpa explains to Krista Tippet about the more complex teachings of the Dalai Lama. He talks about consciousness and its relation to the brain. In the Buddhist philosophy, consciousness is defined as basic awareness and the memories in life. Thupten Jinpa relates consciousness to reincarnation and how Buddhists believe that consciousness/memories carry over to your next life. Thupten Jinpa talks about his interpretation job with the Dalai Lama. Jinpa says that they have been able to establish a close friendship with each other and he talks about how the Dalai Lama sometimes struggles with his flow of thought at speeches and it is his job to help finish the Dalai Lama’s train of thought. Jinpa says that he is in a meditative state while translating for the Dalai Lama. Thupten Jinpa goes on to talk about how the Dalai Lama treats everyone equally with the same respect and the Dalai Lama’s humbleness although he is such a prominent figure in our world. Thupten Jinpa ends by talking about stress, anxiety, and the challenges of relationships. He talks about his own marriage and how he has been able to manage emotional stress by going through the monastic cycle earlier in his life.
I would definitely recommend this episode to others because it is very informative about Buddhist philosophies and the teachings of the Dalai Lama. The listener gets a very personal experience with Dalai Lama’s translator, which allows for the listener to further understand the teachings of Buddhism and the Dalai Lama. This episode is also worthwhile Thupten Jinpa relates the philosophies of Buddhism to the average listener by talking about how to deal with stress, anxiety, and the importance of meditation. Overall, great podcast!

For this assignment, I chose "The Meaning of Intelligence". It sounded like it would be really interesting to hear about how people think. However, it kind of wasn't as interesting as I'd hoped. The one thing that was somewhat interesting was the way our society looks down upon labor workers, and how we look at classes and statuses. Mike Rose talked about how society looks down upon these workers, despite how necessary these positions are in our society. They are important to keep our assignment working cleanly and efficiently, but people in the upper class who hold high-ranking positions look down on these people. The way our society is built is not supportive of these people and their plight. This was really the major thing that jumped out at me during this podcast. There were a few other things that seemed like they could be interesting or relevant, regarding education in particular, but not everything seemed applicable or interesting.
I would recommend this to some one if they are interested in hearing more about life and social ladders than about religions and such. It had its interesting moments, and I'm sure there are people in the class that would like this podcast.

I listened to the Speaking of Faith show on Yoga as a physical form of prayer. Because it started in India as a form of prayer, when it came to America it started out for most people as a physical practice. Krista Tippit interviewed Seane Corne, a woman who is a pioneer in the yoga community because of her activism in the world as well as her skill in teaching yoga. She started out living in New York, doing a lot of drugs. She mentions how it started out as a physical practice, until one day when she realized that a new feeling was back in her body. Happiness, she said, was what her practice of "physical prayer" brought into her life. She said that she was headed in a bad direction, when this started to turn her around. She doesn't connect this to one religion, but finds that it is her own form of worship, not only to a higher power, but a focus on her body; by detoxifying, engaging the para-sympahtetic nervous system, and stretching and using the muscles that are becoming more powerful in the body. She says that there isn't any distance between the body and the mind. She believes that our physical body holds on to the anger, happiness, frustration, and pain in the body, and the body holds on to these things, just like an unhealthy diet; through the practice of yoga, Corne says that she is able to help people release these emotions from the physical body in order to create control in the body. She says that yoga is helping us to take the band aide off of those wounds left in us, and helping us to heal them. "You can't get to got through your head, because it has to be through your 5 senses."
I really liked the way that Corne addresses the issue of yoga as not only a physical endeavor, but also a way to intensify prayer. I think it is particularly interesting that she originally came to yoga as a way of physical exercise, but it then developed into being her form of prayer. I think that this brings to a new light the idea of engaging all five senses and deepening the spiritual connection. I'll be interested to see where yoga comes into practice in religions as well as what other forms a physical action might take in the prayer of other religions. Without realizing it, the physical connection of a Muslim bowing in prayer and a Hindu practicing yoga as a meditation for prayer, I think is something that is included in the practice of a religion for a reason. Just as Catholics take communion, and Jews fast on Yom Kippur, religion engages all five senses in order to deepen their practice.

