Special Political Series - Part 6: Converting Our Anger into a Passion for Justice

The world is divided against itself. So divided in fact, that the implications have the potential to be the tragedy of all time. Valuing the individual above all else is the result of human conditioning and not human nature. This is how it is but not how it could be. Each person taking small steps equals positive change to support survival on our planet. The idea is to be an active participant. Join us for ideas on getting motivated and inspired, not to get grandiose, but to be open and explore how the energy, money, and ideas you put into the world make all the difference.

It is important to make the connection that protecting our families makes it necessary to support the most destitute parts of the world to help themselves. To have opportunities to work makes terrorism and alienation less likely and unity more available. Skepticism is encouraged. Be deeply skeptical and then challenge yourself to use it to accept that our whole planet is endangered. Being a part of the change is utterly possible. The world is likely on the verge of dying or being born in a way that fosters connection, using our intelligence and wisdom. Every one of us is the one that is important to make these small changes. If enough of us can change our attitudes, we are so interconnected it will be a quantum leap. Listen for ideas on how to get started today, it's easier than you think.

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As we move further into the 21st century, the threats to our country and the world are becoming increasingly apparent. We must take collaborative action to support world survival. The ongoing humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, the nuclear posturing by Putin, China's threats to Taiwan, terrorism, global warming, and the growing waves of corruption in the United States all demonstrate that the human race is facing significant risks. It is disheartening to see how our conditioning and history of endless wars have prevented us from fully embracing the gift of life. The possibility of living in a more interconnected way has the potential to be profoundly inspiring for everyone.

In this context, Robert examines current events and encourages us to join forces to improve mankind's chances for survival and find grounded wisdom amidst the alienating conditioning that we have come to see as normal. It is vital that we realize we matter and that we can play a significant role in supporting peace and interconnectedness. It is time to act, both in small and large ways, without making any excuses. This is not idealism but rather a realistic approach to the trajectory of our survival on this planet, and how each of us can be active participants in creating a better, kinder, and more connected world.

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Equal rights for everyone is something that our world has always failed at. However, this is the greatest opportunity in the history of mankind to wake up. We pay a deep and often unconscious price for our prejudice to continue to care only for ourselves and those familiar to us. Of course,  it's natural to care for our families, but, how much is too much? It is possible for you to move into greater balance to include more people and other beings on this planet. Even the smallest changes will make a humongous difference in our chance to survive in the world, be more whole in our hearts, and protect our children. 

Robert and Dave explore how one of our most deeply rooted American ideals, that all men are created equal, is being violated with endless rationalizations, beliefs, actions, and attitudes. They discuss ways to move in a direction that will get us closer to this core belief in both small and large ways. Through Robert’s psychotherapy practice for almost 50 years, it has been evident that treating others like we want to be treated is not something that is normally associated with mental health. However, this lends itself to the disconnection and increased loneliness we see in our society today. Expanding our definition of family to include more people and beings can improve our individual mental health and the world at large.

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The Missing Conversation welcomes you to the third and final installment focusing on the balanced use of medication. This is often the neglected side of the discourse surrounding  America's relationship to opioids. There are significant dangers on both ends of the spectrum being either too loose or too restrictive. Robert and Dave discuss how to optimize our best relationship with sleeping and pain medications that can change our quality of life immensely. Not only are we emotional beings but we are chemical as well. There is a lot of talk about the mind-body connection, but not so much about the psycho-chemical connection. We are much more chemistry than we realize. Finding a balanced use of medication is an act of self-love.

Robert speaks to this issue in a way that few people can. After his kidney transplant 23 years ago it took him 350 experiments with his medication to reach a surprisingly peaceful equilibrium. It has become part of his lifestyle and through his experience would like to offer others hope to keep trying and advocating for themselves with the help of friends, family, and doctors. It is important to respect your own uniqueness in this process because experimentation more often than not will be necessary. Robert addresses the fear and hopelessness that often accompanies this process, and how to not let that stop you. Medication can be a part of our chemistry that can make all of our systems operate in harmony. If you or someone you love is suffering from sleep issues, anxiety, chronic pain, or trauma, this series of episodes is for you.

