Doomer Optimism

One area where this podcast has turned its attention lately is the question of children, especially questions of schooling and parenting in The Age of the Machine. What follows is a conversation about free range parenting, and the importance of giving kids the freedom, outside the machine, to learn, grow and make mistakes.
I was lucky enough to have crossed paths with Lenore on Twitter The Everything App when she came across my viral post about my middle daughter’s “biker gang”:
I think my middle daughter is having the best summer of her childhood
She has this group of friends, they're all incoming 5th graders, and their moms and I have a big group chat going where a kid will ask their mom to say "anyone want to ride bikes" and then they start a little band of kids going house to house inviting others to play. Then they head to parks, to coffee shops, jump on the trampoline in their friends' yards.
One good thing though is that the moms are all in touch so even if the kids don't have phones or watches to communicate, we communicate with each other where they are/where they're headed.
They call it their biker gang.
My daughter has told me it is her favorite thing in the whole world, riding bikes with her friends. She says I'd rather do it than go to Disneyworld!
I asked her why and she said it's the freedom.
There is a certain age, I'd say something like grades 3 to 7, where it is essential kids get some independence. I think back to the times in my childhood where I was given some freedom to wander in those ages, and those are some of the best memories of my life.
It's so important we don't rob our kids of this. Make it happen by any means possible.
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Lenore is famous for letting her then 9 year old ride the subway in New York City alone. After teaching him how, she brought him to a designated spot and allowed him to find his way home. She was swiftly branded The Worst Mom in America.
Well, let all the Worst Moms unite!
In this episode we talk about the biker gang and her work in free range parenting which has now transformed into the Let Grow project which has all sorts of free materials for parents and teachers on building up confidence and responsibility in our kids.
Enjoy this episode, one of my favorites ever!

An old friend to the show, once maybe a foe for a while, back into friendly territory: Michael Thomas the Director of The Catholic Land Movement. I (Ashley) met Mike a almost half a decade ago, very early in my twitter days. It’s been a joy to see his vocation develop through the years and I am very glad Jason invited him back on the show.
In this episode, Mike and Jason discuss the development of the movement, Catholic Social Teaching, distributism, dignified work and practical action, the importance of in person connection, vocation, family, and love!
Enjoy!

I met Dwayne at a chance encounter at the Aspen Ideas festival in Chicago which my new buddy Samuel Kimbriel invited me to attend. I was feeling a little lonely and alienated there, lots of technocrats, and up to me walks Dwayne who saw my tag said optimism and he said “I am just about the most optimistic guy you’ll meet!”
I saw his tag from the Southeastern Grasslands Institute and I instantly knew this was someone I’d need to have on the pod. Unsurprisingly I tapped Peter Allen to co-host with me and these two were fast friends! Oak savannah ecosystem nerds unite!
Enjoy this episode!
If you want to support Dwayne’s work, consider attending the Eastern Native Grasslands Symposium conference: https://www.engsymposium.org/home or finding their work here: https://www.segrasslands.org/

I met Stephen this summer at the Woodcrest Bruderhof + DO + Savage Collective event in NY. Alan from Plough suggested Stephen for a panel and he instantly agreed! He gave a fantastic talk about the wonderful characters in his neighborhood, and the very real sense of place that happens when you invite the colorful characters into your life.
He had to run off to a family event after but he and I instantly hit it off and are slowly but surely planning a DO + Cracks in Pomo event in Manhattan, once we find the right format and speakers. In this episode we cover:
Stephen’s background
Postmodernism and the return of religion
Suburban disenchantment
Living tradition vs. traditionalism
Civic life over culture war
The Staten Island saint feast and MAGA
Roots, immigration, and integration
Humor, friction, and HR culture
Subsidiarity and overcentralization
The Catholic Worker and in-person events

Follow Stephen's work at: https://cracksinpomo.substack.com/

Jason initiated this get together of some of the original DO crew to discuss the life, work and legacy of Wendell Berry. It is no secret that Berry’s work has been an animating force for nearly everyone orbiting DO, especially those of us interested in food and ag systems. We discuss not only the legacy of Berry’s nonfiction work — how he suggested the agricultural system would collapse and so far it largely hasn’t, but also his fiction and poetry which actually has a great contribution on love, companionship, and romance.