Podcast Benomtad

Ben Lundy

Open, friendly, philosophical discussions about folktales, society, culture, and wisdom.  

  1. MAY 6

    "The Pink (Carnation)," by the Brothers Grimm

    A queen was without child, and an angel came to her and told her she would have a child who would have the power of wishing.  After she had the child, the cook, who knew of the son’s ability, staged the son’s death and blamed the queen, who was imprisoned by the king for seven years.  The cook, who was afraid the son would have him discovered, had the boy wish for a palace to live in, and then a beautiful companion.  The cook would go out and hunt like a nobleman every day.  But soon, he was again afraid the boy would tell the truth, and told the girl to kill him, on pain of death.  She refused, but he persisted, and she eventually told the boy of the plan. He had her kill a hind and present the cook with the heart and tongue.  He had the cook turned into a poodle   The girl was afraid to accompany him back to his kingdom, so he turned her into a carnation and put her in his pocket, and they walked with the poodle chained behind him.  He visited his mother in the tower, then worked as a huntsman for the king, and during a feast he wished for others to bring up the topic of his mother.  He revealed the truth to the king, who rejoiced and freed the queen.  Hot coals were poured down the poodle’s throat, and then he was executed; the father and queen soon died of grief and relief.  The boy and girl were married.   Chapters: 00:00 Reading of the Story 10:25 The Ambivalent Power of Wishing 12:25 Like the Garden of Eden and Corruption of Greed for Power 16:34 The King’s Gullibility 18:40 The Upside Down Kingdom 22:41 The Cook Feels Himself Losing Control 29:21 Why Does the Boy Turn the Cook into a Black Poodle? 36:26 Returning Home and Seeing Mother in the Tower 40:11 Why Does the Prince Refuse to Sit Next to his Father? 43:19 The Prince Wishes His Mother Into the Room 50:33 The Queen’s Virtue 53:32 The Ironic Power of Wishing 54:58 Final Reflections   Thank you for watching!  If you’re interested in the full discussion, see below:   The full video episode: https://youtu.be/1a8GjTiQYNM   The Podcast Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMIlJwXEK2vqfEOVgfclRgZNXO4boyP3T   For more in this podcast, please go to: Podbean: https://benomtad.podbean.com Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/podcast-benomtad/id1748320863 YouTube: https://m.youtube.com/@scissorsandpaper/videos Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4kJPGlaJjGVyLa9AKhci6t?si=8XXrX9FUT3CU71reCfA5kQ X: https://x.com/Benomtad Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/benomtad   I plan to conduct more interviews with various guests, so please check back later for those.   Pink Carnation Girl Photo by Alka Rautela on Unsplash

    59 min
  2. APR 23

    On the Brothers Grimm's "The Twelve Huntsmen:" The Guys of Truth

    Death of the King A Prince, betrothed to his Beloved, is called away, for his father the King is dying.  He gives his ring to his love and says he will marry her when he is king.   The Promise At his father’s deathbed, bereaved, he promises to marry the King’s chosen bride for him.  He forgets his previous promise.   The Disguise The princess almost dies of sadness, and her father says he will do whatever he can, and she asks that eleven maidens like herself in form and face be found.  Together with her, the twelve are dressed as huntsmen and presented to the new King, who does not recognize any of them but accepts them as his company.   The Tests However, the wise Lion advises the King that they are no ladies.  Two tests are devised, but another advisor on the ladies’ side helps them pass them, and the monarch dismisses the beast.   Truth Revealed, the Prince is Made Whole The king and the Huntsmen spend time together well, but the soon-to-be Queen arrives, and the true beloved almost dies again.  The king rushes to her and recognizes her, taking off her glove and seeing his ring.  They marry, the other princess is dismissed, and the lion is brought back into the king’s company.   Please join us for this tale of disguised truth, true disguises, getting lost at home and finding the truth in the woods!   Chapters:  00:00 Introduction 00:13 Reading of the Story 05:54 The Symbolism of a Dish vs. a Key 08:05 The Dying King vs. a True Love 15:15 Forgetting the Wish 22:20 A Wily Leader in a Sick Social Order 27:42 The Power of Twelve 30:45 The Truth Revealed in a Challenge 34:35 Death & The Prince’s Character 41:35 Suddenly, the Magical Talking Lion 48:29 The Lion’s Relaxed Character 49:45 The Lion’s Tests 55:55 Why the Women are Disguised as Huntsmen 57:55 Why the Princess Almost Dies Twice 1:00:58 Why are the Girls Hunters? 1:05:05 Hunting in Stories and Maturity 1:08:40 The Prince Almost Loses All 1:10:55 Our Suspicion of Instinct and the Narrowing of Rationality 1:21:17 The Truth of a Disguise 1:26:12 True Compassion Leads to Insight 1:30:11 Compassion: The Lifeblood of Society   Thank you for watching!  I love and have faith in dialogue.  Please leave a suggestion for new guests, topics, or this conversation.  How I can expand this Open Minded Thought and Discussion?  And if you’re interested, please check out the following:   The full video episode: https://youtu.be/-yZySp8Qshs?si=pDyETKJjS7546OZC   The Podcast Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMIlJwXEK2vqfEOVgfclRgZNXO4boyP3T   The Episode Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMIlJwXEK2vr3DwaH1OZBg239-GJ7AE6x   For more in this podcast, please go to: Podbean: https://benomtad.podbean.com Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/podcast-benomtad/id1748320863 YouTube: https://m.youtube.com/@scissorsandpaper/videos Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4kJPGlaJjGVyLa9AKhci6t?si=8XXrX9FUT3CU71reCfA5kQ X: https://x.com/Benomtad Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/benomtad   I plan to conduct more interviews with various guests, so please check back later for those.

