A few podcasts back, Randy and I invited our sons Tristan and Lucas to join us for a conversation about where they, two Gen-Z-ers, see themselves and the state of the world today. It was a robust and intensely philosophical back and forth. We all thought of it as an appetizer. In this podcast, Tristan and Lucas return for the next course as they talk about the future and how they see themselves in it. Clearly, this is not fast food; this is a smorgasbord that’s going to take many visits.
A lot of ground gets covered in this one: investing, social conscience, quantitative easing, Good v Evil, innocence, Truth, Aristotle, Nietzsche and “2001: A Space Odyssey” all get air time. Truth and innocence especially. Hard, thoughtfulo questions arise: “What’s useful about Truth?” and “Can we imagine a world that doesn’t need a messiah?”
Let that last one sink in a little. Consider what Gen-Z is asking the Baby Boom. Is it necessarily a given that they must inherit a world that needs “saving” (and from human beings no less)? Can we be more proactive?
We won’t risk a “spoiler alert”, but if you want to feel encouraged about the future, please listen or watch.
Our young people have no delusions about the state of things and the world they will inherit from us. They recognize that we are failing to live up to our potential as humans and citizens. And they have ideas about how they might fix the messy world that’s coming at them.
Or, if you’d prefer to watch —
NOTES & SOURCES
For a quick primer on “quantitative easing”, there’s this piece from Forbes.
Here’s the “star child” ending from Kubrick’s “2001: A Space Odyssey”.
For some background on philosopher and art critic Walter Benjamin, please go here.
For more information on Canadian professor of Psychology Jordan Peterson, please go here.