I chose to listen to an episode from April, 2008 entitled "Brother Thay: A Radio Pilgrimage with Thich Nhat Hanh." I chose this podcast because I have read a few very interesting books by Thich Nhat Hanh and as soon as I saw his name I knew I wanted to listen to this podcast. Hanh, or Thay (Teacher) is a man of great wisdom who offers up methods to become more mindful, so I knew it would be interesting to hear him speak. In this podcast, Hanh is conducting a mindfulness retreat with police officers in Wisconsin. He discusses many topics involving mindfulness and peacefulness while enforcing the law. For example, he addresses the apparent contradiction between his firm belief never to kill and the necessity for a police officer to carry a gun. In this situation, Hanh stresses that it is possible to carry a gun mindfully, and in this way, maintain a 'fierce' state of enlightenment. In another part of the discussion, he talks about the importance of mindful breathing. He describes how mindfulness can lead to the understanding of suffering, which, he states, is the key to understanding peace and the suffering of others. Hanh discusses the process of becoming in tune with our own suffering in order to fully understand a suffering that is not ours. Further into the podcast, the issue of peace comes up, and Krista Tippett asks how mere individuals can make a difference against the collective violence facing the world today. Hanh responds stating that peace begins with the individual, and how the individual can come to serve as a refuge for other seeking peace, a process which will eventually create a community of peace. In this way, Hanh describes his process of 'rransforming garbage into flowers.'
I would recommend this podcast to others because I think it serves as a great introduction to Hanh's teachings. It describes many of the small and large effects that the simple practice of mindfulness can bring, and its practical applications to our 21st century modern world. Having read some of his books, it was nice to put a voice to the words. I think that Hanh has been one of the most important figures for peace during the past fifty years, and the opportunity to hear him speak about his methods should not be overlooked.

I listened to the podcast "the Long Shadow of Torture" because the picture of the podcast and the title really intrigued me to listen and I wanted to hear what a leading expert Darius Rejali had to say on this topic.
In this podcast, Rejali talks about how torture is relevant throughout history in multiple societies ranging in difference.The podcast goes on to talk about how torture has been used in different events, and essentially Rejali delivers facts about torture that may not be known. For example how societies change torture and how tortures change societies. He explains like what torture is, for example like he says it's a "style" or "craft" and that things like water boarding, or INS camps have been seen in the United States history. He also said that there are documents showing torture in Afghanistan 6 months before any memos were signed, which I thought was pretty interesting. He goes on to even explain some of the tortures like sleep deprivation, which isn't depriving someone of "naps" as he says, but it creates muscle aches and it was used by the, Scotts, Soviets and Koreans. So sleep deprivation provides the person who's getting tortured not to be confused with person who relies them the message, confusing the victim. Then the question "does torture work?" pops up into the conversation. Torture does have its consequences, because it gives one individual significant power over another. Also torturers don't really have much to turn to after they're "decommissioned" other than going to local police departments in our neighborhoods. With torturing as their only background, it really doesn't provide a secure and civil police force. Though as the podcast goes on it mentions United States torturing experiences and human rights issues. Overall I would recommend everyone to listen to this, however some parts are pretty slow and boring in the podcast. however, it was interesting to hear about the general facts about torture that I didn't know.

