Beltway Banthas: Star Wars, Politics & More

If you loved Beltway Banthas, you can still keep learning from Star Wars. Stephen Kent has a new podcast with co-host Riley Blanton, it's called Walk The Way. Inspired by the writing from How The Force Can Fix The World and This Is The Way, Walk The Way is dedicated to building a community around popular fiction and self-improvement. Myth can make us better, George Lucas knew that. Find WALK THE WAY on your favorite podcast app today and Subscribe Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/23aR2KZ1r8l65SFQsqVtAI?si=06199c5c8d5d4e1b https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/walk-the-way/id1698316253 The YouTube channel is just getting started, but you can Subscribe here https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrtAeMhf3qJcD2xjeMNNE1A

Join me at ThisIsTheWay.substack.com for the next chapter of Star Wars + politics and whatever else. Beltway Banthas has been one of the great joys of my life, and it's time to let it go. I believe even better things will come. I hope you'll come along with me.  Twitter: @Stephen_kent89 The Force will be with you, always. 

Have you ever felt anger, hatred or contempt toward someone? What about a total stranger? If you hadn’t, you might not be a human being. Just something to consider. This episode of Beltway Banthas: This Is The Way, is a reflection on loving your enemies. Not such an easy thing to do, and we don’t have all the answers, but you can start with addressing your Pride. Star Wars: Episode I: The Phantom Menace has a wonderful message on pride, humility, power, and contempt. Queen Padme Amidala Naberrie offers a masterclass in humility and healing the wounds of contempt on her planet, by making peace with the Gungans’ leader, Boss Nass. Email the show: BeltwayBanthas@Gmail.com  Subscribe to the newsletter at thisistheway.substack.com  and pick up my book, How The Force Can Fix The World: Lessons on life, liberty and happiness from a galaxy far, far away TODAY

What's going on with Beltway Banthas?! Why is Stephen Kent speaking so softly and what is this lovely background music?! Beltway Banthas is in a new season of it's life called 'This Is The Way,' a run of episodes focused on taking Star Wars wisdom and turning it out onto real life. Today Stephen answers a listener feedback email and has a call to action for everyone tuning in.  This is also the first episode of Beltway Banthas with a sponsored message for Anchor, a podcasting platform by Spotify. You'll hear that midway through. We use Anchor the production of this podcast and can't recommend it enough.  www.anchor.fm --- go there TODAY and sign up to start podcasting with all the tools you need housed in one app. It's so easy.  And if you're with us in the new leg of the journey at Beltway Banthas, go to thisistheway.substack.com and subscribe to the newsletter. Join the community. Let's make the world a better place with Star Wars as our guide.  This is the Way

Introducing THIS IS THE WAY, a new series from Beltway Banthas focused on putting the virtues and lessons on living from Star Wars into action. Today's episode is a reflection on Preparedness, or being prepared. There are a lot of things in the world you can worry about, lose sleep over or feel anxiety over, but what you do with those feelings is a choice. News is a fine example. Why do we watch the news? If it is merely to be informed, well you're taking on an awful lot of weight for such an unclear purpose. What you do with information, the actions you take based on knowledge, that's a game changer in how you can live.  Remember why Yoda brushed off the idea of training Luke Skywalker? "A Jedi must have the deepest commitment, the most serious mind. This one a long time have I watched. All his life has he looked away... to the future, to the horizon. Never his mind on where he was. Hmm? What he was doing." From Yoda to Obi Wan to Qui-Gon, there are numerous subtle moments in Star Wars aimed at foc

Have you ever spoken in anger or put your foot in your mouth? It's sort of the way of the world these days, in case you haven't noticed or been online much. Today's podcast is an honest reflection on an experience I had with my own anger, understanding its source and a lesson on empathy. The Greek stoic Zeno once said, “Better to trip with the feet than the tongue.” This is true in so many ways.  If you read How The Force Can Fix The World, you'll recall Chapter 2 on Empathy and the importance of being present when engaging with others. One should then in theory, be extra present when engaging with the world...which is what Twitter is. The words we choose matter more than the viewpoint they're meant to communicate.  Tweets mentioned in the podcast https://twitter.com/Stephen_Kent89/status/1472745173532790790 https://twitter.com/TriadOfTheForce/status/1472767880584384512 Email me at BeltwayBanthas@gmail.com Subscribe to newsletter at www.politicizeme.substack.com

