This is speaking of faith's unheard cuts. I'm Krista Tippett, you're listening to my

unedited conversation with Quaker author and educator Parker Palmer. I spoke with him on November

25th, 2008, from the Studios of American Public Media in St. Paul, Minnesota. He was in the

Studios of Wisconsin Public Radio in Madison, Wisconsin. This interview is included in our program

repossessing virtue, Parker Palmer on economic crisis, morality, and meaning, which was originally

broadcast in December 2008. Download the MP3 of that produced show at speakingoffaith.org.

I mean, I've been climbing hiking mountain trails at 8,500 and 10,000 feet out in New Mexico and

doing all kind of paddling in the boundary waters and doing all kinds of good stuff, so I'm back.

I'm canned, ready, and rested. And you, how are you? I'm pretty well. I juggle a lot and

sometimes I get kind of depleted and I can am right now because I have two children and

big job and I traveled a little bit too much lately, so my channel and just to try to get

balanced and that's what I strive for, but I don't always succeed.

Somehow, I know that story. Yeah, so yeah, it's not a very unusual story. So I think Mitch is

saying that we can go. It's great to talk to you, great to be able to do this again.

Yeah. I thought I would like to start in a little more personal place before we move out to

the bigger picture and just wonder, as you have been personally experiencing, you know,

what's happening in our culture economically, I wonder if you might reflect on experiences in your

life that you've been drawing on as you make sense of this. What's been in your, on your mind?

You know, even pieces of your upbringing or... Yeah. Well, that's a really interesting question

that I hadn't quite thought about before, but as usual, you ask the challenging question that

makes me think a new and I'm glad to do it. Well, I've thought a lot, in fact, over the years

about my upbringing, I grew up in a very affluent, all-white upper-middle-class suburb of

...