I Used To Think...

14 | India, Ethnocentrism, and Cultural Norms: Caleb Rethinks the Human Experience

What does the typical human lifestyle and experience look like on Earth? When Caleb visited India for the first time, he had a feeling he wasn't in Kansas anymore. The radical differences in culture, food, personal space, views of marriage, road etiquette, and language caused him to think about whether the American experience was common or not.
We discuss how over 50% of human beings live in either China, India, or the continent of Africa, and the implications that has on expectations, lifestyle, and happiness. Although ethnocentrism is often presented negatively, it is actually neutral in definition and being aware of it can help us more accurately understand other cultures. In addition, with an awareness of ethnocentrism, we talk about what makes Christianity a truly universal religion and the danger of conflating political agendas with Christian values.
 
Notes & Links from Caleb:
Men holding hands in India is not romantic or sexual. But it would be perceived that way in America.
https://scroll.in/article/889972/a-british-photographer-captures-the-very-indian-phenomenon-of-men-non-romantically-holding-hands
Horn honking in India - rampant - way of letting people know you are there.
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/why-do-indians-honk-so-much-ca-nitin-brahma
Matrimonial Advertisements in Indian newspapers -- Marriage is viewed as more social contract / transactional
https://www.tribuneindia.com/classified/grommswanted
Life Expectancy:  https://ourworldindata.org/life-expectancy
1800-1900 (19th Century):  Average global life expectancy was 29 years old.
1950:  Average global life expectancy was 46 years old.  USA average was 68 years old.
2015: Average global life expectancy was 71 years old.  USA average was 79 years old.
Womens vs. mens train cars in Delhi
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women-only_passenger_car#:~:text=Across%20India%2C%20all%20long%2Ddistance,are%20also%20allowed%20to%20travel.
https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2016/04/04/472997605/why-i-love-riding-on-the-women-only-car-on-delhis-metro
 
Americans Over 65 Years of Age:  https://www.un.org/en/global-issues/population
1900:  2.2 Million
2009:  39.7 Million
2019:  54.1 Million
2040 (Projected):  80.8 Million
2060 (Projected):  90.7 Million
 
 
Population Growth (Global):
0000:  212 Million
1600:  646 Million
1800:  1 Billion
1900:  1.34 Billion
1950:  2.82 Billion
2000:  6.00 Billion
2022:  8.00 Billion
1.4 Billion - India 18%
1.4 Billion - China 18%
1.4 Billion - African Continent 18%
740 Million - European Continent 9.5%
330 Million - United States 4%
2037:  9.00 Billion (projected by UN)
Over half of the growth between 2022 and 2050 will be in Africa.
 
 
Research Links:
Percentage of Americans that View America as the best:
https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/08/29/majority-of-americans-say-us-is-one-of-the-greatest-countries-in-the-world/
 
Transcript to this episode with Caleb: https://share.descript.com/view/pKliP76e2Bz
Pat's Contact: patricktlee7@gmail.com

What I’ve learned these past two years

Now I think...I can start a podcast ;)
Thank you, thank you, thank you for listening! New episode this Tuesday morning, and many more to come!
 
The pod's new YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@iusedtothinkpodcast
Do you know someone who would be a good guest on the show? Reach out to me! 
patricktlee7@gmail.com

13 | From Control to Curiosity: Steven on Leadership, Influence, and Honoring Others’ Agency

What is the difference between control and influence? Which trait does a good leader exhibit?
Steven wrestled with these questions after coming to terms with his own failures as a pastor, business leader, father, and husband. Growing up with a natural ability to teach and explain, Steven realized that he had the skills to influence others. Yet the line between control and influence was difficult to walk. In this episode, we talk about the concept of "honoring others' agency" and how curiosity (rather than control) is one of the most powerful ways to help those around us in their journey to reach their full potential. 
 
Topics:
Reframing
Selling
Hagar and Ishmael
Being a good father
Listening to respond vs. Listening to learn
References:
 Clarity Focus Heart Coaching & Consulting: http://clarityfocusheart.com/my-story/ (Steven's leadership coaching non-profit)
Refocused Relationships: https://refocusedrelationships.com/ (Steven's ministry for LGBTQ+ members and their parents)
"Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" by Douglas Adams
"Sell Me This Pen" video with Jordan Belfort, the original Wolf of Wall Street: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbQPxhIcFaQ
"The moral roots of liberal and conservatives" TED Talk with Jonathan Haidt: https://www.ted.com/talks/jonathan_haidt_the_moral_roots_of_liberals_and_conservatives?language=en
Transcript for Episode 13 with Steven: https://share.descript.com/view/zYHp2AdpQaj
Pat's Contact Info: patricktlee7@gmail.com
 

12 | Working as a Refugee Officer, Loving our Neighbor, and the Bible

After law school, Gabby began working as an asylum officer for the U.S. government. Her experience moving from country to country as a child led her to seek a career in which she could work with immigrants. As she worked domestically with refugees seeking asylum in the U.S., she was disheartened by the wealthier and more fortunate refugees who took advantage of the immigration system.
The Department of Homeland Security later moved Gabby to the role of refugee officer, sending her to less developed countries to interview refugees directly in their countries of refuge. She heard stories of suffering and loss. Her view refugees began to change as she saw the true experience of the majority of refugees.
At the same time, Gabby started reading the Bible from cover to cover. She read verses about loving our neighbor and asked herself, "Who is my neighbor?" It became clear to her, that according to God, the foreigner and the sojourner were her neighbors - and that God had perfectly placed her in a position to love them.
"When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Do not go over your vineyard a second time or pick up the grapes that have fallen. Leave them for the poor and the foreigner. I am the Lord your God." - Leviticus 19:9-10 NIV
 
