These are dark times in the United States, and due to this country’s power and influence, dark times for the planet. This show is about a world that just might work – so we talk a lot about problems and crises as we look for solutions. I’m always on the lookout for good news and inspirations. MARTIN GOODMAN has written a book, MY HEAD FOR A TREE, about the Bishnoi, an Indian religion whose 3+ million members are willing to sacrifice their lives to save and protect nature, whether it be wildlife or trees. By the way, once it’s clear you’re willing to take such measures, you can achieve a lot without having to actually take them.

Here’s my 2017 conversation with ROBERT WRIGHT on his best-seller WHY BUDDHISM IS TRUE. Wright has been asking big questions for nearly four decades in books like THE MORAL ANIMAL, NON-ZERO, and THE EVOLUTION OF GOD. On Substack, he’s persuasively critical of much of what happens in Washington under either party. Why in the fall of Trump’s first year, first term, did he put out WHY BUDDHISM IS TRUE: The Science and Philosophy of Meditation and Enlightenment? We talk evolutionary psychology, cognitive delusions, tribalism, and Trump. We asked then, what can mindfulness offer people trying to make sense and justice of contemporary politics? Almost exactly 8 years later, the question now, how can mindfulness help us deal with a dictator?

In 1969, my senior year at Harvard, anti-war activists took over University Hall and their brutal removal by state troopers led to a month-long strike. Today’s guest, longtime activist and organizer, MICHAEL ANSARA, was chair of the strike committee. We’ll talk about his new memoir, THE HARD WORK OF HOPE, the parallels between the late ‘60s and the current day, and lessons learned that might help this time around. You can learn more at michaelansara.org