The Hopeful Humanist Cafe Hopeful Humanist

Welcome to another episode of The Hopeful Humanist Cafe. In this episode I attempt to tie a number of threads together from some of the pitfalls of self-care to the importance of hope, openness, and compassion for a healing or recovery journey. 
Quotes:
1)
"Hope" is the thing with feathers -
That perches in the soul -
And sings the tune without the words -
And never stops - at all -
 
And sweetest - in the Gale - is heard -
And sore must be the storm -
That could abash the little Bird
That kept so many warm -
 
I’ve heard it in the chillest land -
And on the strangest Sea -
Yet - never - in Extremity,
It asked a crumb - of me.
 
                            - Emily Dickinson
 
2) “It's always something, to know you've done the most you could. But, don't leave off hoping, or it's of no use doing anything. Hope, hope to the last!” ― Charles Dickens, Nicholas Nickleby
Wellness Resources:
1) Action of Happiness - Click this link to access the webpage Happier Kinder Together | Action for Happiness
2) Anxiety Canada - Click this link to access the webpage Anxiety Canada | Self-help Resources, Programs & Services
3) CAMH - Click this link to access the webpage The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health | CAMH
Related Episodes:
1) Episode 1 - The Happier Quest | The Hopeful Humanist Cafe
2) Episode 6 - Standing up to Anxiety and Confronting the Absurd | The Hopeful Humanist Cafe
3) Episode 67 - Expanding the dashboard: Covid-19, mental health and substance use | The Hopeful Humanist Cafe
Thank-you:
Thank you so much for joining me once again for another tip-of-the-iceberg conversation about the good life, ideas in flow, and resources for mental and physical wellness.












I hope these discussions leave you feeling inspired, thoughtful, and ready to embrace the world with a positive mindset. Your company on this journey means the world to me, and I appreciate each and every one of you who tunes in.
If you have any feedback, suggestions, or know of any online resources that could benefit your community, please feel free to share them with me. You can reach out to me at athopefulhumanist@gmail.com. Your input is invaluable, and I'm always eager to hear your thoughts.
Looking ahead, I've got some exciting episodes in the pipeline, covering a variety of topics aimed at enhancing our understanding of the world, ourselves, and how we can cultivate a fulfilling and balanced life.
As we wrap up today's episode, I encourage you to keep the conversation going. Share any newfound insights with friends, family, or anyone you think might enjoy the podcast. Let's create a ripple effect of positivity and thoughtful discussions.
Peace, take care, be well, and share!

In this episode, I provide articles for listeners to access who might be interested in learning the unwritten rules of etiquette for Pickleball. I then suggest that pickleball itself might be the meaning of life and offer ideas about what might constitute the good life. 
Quote:
1)  "Pickleball is cheaper than therapy" - unknown 
2) "Pickleball is the meaning of life -- why not?" - Hopeful Humanist
3) Here are some from Pickleball Peeps. Click here: Pickleball Quotes - Pickleball Peeps (pickleball-peeps.com)
Resources:
1) Pickleball in Canada - January 2023 Survey: PICKLEBALL IN CANADA – JANUARY 2023 SURVEY – Pickleball Canada
2) Pickleball Canada: Pickleball Canada – Advancing Pickleball for All, for Life!
3) What is rally point? Pickleball Rally Scoring: How It Works & Why To Give It a Try! – Pickle Geeks
4) What is Mortimer Pickleball? Can More Than Four Play Pickleball At Once? - Monmouth Area Pickleball (monmouthpickleball.org)
About the rules
1) The Unwritten Rules of Pickleball – Selkirk Sport
2) Pickleball Etiquette: 19 Unspoken Rules for Newcomers – Paddletek Pickleball
3) Sportsmanship Guide | USA Pickleball
Thank-you:
Thank you so much for joining me once again for another tip-of-the-iceberg conversation about the good life, ideas in flow, and resources for mental and physical wellness.












I hope these discussions leave you feeling inspired, thoughtful, and ready to embrace the world with a positive mindset. Your company on this journey means the world to me, and I appreciate each and every one of you who tunes in.
If you have any feedback, suggestions, or know of any online resources that could benefit your community, please feel free to share them with me. You can reach out to me at athopefulhumanist@gmail.com. Your input is invaluable, and I'm always eager to hear your thoughts.
Looking ahead, I've got some exciting episodes in the pipeline, covering a variety of topics aimed at enhancing our understanding of the world, ourselves, and how we can cultivate a fulfilling and balanced life.
As we wrap up today's episode, I encourage you to keep the conversation going. Share any newfound insights with friends, family, or anyone you think might enjoy the podcast. Let's create a ripple effect of positivity and thoughtful discussions.
Peace, take care, be well, and share!












