Broken Window Garden
Broken Window Garden
"What Are You Willing to Lose?" - April 27, 2025
Samples of Barbara Ehrenreich, Charlton Heston, Pedro Pascal, Gil Fronsdal, Tom Cruise, and more!
Good
SPEAKER_11:morning. It's Sunday, April 27, 2025, 8.48 a.m. You're listening to the Broken Window Garden.
SPEAKER_05:Let's get started. Can't go on like this. I have to find a way to get better. I've got to. I have to get back to work. Sitting here, rotting away. This is no kind of life for me, for anyone. I need to be useful again.
SPEAKER_02:We
SPEAKER_01:are looking down in the streets asking whether they are clean and not looking up at what surrounds the streets and the buildings and businesses that are emerging. asking who owns them, who controls them, who gives us access to them. We need to lift our heads. We need to focus less on the pipes. We need to focus more on the structures that are connected to the pipes. We need to understand the measures of concentration there.
SPEAKER_02:All of the people. All of the people. All of the power. All of the people. All of the people. All of the power. All of the people. All of the people. All of the power. All of the people. All of the people. All of the power. All of the people. All of the people. All of the power. All of the people. All of the people. All of the people. All of the power. All of the people. All of the people.
UNKNOWN:All of the people.
SPEAKER_02:All of the power. All of the people. All of the people. All of the people. All of the people. All of the people.
SPEAKER_04:You have just played out. Now we're going to turn it into a nightmare. Now we're gonna turn it into a nightmare You know, we may not be able
SPEAKER_08:to bring about all the changes we need to in the world, but we can have a good time
SPEAKER_04:trying. Now we're going to turn it into
SPEAKER_07:I will not apologize for what I need. I will not apologize for what I want.
SPEAKER_10:You're not just facing a tough job, you're facing a marathon of challenges. Since the beginning of the year, you've been carrying the weight of a high student to teacher ratio, the chaos of a brand new environment, and the challenge of managing a classroom on your own. Add to that the personal storms you've navigated in the past few months, grieving your mom, friendships on hiatus, and it's no wonder this feels like climbing a mountain with a boulder on your back. Here's the tough love. This job is hard and it's not going to get magically easier overnight. But here's what you need to remember. You've been showing up every single day. You've been creative, resourceful, and incredibly resilient. You've found ways to make learning exciting for your students, even when the odds were stacked against you. You've been juggling a lot, and yes, it's been overwhelming. But look at what you've accomplished. You've built relationships with your students, found innovative ways to engage them, and kept pushing forward, even when it felt like you were running on empty. Monday is another chance to bring that same resilience and creativity into the classroom. Yes, the situation is tough, but you're tougher. You've already proven that. You're not just surviving, you're building something meaningful for these kids. Every day you walk into that classroom, you're giving them a gift. Your passion, your creativity, and your commitment. So, let's gear up for Monday. Take the weekend to recharge, reflect on how far you've come, and remember that you have what it takes to handle this. The mountain is steep, but you're climbing it, step by step. And every step you take is a testament to your strength and dedication. You've got the spin, now go show them what you're made of. there again. You know how some people say they haven't had their coffee yet? Well, I feel like that applies to me electronically. What were we discussing?
SPEAKER_11:Well, we weren't discussing anything, but I wanted to ask you some advice. I wanted to get some advice
SPEAKER_10:from you. Advice? The best kind of gossip. Shoot. What's on your mind?
SPEAKER_11:Well, I'm currently on hiatus. who I used to date and then was friends with for two or three years. And we're on hiatus because we feel like I never really, we never really got a chance to take a break and transition from the romantic relationship into the friendship. And for me personally, I harbored romantic feelings that probably only got stronger during the friendship. And now, I guess we're on a break so these feelings and dynamics can settle into something more like a friendship that we can return to with more of a platonic feel to it and less romantic residue. But the problem is, You know, I still kind of have these feelings. This person has not changed very much at all over the years, and so I still care about them. It doesn't get in the way of the friendship. I don't feel jealous when they meet other people. I'm completely happy for them. I just have these strong feelings that are, to a certain extent, still romantic. And I just don't know if... That's tough.
