If life is meaningless, how do we spend our time here?
After an existential crisis about what to do with her life, Tanya heads to the streets of San Francisco and makes phone calls around the country to interview people about their careers — why they do what they do and what their careers look like now. For good measure, we also mix in a little bit about the meaning of life.
Show Notes:
Essays/books/articles/speeches mentioned (in no particular order):
“North Pole, South Pole, the Sea of Carcinoma,” by Dev Hathaway
“The Pain Scale,” by Eula Biss
“If Only: How to Turn Regret Into Opportunity,” by Neal Roese
“If I knew then what I know now: Advice to my younger self,” by Robin Kowalski, Annie McCord
“Utilitarianism,” by John Stuart Mill
“Privacy? What Privacy?” by Matthew Kielty
“The Myth of Sisyphus,” by Albert Camus
“Has Life Meaning?” by Alan Watts
Other:
“ ‘It’s the Legacy of Slavery’: Here’s the Troubling History Behind Tipping Practices in the U.S.,” by Rachel E. Greenspan
“High income improves evaluation of life but not emotional well-being,” by Daniel Kahneman, Angust Deaton
“Experienced well-being rises with income, even above $75,000 per year,” by Matthew A. Killingsworth
Restaurants:
Early to Rise, San Francisco
Music
“Se Dire Adieu,” by Debout Sur Le Zinc
“Excusez Moi,” by Triciclo Circus Band
“Dialogue De Sourds,” by Debout Sur Le Zinc