Quarks and Creation with John Polkinghorne

Dom Frecentese

The podcast that I listened to discusses the controversy and relationships between science and religion. I chose this podcast because I am pretty interested in the contradicting views of religion versus physics and other fields of science. I have been raised as a good little catholic boy but have recently drifted away from religion and doubted its supposed "truths". I have also always enjoyed the sciences and maths and understood how logical everything in those classes were. This has led me to recently believe in theories such as the Big Bang Theory and led me to distrust things in the bible such as the creation story where the world was created in seven days. I say bologna.
John Polkinghorne, who is one of the main narrators in this radio show thinks that science can agree with religion in many of its views. "Science explores only one layer of the world, it treats the world as an object, something we can tear apart and examine." Polkinghorne is saying that science is necessary in our world but it does not address the spirituality among many other things of human nature. He believes that religion is as necessary as science is in our world today. The podcast starts off describing John Polkinghorne's contributions to science and the world. It continues as a lady asks the british-sounding Polkinghorne a variety of questions on his specialties in science. In this, Polkinghorne also states that he believes God DOES interact in the world, just in ways that humans cannot notice.
I would definitely recommend this podcast to someone else. It was very interesting and straightforward (it didn't dance around the bush like many things regarding to religion usually do). However, after I finished listening to this P-cast, I noticed a DIFFERENT podcast titled "Deciphering the Da Vinci Code" that I would probably recommend to someone else because I think it sounds incredibly interesting.

The podcast I listened to was Autism and Humanity. I've always known about autism and seen campaigns for it but never really know how it effects people who have it and people who live with people who have it. This boy Morgan who has autism seemed normal at first. His parents didn't know he had it right away, mainly because they didn't have any child to compare to. They just thought maybe he is a late talker but his other skill are very well developed. They didn't know that, that is one of the key signs of autism.

Where one skill will develop very well but others will lack in ability. Most people with autism are in jobs like computer programing or engineering or musician and artist. Jobs were they are singular. They really don't want to be social. I didn't know how this condition effected people with it. The father of Morgan studied autism and found out that his family had jobs that are common with autism and he had no idea.

I would recommend this podcast because I found it very interesting. This condition can take the ability of someone's social skills but turn them into a math or computer genius.

Laurel Winsor
I looked at many podcasts trying to decide which one i wanted to do. But once i saw one on yoga i was pulled to it probably because i do yoga so i had something to relate too. Know something about yoga helped me choose it because it was a topic i was interested in. So that is why i chose to the podcast called "Yoga Meditation in Action." The podcast is all about the practice of yoga and how and why the women Seane Corn got in to it. She is know a very wel known yoga teacher but she found the practice of yoga in her won way. She started doing yoga when she was 19 and found it because she had ODC disorder and it helped her learn to balance her life. At first she like many people start yoga because of the physical aspects but for her and many people it becomes more than that and that is what she talks about in the pod cast. Corn talks about how physically yoga is a great detox for the body but it is also for the mind. She says that she feels yoga is an integration of the body and prayer. That in yoga the body, mind and spirit become connected as one and you use all of them through your practice of yoga. Today in the US there are more than 16 million people practicing yoga, and it 5,000 years old.
I would recommend this podcast because i found it very interesting, they talk about how people are consumed with what their bodys look like but yoga helps the mind and the body so was interesting. The podcast talks about why yoga has been becoming so popular and why it is good for the body and soul so that is why i would recommend it to others.

I listened to Vinyasa Flow Yoga. Vinyasa is a type of Yoga that "links movement and breath" and the body. It's a one step process: moment to moment, movement to movement, breath by breath. It allows one to be aware of how one's body moves, and how it connects bone by bone. You're supposed to "get into your body and explore" how it feels as you get into a pose. How it reacts, listening to your breathing etc...It's all about linking the mind and body, listening to reactions in order to stay in a specific position and keep focus. Most of the positions are challenging. Later in the podcast the woman talks about how discover which muscles are flexible and which are not, then we end up overusing that muscle to the point where injury is possible. Vinyasa yoga is all about moving with "absolute awareness". You want to be aware of everything that is going on, and you want to have focus. Yoga is all about inner connection and opening the mind, body and soul, eventually trying to connect with either a spirit, or your own.
I choose this clip because as a kid I never understood why people went to do yoga. What was the point of holding an uncomfortable position for five minutes? Where was the action? After watching this video, I have a better idea of WHY people do yoga, and there is a vast amount of reasons: to calm the mind, get stronger, stay focused, think about life, talk, connect with the spirit, connect with innerself etc…
I would recommend this video to people who may not understand why people do yoga, or people who like yoga. I think it's important to understand yoga in order to understand Hinduism. Yoga is an ancient tradition and yoga pants weren't the reason why the Hindu's perform yoga. :)

