120. Keep The Old Normal

120. Keep The Old Normal

Author: Nick Jamell May 26, 2020 Duration: 34:53

I'm worried that we're being prepared for a "new normal," and one that will be harmful to us. I've seen a couple signs of this and wanted to call them out so we can find ways to push back and resist encroachments into our lives.

-Jordan Peterson"I've studied authoritarianism for a very long time - for 40 years - and they're started by people's attempts to control the ideological and linguistic territory."

Here are a couple things I've noticed happening that touch very different parts of our lives.

  1. Whole Foods using cash only (from a picture on Twitter, but have heard this elsewhere)
  2. Contact tracing & mandating vaccines
  3. "Simple" behavior changes - Masks, handshaking, distancing
  4. Stripping of religious community and other social institutions

I believe these will work to undermine our freedom and our way of life. My hope is that being aware will help us to push back and not loose those things we hold dear.

Join the Conversation of Our Generation.


Nick Jamell hosts Conversation of Our Generation, a space where urgent contemporary questions meet enduring ideas from history and philosophy. Rather than reacting to the noise of daily headlines, this podcast deliberately steps back to examine the deeper currents shaping our society and culture. Each episode is a long-form dialogue that treats topics like politics, religion, and social change not as fodder for debate, but as puzzles to be understood with patience and intellectual humility. The aim is to move beneath entrenched partisanship and surface-level takes, searching instead for clearer perspectives and foundational truths. What you’ll hear are thoughtful explorations that connect modern dilemmas to the wisdom of ancient and modern thinkers, asking how we might navigate today’s complexities with a more grounded sense of principle. This isn’t about quick answers; it’s about cultivating a more meaningful and less reactive way of engaging with the world. For anyone feeling adrift in a polarized age, this podcast offers a sustained, earnest conversation that values depth over speed, and understanding over winning an argument. Tune in for a respite from the frantic news cycle and a chance to consider what it means to be part of this particular moment in time, armed with the best ideas from across the ages.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 245

Conversation of Our Generation
Podcast Episodes
200. Restoring Old Homes with Beauty and Purpose [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:01:19
I've talked to a couple of architects and discussed the charm of local neighborhoods. In my conversation with Bill Martin, we discussed restoring old homes. And, we talked about his philosophy on how to do that in a way…
199. Time to Fight | Lord of the Rings The Two Towers Book Review [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 15:04
There comes a time when you have to fight, even if it seems hopeless. I think we're at that point in our culture. And no, I'm not calling for actual violence. I'm calling for us to simply rise up and speak the truth, eve…
Sneak Peek | Course on The Golden Mean | Nichomachean Ethics, Book 1 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 24:25
This is a sneak peak of my course on the Golden Mean. In this installment, I go through the first book of Aristotle's Nichomachean Ethics. Together, we'll walk through each chapter of Aristotle's Ethics, Lewis's Abolitio…
198. How to Prevent Burnout [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 39:03
This episode is a bit of a departure from my normal conversations about politics, philosophy, etc. Nicole from the Infinity Twins podcast joined me to discuss productivity and how to prevent burnout. While I don't want t…
197. What is Virtue? | Book Review Nicomachean Ethics by Aristotle [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 13:00
A lot of people are happy to note that virtue is lacking in our society, and we have a lot of work to do if we want a virtuous society. But, I hear only a few voices offering a solution to this problem. Only a few people…
196. The Golden Mean [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 33:48
The Golden Mean is an idea found in Aristotle's Ethics, The Tao Te Ching, and the Analects, and describes the right way of being. I've talked about the mean, or the way, previously on podcasts and articles. I wanted to r…