Two Inconvenient Women

"Attention is the rarest and purest form of generosity"(Simone Weil) and holds the power to radically and deeply shift how we think, feel and act in the world. Many people are now pointing to a shift of attention as key to unlocking humans from being stuck within so many negative behavioural patterns; inviting us to pay closer attention to what we are actually doing, why that might be and whether our thoughts, feelings and actions are serving us or future generations of life on this planet.

But what does it mean to pay attention? And why is this so hard these days?

In this week's podcast we dive into the complexities of staying present and alert in a culture dominated by fractured attention; reflecting on how hard it feels to be consciously alert when our attention is being grabbed and actively manipulated by social media algorithms and quick dopamine hits. We explore the pressures of staying present in an overwhelmingly complex culture, and talk about some of the practices for coming back into the 'now'; thinking about the different ways of paying closer attention to ourselves, to each other and to the wider world we are part of.

In this conversation, we reference the following:

The Power of Now - Eckhart Tolle (Book)
Cosmic Eye (short video)
Flow - Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (book)
The Master and his Emissary - Iain McGilchrist (book)
Why our attention spans are shrinking - Gloria Mark (PDF)
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What does it mean to be humane? And, conversely, what might it mean to be inhumane?

Whilst there is no one way to be human, there are many shared qualities that encompass the human experience and that sit as the essence of what it is to be human; qualities that set us aside from other species. We are relational beings by nature, and have within us a quality drawn to connection. Yet there is a conflict within many areas of modernity which challenges this natural essence and fuels feelings of fear, disconnection whilst actively encouraging a sense of dehumanising - both of others and of ourselves. Driven by divisive political systems, media outlets and technological advancements, many areas of culture are actively encouraging a feeling of othering, with rigid control in areas such as education, healthcare, industry driven by fear conflicting with a sense of trust, dignity and wellbeing. So what does it mean to reclaim our humanity and how can we pay attention to what it is within us that makes us human and humane?

In this episode we reference the following:

All that we share (TV 2 advert) - Video
Imagined otherness - why we dehumanise our political opponents - Dylan Walsh / Sameer Srivastava (article)
Groups & Gangs resources - ThoughtBox (PowerPoint lesson resources *Found in the PEOPLE CARE section)
Fox's Dancing Journey - A story about refugees - ThoughtBox (PDF)

✨ Today's magic moment was an invitation to join us next week for a free Introduction to Triple WellBeing workshop✨

There's an inconvenient movement growing...
It's not rebellion, exactly. More of a quiet refusal to look away. We're inconvenient. And if you feel it, then maybe you are too. Join us.
Join The Inconvenient Club from £5 a month. Find out more at www.thoughtboxeducation.com/the-inconvenient-club
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What is the point of hope? This question is so perfectly poised between nihilism and optimism, and the conversation explores the territory in between. When hope can so often feel like an avoidance of the present moment, or a vacuous space of impossibility, what does it have to offer us in such complex times? Conversely, hope is an act of faith in something far bigger than the human experience, and stands as a foundation of so many people across the world, whether through religion, spiritual practice or an inherent trust in the bigger story. Wherever we are landing with the quality of hope, it is a universal human encounter and something that may perhaps offer us a doorway into a lighter, deeper, more resilient and conscious way of living.

In this episode we reference the following:

Active Hope - Joanna Macy (website)
The opposite of grimdark is hopepunk (website)
Anti-racist pedagogy in art - Kathy Wise (article)
Imagination Taking Power - Rob Hopkins (website)
Interview with Elin Kelsey - Episode 1: Hopepunk - The Second Transition Podcast (podcast episode)

✨ Today's magic moment was a shout out to the fabulous ThoughtBox Team✨

There's an inconvenient movement growing...
It's not rebellion, exactly. More of a quiet refusal to look away. We're inconvenient. And if you feel it, then maybe you are too. Join us.
Join The Inconvenient Club from £5 a month. Find out more at www.thoughtboxeducation.com/the-inconvenient-club
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

✨ Today's magic moment features our new ThoughtBox website ✨

Play is not just for children; it is an essential adult survival tool. And yet we find ourselves living in so many cultures where play is being eroded from childhood and is virtually non-existent amongst adults. Beyond the core developmental qualities that play enables in children, engaging in recreational activities that bring joy lowers stress, triggers mood-boosting endorphins, fuels creativity, and strengthens relationships by building trust and empathy. Play also reminds us of the vitality of life and offers a more generative way of living. So why is it that play has disappeared and how can we welcome it back into our lives and communities?

In this episode we reference the following:

Dirt is Good campaign (website)
How play made us and keeps us human -Maria Popov (article)
OPAL- Outdoor Play and Learning - organisation (website)
Play based learning at St Ebbe's Primary, Oxford (website page)
How play boosts creativity and resilience - Katina Bajaj (TedTalk Podcast)
Rediscovering Play - Mindful Spark (blogpost)
Play Based Learning with Dr Peter Gray (video)

There's an inconvenient movement growing...
It's not rebellion, exactly. More of a quiet refusal to look away. We're inconvenient. And if you feel it, then maybe you are too. Join us.
Join The Inconvenient Club from £5 a month. Find out more at www.thoughtboxeducation.com/the-inconvenient-club
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week in the UK, we're in the middle of a heatwave. Record-breaking temperatures, flash floods, thunderstorms and lightning fires are all bringing the climate emergency into an immediacy of awareness for many people who previously may not have wanted or been able to look at it. But in the face of this emergency, how do we talk about what's happening without instilling more fear? And how do we find the courage to actually step into action?

✨ Today's magic moment features our Triple WellBeing Storybooks ✨

In this episode we reference:

Should we be trying to save the world? with Anthea Lawson - The Examined Life (podcast episode)
'I am helping - oh no' - Webcomicname by Alex Norris (comic strip)
When The Baddie Plans To Destroy The World! from Mitchell And Webb Are Not Helping (short video)
Don't put economy at mercy of 'Red Ed' - Daily Mail (online article)
Learning for Life - ThoughtBox Education (teaching resources)
National Emergency Briefing - NEB (film and local screenings)

There's an inconvenient movement growing...
It's not rebellion, exactly. More of a quiet refusal to look away. We're inconvenient. And if you feel it, then maybe you are too. Join us.
Join The Inconvenient Club from £5 a month. Find out more at www.thoughtboxeducation.com/the-inconvenient-club
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.