I watched a couple of the yoga podcasts, but the one that stuck out to me the most was theVinyasa Flow Yoga DVD Preview with Seane Corne. I liked this one because although i have never done yoga before, this seemed to have aspects of things i like. For example the video talked a lot about how practice makes perfect, and that the more you do yoga, the better you get at it. This is the same outlook i have on sports. Also yoga can be very useful to sports players because yoga relaxes the body both physically and spiritually. This can help a players safety, as well as give them a emotional edge over the opponent. It also talks about how it may not be in your mind "beautiful," however if you are connecting your body with mind you can link movement and breath. She also says that you want to bring into is a sense of humor and a sense of play. When i think of yoga i think of a very tough rendition of a lot of strenuous poses. However in this type of yoga she says it is important to bring in a sense of humor and have fun with it, because that is when you are truly connecting body and mind.

I listened to "Getting Revenge and Forgiveness", I found this podcast quite fascinating because I think revenge and forgiveness are both totally different but also so much the same, in the sense that they are both very difficult to do and hard decisions and life changing decisions to make.
The science showed that we are more likely to forgive then to get revenge which I find surprising. Revenge is not only shown through humans but throughout the animal kingdom. Studies prove that chimpanzees are able to remember if they are harmed by another and have the ability to target the individual even within the next 10-20 minutes of the affair. Revenge is also determined by natural selection and in a way survival of the fittest. If an individual is not "fit" enough to go up against the victim then they will just pose the threat of harming ones loved one or family. Revenge is said to be normal and is not a "disease" or sickness but acts as a craving for outrage.
While there is much more to revenge then we think about there is also a complex meaning behind forgiveness. Although with forgiveness we are unlike many other animals species, we are more unique with our patience (most of the time) after making a mistake. This is also proven with the means to tolerate children although they make many mistakes we teach and move on without flipping out (in most cases). We also puzzle scientists as to how and why we are able to cooperate and communicate so effectively with strangers.
I would definitely recommend listening to this podcast, although it was long, it was very interesting when you analyze deeper how the human mind works and what goes into our emotions, it is more complex then you think! I also do find it interesting that humans are not the only ones who seek revenge but other species. The thought of how we are taught to accept the way children are because they are still learning is fascinating along with how revenge is thought of as "natural".

For this assignment, I listened to the podcast titled, "Cosmic Origami and What We Don't Know." I was initially interested in this podcast because the word "origami," a hobby of mine, caught my attention. Then, after reading the synopsis, I became interested in it based on the idea of astrophysics and metaphysical thought. This podcast featured an incredible interview with Martin Rees, an astrophysicist, who answers questions regarding the universe, humanity, politics, religion, and more! After a brief introduction, Reese spends some time discussing our universe, with its many mysteries and fascinating features, as well as the possibilities of other universes. He brought a very interesting idea to the conversation regarding multiple dimensions folded into a single piece of our universe, a concept he calls "cosmic origami." Rees then moves on to talk about evolution and the rapid pace evolution has taken due to technology. He explains that, due to technology, life on earth has gone through many advancements and "evolutions." He describes an alien race observing our planet and witnessing the difference between the comatose rate of early evolution and today's constant progression, such as space travel, microwave technology, and the rapid growth of cities. After a brief commercial break, Rees segues into a conversation about a scientists role in politics. He discusses many different instances in which his career has crossed over into politics. He also compares a scientist's work to parenting, saying that like a parent, a scientist must allow his work to take its own course but he is faced with the question of whether to ignore it and let it be or to keep watch and guide it as he sees fit. Rees even discussed the conflict between atheists and religious people, promoting the idea of coexistence. Finally, he closes the conversation with a few words regarding progression and the future of science. Rees boldly states that he sees no end in sight to discovery and experimentation, but the further we observe something the more questions we gain and more frontiers we find to reach for. I really enjoyed listening to this podcast, being very informative and perfectly arranged. The main strength of this podcast was that Rees was able to give the listener a crash course in physics while providing his responses to many of life's most complex and compelling questions. He is very intelligent man and participates in a thoroughly interesting conversation that left me thinking and dreaming well after the podcast was through

