Exploring Depression, Aging, and Vocational Reflections

On the 76th episode of the What is a Good Life? podcast, I am delighted to introduce our guest, Parker J. Palmer. Parker is a writer, speaker, and activist who focuses on issues in education, community, leadership, spirituality, and social change. He is the founder and Senior Partner Emeritus of the Center for Courage & Renewal. He holds a PhD in sociology from the University of California at Berkeley, fourteen honorary doctorates, two Distinguished Achievement Awards from the National Educational Press Association, and an Award of Excellence from the Associated Church Press. He is the author of ten books—including several award-winning titles—that have sold over two million copies and been translated into twelve languages. Among them is Let Your Life Speak, which is comfortably the best book I’ve read about vocation and purpose.

In this glorious conversation, Parker shares his journey of conversing with and listening to life, revealing more of his natural self in the process, his gifts and limitations, choosing the less conventional path, and ultimately guiding him to a life of vocation. He shares his experiences of depression, the significance of coming down to the ground, prioritising being real over being noble, and the need for silence and settling our minds for listening to life and for clarity.

This episode offers much wisdom to contemplate and is filled with experiences, anecdotes, and realisations that will present you with many invitations to explore life differently. Parker has a really unique take on finding vocation and purpose and practical ways to track and follow life.

Subscribe for weekly episodes, every Tuesday, and check out my YouTube channel (link below) for clips and shorts.

For further content and information check out the following:

Center for Courage & Renewal: https://couragerenewal.org/

Parker's books: https://couragerenewal.org/resource-types/book/
Parker's Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/parkerjpalmer/

- For the podcast's YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/@whatisagoodlife/videos
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- My LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-mccartney-14b0161b4/

Contact me at mark@whatisagood.life if you'd like to further explore your own lines of self-inquiry or create experiences that lead to more connecting and genuine conversations amongst groups of people.

02:45 Interview beings
03:15 Listening to your life 

09:15 Acknowledging who you are at different times

12:15 The refuge of writing

15:45 The conversation with life can change daily

19:29 The role of silence and listening in a good life

23:45 The significance of getting real over being noble

32:55 Living in a quaker community and radical equality

38:15 Following his vocation and living a good life

44:35 Helping each other down to the ground

47:45 Getting real with ourselves

53:45 Using our limitations as a guide

1:00:45 Experiences of depression 

1:05:15 What is a good life for Parker?