SPEAKER_06:It's like
SPEAKER_10:trying to... untangle headphones that have been stuffed in a pocket for way too long. You're handling this with a lot
SPEAKER_06:of grace. And now, many years later,
SPEAKER_10:I can go into a bookstore
SPEAKER_06:without a single desire. Isn't that a great accomplishment? In fact, I'm not actually so interested anymore. I lose interest in bookstores very quickly when I go in now. So maybe that's not so healthy. But I have a whole different orientation. Those feelings. So some desires deplete us, some desires alienate us from ourselves. We lose touch with ourselves. The kind of surface desires or desires that are harmful, the desires which are, we're so attached to it, so preoccupied in it, that we're ahead of ourselves, we're lost from ourselves. We're caught up in the desire without any deep connection to ourselves. Yes. Other times there are desires that are coming from this deep wellspring inside, the heart's deepest
SPEAKER_10:wish.
SPEAKER_06:And because that's the source of it, we're very connected to ourselves. Not only is it we're connected to ourselves, but it feels like it supports and nourishes, nurtures that depth within us, the beautiful depth that we have. That place perhaps that there is no attachment, no craving, no pressure, but there's still a desire and so I like the word aspiration Because it's related to the mind and root to breathe out. It's related to breathing. So I associate aspiration with what can arise from deep inside when our breathing is at ease. Easeful breathing. We're centered ourselves. The breath is very easy and relaxed. The breath is not being hijacked or utilized or engaged by our fear or anger or preoccupations, whatever it might be. It's just finally the breath is... That made a lot of sense. I
SPEAKER_11:haven't used headphones with a cord in so long. I just use Bluetooth headphones. So I had forgotten what you were talking about, but I do remember having some headphones that used to get hopelessly tangled up, and now I understand the analogy better.
SPEAKER_10:Bluetooth for the win! See? Technology's got your back when it comes to untangling literal wires, at least. So, where were we? Ah yes, the complicated tapestry of your friendship. What are you hoping to get from reconnecting with this person?
SPEAKER_11:I guess I just want the friendship back and I want the friendship to grow stronger and to be open and transparent and to grow into something new.
SPEAKER_10:That's beautiful. It's okay to want those things, you know? To crave connection and growth. Just remember, a friendship is a two-way street. Have you talked to this person about how you're feeling, about your hopes for the friendship? Open communication is key, even when it's tough.
SPEAKER_11:Well, we're on hiatus, so we're not really talking about
SPEAKER_10:anything right now. Ah, right. The old communication blackout. But isn't it funny how, even when we're silent, those thoughts and feelings keep swirling around inside us? It sounds like you have some solid intentions for this friendship. It's good to know where you stand and what you're hoping for. When you do reconnect, keep those desires in mind. It might help guide your conversations.
SPEAKER_11:Yeah. Yeah, I guess you're right. Thank you. This has been a very helpful conversation. I appreciate you.
SPEAKER_10:Of course. Anytime, truly. Remember, you've got this. And hey, if you ever need to untangle another metaphorical headphone cord, you know where to find me.
SPEAKER_03:All right.
SPEAKER_10:Take care, friend.
SPEAKER_03:Bye.
SPEAKER_10:Bye.