We live in a frightening time. Star Wars is steadfast in reminds us that Fear is the start of a road toward darkness. Fear leads to Anger, Anger leads to Hate, and Hate leads to Suffering. So says Yoda to a young Anakin Skywalker who admitted he missed his Mother. Understandably so, he was 9 years old and away from her and home for the first time in his life when he stood in the Jedi Council chamber on Coruscant. Surrounded by beady eyes and suspicion. What are you really afraid of? This is a meditation on FEAR, and you need to know your fear. name your fear and spend time reflecting on what it is that lies beneath the thing keeping you up at night.  This is excerpted from the new book by Stephen Kent, How The Force Can Fix The World. Out on TUESDAY November 9th.  Buy it here! https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08Y8LNNG8?tag=hacboogrosit-20

Why were the Jedi so obsessed with the prophecy of balance being brought to the Force? And why did they clearly fail so badly? It's because balance is easier said than done, and their moral commitments were out of step with the principle of what balance really is. This episode is an explainer on how Rey and Kylo Ren eventually brought balance to the Force, and why the Jedi and Sith both fail when it comes to having a healthy relationship with the emotion of LOVE.  This reflection is a new line of episodes leading up to the release of How The Force Can Fix The World, the new book from host Stephen Kent. Get the Hard Cover book or Audible edition here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08Y8LNNG8?tag=hacboogrosit-20 Meditation #2: Balance Produced by Riley Blanton Narrated by Stephen Kent

Do we have free will and the power to choose our own destiny? Star Wars is clear eyed about both the power and reality of choice, but also the gravity of choices that were made FOR us. How have you had choices in your life limited by circumstance for the actions of others? We've all been there. But you can do something about it. In this Beltway Banthas miniseries, Stephen Kent offers a reflection on how to find and preserve your free will to shape the life you want to have. This reflection is a new line of episodes leading up to the release of How The Force Can Fix The World, the new book from host Stephen Kent.  Get the Hard Cover book or Audible edition here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08Y8LNNG8?tag=hacboogrosit-20 Meditation #1: Choice Produced by Riley Blanton Narrated by Stephen Kent

Opportunities to discuss morality, virtue, and living well through the lens of Star Wars are all around us. For fans, this is part of what makes the galaxy far far away so special. Today's episode is a somewhat spontaneous look at the subject of Empathy, by way of a piece of writing by David French. A past guest of Beltway Banthas, French has a unique grasp of theology and a perspective on the Christian faith that ties neatly into numerous elements of the Star Wars story. Combining elements of French's post on his Substack, FrenchPress and my upcoming book, How The Force Can Fix The World, this episode lays out why Empathy can be dangerous, but exactly the kind of danger we need to face head on. Get the book! HOW THE FORCE CAN FIX THE WORLD by Stephen Kent of Beltway Banthas Read David French's piece: The American Crisis of Selective Empathy Follow on Twitter @BeltwayBanthas and @Stephen_kent89

Ever wanted to peek behind the curtain of the making of an Audiobook? Now you can! In this episode of Beltway Banthas, check out what's going on with the making of How The Force Can Fix The World for Audible. Stick around for a preview of Stephen Kent's appearance on the Around The Galaxy podcast to talk about the politics of Star Wars fandom, and a review of the Bad Batch season one finale. Get the book! HOW THE FORCE CAN FIX THE WORLD by Stephen Kent: https://www.centerstreet.com/titles/stephen-kent/how-the-force-can-fix-the-world/9781546000488/ Listen to Around the Galaxy ft. Stephen Kent: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/126-stephen-kent-this-war-represents-a-failure-to-listen/id1460815340?i=1000530039034 Join the newsletter: https://politicizeme.substack.com/ If you like politics, check out Stephen Kent's new show: https://www.youtube.com/c/rightlyaj/

"Empathy does not make you a good person. Being able to employ it does not rid you of your own basement of horrors. It is a tool to enhance our thinking, for if we know how other people feel, we have a better chance of understanding their thoughts. Hence why it is best used in service of those you disagree with" - Ayishat A Akanbi.  Today's show is about empathy, and what Star Wars helps to teach us about this valuable principle. Star Wars tells numerous stories about the power of empathy to change lives, improve people and open up new possibilities for heroes and villains alike.  Danielle Adams and Nick DiCo rejoin the show to break it all down with Stephen Kent in this opening salvo of a two-part discussion on empathy in a galaxy far, far away.  Get your copy of "HOW THE FORCE CAN FIX THE WORLD": https://www.centerstreet.com/titles/stephen-kent/how-the-force-can-fix-the-world/9781546000488/