The speaking of faith episode I chose was, "In praise of play". I chose this after I searched the whole archives with the keyword: baseball. I thoroughly enjoy baseball and know that some players are very religious and wanted to learn more about the connection. In this episode, they compared religion and and sports in America. They said that sports itself is almost a religion on its own. With 75% of the population saying that they are very interested in sports, it is no doubt that the comparison has been drawn. They talked about how the Super Bowl is like it's own pilgrimage. The speaker compared it to his friend's trip to India, where he viewed photographs of the peoples during their pilgrimages. He states that they are exactly what he saw at the Super Bowl. He also compares how sports were distracting some people from church, in example Sunday football or games or practices during those times. But the way I see it, they are probably not too serious about their religion if they are wanting to watch Football anyway, and I don't blame them. One of the things I found interesting was his comparison to the Greek philosopher who had boundaries set up for his "heaven" like theories. The person compared them to the baseball field while at a Dodgers game and it was very interesting how it sounded. He stressed how the pitchers mound was the central part of the area and the most important part of the haven. It being raised above every other part of the field, he compared it to a mountain. I would recommend this to another definitely. The sports aspect of it makes it easy to listen to it considering 75% of the population of the United States are into sports. The concepts he goes to in religion are easy to understand and very interesting to think about from a theological point of view. My only gripe with this: he was a Yankees fan.

The podcast I choose was Quarks and Creation, I thought the connection between science and religion would be an interesting topic. The podcast is a talk with Cambridge Professor John Polkinghorne on how science and religion can both used to describe the world. He talks about the meaning of prayer is a connection to god not a paycheck that is being filled out. Are things that move forward on their own but there are randomness. Pray is something to fill blanks areas that do not follow the clock work of the world. Life is full of variables which make life interesting
World is full of points of ambiguity among the flow of life. He believes the creation is not a controlled thing by god. He made a world where creatures can create itself.
God does not see into the future but is not affected by the future the same way we are. For why there is evil is everything has a freedom but the evil is the interaction of those freedoms and God does not take actions of making evil or good things happen. If people are interested in science being connected to religion then this podcast would be for them otherwise it was a so-so podcast.

The podcast episode i chose to listen to is Autism and Humanity. I have a great interest in Autism and i thought that this podcast could help teach me more. I was really surprised how many children have Autism in our country, in the podcast they said that 1 child in 110 in the United States is diagnosed to be somewhere on the spectrum of Autism. Autism is described as a condition in which a person seems to live in his or her own world. For Autistic people, expressions of emotion are so strong, there is not a lot of in between. I think the perspective in which this podcast is given from is the most important, through the eyes of parents whose child is autistic. Parents Jennifer Elder and Paul Collins talk about their son Morgan. Jennifer and Paul had so many interesting things to say that really made me think about Autism in our society today. Autistic traits run within families, you can see these traits particularly in male relatives. Professions such as engineers, artists and scientists tend to be common in families with Autism. This is partly because they are solitary professions that involve deep levels of focus. Simon Baron Cohen noticed that many of the autistic siblings of students he teaches were in science related majors. This also goes for math students and engeniring students.
He compared the amount of autistic people with english majors with the amount of science majors. Science majors had Autism rates 5 or 6 times more. On the flip side, english majors had much higher rates of manic depression. Autism has always been a part of society, but people were not diagnosed. It wasn't actually named until the 1940's. I thought it was really interesting when Jennifer said that her son Morgan asks her to bring him to the Good Will. People who have disabilities tend to feel more comfortable at a store like Good Will because they are treated very well.

I watched the Vinyasa Flow DVD Preview with Seane Corne. In this podcast the method and benefits of Vinyasa Yoga were discussed. I have never done yoga, but have been interested in if, and how, it could help me physically. Corne described how it is a way of aligning the bones in your body to get the full strength out of your muscles and prevent injury. Being an athlete, these two aspects seem very beneficial. I did not get the feeling that this type of yoga was very spiritual, but more a way of strengthening, and becoming more in touch with, your body. I would recommend this video to anybody interested in yoga or the different ways yoga can be used to strengthen both the physical and spiritual being.