 

How well do you do with managing being wrong? Are you able to recognize internally when you are wrong? Are you able to acknowledge being wrong and take ownership for your thoughts and actions? Is there a difference between being wrong and making a mistake? Join me in this tip-of-the-iceberg conversation about one thread of the so many conversations that could take place on being wrong.  At the end of the main podcast discussion, I have included some bonus material. First, a quick poem by William Blake recited by Danielson and then a thought about a way of making the conversation about being wrong relevant to Dawn (See episode 79 - Locating Dawn).  
Quotes: 
"People who care more about being right than ending right prove just how wrong they were all along." (Lysa Terkeurst)
"When Frog got up one morning, he realised at once that something was wrong with the world. Something had changed." (Max Velthuijs, Frog in Winter)
Resources:
1) Do you agree with Scott - Is there a difference between making a mistake and being wrong? Read this short article and see what you think: “I Was Wrong” vs “I Made a Mistake” – Scott Cochrane
2) Here is an additional thought from a person named Steve. Read his short article and see where you land: Wrong or a mistake? — The Steven Thompson Experience
Novel First Sentences & Journal Prompts: 
This part of the show notes is non-sequitur in nature. It has nothing to do with the topic addressed in this episode. It is part of project to inspire creativity for aspiring writers. I offer these sentences as possible points of inspiration for others to take and make their own for either a novel or a prompt for a journal entry.  Below, Banksy captures the spirit in a quote:
"I still encourage anyone to copy, borrow, steal and amend my art for amusement, academic research or activism." Banksy
1) My papa was the unpublished author of the unwritten book, "Not a fairy tale at the branches of bliss." In its substance, it was .....................elusive!
2) It was the Black Friday before the Black Friday of the American Black Friday. Everyone was tickled dizzy with thoughts about how much green they would save. Can't wait for Cyber Monday.  
3) Barry's painful pickle-ball groin injury turned going to the toilet into a very crappy experience.   
4) I decided to play hooky today and go fishing with my son.  All we caught was the sunrise. That was enough.  
5) Brad (cursing): That guy makes me so angry I could punch the wall!!!
    Sue the therapist (in a kind voice): What if you could do something to make your button smaller?  
6) I never used to like fried eggs and now I have an iPhone 12.  
7) The book felt happy. How could it be otherwise? - another dog-eared page, another scribbled thought in the margin, and another sentence highlighted in yellow!
8) 2080, virtual library, 40 degrees C
    Avatar-j (Jacob): Can I get Civil Disobedience by Henry David Thoreau?
    AI Assistant: Sorry, it is not currently in circulation.
    Avatar-j (Jacob): It's not circulation? Since when? It is an America Classic! Is it banned because of the protests?
    A.I. Assistant: Absolutely not! It's just not published anymore for circulation.
9) Brook thought, 'With both sides of the aisle taking books permanently off the shelves, what will be left to read?'
10) The thought took hold of Jack and then he had something to say.
Related Episodes:
1. Episode 79 - Locating Dawn, Activating Empathy | The Hopeful Humanist Cafe
2. Episode 44 - "What if ..." - The Optimist Edition | The Hopeful Humanist Cafe
3. Episode 13 - Ingredients of an Apology: Valuing Relationships | The Hopeful Humanist Cafe
4. Episode 12 - Difficult Conversations | The Hopeful Humanist Cafe
Salutations:
Thank you so much for joining me once again for another tip-of-the-iceberg conversation about the good life, ideas in flow, and resources for mental and physical wellness.












