Jonah Asks

Jonah Hall

Jonah Asks is about connecting human beings. The episodes are interview-conversations with friends, artists, writers, teachers, musicians and other interesting and articulate people. These conversations often return to the following themes: *technology in our lives*art and creativity*writing and thinking*middle-age and aging *identity*childhood *parenting *education*creative habits*anxiety*meditation and spirituality*psychology and therapy *nature and wonder*animal connections/pets*friendship*socioeconomics*equality*relationships *democracyIn other words, being human.

  1. 5d ago

    Jonah Asks Jeremy (On Unions, Teaching, Community, Middle-Age, Attention and Self-Love)

    It was a pleasure to reconnect with Jeremy. Jeremy has been a Kindergarten teacher in Salt Lake City for many years. He's recently gone through some major life changes. Our conversation ranges from educational issues to finding community, from learning from life's difficulties to recapturing one's attention and many other topics. Here are detailed show notes, with links to various articles and podcasts mentioned in the episode and a great picture of Jeremy in nature!Please share and subscribe.Keep building community and connections.Thanks for Listening!Jonah

    1h 21m

  2. Apr 14

    Jonah Asks Returns - Conversations on Rebuilding Democracy and Avoiding Cynicism and Resignation

    Hello Good People,Maybe, just maybe, I can convince a few people to talk to me about political progress, rebuilding democracy, avoiding cynicism and resignation. In May, June and July, I will be recording something. Either short monologues or conversations with other good people. Take a listen. If you're interested in setting up a summer talk, email me at jonahasks at gmail.Midterms are in November. He won't be in office forever,Jonah

    12 min

  3. 02/07/2023

    With Moshe, Part Two (On Attention, Social Media, Happiness and Mental Suffering, the Human Species, Artificial Intelligence, Universal Basic Income and the Future)

    Welcome Back to Jonah Asks,Here's part two of my conversation with Moshe. We discuss: attention, social media, happiness and mental suffering, the human species and biology, artificial intelligence, universal basic income and the future.  music:  This instrumental piece is an original of mine, based around a piano recording, added effects and then a sampled cello and atmospheric pad loop from samplefocus.com. You can find it on my other podcast, Poems, Guitar and Meditations. https://player.fm/series/poems-guitar-and-meditations/piano-cello-atmospheric-loop-for-sleep Parenting Balancing the desire to give attention and support with the need to step back and observe young children.  6 min Attention and Focus Maintaining attention amidst the wave of information and social media's impact. 10 min Moshe Chooses Happiness Mental suffering - Mental suffering was rampant in Moshe's family. Moshe's aunt was a Holocaust survivor. On her deathbed, her son asked her "Was everything so bad?" She responded, "There were some good things, but we don't talk about that." Happiness seemed unavailable to many who lived through and survived the Holocaust.  Moshe has atrial fibrillation. He has to be careful with his heart. Too much stress with atrial fibrillation can lead to stroke.  20 min Progress of the Human Species Moshe is a firm believer in the progress and survival of the human species.  "I'm not arguing with the universe. I will argue with reality. My optimism is based on the possibility that the evils of capitalism the way we know it and the development of artificial intelligence and other technologies will force mankind to develop a new paradigm and new understanding of how society should work.  28 min Considering the Future: 2050 and Beyond We veer into the future, the impact of artificial intelligence, the possibility of Universal Basic Income, etc. We disagree about how humans will evolve.  37 min Technology and Techno-Utopianism Moshe sees human progress as an inevitability. Jonah sees human connection as a practice that has been eroding in modern life.  42 min Biology Isn't Bothered By Our Obsession with Technology...or Is It? Moshe believes in biology. Jonah believes in our biological need to make connections.  Resources:New Yorker "Two Supreme Court Cases That Could Break the Internet"https://www.newyorker.com/news/q-and-a/two-supreme-court-cases-that-could-break-the-internetTristan Harris - Center for Humane Techhttps://www.humanetech.com/who-we-are

    54 min

  4. 01/31/2023

    With Moshe, Part One (On Memory, Positive Psychology, Jewish Migration, Israel, Identity and Self-Definition)