I listened to the podcast episode "The happiest man in the World". It interviews a french buddhist named Mattieu Richard. This seemed interesting to me because It is a very bold statement and I wanted to hear what made this French Buddhist so special.

This podcast covers a lot of topics, including regular background information on Richard, and how became "The Happiest Man in the World". I learned that Richard has a Ph. D in molecular genetics, but left science for the Buddhist way. Richard has meditated for 40,000 + hours and says that meditating increases Neuroplasticity in the brain and this can be healthy for the brain, spirits and bodies. later in the podcast, Richard tells us his own definition of "Happiness". He describes happiness as a "Flourishing with the self" "A way of being that gives you the resources to deal with the ups and downs to life." To Richard, happiness is obtained by "bring benevolence to your mind, cultivate compassion, you must cultivate happiness."

For my podcast, I was interested in learning more about the Dalai Lama, so I searched that as a keyword and stumbled upon Translating the Dalai Lama.
Translating the Dalai Lama actually focused less on the Dalai Lama himself and more on his english translator, Thupten Jinna. The podcast starts with Thubten's upbringing in India and how he became such an important figure for the Dalai Lama. It then talks about how the Dalai Lama affected Thuptens life. Thupten took up meditation, an important aspect of Buddhism. Thupten says that the Dalai Lamas taught that meditation can take any form, it does not have to just be a prayer. the exact term in the podcast was meditation "moves from one state of mind to another". Thupten also talks about everything he has learned from the Dalai Lama. He talks about how the Dalai Lama speaks in public, trying to spread his goodness and kind ideas. The Dalai Lama looks down on no one, and treats everyone with respect and genuine feelings. I enjoyed this podcast, because I was able to learn more about the Dalai Lama through someone elses eyes.

For my podcast, I chose one entitled"The happiest man in the World". It interviews Mattieu Richard, a world renowned French Buddhist. This podcast immediately caught my eye because, as Jude previously said, that is a very bold statement to make.
This podcast covers a lot of topics, including Richard's life, how became a Buddhist, and what it means to be happy. I found it extremely interesting that although Richard obtained a Ph. D in molecular genetics, he left science for Buddhism. Richard has meditated for 40,000 + hours, which he thinks has had an extreme inpact on his brain. He does, however, deny the assertion that he is the happiest man in the world. Richard describes happiness as a "flourishing with the self" "A way of being that gives you the resources to deal with the ups and downs to life." To Richard, to obtain happiness, you must "cultivate happiness."

Which episode did you choose to listen to? Why?
Please provide a brief overview of what you heard in listening to the show. (I mean something like a paragraph or two.)
Would you recommend this particular episode to others? Why or why not?

I listened to the podcast titled "Lovingkindness Meditation" I chose it because I had recently done some yoga and was in a chill mood so I wanted to meditate.
The speaker, talking in a soothing voice, led me through a series of thoughts and feelings and really did a good job of relaxing me. She talked about imaging people that we loved, and people that we liked but didnt necessarily think about on a daily basis. she described how imporant it is to be nice and loving and have kindness and strength in our daily life and the best way to do that is just to relax and imagine people that you love and how good they make you feel.
I would definitely recommend this podcast to anyone who wants to meditate or relax because it was pretty darn relaxing

Which episode did you choose to listen to? Why?
Please provide a brief overview of what you heard in listening to the show. (I mean something like a paragraph or two.)
Would you recommend this particular episode to others? Why or why not?

I listened to the podcast titled "Lovingkindness Meditation" I chose it because I had recently done some yoga and was in a chill mood so I wanted to meditate.
The speaker, talking in a soothing voice, led me through a series of thoughts and feelings and really did a good job of relaxing me. She talked about imaging people that we loved, and people that we liked but didnt necessarily think about on a daily basis. she described how imporant it is to be nice and loving and have kindness and strength in our daily life and the best way to do that is just to relax and imagine people that you love and how good they make you feel.
I would definitely recommend this podcast to anyone who wants to meditate or relax because it was pretty darn relaxing

Which episode did you choose to listen to? Why?
Please provide a brief overview of what you heard in listening to the show. (I mean something like a paragraph or two.)
Would you recommend this particular episode to others? Why or why not?

