A long, long time ago, I watched a YouTube series - Crash Course World History. I don't remember how I found it, but I liked it and wanted more of it.
Over the years, I learned more about the Green brothers, watched a whole bunch of Crash Course content, and ended up building a small app around it.
Some of the things I liked:
In any case, I downloaded all of The Anthropocene Reviewed podcasts on my phone for a long flight. Just based on John Green being the narrator. I wasn't quite sure what to expect.
The episode format is having two ideas reviewed, with commentary, background information or interesting stories on them. The first episode covers Canada Geese and Diet Dr Pepper, but really it has interesting reflections on our impact on our environment, our relationship to the things we create, and our ideas about what's good and natural. The next-to-last episode (as of this writing in any case) is about the human capacity for wonder and sunsets.
As the series progresses, you'll find more poetry. I don't mean specifically quotes from poems - yes, those show up too - but the ideas and the feeling and the experiences come through more and more. There's also an openness, a courage of being sincere, that shows through (a topic which gets called out at some point, but shows up much earlier).
Like the best of Crash Course, the podcast is entertaining, but there's more to it than pure entertainment. Recommended if you want to spend some time thinking. Also, best had in individual episodes so as to savor, don't just chow it down.
Happy listening!
Tags: meditation