I hope these discussions leave you feeling ins

Welcome to another unedited, blithering episode of the Hopeful Humanist Cafe. In this episode, I share with you a leisure project I have been experimenting with on X (formerly Twitter) and Minds.  I believe that everyone has within them one book to write. Having said that, however, it should be noted that writing is something that requires time, energy and talent. It is hard work.  Reluctantly, I have arrived at the realization that writing is not my wheelhouse.  I have a number of friends, Danielson included, that I think are very capable writers and I look forward to the possibility one day of reading a published work.  Although I am not able to bring to life a coherent book of sorts, I do have moments where I am struck by what I think could be a fairly decent first sentence for a book - perhaps your book.
Quote: "I still encourage anyone to copy, borrow, steal and amend my art for amusement, academic research or activism." Banksy
Novel First Sentences/Journal Prompts to share:
1. Sage desperately scrambled for some paper and a pen as she did not want to lose the thought. It was fading fast.
2. Bob thinks with the entirety of his body. Every thought pops with a gesticulation of accentuation. 
3. "What was is no longer; what is has just begun."
4. Francis Luddite was the most avant-garde thinker in our group. We could not wait to see his new invention. 
5. Looking up into the infinite night, Teri felt small but not alone. She realized: 'i am the cosmos. i and God are ONE.'
6. Passing by Janus, the man flicked his cigarette butt onto the sidewalk as if the world was his ashtray. Janus shook his head and thought: 'The crown of creation; the apex of evolution - sure.'
7. "Darius was feeling apoplectic with himself. He thought he should've known better." 
8. Guy was an undiagnosed romantic of the provocateur type where life was exalted and mucky all at once. 
9. "In his youth, Darius championed the truth - at all cost! When that became costly, he pursued peace. Now, years later, he just looks forward to a little kindness each and everyday." 
10. "Life is not a fairy tale, but it is full of everything that makes one." 
Resource links: 
1) Link for "The Banksy Museum" in Barcelona located on Carrer Trafalgar, 34, 08010 Barcelona. Note in the Podcast, I suggested the permanent exhibit does not direct connection to the Banksy enterprise.  This is an assumption, and as it has been hard to garner any information about who is operating the venue, I am inclined to think I may be incorrect.  Below, I have included a link for more information about the Banksy exhibit in Barcelona and a link to Wikipedia as a first step (and only a first step) to learn more about the artist.
Museu Banksy Museum : Banksy Exhibition in Spain (museobanksy.es) 
Banksy - Wikipedia 
Social Media Platforms:





1) X (Twitter) - Go to The Hopeful Humanist Cafe @HopefulCafe - For those interested, at an earlier point and time, I experimented with a personal project to write a story or short tweets called, "Off-Script Living."  It was an attempt to create a piece of Twitterature.  For now, it sits on the backburner.  





2) Minds - Got to: The HopefulHumanist @hopefulhumanist - I am not convinced about this platform. Currently, I have stopped posting. 
 
Thank-you for joining me for another tip of the iceberg conversation. 
 
Peace, take care, be well & share! 
 









 

Salutations and welcome to episode 80 of the Hopeful Humanist Cafe. This episode starts with a question from Danielson about the Hero's Journey - How far must one travel from one's home before it is fair to call the experience a journey?  Can simply stepping outside one's door of one's home constitute a journey? Furthermore, can framing the challenge of "getting through" a physical or mental illness as a journey be helpful and empowering?  While pouring myself into a number of conversations with different souls, one night, in a dream, an answer (notice I did not say 'THE' answer) presented itself.  Listen to hear me share the dream and some tentative thoughts.  In the back ground, near the end of the conversation you will notice the sounds of life (birds singing, the pattering of rain, and some other outside sounds).  The episode ends with a thread-thought from Danielson about Dawn and the Hero's Journey.  
 
T-shirt Idea: Thinking about the meaning of life (Thank-you Danielson - keep on singing)
 
Definitions - words need to mean something:
 










Journey: Definition: A journey refers to a long and often challenging passage or process, typically involving personal growth, exploration, or achievement of a specific goal. It involves embarking on a quest or undertaking a significant endeavor, which may be physical, emotional, or spiritual in nature.
Example: "The Hobbit" by J.R.R. Tolkien. The main character, Bilbo Baggins, goes on a journey with a group of dwarves to reclaim their homeland from the dragon Smaug. Throughout the story, Bilbo encounters numerous obstacles, faces his fears, and undergoes personal transformation, ultimately emerging as a courageous and self-assured individual.
Trip: Definition: A trip refers to a relatively short excursion or voyage taken for pleasure, leisure, or business purposes. It often involves visiting a specific destination or engaging in a specific activity, and is typically focused on enjoyment, relaxation, or gaining new experiences.
Example: "Eat, Pray, Love" by Elizabeth Gilbert. The protagonist embarks on a trip across Italy, India, and Indonesia after a difficult divorce. The trip is centered around self-discovery, healing, and finding joy in life again. Through the various destinations and encounters along the way, the main character explores different cultures, indulges in culinary delights, and explores her spirituality.
Vacation: Definition: A vacation refers to a period of time when an individual or a group takes a break from work or daily routines to relax, unwind, and engage in leisure activities. It often involves traveling to a different location or engaging in activities that bring pleasure and enjoyment.
Example: "The Beach" by Alex Garland. The protagonist, Richard, takes a vacation to a secluded and supposedly idyllic beach in Thailand. However, as the story progresses, the vacation turns into a thrilling and unsettling experience as the characters confront challenges and conflicts in their pursuit of an idyllic paradise.
Mission: Definition: A mission refers to a specific task, duty, or purpose assigned to an individual or a group, typically with a sense of importance, responsibility, or urgency. It often involves striving to achieve a particular objective or goal and may require dedication, commitment, and a clear sense of purpose.
Example: "The Martian" by Andy Weir. The main character, astronaut Mark Watney, is left stranded on Mars after his crew mistakenly believes he died during a mission. The story follows Watney's mission to survive, overcome numerous obstacles, and find a way to communicate with Earth to ensure his rescue. His determination and resourcefulness in the face of extreme challenges exemplify the essence of a mission.
Regarding the relationship between the word "journey" and Joseph Campbell's concept of the Hero's Journey, it is important to note that Campbell's work focuses on the underlying structure of myths and stories acr