For my podcast, I chose "Cosmic Origami, and What We Don't Know." The reason I chose this is because I simply find the title intriguing. As I began to listen to the podcast it gained my interest even more when it began to contemplate the idea that everything, from individual atoms, to the largest objects in the cosmos have a certain order and organization to them. As discussion develops between the women hosting the podcast, and a quantum physicist, the idea that whether the structure to space and everything in the universe can be attributed to a greater power, or simply physics. The physicist adds commentary that given the extent of order that is in the universe, while very impressive, nothing compares to the amount of structure that takes place in the creation of a human. He questions whether it is possible that evolution and natural selection alone can be credited in the creation of man, yet he is a self identified atheist. I find it very interesting that he uses his knowledge to astronomy, physics, and cosmic bodies to draw the conclusion that if Humans are to evolve further, it will be through a force other than natural Darwinian process.

"The Genesis of Desire" (October 6, 2011)

Avivah Zornberg interprets deeper meanings in the Torah, relating them to modern life and the stories of Noah and the flood and Adam and Eve.

First, Zornberg draws meaning out of the story of Noah and his arc. She says that the flood signifies, above all else, loss of language and communication because it brought chaos and returned everything to its pre-created state, which, in effect, means a pre-communicated state. She talks about the nature of the Arc, calling it a "floating prison in which the seeds of civilization are preserved", and she contemplates life in the Arc: how the animals eat, what Noah does, etc. According to Zornberg, Noah spent all of his time feeding the animals to preserve life and civilization. She also talks about the nature of Noah's character and the sense that something lacks within him. "Lack of the word," as she says, because when god tells him to build the Arc he responds without a word.

Zornberg draws parallels from this story to modern individuals, saying that one of the qualities many take from the story is the sense of "only my view is the right view", which impedes communication. Tippett also points out how the Torah preserves the messiness of human life and behavior, to which Zornberg adds that she believes that God models to his people in the Torah how not to act God-like and that imperfections are a part of life.

Zornberg then turns her attention to the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, which means delight. Zornberg cites this story as the "Genesis of Desire". She contends that God lured Adam into the Garden with words because God wanted human beings to feel desire, and that He desires for human beings to desire him.

The story introduces desire to Adam and Eve with the serpent who seduces Eve. She points to a turning point in the story when Adam lies to God and blames Eve for giving him the fruit. She says that this is "the moment of humanity"

Ms. Zornberg's ideas are very interesting, and I like hearing her perspective, but the podcast gets kind of long.

I chose to listen to “The “Happiest” Man in the World” because it sounded like an interesting idea that scientists studied his brain and somehow discovered from his brain that he is the happiest man in the world.
The “Happiest” Man in the World is about a French-Tibetan Buddhist spiritual teacher named Matthieu Ricard, who is the French interpreter for the Dalai Lama. Published a book called the Monk and the Father. Began his professional life at a cellular genetics laboratory of a Nobel Prize winning biologist. He talked about how in his twenties he went to India and learned from some elders about Buddhism. He talks about how becoming a scientist won’t make you a good human being, but in order to be a good spiritual teacher, you really have to be a good human being, in order to spread the correct message. From this, he explained how he believes the Dalai Lama is caring and an all around human being, and how he realized that he could be just like that some day. Matthieu’s father was very supportive of his scientific career, but he didn’t really understand his decision to switch to a religious focus and lifestyle. Matthieu meditates a lot, and when a study by Richard Davidson began, Matthieu volunteered for the study. From this study, the scientists learned that the brain can change following training, like meditation, singing, or just learning a new skill.
I would recommend this episode to others as long as they are willing to listen to the whole thing. I think Matthieu is a very interesting person and he has a very different outlook then me. So, I think it kind of opens up your mind to think about more then just what you believe in.

