How To Stop Living An Artificial Life | Karen Armstrong

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<p><em>New episodes come out every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for free, with 1-week early access for Wondery+ subscribers.</em></p> <p><em>---</em></p> <p>Most of us come into the world with the suspicion that we are the center of the universe. This self-preoccupation is natural, but it can often lead to unhappiness in the form of rumination, wallowing, comparison, etc. </p> <p><br /></p> <p>Our guest today, author Karen Armstrong, has a clear proposal for how we can stop living what she calls "artificial" lives and shave down our inborn self-centeredness. Not for nothing, she believes her proposal has the added benefit of perhaps helping to save the planet. </p> <p><br /></p> <p>Armstrong is a former nun who has become one of the world's leading thinkers on religion (particularly the monotheistic ones). She has written such bestsellers as: <a href= "https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/4882/a-history-of-god-by-karen-armstrong/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>A History of God: The 4,000-Year Quest of Judaism, Christianity and Islam</em></a><em>,</em> <a href= "https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/4887/the-battle-for-god-by-karen-armstrong/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>The Battle for God</em></a><em>,</em> <a href= "https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/4885/islam-by-karen-armstrong/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Islam: A Short History</em></a><em>,</em> and <a href= "https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/294694/buddha-by-karen-armstrong/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target= "_blank"><em>Buddha</em></a><strong>.</strong> Her latest book is called <a href= "https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/671038/sacred-nature-by-karen-armstrong/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Sacred Nature: Restoring Our Ancient Bond with the Natural World</em></a><strong><em>.</em></strong></p> <p><br /></p> <p><br /></p> <p><strong>In this episode we talk about:</strong></p> <p><br /></p> <ul> <li>Practices you can try for using nature as a way to make yourself happier</li> <li>How Armstrong conceives of God at this point in her life</li> <li>The benefits of the Confucian practice of "quiet sitting"</li> <li>How her time as a nun paradoxically made her more self-preoccupied rather than less</li> <li>And her definition of holiness</li> </ul> <p><br /></p> <p><br /></p> <p><strong>Full Shownotes:</strong> <a href= "https://www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/karen-armstrong-504" rel="noopener noreferrer" target= "_blank">https://www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/karen-armstrong-504</a></p>