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Opioid abuse has been very well covered in the media. Here on The Missing Conversation Robert and Dave will look at the other sides of opioid and medication use. Carefully dispensed and given to a properly screened patient who requires it for better health can be a life-changing solution. The reality is, that the longer we live, the more inevitable it becomes that we will need to introduce potent medications, which may include controlled substances, in our routines. If we can learn to cautiously view these substances as a major ally, our chance of having a long-term quality of life is vastly expanded. 

Robert and Dave spend the second episode on the topic of medication reform, asking you to inquire into your own patterns. What is your medication personality type? Whether you have an addictive personality type, are medication-phobic, are an obsessed researcher, or are balanced, Robert will help move away from black-and-white thinking. Find a more balanced approach to advocate for yourself and the ones you love with more confidence and perspective. Optimize what will be best to ingest with the partnership of your well-chosen and trusted medical professionals.

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In this episode, Robert and Dave take the conversation in a new direction to discuss the crucial issue of using controlled substances for medications for those in critical need. At the same time, they will be suggesting guidelines and safeguards to prevent addiction while still providing pathways to find maximum relief and equilibrium for those with chronic pain and long-term sleep challenges. The goal is to find the optimum quality of life, which often includes the use of medications to alleviate chemical or physical maladies our bodies cannot manage on their own.

This topic is more than personal to Robert as he pursued finding the right combinations of medications after a severe reaction to kidney transplant medications for nearly a decade. Through his experience, he provides tools to learn how to advocate for ourselves. It can also be invaluable to have somebody close to you that can guide the communication with doctors so we can best take care of serious life issues. The corruption of big pharma, as depicted in Dope Sick, has created an understandable wave of panic throughout the country. Robert and Dave address the effects this has had on the way controlled substances are prescribed for those with chronic pain and long-term sleep issues, and how we can navigate our way at these critical times

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In this, “Best Of” series,” Robert asks listeners, spiritual practitioners, leaders, and mentors to reflect on ways to be more inclusive. He suggests modeling by those in positions of leadership to reveal how they integrate tendencies to idealize their own religion or spiritual teaching. Whether it be, meditation, prayer, or faith-centered, it can be helpful to their communities to show how they don't want to fall prey to using their teachings to unwittingly create an "us versus them" with other approaches. This blanketing of their challenging parts and an unwillingness to share deprives the practitioners and students of the advantage of seeing the teacher's deep wisdom in practice and how this can lead to superiority, rather than love for humanity. When we can be vulnerable and real about our humanness, doubt, and uncertainty this leads to a common identification with everyone because we realize we are all in the same boat. Nobody has immunity from life, death, or the challenges in between. Join Robert as he explores these challenges week by week and how to meet them with ever-growing awareness. 

A full experience of reality includes a certain level of faith, wisdom, and belief, but it also needs to include our humanity. Humanness is not the denial of faith but the inclusion of our primal fears, confusions, any challenging emotions, and seeing the goodness and wisdom in other approaches. In Robert's view, it is very important to keep questioning, to stay curious, and to keep a certain amount of mandatory humility rather than false confidence. It is the ignoring of our exclusivity and compartmentalization that has led to war, alienation, competition, and endangering our planet. The stakes are incredibly high for our survival and our fulfillment. However, this shift is not enough if it is simply an insight, unless we also use more of our time, money, and resources toward our troubled country, the world, and unite with other approaches that are primarily focused on loving humanity and the planet. If you enjoyed this conversation please look for the full episodes in the show notes.

