On the 67th episode of the What is a Good Life? podcast, I am delighted to introduce our guest, David Haskell. David is a writer and a biologist. His latest book, Sounds Wild and Broken, is a finalist for the 2023 Pulitzer Prize in Nonfiction. His previous books, The Forest Unseen and The Songs of Trees are acclaimed for their integration of science, poetry, and rich attention to the living world. Among their honours include the National Academies’ Best Book Award, John Burroughs Medal, finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, and many more. He is a Guggenheim Fellow and Professor at the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee.
In this captivating episode, David shares his journey of celebrating all living life, experiencing life as much through his senses as possible, while becoming aware of the connections between himself and whatever he is engaging with, and the multiplicity of connections that exist behind that. Throughout this conversation, he impresses the importance of experiencing real life beyond the screens we often stare at for much of the day, and seeing life as it truly is, whether pleasant or not. He also suggests the importance of stepping out of ourselves to become more in tune with how we perceive and connect with other life forms.
This episode will give you much to contemplate regarding how, where, and with what we spend our time, how we sense life, the importance of not always putting humans at the centre of the universe, and the humility and changes that can occur within us when making that shift.
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For further content and information check out the following:
- David's latest book:
Sounds Wild and Broken
- David's Website: https://dghaskell.com/
- For the podcast's YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/@whatisagoodlife/videos
- My newsletter: https://www.whatisagood.life/
- My LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-mccartney-14b0161b4/
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Running Order:
02:45 Podcast begins
03:05 Celebrating all living life
07:40 Echoes and connections with the past and creativity
11:45 Being in touch with the real world not our screens
18:05 Anxiety levels increasing with the youth
20:20 Coming back to our senses and curiosity of connection
24:35 Ambiguity of simultaneous beauty and brokenness
29:35 The rewiring of us as we engage with nature
33:06 Resistance to the open ended nature of change
38:35 Developing empathy with our environment & other beings
42:35 Interconnection not individuality
50:15 Realising once more how essential relationships are
55:30 What is a good life for David?