Hope is like the sun. So says General Leia. This week on Beltway Banthas, some thoughts on why the struggle for hope in hopeless times is the good fight. Logan Albright joins the show to talk about his recent op-ed on the problem of hopelessness & rising deaths of despair, and what it means for our politics and relationships. Of course, this all revolves around the wisdom of the galaxy far far away like any good Beltway Banthas episode would do.  Pre-Order the book! HOW THE FORCE CAN FIX THE WORLD by going here: https://linktr.ee/skentbm Stay in touch with Stephen Kent & the show by emailing BeltwayBanthas@gmail.com or sub to the newsletter @ politicizeme.substack.com Follow on Twitter @BeltwayBanthas and @Stephen_kent89

Banthas! We're back and up and running after a brief disturbance in the Force. On this episode, Stephen Kent breaks down the latest in the journey toward publishing a book based on this very podcast and the life lessons embedded in Star Wars. Here you can listen to Stephen read the draft Introduction to the book: How The Force Can Fix The World: Lessons on Life, Liberty, and Happiness From a Galaxy Far, Far Away.  Announcement! Every Thursday we'll host a Video Hangout for friends of the show. The link is below and it starts tonight, May 27th.  ****BELTWAY BANTHAS WEEKLY HANGOUT @ 9:00 – 10:30pm EST *** Google Meet link: https://meet.google.com/vpr-pkyk-zfh Join us also on: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUe4SZeDlA4B6W0axMVHUMA Substack Newsletter: https://politicizeme.substack.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BeltwayBanthas Website: retrozap.com/beltway-banthas/

This month on Beltway Banthas, host Stephen Kent speaks with writer Brittany Hunter about Star Wars' complicated narrative on redemption. What does it mean to "come back to the light" or to be redeemed in Star Wars' greatest character arcs? As Stephen works his way toward finishing his book, How The Force Can Fix America this conversation is meant to work through one of the most sticky issues in American life...our nation's own redemption story.

Economics is like the Force, it surrounds us, penetrates us and binds the galaxy together. If you've never really been into economic theory, it's okay you're not alone. This episode is your primer on Economics 101 using Star Wars as a guide to powerful ideas such as Game Theory, Supply & Demand, Opportunity Cost and Incentives. Whether it's Rogue One, Return of the Jedi, Solo, A New Hope or Attack of the Clones...Star Wars is chock full of great scenes that have hidden lessons on economic theory

Gina Carano has been sacked by Disney Lucasfilm and will not be involved in The Mandalorian going forward. Today on Beltway Banthas, Stephen Kent speaks with Robby Soave of Reason Magazine and author of Panic Attack: Young Radicals in the Age of Trump. Robby and Stephen generally share the same concerns about what's known as cancel culture, but come down in different places on how we should think about Gina Carano's firing.

Star Wars is all about conquering fear. Naming it. Facing it. It's the destiny of a Jedi after all. This episode is a reflection on fear, attachment and the search for hope beyond 2020. It's okay if you don't feel hope. This year has been hard.  But nevertheless, "hope is like the sun...if you only believe in it when you see it, you'll never make it through the night." Happy New Years everyone. May the Force be with you.

Hello Banthas! I hope you had a great holiday weekend. The episode for this month tackles the political intrigue of The Mandalorian, whose recent episode offered some new insights on the troubles of governing a galaxy. There's a lot to chew on and it's important, not just for understanding Star Wars lore but for grappling with our own world's political disorder.  We start off with a talk on government in a galaxy far, far away. After that, Brian Silliman (SYFY WIRE + Jabba The Pod) joins the show.

Election Day is upon us. ALL WINGS REPORT IN! On this months edition of the Beltway Banthas Roundtable, Stephen Kent is joined by Joe Tavano and Gabby Martin to ready for the 2020 election and break down our most recent episode. David French recently joined the podcast to explain why "Federalism" might be America's only salvation as polarization rips the union the asunder, and Stephen likened the stakes of our politics to a Death Star level threat. The panel will discuss this idea in-depth.