Matt vs. the Media
There's probably nothing more important than finding meaning in your life and career. And this week, I had the best conversation I've ever had on the topic of discovering your "calling" or purpose.
It happened when I got to talk with Todd Rose, director of the Laboratory for the Science of Individuality at the Harvard Graduate School of education, about his book, Dark Horse: Achieving Success Through the Pursuit of Fulfillment.
Todd's own personal story is amazing. At the age of twenty, he was a high-school dropout with two kids. He was also on welfare. Today, he's a Harvard faculty member who studies the pursuit of fulfillment.
Trust me, we all have a lot to learn from Todd. Don't miss this amazing podcast conversation!
Matt vs. the Media
File this one under the "Things that won't be popular with my colleagues" category: My latest column at The Daily Beast is titled: "Let's Be Honest: The Rage is Partly The Media's Fault." Here's an excerpt:
"The problem isn’t that we cover bad or depressing things happening in the world. These important topics deserve news coverage. But the truth is, we don’t just report them -- we hype them (coupled with 'BREAKING NEWS!!!' alerts, graphics, countdown clocks, music, and the most provocative B-roll footage we can find). Then, we bring on people to fight about the provocative topics. It’s a never-ending cycle. This madness doesn’t infect your home once a day at 6 p.m. -- it’s a relentless, 24/7 barrage of negativity. And it’s not just on TV. It’s on talk radio, Twitter, and multiple websites. It is concocted entertainment -- a 'product' used to generate clicks and ratings."
Read the whole thing here.
Trigger Warnings Are Hurting Mental Health
Greg Lukianoff is no right wing nut. He worked for the ACLU, did refugee work during the Kosovo crisis, and used to work for an environmental mentoring program for inner-city high school kids. And if that doesn’t bolster his liberal bona fides, he went to Burning Man for seven years. He also struggled with depression--a challenge that gave him unique insight into the harm being done to today's college students by the American Left. Don't miss my podcast discussion with Greg on his new book, The Coddling of the American Mind.
...And the (Old) News
Are the Kavanaugh hearings already old news? Would Saul Alinksy have approved of heckling politicians in restaurants?? Will the pipe bomb story will have faded by Election Day? Bill Scher and I explore these questions (and more) on the most recent episode of The DMZ.
A Special Thanks!
When my wife, Erin, talked me into starting a Patreon page and a weekly newsletter to support my podcast, I was skeptical. "What if only a few people support us," I worried. "Wouldn't that look embarrassing?" When I thought about it more, though, I realized that even if only five people are supporting your work on the podcast, it means that five people believe enough in what you're doing to invest in it. That's an honor.
Even after being talked into it, I didn't fully realize what a blessing it would be to build a community of friends who share an interest in civil dialogue. With all the crazy things happening in the news, I can't tell you how refreshing it is to have this community of positive, smart, and kind Americans like you who are willing to support long-form discussions. I am constantly stunned by your kindness.
I also wanted to take a moment to give a huge thanks to Patreon supporter Jeff Mayhugh, whose company, Hardhits Custom Apparel, designed and produced the limited edition "Matt Lewis & The Mob" shirts. (Watch them at work in this awesome video.)
Jeff's generosity is only the most recent example of how I have been blessed by your support and friendship.
Please help us out by telling a friend, rating and reviewing the podcast on iTunes, and continuing to support our civil podcast conversations on Patreon.
THANK YOU for all you do!