Podcast of the Day — A Road Map for the Modern Nonlinear Life

Bruce Feiler talks about his new book, “Life Is in the Transitions: Mastering Change at Any Age” at FOMO Sapiens podcast.

The smartest minds today — including those studying computers, biology, math, physics — have come to understand that the world no longer adheres to predictable, linear mandates. Instead, life is filled with chaos and complexity, periods of order and disorder, linearity and nonlinearity. In place of steady lines, observers now see loops, spirals, wobbles, fractals, twists, tangles, and turnabouts.

Curious about how this applied to our day-to-day lives, I began asking everyone I met, “What shape is your life?” I was flabbergasted by the answers. People mentioned all manner of shapes — circles, hearts, butterflies, boomerangs, rivers, trees, mountains, spirals. When I asked them to explain, they unfurled a pent-up tangle of desires, defeats, and disappointments, all of which were reflected in the multidimensional shapes of their personal narratives.

…

William James, the father of modern psychology, said it best nearly a century and a half ago, and his wisdom has been sadly forgotten. Life is in the transitions. His point is even more true today: We can’t ignore these central times of life; we can’t wish or will them away. We have to accept them, name them, mark them, share them, and eventually convert them into a new and vital fuel for remaking our life stories.

Feiler, Bruce. Life Is in the Transitions

Related: