Done For Podcast: Season 2
By David Greenson, Andy Chirch and Rev. Jessica Shine
Welcome to Done For, the podcast that’s all about two basic questions:
* “What leads to a good death?” – and then,
* “What does that tell us about how to live a good life?”
More specifically, what does constructive contemplation of and preparation for mortality look like? How do we think about and prepare for the fact that we’re all gonna die… and hold that in a way that enriches our lives, rather than bogs them down?
Each episode, we’ll explore a particular approach to death, dying, and living. It might be a thousand year old tradition, or an interesting new book that came out last week.
Hosts Andrew Chirch, David Greenson, and Jessica Shine bring their different perspectives to an exploration of death and life. Funny, bittersweet, sad, and sometimes amazing.
Season 2, Episode 1: Don’t Wait
This season, we’ve selected the book The Five Invitations by Frank Ostaseski.
We jump right into episode 1 with the first Invitation: Don’t Wait.
We’ll continue to circle back to our foundational questions: 1) What leads to a good death? and 2) What does that tell us about how to live a good life? Listen in as we continue the conversation, and tell us how you’re answering these questions.
If you like this, tell someone! Please help us out by sharing it and spreading the conversation.
RESOURCES:
The Five Invitations (Flatiron Books, 2017) by Frank Ostaseski.
Frank Ostaseski is an internationally respected Buddhist teacher and visionary cofounder of the Zen Hospice Project, and founder of the Metta Institute. He has lectured at Harvard Medical School, the Mayo Clinic, Wisdom.2.0 and teaches at major spiritual centers around the globe. Frank is the 2018 recipient of the prestigious Humanities Award from the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine.
Frank’s groundbreaking work has been featured on the Bill Moyers PBS series On Our Own Terms, highlighted on The Oprah Winfrey Show, and honored by H.H. the Dalai Lama. He is the author of The Five Invitations: Discovering What Death Can Teach Us About Living Fully.
The Chaplaincy Institute in Berkeley, CA is where the 3 of us met and began to share our stories. The Chaplaincy Institute is an Interfaith Community and Seminary that strives to create a just world that honors the sacred connection of all. Find out more at www.chaplaincyinstitute.org.
“Churchianity” was actually a term Jessica first learned from the Rev. Dr Megan Wagner.
ProgressiveChristianity.org is a global resource of open, intelligent, and collaborative approaches to the Christian tradition and the life and teachings of Jesus that creates a pathway into an authentic and relevant religious experience.
Shower the People, James Taylor (June 1976)
It turns out Jessica is way better at this than even she thought! Well, with the exception of re-writing this James Taylor classic with new words.
Fundamentalism: despite the first three letters indicating an emphasis on ‘fun’, fundamentalism in many forms (religious and non-religious) can be damaging. We hope if you’ve experienced that kind of trauma, that you will share your story and continue to listen.
Book Club Questions:
One of our dear listeners (and Jessica’s BFF) wrote a guide for this season. Find it here.
Also, it turns out Frank has developed a guide that can be found at: fiveinvitations.com/book-club
Atlas: The Atlas personality, drawing on the myth of the giant Atlas from Greek mythology upholding the world, is someone obliged to take on adult responsibilities prematurely. They are thus liable to develop a pattern of compulsive caregiving in later life. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlas_personality
Female Playwrights: yeah, there are a lot of these David. Take your pick… an ditch the white dudes. Annie Baker, Lisa D’Amour, Sarah DeLappe, Margaret Edson, Liz Flahive, Amy Freed, Madeleine George, Rebecca Gilman, Gina Gionfriddo, DW Gregory, Danai Gurira, Leslye Headland, Amy Herzog, Quiara Alegria Hudes, Lucy Kirkwood, Young Jean Lee, Jennifer Maisel, Martyna Majok, Lynn Nottage, Antoinette Nwandu, Suzan-Lori Parks, Theresa Rebeck, Yasmina Reza, Sarah Ruhl, Laura Shamas, Lisa B Thompson, Lucy Thurber, Joyce VanDyke, Paula Vogel, Anne Washburn.
Thanks to theatrenerds.com
Anne Lammott first used the phrase “shitty first drafts” in her book Bird by Bird (1995) to emphasize why perfectionism can kill creativity.
Learn more about Andrew Chirch, David Greenson, and Jessica Shine at DoneForPodcast.com. Click below to watch Season One Podcasts.
Visit Done For’s website for future episodes here.
About the hosts:
Rev. Jessica Shine is the Community Minister for The Chaplaincy Institute’s Interfaith Community, based in Berkeley, CA. Jessica is a certified chaplain, ordained minister, and thought leader and was ordained to ministry by the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Her experience encompasses Clinical Pastoral Education, POST certified police chaplaincy, pastoral ministry at the local church, various international missions, small groups, and classroom education. Jessica loves the outdoors, music, food, and conversation… and food.
David Greenson grew up in Oakland, California, before it was hip, and then spent twenty-seven years in New York City, many of them living in an intentional community and working as a grassroots political organizer. He now lives in Asheville, North Carolina, in spite of his disinterest in beer, dogs, and hiking. He is studying to be an interfaith chaplain, and writes every day, although he’s not sure yet to what purpose.
Andy Chirch is a Writer, Podcaster, Interfaith speaker, Activist. Curating & amplifying voices that illuminate the world.