Topics mentioned in this interview:
Syrian refugee crisis
Immigration and the Bible
Growing up as an immigrant
ISIS
Muslim culture
God and the Israelites
Loving your neighbor
The poor and the sojourner
Travel
Contact Pat: patricktlee7@gmail.com
Transcript for this episode with Gabby: https://share.descript.com/view/alZafgUjAXV

11 | Dominican Republic, Catholicism, and Finding Community

Diana is from the Dominican Republic. She moved to the United States for college and became one of (approximately) ten Dominicans to ever attend UCLA. Diana saw this journey as an opportunity to start fresh - she associated America with happiness and Disneyland. However, her depression continued as she struggled to find community in a new environment.
During her time at school, her connection to her childhood Catholic faith began to change. She began attending a Christian club with roots in different traditions and found a community to belong to. She also discovered the role of love within Christianity and the love of God for the individual as well as the collective.
 
I now provide the transcript to episodes! Click here for Ep. 11 with Diana: https://share.descript.com/view/tKvUMbGrFzL
Contact Pat: patricktlee7@gmail.com
 

10 | Living in the "Gray" Instead of Black or White, Justice, and Launching a Camp for Foster Youth

Give to camp here: https://bit.ly/3Nry6Md
"Honestly, as a therapist...you can't help people do work you haven't done."
Maria moved from the nature-filled Pacific Northwest to urban Los Angeles to pursue her dream of starting a camp for at-risk youth. Along the way, she realized that the world is much more "gray" than black and white. She learned how to live in the tension between accepting the complexities of the world while being upset at injustice. Maria talks about how we can all heal from traumas because our minds and bodies were built to heal. Eventually Maria was able to fulfill her dream of starting camp and creating life changing experiences for children in the foster system
 
References:
Dawn of Hope: non-profit organization that Maria started to host camp (https://dawnofhopela.org)
Royal Family Kids / For the Children: faith-based organization created to create life changing moments for children who have experiences relational trauma (https://www.forthechildren.org/about-us/camps)
Fuller Theological Seminary: interdenominational, Christian seminary in Pasadena, California (https://www.fuller.edu/about/)
80 Year Long Harvard Study on Happiness: https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2023/01/harvard-happiness-study-relationships/672753/
I now provide the transcript to episodes! Click here for Ep. 10 with Maria: https://share.descript.com/view/mkNUyt4eDM5
 

9 | Storytelling, Mythology, and Gilgamesh

Nathan's website: https://nathantudor.com
Nathan's book "The Empire's Lion": https://amzn.to/3YgEKrf
 
What do ancient Sumerian poems have to do with my life in 2023?
When we think of "myths", we often think of primitive stories containing outdated themes and un-relatable characters. In this episode, Nathan shows us that mythology is powerfully relevant...and may actually be what society needs more than ever.
Drawing from his experience studying myths at Oxford, Nathan tells about how he came to see fantasy as a legitimate genre and how that shift influenced him as a writer and author. Nathan shares that we are first "narrative beings long before we are scientific beings" and how great storytelling will always captivate us as humans.
 
References:
- Epic of Gilgamesh (ancient Mesopotamian epic poem)
- Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back (some sci-fi movie from the 80's)
- The BEMA Podcast (a podcast focusing on the Bible through the lens of historical context)
- The Iliad and The Odyssey (ancient Greek epic poems by Homer)
- Makoto Fujimura (what Pat references in this episode is from the book "Art + Faith" (https://amzn.to/3HPiXkZ))
- Ira Glass quote Nathan was referencing:
"Nobody tells this to people who are beginners, I wish someone told me. All of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste. But there is this gap. For the first couple years you make stuff, it’s just not that good...But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer. And your taste is why your work disappoints you. A lot of people never get past this phase, they quit. Most people I know who do interesting, creative work went through years of this. We know our work doesn’t have this special thing that we want it to have. We all go through this. And if you are just starting out or you are still in this phase, you gotta know its normal and the most important thing you can do is do a lot of work. Put yourself on a deadline so that every week you will finish one story. It is only by going through a volume of work that you will close that gap, and your work will be as good as your ambitions. And I took longer to figure out how to do this than anyone I’ve ever met. It’s gonna take awhile. It’s normal to take awhile. You’ve just gotta fight your way through."

8 | Happiness, Success, and Homosexuality

By all measures of success, John became successful at only 27 years old. As a young entrepreneur, he ran a booming dinner theater in his hometown of Jacksonville, Florida. Five nights a week of live entertainment from the best and most talented. In his words, "a cultural runaway success." He was active in the gay community, had a stint as a stripper, and also had a partner - contrary to the Baptist Christian beliefs he was raised with.
But the reality was, none of this made him happy.
John shares the story of the shifts that occurred over many years that led him to leave his restaurant, his partner, and a life that he could not sustain. He tells us about the importance of putting "Jesus in His rightful place" and the peace that brought him.
At the end of this episode, John's wife, Leah, joins us in a discussion about whether heterosexuality is necessary for a Christian, the difference between attraction and love, and what makes up our true identity.
 
References:
"The Chosen" (highly rated TV Series on the life of Jesus) - Dallas Jenkins