    1h 33m
  3. APR 15

    People are Alienated from Religion and the Real (Clip)

    I summarize John Vervaeke (& Allan Bloom) on problems of religion in modernism.  They often focus on identity, dogma, or stand for nothing.     People don't go to it because it does not speak to them.  So why are people turning more to Orthodox Christianity?   (From a discussion on Religious Revival and Renewal)   Pew Article: https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2025/12/08/religion-holds-steady-in-america/?utm_source=chatgpt.com   Richard Reeves’ Post: ​​https://x.com/RichardvReeves/status/2002400790208463046?s=20   AP Article about Modern Orthodoxy: https://apnews.com/article/young-converts-online-eastern-orthodoxy-eef496dcd83a061d90a0b7aba33b6113   Thank you for watching!  I love and have faith in dialogue.  Please leave a suggestion for new guests, topics, or this conversation.  How I can expand this Open Minded Thought and Discussion?  And if you’re interested, please check out the following:   The full video episode: https://youtu.be/LP-tJ1JhOyg   Audio episode: https://benomtad.podbean.com/e/religious-revival-for-cultural-renewal/   The Podcast Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMIlJwXEK2vqfEOVgfclRgZNXO4boyP3T   The Episode Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMIlJwXEK2vr3DwaH1OZBg239-GJ7AE6x   For more in this podcast, please go to: Podbean: https://benomtad.podbean.com Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/podcast-benomtad/id1748320863 YouTube: https://m.youtube.com/@scissorsandpaper/videos Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4kJPGlaJjGVyLa9AKhci6t?si=8XXrX9FUT3CU71reCfA5kQ X: https://x.com/Benomtad Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/benomtad   I plan to conduct more interviews with various guests, so please check back later for those. Cathedral Photo: Photo by K. Mitch Hodge on Unsplash

    9 min
  4. APR 9

    Religious Revival for Cultural Renewal

    Is there a religious revival in America?  We used data from Pew to answer this question, and we talk about cultural malaise and how religion falls on deaf ears, and how it may speak to us again.   Chapters:   00:00 Introduction 00:30 Meditation & Contemplation 10:09 Key Questions about the Religious Revival 12:46 Religious Decline Has Stopped 15:40 Why are People Turning Away from Religion? 24:34 Traditional vs Liberal Mass 28:23 There’s No Such Thing as Dragons 32:23 Narrow Philosophy 35:42 Strange Philosophies in Our Time 37:21 Where is Our Agora? 42:50 The Need for Community and Meaning 49:15 Why I Started this Podcast  50:52 A New Religious Way Out of Our Zombie Life   (From a discussion on Religious Revival and Renewal)   See this doc for description ideas: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Ek66Ru4HpNJtYQWP6crrus5-Z_x-3aBKV5RnD7lGcE0/edit?tab=t.0   Pew Article: https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2025/12/08/religion-holds-steady-in-america/?utm_source=chatgpt.com   Richard Reeves’ Post: ​​https://x.com/RichardvReeves/status/2002400790208463046?s=20   AP Article about Modern Orthodoxy: https://apnews.com/article/young-converts-online-eastern-orthodoxy-eef496dcd83a061d90a0b7aba33b6113   Thank you for watching!  I love and have faith in dialogue.  Please leave a suggestion for new guests, topics, or this conversation.  How I can expand this Open Minded Thought and Discussion?  And if you’re interested, please check out the following:   The full video episode:   Audio episode:   The Podcast Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMIlJwXEK2vqfEOVgfclRgZNXO4boyP3T   The Episode Playlist: For more in this podcast, please go to: Podbean: https://benomtad.podbean.com Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/podcast-benomtad/id1748320863 YouTube: https://m.youtube.com/@scissorsandpaper/videos Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4kJPGlaJjGVyLa9AKhci6t?si=8XXrX9FUT3CU71reCfA5kQ X: https://x.com/Benomtad Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/benomtad   I plan to conduct more interviews with various guests, so please check back later for those.

    58 min
  5. APR 4

    But the Divine is Always with You (Clip)

    The Carnation is the Prince: The carnation the heroine burns at the beginning of the story IS the prince at the end.  He requires her to speak, but she freezes up, so he has to go into a stone... So she has to go through trials until she can freely express.  But he is always there when she is ready to speak.   (Discussion on “The Carnation Youth;” A Clip from the Episode “Perfectionism, Tragedy, and Creative Blocks”)   Thank you for watching!  I love and have faith in dialogue.  Please leave a suggestion for new guests, topics, or this conversation.  How I can expand this Open Minded Thought and Discussion?  And if you’re interested, please check out the following:   The full video episode: https://youtu.be/8_o0x6Z7ixc   Audio episode: https://benomtad.podbean.com/e/perfectionism-tragedy-and-creative-blocks/?token=6f91a2f5ea7cd671ae5de554c8681a61   The Podcast Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMIlJwXEK2vqfEOVgfclRgZNXO4boyP3T   The Episode Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMIlJwXEK2vq-TnaienDlJJ1ZdTknAqVn   “The Carnation Youth” full text: https://archive.org/details/talesofenchantme00eell/page/22/mode/2up   For more in this podcast, please go to: Podbean: https://benomtad.podbean.com Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/podcast-benomtad/id1748320863 YouTube: https://m.youtube.com/@scissorsandpaper/videos Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4kJPGlaJjGVyLa9AKhci6t?si=8XXrX9FUT3CU71reCfA5kQ X: https://x.com/Benomtad Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/benomtad   I plan to conduct more interviews with various guests, so please check back later for those.

    6 min

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Open, friendly, philosophical discussions about folktales, society, culture, and wisdom.