Episode Date November 21, 2023
Featured Guest Rob Hopkins
Featured Book "We Do This 'Til We Free Us" by Mariame Kaba

Episode Summary

Rob Hopkins reading from Mariame Kaba’s, We Do This ‘Til We Free Us, and discussing how to be an activist.

Recommend this show by sharing the link: pod.link/2Pages

So how are politics going in your country? … No, no, don’t tell me – you’re just delighted with how your version of democracy is currently showing up. … I am truly feeling the pain and the confusion. And the inadequacy, of course, not knowing what to do about it right now.

But what if in the future the good guys win? And if you knew that you were one of the good guys – and I think you are – what would that call forth from you?

On Rob Hopkins’ website there is a photo of him holding a sign that says, ‘I’ve been to the future…’ Rob is a father, a husband, a speaker. He’s an author, he’s an artist. He’s a gardener. And perhaps central to all of that. He is an activist. Rob co-founded Transition Network and also Transition Town.

Rob reads two pages from ‘We Do This ‘Til We Free Us’ by Mariame Kaba. [reading begins at 13:50]

Hear us discuss:

  • “We need to build what I like to think of as being an imagination infrastructure.” [3:32]
  • How to sustain energy as an activist. [6:09]
  • The power of ‘What if?’ [11:41]
  • “And the only reason we’re going to do it is if we’re able to talk about what the radical transformation of society would be like in a way that is so irresistible and delicious and magnificent that of course, we want to do that.” [18:50]
  • “What does it mean to be someone whose work unlocks different possibilities and different ways of thinking about the future?” [21:03]
  • The goal of enlightenment is to free others. [26:41]
  • “The kind of activist [anyone] can be is entirely something that they shape themselves and is a reflection of what they’re passionate about and what they care about and what they grieve for and what delights them.” [39:40]

Get access to full transcripts and past episodes at www.MBS.works/podcast

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher 

Resources:

Mentioned Episodes | Ep. 161 Art’s Real Superpower: Stuart Semple | Ep. 63 Rebooting Democracy: DeNora Getachew

Rob Hopkins Website | LinkedIn | X (Twitter) | Instagram | From What Is To What If | The Transition Handbook | Transition Network

Mariame Kaba | We Do This ‘Til We Free Us

Follow Michael on | Instagram | Twitter | YouTubeLinkedIn | Facebook

Michael Bungay Stanier

Michael Bungay Stanier

I'm the author of five books that have collectively sold more than a million copies. I'm the founder of Box of Crayons, a learning and development company that helps organizations move from advice-driven to curiosity-led. I'm the host of the *2 Pages with MBS* podcast.

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