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As is finally common knowledge, homelessness is a massive and ongoing issue in the United States and many countries worldwide. This elusive problem has been a mission for The Global Bridge Foundation. In this “Best Of” series, we dive into the issue and explore how the Global Bridge Foundation is partnering with leading organizations and people to pave the way to make significant steps toward ending homelessness with evidence-based solutions to multifaceted challenges. You will hear from some of the most creative minds in the country who have dedicated their time and resources to ending the homelessness problem.

Our current system for dealing with this crisis is not working. We can create therapeutic communities using public-private partnerships that bring ecological and cost effective solutions like regenerative agriculture, grid alternatives which teaches solar installation both in structure and solar fields, repurposed or modular housing, and job training right on site. This will allow individuals to utilize their skills to create products the world badly needs like healthy food or clean energy. The dignity this gives to the unhoused community, of not always asking for something, but also helping can be transformative. Contrary to popular belief, many of the unhoused are highly motivated to aspire toward strong financial performance and positive social change which are inherently connected. The tragedy and the blessing is that homelessness is quite solvable. Robert's dream is to create models of lower-cost communities that have job training and mental health services where they live and create a sense of belonging at the same time. Listen to uncover roadblocks and breakthroughs that can solve the problem and learn how you can get involved.

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In our second “Best Of 2022” episode, we look at what it means to “redefine success.” This set of year-end dialogues, specially curated by Robert Strock, shows how his distinguished and inspired guests have fully expressed, in their own lives, what it means to care for oneself, one’s family, and the world. These are joyful excerpts that demonstrate how these unique individuals have integrated their life’s work and passion in a manner that provides self-fulfillment while improving the lives of those around us and the world at large.

The emphasis is intended to encourage you to look at your potential to expand in this direction no matter where you are starting from. Don’t fall into the trap of comparing yourself to anyone. The key is to look at the next steps to enable moving into greater balance in your life, to accept—right where you are—and expand your capacity to care, recognizing that your focus on caring can expand day by day. The podcast encourages us to not be in denial about the challenges of universal insecurity, those of the impoverished, or our unique personal difficulties. Our country, the world, and our most wise self—for most of us—is beckoning us to include all of this in our contemplation and to motivate us to find how we can contribute, even in the smallest of ways.  

This absolutely is not meant to create a guilt trip. It is tuning into the potential fulfillment of every next step and opening our hearts to see where we “get to” through the aim of love, practicality, and authenticity. This is a refined definition of success, and the key lies in our own authentic balance to take the time to guide ourselves.

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Welcome to our “Best Of 2022” edition. Join us for this compilation that highlights some of our favorite moments and special guests centered around the idea of Psycho-Politics. Our world is at a tipping point where our sense of normalcy needs to catch up to the reality of our country and world. What's being proposed is to care for our families and widen our scope to reach out beyond our loved ones. It is perfectly natural to want to care for our relatives and close friends, however, continuing to only support our small circles perpetuates poverty, war, terrorism, and global warming. Receive encouragement, tools, and support from Robert and Dave on ways to increase the percentage each of us can reach out to the world to create ripples of positive change during this holiday time of giving and beyond.

Although this idea may feel grandiose and external, the work starts from within. We are repeatedly creating wars outside of ourselves by not facing and resolving the war inside ourselves. If we are caught in our fears, anxieties overwhelm and helplessness, we are trapped. Learning to face our most challenging emotions can allow space to contemplate what qualities, actions, and thoughts will foster wisdom and healing. Together we can develop the capacity to be wise and caring responders to these challenging feelings. We all have the freedom to be in our traditional conditioning, to run away, to act out, or we have the freedom to ask ourselves, what is our best self and how can I help?  These questions can be an expanding catalyst for external dialogue and internal inquiry. If we can stay in this state of looking for solutions rather than reacting against the problems to find core universal needs, these billions of small changes will make a difference in the planet's momentum and our collective future. Thank you for listening. Wishing you and yours a very happy and healthy holiday. We look forward to greeting you next year with more great content and thought-provoking ideas.

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