You're listening to a podcast from Meaning of Life TV.

Hi, Ruth.

Hi, Bob.

How are you?

Good, yeah, as good as you can be in the middle of a pandemic.

In the middle of a pandemic that will end civilization as we know it.

Exactly, yeah, apart from that.

Yeah. Well, you. Apart from that. Yeah.

Well, you know, the pandemic has some connection to what we're going to talk about.

We didn't plan it this way.

Let me introduce us and explain.

I'm Robert Wright.

This is the right show available in both streaming video and via audio podcast.

You are Ruth Whitman, author of the book, America the Anxious,

how our pursuit of happiness is creating a nation of nervous wrecks.

And, you know, being in the middle of a pandemic is relevant both anxiety and happiness.

And so I actually do want to get around to talking about that before this is over.

But maybe we should first talk about the book a little and what you're up to.

And add, by the way, you're a journalist.

You've written for New York Times, The Guardian, a lot of places.

You were, I guess, a broadcast journalist journalist you made documentaries for the bbc i did yeah yeah but but then

you came to america which led to this book yes and and um and in fact you know it's funny i mean in a way

...