    Welcome Back to Jonah Asks,Moshe is my neighbor. He is a modern philosopher, with an optimistic outlook, having trained himself in positive psychology. He was born in Israel in 1951 and came to New York City in the early 1970s, before returning to Israel and then eventually landing in the Bay Area. music: Neil Cowley "Eureka Pulse" 3 min Positive PsychologyMoshe discusses his study of positive psychology and choosing his own personal happiness and well-being. "Wanting to be happy is a license that I acquired in my years. There is a methodology for it and I think I got. At this point it works for me and I am good with that. I was a sad Jew." 9 min Spirituality and Identity Going beyond the self. Fighting to define yourself rather than be defined by a given identity. 12 min Moshe's Family History Parents leaving Poland and arriving in Israel during the 1930s. Cold and superstitious places. Pogroms and then the Holocaust. Moshe's father came to Palestine in the mid 1930s, with many Jewish immigrants. Moshe's mother escaped Poland in 1938 via train through Germany, before taking a ship from Trieste to Palestine.  17 min Middle Eastern history and Moshe's parents. Palestine and the creation of Israel in 1949. 23 min MemoryJonah discusses memory and writing. Moshe has been studying philosophy and psychology. He discusses the biological need to recall negative experiences for survival. 26 minBeing Jewish Israeli experience compared with suburban American experiences Moshe explains how the history of Jewish oppression informs the Israeli pride in Judaism. Jonah's mother's childhood: Secular Jews in suburban DC (late '40s into early '60s)32 minPain versus SufferingMoshe discusses Yuval Noah Harari's ideas about pain versus suffering. Pain is contemporary and neurological event. Suffering is spread over time and is often a speculative psychological event.37 minMoshe wrote to Professor Sapolsky, who studies stress. 39 minMoshe in New York City, 1973Moshe was released from Israeli military service in 1973 and found his way to New York City. 43 minMoshe Meets His First Wife, TinaCouch-surfing, squatting, and getting by. Figuring out how to live in the United States, with a tourist visa.A wild pack of cats and a smelly small apartment in New York City.47 minMoshe and Tina move to Somerville, MA then back to Israel then ChildrenFrom New York to "Slummerville." Tina had to hide the relationship from her strict Jewish mother. Eventually, they moved back to Israel and had children. Later, they moved to the Bay Area, in part to get medical treatment for their son, who had a kidney situation.  53 minDivorce and a New Marriage After 19 years of marriage and two children, Moshe discovers Carla at his child's preschool. "I saw this beautiful woman working with a jackhammer, breaking the asphalt."61 minMoshe Is Afraid of Helplessness (Like Many of Us) Through much of his life, Moshe has prized self-sufficiency. He understands this as a reaction to his mother's helplessness.  In his later years, he has accepted the deep love of his second wife and attachment. Many thanks to Moshe for the wonderful conversation. Stay tuned for Part 2, coming soon.Links:Yuval Harari's TED talkshttps://www.ted.com/speakers/yuval_noah_harariPositive Psychology TED talkshttps://positivepsychology.com/positive-psychology-ted-talks/

    1h 2m
  5. Jonah Reads: "To Build a Fire" by Jack London

    01/15/2023

    Jonah Reads: "To Build a Fire" by Jack London

    Welcome back to Jonah Asks,In this episode, Jonah Reads.Jack London's "To Build a Fire" (1908). A classic story of a man and a husky traversing the Yukon in winter.It helps to keep in mind the story was written in 1908.

    40 min
  6. With Jeff Alessandrelli (On Writing about Selfhood, Living via Text, Shyness, Vulnerability and Storytelling)

    10/17/2022

    With Jeff Alessandrelli (On Writing about Selfhood, Living via Text, Shyness, Vulnerability and Storytelling)

    Welcome back to Jonah Asks. This talk with Jeff Alessandrelli is wide-ranging and thought-provoking. Jeff's book And Yet is an experimental fiction novel full of quotations, philosophical ideas around shyness, desire and selfhood. The novel and the conversation both explore many aspects of modern life:*isolation vs connection;*therapy/mental health*living via text vs living in the present moment *vulnerability vs social conditioning/masculinity*creative ambition vs acceptance;*societal expectations vs individual truth. *talking vs self-consciousness*identity and performing the selfLink to Jeff's book:https://pankmagazine.com/shop/preorder-yet-jeff-alessandrelli/music samples: "Me, Myself and I" De La Soul"Saturday in the Park" ChicagoEssay in The Atlantic on the sex recession, Dec 2018 https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2018/12/the-sex-recession/573949/ Spalding Gray on Charlie Rose (1997) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=geKEoxpPh5Y&tThank You For Listening and Sharing,Jonah

    1h 27m
  7. With Jeremy (On Teaching Kindergarten, Labor Rights, Emotion and Compassion, Emojis, and Retaining Hope for Humanity)

    10/10/2022

    With Jeremy (On Teaching Kindergarten, Labor Rights, Emotion and Compassion, Emojis, and Retaining Hope for Humanity)

    Welcome back to Jonah Asks, This is the second episode with Jeremy. It was recorded at the end of June, but it's finally made its way to the internet. Jeremy is a thoughtful human, a compassionate teacher, and maintains hope for humanity, despite it all. Themes:*Teaching Kindergarten*Five Year-Olds*Labor Rights*Emotional Regulation*Compassion*Emojis and Language*Retaining Hope for HumanityIf you enjoy this episode, please share it.

    1h 30m

  8. 09/18/2022

    The Wednesday Meeting: A Short Story

    Welcome back to Jonah Asks. In this episode, I recorded an audio version of a recently completed short story, The Wednesday Meeting. It's a story about a man named Isaac. He's learning how to move forward from a childhood trauma. The written version can be found at https://darkoindex.medium.com/If you enjoy it, please share this episode. Thanks for listening.

    35 min
See All (47)

Ratings & Reviews

4.8
out of 5
5 Ratings

About

Jonah Asks is about connecting human beings. The episodes are interview-conversations with friends, artists, writers, teachers, musicians and other interesting and articulate people. These conversations often return to the following themes: *technology in our lives*art and creativity*writing and thinking*middle-age and aging *identity*childhood *parenting *education*creative habits*anxiety*meditation and spirituality*psychology and therapy *nature and wonder*animal connections/pets*friendship*socioeconomics*equality*relationships *democracyIn other words, being human.

Information

  • Creator
    Jonah Hall
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    47
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026 Jonah Hall
  • Show Website
    Jonah Asks