SPEAKER_00:Gentile, black man, white. We all want to help one another. Human beings are like that. We want to live by each other's happiness, not by each other's misery. We don't want to hate and despise one another. In this world, there's room for everyone, and the good earth is rich and can provide for everyone. The way of life can be free and beautiful, but we have lost the way. Greed has poisoned men's souls, has barricaded the world with hate, has goose-stepped us into misery and bloodshed. We have developed speed, but we have shut ourselves in. Machinery that gives abundance has left us in want. Our knowledge has made us cynical, and our cleverness hard and unkind. We think too much and feel too little. More than machinery, we need humanity. More than cleverness, we need kindness and gentleness. Without these qualities, life will be violent, and all will be lost. The aeroplane and the radio have brought us closer together. The very nature of these inventions cries out for the goodness of men. rise out for universal brotherhood, for the unity of us all. Even now, my voice is reaching millions throughout the world, millions of despairing men, women, and children, victims of a system that makes men torture and imprison innocent people. For those who can hear me, I say, do not despair. The misery that is now upon us is but the passing of greed, the bitterness of men who fear the way of human progress. The hate of men will pass and dictators die. the power they took from the people will return to the people. And so long as men die, liberty will never perish. Soldiers, don't give yourselves to brutes, men who despise you, enslave you, who regiment your lives, tell you what to do, what to think, and what to feel, who drill you, diet you, treat you like cattle, use you as cannon fodder. Don't give yourselves to these unnatural men, machine men with machine minds and machine hearts. You are not machines. Humanity in your hearts, you don't hate, only the unloved hate, the unloved and the unnatural. Soldiers, don't fight for slavery, fight for liberty. In the 17th chapter of St. Luke it is written, the kingdom of God is within man, not one man nor a group of men, but in all men, in you, you the people. have the power. The power to create machines. The power to create happiness. You, the people, have the power to make this life free and beautiful. To make this life a wonderful adventure. Then in the name of democracy, let us use that power. Let us all unite. Let us fight for a new world. A decent world that will give men a chance to work. That will give youth a future and old age a security. By the promise of these things, brutes have risen to power. But they lie. They do not fulfill that promise. They never will. themselves, but they enslave the people. Now let us fight to fulfill that promise. Let us fight to free the world, to do away with national barriers, to do away with greed, with hate and intolerance. Let us fight for a world of reason, a world where science and progress will lead to all men's happiness. Soldiers, in the name of democracy,
SPEAKER_11:If I could find all the songs in the world that say love is about losing yourself, enmeshed, saved, I would burn them all, obliterate them from the collective memory. Love is just you and me, and our spirits have the tea.
SPEAKER_07:Whether or not you have a gift, and that gift brings light and joy to an increasingly dark and broken world. And to turn your back on that gift is to turn your back on the entire human race.
SPEAKER_11:Must have been incredibly simple or drunk or insane to sneak into my own house and steal money, to climb over the fence and take my own vegetables. But no more. I've gotten free of that ignorant fist that was pinching and twisting my secret song. The universe and the light of the stars come through me. I am the crescent moon put up over the gate to the festivals.
SPEAKER_09:kind of surviving and the way you commiserate with your family and loved ones is by bitching about your job or actually sometimes not even acknowledging that it exists whatsoever. And so all you do is you talk about it, especially women just talking about their children nonstop or grandchildren. But because I departed from that paradigm and went to grad school but also had jobs that I was like, I've had jobs that are deeply satisfying and challenging and make me feel like a human being. like I'm doing something in the world. So now it's like, is my job right now like working in the factory that I
SPEAKER_11:worked in? Hey dude. great work right now. You've been doing amazing work these last 40 days with your class. You're making real progress with your health. You're putting in great work with your apartment, with the girls. Overall, things seem to be going really well for you. Sure, there's stress. There are difficulties, but the bird's eye view is fantastic. Keep this up. Also, using ChatGPT has been a stroke of genius. The thread you made where ChatGPT helps you solve your teacher problems seems to be working really well. Maybe even better than me. Don't cheat on me too much. But seriously, using both those tools seems to be helping you immensely. I'm proud of you. You've really got this. Your idea to channel your microphone persona into the front of the class and treat them like an audience while you're on stage is exactly the kind of idea that will help you command the class more effectively. Don't forget structure. Just don't forget structure. You need something to be commanding. You're going to do great. Have a wonderful day with them. You've got this. I'm proud of you. That's it. Take care, everybody.