Michael Ignatieff: Where We Turn For Meaning

Everything Happens with Kate Bowler

Everything Happens Studios

Health & Fitness, Religion & Spirituality, Society & Culture

4.8 • 4.7K Ratings

🗓️ 28 March 2023

⏱️ 42 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Historian and Canadian politician Michael Ignatieff explores the cracks in our seamless worldviews… or at least the worldviews we thought were seamless until we’re faced with tragedies of all kinds. In this wide-ranging exploration, Kate and Michael probe humanity's enduring attempt to console ourselves and construct meaning from our pain. In this conversation, Kate and Michael discuss: Why truth and trust are so important when it comes to finding meaning in our pain The difference between comfort and consolation The limits of stoicism and hyper-futurism What it means to be hopeful The importance of community through pain and suffering Michael does not denigrate anyone’s attempt for comfort, but asks us to look carefully at the consolation that lasts. He asks: What is consolation? And why do we all crave that practice of meaning-making? *** Looking for the transcript or show notes? Click here. Find Kate on Instagram or Facebook or Twitter. THE LIVES WE ACTUALLY HAVE: 100 Blessings for Imperfect Days is out now. Learn more, here. We have free Lent guides for you to use by yourself, with a group, or with your church. Click here to get started. Leave us a voicemail and who knows? We might even be able to use your voice on the air: 919-322-8731 To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	You've probably heard it said that humans are meaning-making creatures.
0:09.2	We tell stories to make sense of our lives and our loves.
0:13.6	We cling to traditions and rituals that make us feel a part of something greater than
0:18.2	us.
0:19.6	And of course, as this podcast title lets you know, something meaningful can't always
0:25.7	be found.
0:27.8	And things just happen.
0:30.4	For no reason that we can easily understand and no reason we can weaponize against other
0:35.6	people.
0:37.6	And yet, and yet, and yet, we still want to be on the hunt for glimmers of beauty and
0:43.7	joy and hope, even still.
0:46.9	I'm Cape Buller, and this is Everything Happens.
0:52.2	And today we're going to talk about the whole concept of consolation.
0:55.4	I know, you know I love big words.
0:58.7	But my guest today wrote a whole book exploring this question.
1:03.0	What is consolation?
1:05.0	What meaning do people turn to after we experience great tragedy or suffering?
1:12.6	And not just today, when so many people turn to say science or the therapeutic, but what
1:18.8	have great thinkers and leaders turned to for centuries before us?
1:25.6	Maybe it's because I study popular religious culture and you know, just to say everything
1:30.2	that makes its way into Instagram and Sheep Paperbacks.
1:33.7	So I kind of wanted a minute to speak to someone who loves these long form stories, these
	...

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