186. Smiles Matter, Problems With COVID Lockdowns

186. Smiles Matter, Problems With COVID Lockdowns

Author: Nick Jamell January 12, 2021 Duration: 46:30

The Covid lockdowns have ruled our lives for nearly a year. Still, there seems to be no end in sight. Despite the issues with the lockdowns, we can still have many people supporting them. But, we know there are many harmful effects with the lockdowns.  So, check out my latest interview with Ronni Peck, aka Think Too Much Mom about the Smiles Matter movement, homeschooling, Covid overreactions and more.

Want to watch the video for the interview and get access to content early? Subscribe to my locals now to get your first month free.

Problems With The Covid Lockdowns

Many studies have found that deaths due to drugs, suicide, or forgoing care have led to many deaths. In fact, some even show that the lockdowns are deadlier in many places than Covid. With all these issues, why do we continue to lock down? Why not find a better solution? Well, I argue we should use political systems to fix this issue, and Ronni and I discuss just that.

Life Changes Due To Covid Lockdowns

We've all had to adjust to the current state of things. But, parents may have more to adjust to. Both their lives and their children's lives have been disrupted due to lockdown restrictions, and they need to figure that out. So, Ronni and I talked about what it was like for her making the adjustment. You can find out more at her blog here.

What is Smiles Matter?

Basically, Smiles Matter is a movement started to remind people that we're human beings. Instead of seeing your neighbor as a danger or vector of transmission, we should remember each other's humanity. Not only that, but we should actively seek to share human moments with each other and find ways to connect person-to-person.


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
210. Political Action and the Call to "Do Something" [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 48:50
Every time we have a tragedy or catastrophe happen, there are calls to "do something." Often, the "something" we're supposed to do isn't specified. In fact, politicians rarely get specific so we cannot hold them accounta…
209. Breaking the Rules of Philosophy [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 17:30
I once heard a teacher tell his students, "If you want to be able to break the rules, you have to know them first." Basically, the point is something similar to Chesterton's fence. Rather than breaking the rules when you…
208. Failures of Modernity and Rationality [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 45:05
In this episode, I talked to John Timaeus of Modernity Has Fallen about epistemology, rationality, and the failures of modernity. John writes about these issues on his blog. As a software developer and mathematician, Joh…
207. Was Lincoln a Good President? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:37
Many will argue that Abraham Lincoln was the best president we've had, or at least one of the best. What made Abraham Lincoln great in many people's eyes is the preservation of the union. But was Lincoln a good president…
206. What Is Distributism? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 57:13
What is distributism? I talked to a distributist about how to implement a distributist economic system and why it's best. I recently sat down with Michael Thomas of Sharon to discuss distributism, and how it's different…
204. Defending Property Rights From Government and Big Tech [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:05:10
In this episode, I talked to Brook Medina from the John Locke Foundation about defending property rights from government and big tech. But, we also discussed capitalism vs. distributism, John Locke, beauty, and much more…
203. Why Christianity Is True | Orthodoxy by G.K. Chesterton [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 13:56
I recent finished Orthodoxy by G.K. Chesterton, and it was a truly delightful book. Although it might have helped reading it with a scotch and cigar. All joking aside, it was an interesting look at new arguments for Chri…
202. Are Online Courses The Key to Education? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 38:24
Instead of truly educating people, we've used our school system to push out mindless drones. That is not to say that the average person today doesn't know many things that some of the smartest 500 years ago didn't. Rathe…