CATCHING SOULS: An Obituary Writer’s Lessons for Living

The Next Big Idea

Next Big Idea Club

Self-improvement, Arts, Books, Society & Culture, Education

4.5 • 1.3K Ratings

🗓️ 21 November 2024

⏱️ 52 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

For two decades, Ann Wroe has written weekly obituaries for The Economist. Some of her subjects are luminaries (Queen Elizabeth II, Paul Newman). Others are little-knowns (cheesemakers, storm chasers, typewriter repairmen). But all of them, in Ann’s words, “have enhanced the world by their existence.” Her obituaries are celebrations of life, and Ann is a soul-catcher — souls, for her, being the best word for the “unique and essential part of ourselves, our self-conscious and transcendent core.” It’s a job that requires empathy, patience, almost tactile curiosity, and, well, love. It’s a job from which we can all learn a great deal. 📕 Lifescapes: A Biographer’s Search for the Soul 📬 We launched a newsletter! It’s called Book of the Day, and you can get a special discount here 🎁 Looking for the perfect gift for the readers in your life? How about a subscription to the Next Big Idea Club! Get 20% off any membership when you use code PODCAST20 at nextbigideaclub.com/gift

Transcript

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0:00.0	LinkedIn Presents
0:02.0	I'm Caleb Bissinger and this is the next big idea.
0:10.0	Today, Anne Rowe writes about the dead.
0:14.0	What can she teach us about life? But first,
0:40.2	But first, a couple of ads. If you're interested in the story behind the business headlines, check out Big Technology
0:44.3	podcast.
0:45.4	My weekly show that features in-depth interviews with CEOs, researchers, and reformers in
0:51.0	business and technology.
0:52.7	Hi, I'm Alex Cantorwitz. I'm a longtime journalist,
0:56.4	CNBC contributor, and the host of the show. I empty my Rolodex every Wednesday to bring you
1:01.8	awesome episodes, so go check out Big Technology Podcast. It's available in all podcast apps. I'd love to
1:08.0	have you as listener. Have you been feeling the effects of stress, burnout, or anxiety at work?
1:14.8	Listen to the Anxious Achiever podcast to rethink the relationship between your career and your mental health.
1:21.9	Get the Anxious Achiever wherever you find your podcasts.
1:25.1	And walk away with practical advice you can implement today.
1:31.5	Sorry, just two seconds.
1:33.2	No worries.
1:34.7	What's your podcast called?
1:36.0	The Next Big Idea.
1:38.4	Alright, can I just go out some level from you, please?
1:40.3	Yes.
1:41.0	Tell my awful day when I got into the building and got into
	...

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