Loving When We're Not At Our Best with Parker Palmer

Learning How to See with Brian McLaren

Center for Action and Contemplation

Christianity, Religion & Spirituality

4.8 • 748 Ratings

🗓️ 11 December 2025

⏱️ 54 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

How can we see others, and ourselves, with love when anger, fear, depression, or division clouds our vision? Today's episode of Learning How to See features an interview with Quaker elder Parker J. Palmer. Parker helps us explore how love can become a way of seeing, how we can navigate times of depression, and why listening to each other’s life stories may be our best antidote to polarization. Join us as Parker reflects on encounters that reshaped his assumptions about “the other,” sharing insights from decades of Quaker practice. Resources: Subscribe to Parker's Substack here. Learn more about the Center for Renewal and Courage here. Follow Parker on Facebook here. Find the transcript for this episode here. Connect with us: Have a question you’d like Brian or Carmen to answer about this season? Email us: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠podcasts@cac.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Send us a voicemail: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠cac.org/voicemail⁠⁠⁠

Transcript

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0:00.0	You're listening to a podcast by the Center for Action and Contemplation. To learn more, visit
0:05.5	cac.org. Hi, everyone. It's Brian. One of the assumptions that guide us in making learning
0:12.9	how to see is that we really learn best together in conversation, in community, and by asking
0:19.5	questions we can't answer alone. I have a favor to ask.
0:23.3	If this podcast has been helpful to you, would you consider leaving a rating or review wherever you
0:28.8	listen? That small gesture helps other spiritual seekers find their way here, and it helps us
0:34.4	grow the community of people learning how to see and learning how to love.
0:38.5	And please keep your questions coming. Your questions guide us and they help us feel connected
0:43.7	as fellow learners. You can always reach us at podcasts at cac.org.
0:51.9	Hi, I'm Brian McLaren. And I'm Carmen Acevedo Butcher and welcome to learning how to see.
0:59.8	As the podcast name suggests, this podcast is about seeing.
1:04.8	Each season, we explore some facet of learning how to see, learning to encounter reality,
1:10.7	not just superficially with our eyes,
1:13.0	but deeply with our whole being. And this season, we're exploring what it means to see with
1:19.0	eyes of love. Thank you for trusting us with this time, and thank you for being the kind of person
1:24.8	who cares about learning how to see with eyes of love.
1:29.0	In today's episode, we'll be joined by Parker Palmer, author, speaker, activist,
1:36.1	and founder of the Center for Courage and Renewal,
1:39.6	and will be considering the topic loving when we're not at our best. Then after our interview with Parker Palmer,
1:48.5	Carmen will offer a brief reflection about our interview. And then we'll lead you in a guided
1:54.3	meditation, concluding with a few minutes of silent contemplation. It is our hope and prayer that after our time together, you will feel re-centered on what really matters and that you will open your eyes It really is a great step of trust that you have made to join us for this podcast, and we hope you're going to find it as meaningful
2:35.3	and inspiring as we believe it's going to be, because we have one of my favorite guests
	...

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