If you study US History, particularly the Founding, you will find that the men leading the birth of the United States, positioned Independence as the core value. You can see this in their written works, including the Declaration of Independence. But one could argue, that as of perhaps the last 100 years or so, the United States is shifting towards the reduction of suffering becoming the main value or core tenet of the country. 

A lot of policies, politicians, protests, etc seem to center around trying to reduce a pain point in our society. Even to the point, of superseding independence, liberty, and personal responsibility. We talk about what this shift means and what we should do about it.

The COVID19 situation seems to have divided us along political lines. You have one group of people advocating for re-opening the economy and the other group advocating for continued self-quarantining. This is not a political issue, so the divide is both surprising and unsurprising at the same time. Our society seems to have lost the ability to critically think about issues.

So in order to help combat this, we decided to have a thought experiment. We took the classic "trolley car" experiment and talked about it in a way to help us analyze our current thought process on COVID19. Lastly, we discussed individual freedom & responsibility and what that looks like in the US within the context of the current climate. 

Dave Chappelle's 2019 Comedy Special - Sticks & Stones, spoke about a lot of topics in our current society. He did so in a completely non-partisan manner and showcased how comedy is so effective at reanalyzing ourselves. How ridiculous are some of the things we currently debate in society? 

We further analyze how Chappelle "cancelled" himself and has become invulnerable. Whereas other comedians such as Kevin Hart are subject to extreme scrutiny for past behaviors and even past jokes. Comedy is a freedom of expression, an art. This art should be protected. 

In this episode we discuss how systems that are made up of rules and/or guidelines can actually result in different outcomes than what was intended. They unintended results do not have to be insidious in nature, in fact they often are not. Still, it is foolish to not discuss consequences and incentives that are being built within a system.

We decided to highlight the US Tax System, sports, and business models.

In this episode, we discuss those protesting the government shutdown of businesses. We wanted to showcase how both sides (ie protestors & counter-protestors) are talking past one another, which is unproductive.

Both sides have valid concerns. We did our best to weed through both sides and set the stage for a productive conversation.

Talent can only take you so far. What a great adage! There are a huge set of actions and behaviors that directly can influence whether we are more likely to win, or more likely to lose a competition. These traits and behaviors can sometimes be in our direct control. 

In this episode we provide practical tips for both casual and professional gamers. These lessons and recommendations are based in history, philosophy, and are not just made up. Some of these improvements may provide "over night" benefit.

We just touch the surface on this advanced topic. We thought it would be a good idea to talk gaming & esports since a lot of us are stuck at home now. Video game participation has definitely gone up!

There is an attempt to turn video games into a professional career and industry. We support these efforts, but also acknowledge that great change must occur for esports to begin to sustain itself. We hope you enjoy these hot takes!

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As we enter the supposed peak volume of the coronavirus here in the US, we wanted to talk about a couple practical things that we can all do in order to get through this stressful time. We discuss controlling what you can control, the concept of a "worry tree", and tips to continue your personal development while confined at home.

Please like, follow, or subscribe to our podcast. It helps increase the reach of our potential audiences. Find us on social media:
FB/IG - @RamsdenMentalFitness

Twitter - @RamsdenMF