I Chose "The Happiest Man on Earth".
I chose this because I think the pursuit of happiness is extremely important and relevant. Matthieu Ricard is a very interesting and wise man who clearly understands a lot about the human condition. He has spent a life surrounded by brilliant people and not experiencing many hardships but this is not why he is so happy, it is because he can see clearly how and why to have a positive view on the world and himself. I think his scientific background really contributes and shows through his religious and philosophical sayings. Ricard said some very profound things about how one should live their lives in a way that does not detract from society.
Being an "olympic meditator", Ricard says that being happy is a skill that can be trained like becoming a good singer or athlete. This is crazy! By being happy and practicing being happy and compassionate, you get better at being happy and compassionate. Compassion and happiness are not traits that are unchanging in our personas but skills that can be improved and honed. I not only recommend this episode but will be looking further into Matthieu Ricard's work.

* Which episode did you choose to listen to? Why?
* Please provide a brief overview of what you heard in listening to the show. (I mean something like a paragraph or two.)
* Would you recommend this particular episode to others? Why or why not?

The one I chose to listen to was titled "The Happiest Man in the World". I chose this one because it caught my attention and seemed like it would be a very interesting and intriguing one to listen to. First of the fact that it is even impossible to test the happiness of someone by simply reading the singles on ones brain is something I find fascinating. And then on top of the the idea that scientists were able to do these test and studies on this man and find out that he is the happiest man in the world was incredible. It was about a man by the name of Matthieu Ricard who was a French-Tibetan Buddhist spiritual teacher. He worked for the Dali Lama as an interpreter. It discussed his life and the great events in it and the great things hes done. He started out in a cellular genetics laboratory of a very astute biologist who had won the Nobel Prize. It talks about his travels to India where he was able to learn from some elders about Buddhism. He expresses his respect for the Dalai Lama and how he too one day could be just like him. A very caring and kind person. He wants to spread the correct "message" and that being a scientist will not do that, it won't make him a good human being, and a good human being is what he thrives to achieve and that being a good spiritual teacher will allow for the spreading of the correct message, but in order to become a good spiritual teacher he needs to be a good human being. Matthieu also published a book titled The Monk and the Father. His father played, what seemed like a very significant and influential role in his life. Matthieu's father was very supportive of his way of life. Matthieu leads a life of peace and serenity. He is a clam and focused person is that is most likely due to his meditation. This is why when the studies were done they were able to discover what they did.
I would for sure recommend this episode to others. It was a very interesting and nice episode.

* Which episode did you choose to listen to? Why?
* Please provide a brief overview of what you heard in listening to the show. (I mean something like a paragraph or two.)
* Would you recommend this particular episode to others? Why or why not?

The one I chose to listen to was titled "The Happiest Man in the World". I chose this one because it caught my attention and seemed like it would be a very interesting and intriguing one to listen to. First of the fact that it is even impossible to test the happiness of someone by simply reading the singles on ones brain is something I find fascinating. And then on top of the the idea that scientists were able to do these test and studies on this man and find out that he is the happiest man in the world was incredible. It was about a man by the name of Matthieu Ricard who was a French-Tibetan Buddhist spiritual teacher. He worked for the Dali Lama as an interpreter. It discussed his life and the great events in it and the great things hes done. He started out in a cellular genetics laboratory of a very astute biologist who had won the Nobel Prize. It talks about his travels to India where he was able to learn from some elders about Buddhism. He expresses his respect for the Dalai Lama and how he too one day could be just like him. A very caring and kind person. He wants to spread the correct "message" and that being a scientist will not do that, it won't make him a good human being, and a good human being is what he thrives to achieve and that being a good spiritual teacher will allow for the spreading of the correct message, but in order to become a good spiritual teacher he needs to be a good human being. Matthieu also published a book titled The Monk and the Father. His father played, what seemed like a very significant and influential role in his life. Matthieu's father was very supportive of his way of life. Matthieu leads a life of peace and serenity. He is a clam and focused person is that is most likely due to his meditation. This is why when the studies were done they were able to discover what they did.
I would for sure recommend this episode to others. It was a very interesting and nice episode.