Curiosity Killed the Cat

I’ve always been a curious person, but I never imagined that one day I would become someone with a true “learning passion”—it might even be called a “learning obsession” at this point. I just can’t get enough of exploring new things that catch my attention.

This trait became more apparent to me over the past ten years or so, but at 59, it’s one of the primary things that drives me every day. When I wake up, the first thing I usually think is, “What can I explore today, what will I learn today?” I roll out of bed, open the window blinds to catch the sunrise, grab my coffee, and then settle down with a book or my laptop to start my day on a positive note. I can easily spend several hours reading, learning, and absorbing.

One of the things that comes with this learning is an interest in what I call “thought-provoking discussion.” I really enjoy listening to well-informed, intelligent people discuss a topic thoughtfully, engagingly, and clearly. Exploring ideas, sharing opinions, being patient with each other, and most importantly, listening and learning from each other during the discussion. That learning through discussion is like a self-fulfilling cycle. Intelligent discussion leads to more intelligent discussion, and people carry ideas away and share them with others.

At this point, I should provide a short explanation about what I mean by “thought-provoking discussion.” In my opinion, it occurs when individuals clearly articulate and engage in focused discussion about a specific topic, and in these discussions aim to explain and refine their ideas through interaction with others. The exchange often expands on the original ideas, educates, inspires, considers the opinions of the participants, and builds on (or sometimes even changes) those opinions. This intelligent discussion helps people to consider and learn things that they never knew before, and it motivates them to share those ideas with others.

One of the ways I listen to these discussions most often is through podcasts, and my favorites are listed below.  What I describe above is a different kind of podcast than what I’ll call general-purpose, or information-sharing podcasts. Those are often about one topic like home improvement, travel, sports, how-to shows, or a single person expressing their viewpoint or ideas in their show, but without interacting with other people during the show (i.e., no interviews).  One format is not better than any other; they just have different goals.

Rise of the Podcast Empire

When podcasts entered the media scene in the early 2000s, I remember hearing some of them and not thinking much of the medium.  From the shows that I sampled at the time, they just didn’t grip me, and as with any new form of media, the hosts seemed to be grappling with what a podcast was actually supposed to be.  Is a podcast an interview?  A monologue?  Something else?  The concept meandered around for years as shows came and went without many of them sticking in the mainstream, and podcasting seemed like it might fade away as a failed experiment. 

Now, about 25 years later, podcasts have exploded into the mainstream.  Everyone is suddenly podcasting, to the point where you can now find a show on practically any topic you might be interested in. There are many podcasting apps to choose from for any device or operating system that you’re using, and the list of shows is endless.  Podcast Index, which is an excellent source for finding shows, has over 4.5 million in its index!

Anyone can create, record, and distribute a podcast through several different paths.  In fact, I’m working on one of my own!  All you need is your ideas, some basic equipment that you probably already own, and a little bit of knowledge about how to record, upload, and distribute your show.  If you’re interested, check out the resources at these links from Apple and Spotify.

Drum Roll, Please!

With the above background in place, and without further ado, here’s a short list of some of my favorite podcasts. In most cases, these links go to the show’s webpage, and then the link for you to subscribe in your favorite podcasting app is listed there.

I’ll give special mention to A Beautiful Anarchy by David duChemin, which is David’s podcast about creativity. It’s the only show mentioned here that isn’t conducted in interview format (it’s just David speaking), but it’s so insightful that I’m including it anyway as a bonus. David has a unique way of speaking about creativity not just for its own sake, but for how it applies to life as well.

Happy listening!

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