Jake and Noel reflect on the contemplative life as resting in the truth of reality. They discuss the transformative impact of silence. referencing a retreat with executives who profoundly valued eating in silence. Who knew that silence could speak so much?

Podcast Editor - Ger Kellett

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Jake and Noel discuss Herman Hesse’s perspective on creation as a discharge of the living soul and the human need to make our mark, connecting creation to the desire to communicate the incommunicable and so feel less alone. They explore the distinction between loneliness and solitude on the spiritual path.

Podcast Editor - Ger Kellett

Show notes:

In its origin a poem is something completely unequivocal. It is a discharge, a call, a cry, a sigh, a gesture, a reaction by which the living soul seeks to defend itself from or to become aware of an emotion, an experience. In this first spontaneous most important function no poem can be judged. It speaks first of all simply to the poet himself, it is his cry, his scream, his dream, his smile, his whirling fists.

(by Hermann Hesse)

Loneliness is the pain of being alone

Solitude is the glory of being alone

(John Moriarty)

The pain of being alone is not being able to share your ideas with other people

(John Moriarty)

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Noel and Jake exchange on the transformative nature of listening, defining it as an empathetic and tender act requiring presence and a willingness to be changed by the other person, citing Jake's reflection on an encounter with Henk and Noel’s reference to King Solomon's request for a listening heart.

Podcast Editor - Ger Kellett

Listening

Listening is a form of worship,

but you don't have to kneel

on the floor with folded hands

or mouth the perfect prayer.

Just open the door of yourself

to another, become the space

they step through to show

you who they are. This is

holiness: two people seated

together on the pew of a park

bench, or the altar of a

kitchen table. Even if no one

says a word for a while,

receive the silence until it's

like a new language only the

two of you can speak.

(by James Crews)

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Noel and Jake explore the profound power of words, emphasizing their role in liberation, recognition, and connection, leading to the choice of The Hinge as the name for the podcast.

Podcast Editor - Ger Kellett

Words

There are places inside me

For which I have no words,

And these are the places I write from

. . .

Words are like stones

That I gathered in my pocket

That anchored me to this place

. . .

Words are a needle and thread

To my tornness

(by Noel O’Driscoll)

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How do we let go of docility, so we stop participating in known falsehoods? Can we embrace the agency that arises from confronting fear and the rupture of the world as we know it? Is this a time for stepping away from what no longer serves us, ending individualistic pursuits and reorientating towards community as a new beginning?

Podcast Editor - Ger Kellett

References:
— Speech Mark Carney, Prime Minister of Canada at 2026 World Economic Forum, ’Bad men need nothing more to compass their ends, than that good men should look on and do nothing.’ (John Stuart Mill)

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Write to us at ---

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Jake describes an encounter with a man named Luigi during a flight, which leads to conversations about life, faith, and the importance of remaining open despite initial judgments. Noel recounts an unexpected stopover in Charlotte, illustrating the spirituality of interruption. . .

Podcast Editor - Ger Kellett

Show notes ---

Yesterday, I got up at four. I shower standing on the fold-down bathroom seat for fear of athlete's foot. It works. I drop my suitcase and go through security. I order a coffee and drink it with distaste. Shall I take it back? Too much trouble. I read my book on Solitude until the gate is called — Gate 34.

I walk down the stairs overtaking people on the escalator alongside. One of them is an older man in a blue chequered, woolen suit. His white hair flowing, long and wavy. I think to myself I’d like to sit next to someone like him on a flight. I walk past fashion, book, sports, and toy stores. There is an empty free newspaper stand. A young couple rifle through a backpack in the middle of the corridor. A tall woman nearly trips on an empty plastic bottle. It’s six a.m. . . .

(by Jake Esman)

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Noel and Jake discuss the concept of beauty as a powerful, inescapable force that ‘hunts everyone.’ Noel introduces the poetry of Andrea Gibson and Jake speaks of beauty as an ‘apparition of God.’ They share their personal experiences of encountering beauty and its place, constancy and necessity for our lives.

Podcast Editor - Ger Kellett

Show notes -

Acceptance Speech After Setting the World Record in Goosebumps by Andrea Gibson

‘…Of course beauty hunted me.

It hunts everyone…

There is no escaping the magic now.

Beauty caught me and never let me go…’

Write to us:

Can you think of a time when you were struck by beauty?

thehingepodcast@gmail.com

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Noel and Jake discuss the many faces of gratitude. Noel reads a poem "A grateful heart” emphasizing spontaneous thanks for life, the importance of context beyond negative events, and the connection between gratitude and grace. They explore the place of gratitude amidst and even for difficult experiences, including loss and addiction.

Podcast Editor - Ger Kellett

Show notes -

A Grateful Heart by Noel O’Driscoll

Upon waking

Immediate prayer

A simple thanks

From my lips

For the breath in my body

For life, longing and love

For every birth and death

For you

My Beloved

I bow

With a grateful heart

Alanis Morisette - Thank U

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