Why do those of us in western societies find it so difficult to face the prospect of our deaths, or to grieve collectively for experiences of shared loss? How does unprocessed collective grief - for instance about the pandemic - show up politically? And might changes in how we think and feel about death make it easier for us to confront existential risks like climate breakdown?

Ivor Williams is an old friend of Larger Us’s (he co-wrote This Too Shall Pass, our report on collective grief written at the height of the pandemic), a healthcare designer working at the cutting edge of end-of-life care, and now founder of Mortals, an extraordinary small group journey into our attitudes to both death, and everything that happens before it.

Featuring:

Alex Evans is founder and director of Larger Us, writer of the Good Apocalypse Guide on Substack, Professor in Practice at Newcastle University, and author of The Myth Gap.

Elizabeth Oldfield is chair of Larger Us, host of The Sacred podcast, author of Fully Alive: Tending to the Soul in Turbulent Times, and was formerly director of Theos, the UK's leading think tank on religion in public life.

Ivor Williams is designer and founder of Mortals, a small group programme that explores questions around dying and living well. He has worked as an end-of-care designer with Imperial College and the NHS, is an end-of-life doula, and was co-creator of Cove, one of the first mental health apps to be recommended by the NHS.

What happens when an African American befriends members of the Ku Klux Klan? Our guest for this episode is Daryl Davis - a blues musician who's played with greats like Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis and BB King, and who's also persuaded more than 200 white supremacists to leave groups like the KKK. We talk to Daryl about how his extraordinary journey began, what drives him to do this work, and what the rest of us can learn from his approach.

Please be aware that this episode contains a description of a violent and racist incident and use of offensive racist language in that context.

Featuring:
Alex Evans is founder and director of Larger Us, writer of the Good Apocalypse Guideon Substack, Professor in Practice at Newcastle University, and author of The Myth Gap.

Elizabeth Oldfield is chair of Larger Us, host of The Sacred podcast, author of Fully Alive: Tending to the Soul in Turbulent Times, and was formerly director of Theos, the UK's leading think tank on religion in public life.

Dr Daryl Davis is an international recording artist and race relations expert. He has received numerous awards for his book Klan-Destine Relationships and his award-winning film documentary Accidental Courtesy. He is the first Black author to write a book on the Ku Klux Klan based upon in-person interviews and personal encounters.

Other resources:
The Larger Us programme

What does it mean to be 'fully alive' during turbulent times? Our guest for this episode - who'll also be joining us as one of our rotating cast of co-hosts - is Elizabeth Oldfield, the author of Fully Alive: Tending to the Soul in Turbulent Times and Chair of Larger Us's board. Liz talks about how connection and belonging are at the heart of what she writes about in her book, what it's like to live in an intentional community, and how we fill the 'religion shaped hole' in modern life.

Featuring:
Alex Evans is founder and director of Larger Us, writer of the Good Apocalypse Guide on Substack, Professor in Practice at Newcastle University, and author of The Myth Gap.

Claire Brown is head of development and impact at Larger Us, oversees the organisation's climate conversations project, and has previously worked on welcoming refugees to the UK and as a local journalist.

Elizabeth Oldfield is chair of Larger Us, host of The Sacred podcast, author of Fully Alive: Tending to the Soul in Turbulent Times, and was formerly director of Theos, the UK's leading think tank on religion in public life.

Other resources:
Caleb Meakins TEDx - My 40 days - facing the fear of failure
Citizens by Jon Alexander
The Larger Us programme

Sound Effect by Shagor Miah from Pixabay