This episode talks about an essential ingredient and starting point for being a "good mentor" for Dawn, the-every-young person-becoming-young-adult.  Before sharing one's wisdom, one must know who one is sharing one's wisdom with.  Hence the question, "Who is Dawn?"  Only after activating the empathetic sensibility and stepping into Dawn's worlds can one open the treasure chest to share the collected gems and nuggets of one's wisdom.  
Quote: "Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm." - Ralph Waldo Emerson
T-shirt idea: "I've been AI'd"
Locating Dawn - Where is Dawn?
The study of generations and their characteristics is an important field of research in sociology and psychology. Over the years, several generations have been identified based on their birth years and common experiences. Below is a brief introduction to the terms for the generations, starting from Generation Alpha to the GI Generation.
Generation Alpha (born 2010 to present): The term "Generation Alpha" was first coined by Mark McCrindle, an Australian demographer. Members of this generation are born in the age of smartphones, social media, and digital technology.
Gen Zalpha (9-14 years of age): A combination of Gen Alpha and Gen Z. This is an example of a “cusper” generation like the Zillennials and the Xennials.  This can make things more difficult in terms of “locating” ourselves in a generational sense but one does not always fit so nicely into a box. 
Generation Z or Gen-Z (born 1997 to 2012): Gen-Z is the cohort born after the millennials, and they are considered to be the first truly digital native generation. They have grown up with the internet, smartphones, and social media.
Zillennials or Gen Zennial (born mid-to-late 1990s to early 2000s): Zillennials or Gen Zennials are the bridge between Gen Z and millennials. They are sometimes also referred to as the "Oregon Trail Generation," after the popular computer game.
Millennials or Generation Y (born 1981 to 1996): Millennials are the generation that came of age in the early 2000s. They are known for their familiarity with technology, multiculturalism, and emphasis on work-life balance.
Xennials (born 1977 to 1983): Xennials are a micro-generation that fall between Generation X and millennials. They are considered to be a blend of the two generations, having grown up without the internet but later adapting to it as adults.
Generation X (born 1965 to 1980): Members of Generation X are often referred to as the "latchkey kids" because many grew up in households where both parents worked. They are often seen as independent, adaptable, and tech-savvy.
Baby Boomers (born 1946 to 1964): Baby boomers are the post-World War II generation and are often associated with the cultural and social changes of the 1960s and 1970s. They are known for their work ethic and dedication to their careers.
Silent Generation or Traditionalists (born 1928 to 1945): Members of the Silent Generation were born during the Great Depression and came of age during World War II. They are known for their hard work, patriotism, and respect for authority.
GI Generation or Greatest Generation (born 1901 to 1927): The GI Generation is the oldest generation currently recognized. They are known for their bravery and sacrifices during World War II.
In addition to the above, when talking about generations, there has also been reference to Gen-Meta (Individuals, who since birth, who have had the option of living in both a physical world and a digital world).  Our focus in this episode will be Gen-Z.  The above information was a hybrid product of an information search on ChatGPT and some editing and revising on my part.
Ideas for a Competency-Based Curriculum for the 21st Century:
-Emotional Intelligence, -Conflict Resolution, -Communication Skills, -Meaning Making, -Citizenship & Activism, -Financial Literacy, -Fostering Creativity, -Problem-solving, -Self-Care, -Critical Thinking, DOT, DOT, DOT.
Helpful Resources: