Poems For People Who Hate Poetry

Send us a text"An essential text for anyone who seeks to understand the United States Social Democracy from the years 2022-2034."-Christopher Billings, The Afternoon Telegraph "In this historical labor of research, the Jefferson Group has rescued the voices of the untold number of young boys from the grave."- Robert Spindler, The Soloist"He has mastered this distressing material and convincingly tells the terrifying truth about the U.S.S.D terror."-Greg Thick, The Caller

Send us a textIf we've ever had a conversation, or if you've ever heard me have a conversation, you may notice that I will not accept as an argument a "study" you cited. I've even been made fun of for saying that I don't trust "stats." (Yes I'm using scare quotes on purpose).The reason for this is simple. Stat and studies and research papers may be well done. Just as easily they may be inaccurate, false, misleading and untruthful. Creating a truthful and rigorous scientific study is complex and difficult. Darwin dedicated his entire life to not only proving his own theory but DISPROVING his own theory. He wanted to make sure he was correct. Throwing out a "study" that "proves" your case is inappropriate and destructive.In this podcast (originally a video on my youtube channel) I dig into a particularly pernicious study done by the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) about rape and sexual assault. Their study, the National Crime Victimization Surv

Send us a textToday I'll be speaking with my friend Hernando Arce about a controversial issue: the evil of "the other side" of the aisle. We tend to think "Those guys over there are the bad ones!" "The lefties are destroying free speech," I commonly hear. Today, we will be conversing about free speech and how to keep our country united, despite our differences.Controversial Conversations is a new show where I will be discussing hot topic issues with those with whom I disagree. Which, is pretty much everyone!

Send us a textOn this new show Kirk Barbera sits down with guest Eric Robert Morse to talk about a very controversial issue: abortions. Eric is a Catholic and Kirk is a non-believer. Tune in and comment along with us!

Send us a textDuring the Senate hearings Senator Chris Coons used a phrase that I think is correct. After having received numerous messages from female friends who said that they too had been sexually abused, he said it is clear that we are in a "nation of pain." We are. And like any kind of pain, we should ask what causes it. Rather than blame individual actors or patriarchal structures, I claim there are other cultural causes. The only way forward is to understand the true causes of our national pain.

Send us a textToday my guest is Faris Virani, the President of The San Antonio Young Professionals: http://sayp.us/ As you may know, I've decided to sell my stuff and go around talking to people about controversial topics. One reason for leaving is the opportunity to be more flexible and stretch my abilities as a writer and media producer. But another reason I'm leaving is I just don't like San Antonio. Faris gives a good defense of San Antonio. And I admit it's a big city with a lot to offer, just not for me. We discuss: Dating in San Antonio Meeting People here Starting a business Growing a business Family life and more In the end we came to some understanding of what is the culture of San Antonio as opposed to other places in America. And, I hope it helps you decide if it is a place for you... or, like me, not.

Send us a textDan is that unusual creature, the C-level exec who loves poetry. Or, perhaps he is not. Perhaps, there are many more individuals in corporate jobs who spend their evenings amongst great poets and scholars. We tend to think of life as having a series of crossroads: go down the corporate path and leave behind the artistic path. Be a scholar, or an athlete. A mom or a business owner. But, often, the best the greatest lives come from the greatest combinations. And Dan is a perfect example of that. Today we will be discussing not only The Road not Taken by Robert Frost, but why poetry is something that everyone should add to their lives, and how poetry can help you in your corporate job, in your business, with your spouse, and really just... well... live a life worth living! Dan is a c-level executive for a major Canadian corporation, Telus. He's an accomplished Ted speaker and has written 2 books about building better organizations and finding your purpose. In his latest book he tackles t

Send us a textAmerica is no longer a country of immigrants. This unfortunate situation has nothing to do with borders or immigration policies, but the death of the spirit that made this country great. The word immigrant has been ruined by politicization. When we think of immigrant we tend to see the poor and the wretched. many immigrants in fact are poor and wretched—that's why they're immigrating. On the political left we hear about the tragedies of immigrants as they came to America and on the political right we hear about the criminalities of immigrants as they come to America. On this episode I'll be attempting to rejuvenate that spirit for you through poetry. Our two poems today are both by the Kipling of America, Berton Braley. "Opportunity" And "The Pioneers." And although we are no longer the nation of immigrants, in this episode, through the story of one of Americas most important modern immigrants, I will show you how to instill the spirit of a true emigrant a

Send us a textEvery neighborhood has one. That old, beaten down house that someone ought to take care of. What goes on in those houses? Sarah was 17 and she knew what went on in The House in her neighborhood. Almost every day after school she would stop and look down into the basement searching for what she had seen 9 years prior. Was it real? Was he real?

Send us a textCan you unravel the success paradox in Napoleon Hill's favorite poem "Success" By Berton Braley? Philosophers both ancient and contemporary go to great lengths to create problems they hope that no one can solve. One of their favorites is the paradox.  Simply put, a paradox is a seemingly absurd or self-contradictory statement or proposition that when investigated or explained may prove to be well founded or true. This will be our goal today: to explore an ancient paradox first applied to physics. Now, I will apply that paradox to success. 

Send us a textRule 12: Pet a Cat When You Encounter One on the Street This podcast I seek to answer Jordan Peterson's fundamental question posed in Chapter 12: "Is there any coherent alternative given the self-evidence horrors of existence? Can Being itself, with its malarial mosquitoes, child soldiers, and degenerative neurological diseases truly be justified?" With reference to: *Homeric heroes and gods in The Iliad and The Odyssey *Peterson's own unique literary criticism *Blood Upon The Risers *Nathaniel Hawthorne's "The Ambitious Guest." *Ayn Rand's "Fountainhead" and "Atlas Shrugged" *Ulysses by Alfred Lord Tennyson *Stoic philosophy *And Much more Does Peterson have the proper perspective on Man's metaphysical nature and the metaphysical nature of reality or has he perpetrated an error that leads him to see the world through a prism of pain, suffering and agony? Is LIFE suffering? As Peterson says, Or is there a way to see the world d

Send us a textWhat is masculinity? Why is it under attack today?  These are the fundamental questions addressed in Jordan Peterson's Rule 11: Do Not Bother Children When They Are Skateboarding. We'll be exploring the life of MAN from Ancient Greece to modern time. We'll be talking about wildly different men like *Demosthenes of Ancient Athens *Winston Churchill *John Adams *Thomas Jefferson *George Washington *And Your everyday men like me! Are there conditional requirements to meet before one can enter the eternal fraternity of man? If so what are they and what do they mean? In the poem IF by Rudyard Kipling he sets down a set of 37 conditions he believes in necessary to achieve manliness.  As Peterson addresses in this chapter, there is a sentiment prevelant today that has been growing for the last 50 years. He began to identify this motivational emotion when he noticed that the University of Toronto, where he worked, put "skate stoppers" on certain curbs and on the bases of s

Send us a textRule 10: Be Precise in Your Speech. Here are just a few of the topics we will be covering on this episode about poetry, language, perception, philosophy and anthropology. *Robert Frost and Jordan Peterson's differing view on meaning *Frost's Mending Wall poem *A conundrum from Germany circa 1939 *The lost Jiukiukwe Indian tribe near the Orinoco *The basic nature of language *The Second Coming poem by William Butler Yeats *What we can learn about precision and clarity from Francis Bacon and Benjamin Franklin It's an intellectual exploration deep into the headwaters of Peterson's "12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos."

Send us a textThere's a youtube sensation going on in England. Her name is Stacey Reay and she teaches Poetry. Her channel is a must watch if you have children in school and even if you just want to understand a poem more thoroughly. Visit her channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJhuqpyhE8NzYZFkwTzi_7g Stacey and I will be discussing a poem she chose, "The Manhunt" by Simon Armitage. We dive into the story of a woman who is trying to find the man she loves. He is right before her, but she can't find him. We talk about PTSD and our modern era in warfare, and we talk about both war poetry and love poetry. Most importantly, we converse with this verse by Armitage. Stacey provides a great break down of the poem and squeezes as much meaning as possible from it. You won't be disappointed! The Manhunt By Simon Armitage: After the first phase, after passionate nights and intimate days, only then would he let me trace the frozen river which ran through his face, only then would he

Send us a textIn this episode we will be exploring Peterson's rule "Assume that the person you are Listening to might know something you don't." it's a lesson we should all take to heart, especially those (like myself) who are so inclined toward totalitarian certainty. While certainty is achievable, it is anything but easy. More appropriate should be our desire to understand other ideas, and how to entertain those ideas, without necessarily accepting them. In that no greater tool is at your possession than ART. We'll be exploring the poem "The Laws of God, the Laws of Men." Benjamin Franklin as a young man gave himself a daily assignment in his attempt toward moral perfection: To imitate Jesus and Socrates. We know what it means to imitate Jesus. But what does imitating socrates entail? This episode will explore that idea.

Send us a textRule 7 is "Pursue what is Meaningful (not what is expedient). As surface advice, this is great. Yet what is more important than cliche advice are the underlying reasons for integrating this advice into your life. Why should one pursue what is meaningful, in the face of Peterson's foundational proposition: "Life is Suffering?" What does meaning mean? Where does it come from? How do you pursue it given the trials and tribulations of life? Is life suffering? Or can there be another worldview?

Send us a textPeterson's 8th Rule "Tell the Truth (Or at least don't lie) is important not only for avoiding disaster but for building a new you! That's what Ed Catmul, founder and president of Pixar, did. He was honest with himself that he was not a good enough animator to become a professional. So he pursued something else: computer science. By the mid 1970s he had his PHd and his dream: to create the first feature length animation movie done completely on a computer. Of course, in 1995 he did that. But he came to another problem. Most successful companies fail by making stupid mistakes. Why do they do that? These unseen forces took down some powerful companies in his time. Catmul decided not to let that happen to his company, so instead of focusing on the technical difficulties of making better animated videos, he decided to institutionalize honesty and candor. But how do you do that? Listen to find out.

Send us a textToday I'll be reading the poem "London" by William Blake. A poem that showcases a deeply progressive sentiment that many of the romantic artists of the 18th and 19th century held London BY WILLIAM BLAKE I wander thro' each charter'd street,  Near where the charter'd Thames does flow.  And mark in every face I meet  Marks of weakness, marks of woe.  In every cry of every Man,  In every Infants cry of fear,  In every voice: in every ban,  The mind-forg'd manacles I hear  How the Chimney-sweepers cry  Every blackning Church appalls,  And the hapless Soldiers sigh  Runs in blood down Palace walls  But most thro' midnight streets I hear  How the youthful Harlots curse  Blasts the new-born Infants tear  And blights with plagues the Marriage hearse 

Send us a textToday we will explore how a philosopher would explain the famous "problem of evil" and how a poet would discuss the same problem. Tyger Tyger, burning bright, In the forests of the night; What immortal hand or eye, Could frame thy fearful symmetry? In what distant deeps or skies. Burnt the fire of thine eyes? On what wings dare he aspire? What the hand, dare seize the fire? And what shoulder, & what art, Could twist the sinews of thy heart? And when thy heart began to beat, What dread hand? & what dread feet? What the hammer? what the chain, In what furnace was thy brain? What the anvil? what dread grasp, Dare its deadly terrors clasp! When the stars threw down their spears And water'd heaven with their tears: Did he smile his work to see? Did he who made the Lamb make thee? Tyger Tyger burning bright, In the forests of the night: What immortal hand or eye, Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?

Send us a textAre you a clod or a pebble? The Clod and the Pebble BY WILLIAM BLAKE "Love seeketh not itself to please, Nor for itself hath any care, But for another gives its ease, And builds a Heaven in Hell's despair." So sung a little Clod of Clay Trodden with the cattle's feet, But a Pebble of the brook Warbled out these metres meet: "Love seeketh only self to please, To bind another to its delight, Joys in another's loss of ease, And builds a Hell in Heaven's despite."