Topic: Poetry

Jonnie Jensen introduces the podcast from Brighton, celebrating his father's 80th birthday with a family gathering. The discussion references the Philip Larkin poem "This Be The Verse," which was recently featured in an episode of the television series Ted Lasso. Jensen highlights the importance of family connection and the tradition of reading poetry during milestone celebrations.

Nic Askew recalls a lecture he gave at MIT following Simon Sinek, where he offered a contrarian view on the "Start With Why" philosophy. He reads his poem, "The Tree of Dreams," which depicts a character who waits for a dream to find him rather than shaking the branches to force one to fall. The poem serves as a metaphor for his strategy of surrender and the belief that life has the capacity to recognize and find an individual.

John Campbell quotes the Sufi poet Hafiz regarding the choice to come to God "dressed for dancing" or on a stretcher. He shares the story of his wife Annie, a neuroscientist and former skeptic, who had a spiritual awakening after witnessing a ball of light leave her first husband's body upon his death. This event led her to the works of Eckhart Tolle and eventually to "A Course in Miracles."