Tag: link mcelvenny

Discipline: Is harsh discipline necessary or beneficial in raising a child? Mr. J. & Link McElvenny Part 3 – Episode 137

by Kurt Robinson on November 8, 2016 in Podcast • 0 Comments

The Story: What are the appropriate ways to teach a child?

There is a debate which has continued in recent decades on a topic which most feel strongly about one way or another – the disciplining of children, especially physical discipline. Is it moral? Is it necessary? And is it harmful, or beneficial?

One side claims that to strike an innocent child who has harmed no one can never be moral, that violence must only be reserved for those rare occasions where it is necessary to prevent more violence. The other side might claim that being an efficient teacher requires using all tools that are available, and if violence is necessary for a lesson, we shouldn’t withhold what might be the only useful method for communication.

If a child is too young to be capable of reason, then surely he is too young to understand the reason for the blows. However, even if the child does not understand, is it possible that he will learn to control his actions through conditioning? And if so, is it desirable?

In this episode, Mr. J. and Link McElvenny continue a very interesting discussion. Kurt assumes the negative position, arguing against the use of violence and negative reinforcement on children. Mr. J. takes the position that harsh discipline should be used, though with care and sparingly, and Link acts as an impromptu arbitrator.

Join us on the next child-rearing, brain-expanding episode of … The Paradise Paradox!

The Eps:

Integrity – A man’s gotta have a code part 1

Values – A man’s gotta have a code part 2

The Links:

The case against spanking

10 reasons not to hit your child

The facts about spanking

Dayna Martin – Radical unschooling: Peaceful parenting and natural learning

The Cash:

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The Episode:

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Values: A man’s gotta have a code Part 2: Link McElvenny & Mr. J. – Episode 136

by Kurt Robinson on November 4, 2016 in Podcast • 0 Comments

The Story: A hierarchy of values – which principle is more important?

There’s an old zen story about two monks travelling. They encounter a young lady who is having trouble crossing a river. One of the monks offers to help the woman, picks her up on his back and carries her across the river. A few miles down the road, the other monk turns to the first and says “Brother, you know we are not supposed to touch women. It is not appropriate for a monk.” The first monk says “I set her down on the river bank miles back – are you still carrying her?”

Most people have values that they try to live by, but most people also have situations in which they’re willing to overlook those values. Maybe it’s a case of them ignoring their principles to do indulge in something which they are tempted by in the moment… Or perhaps they are expressing a deeper need, a deeper value. Is it possible that our moments of perceived weakness, or deviation from our principles, may tell us more about us than we realise?

In this episode, Kurt continues the discussion about moral and ethical codes with Link McElvenny and Mr. J. We discuss the difference between technique and application, and the difference between technique and heart. We talk about being self-aware and empathetic while you’re creating art, and the possible pitfalls of that awareness. Other topics of conversation include the trolley problem, hypothetical philosophical questions in general, the value of abstract thinking, when principles must be ignored in favour of higher principles, reductionism and looking at people in their totality, and of course, the moral question of having consensual sex with dolphins.

Join us on a journey into a hypothetical dolphin-hugging artistic world of ideas in the next episode of … The Paradise Paradox!

The Eps:

A man’s gotta have a code Part 1

The Links:

Do people really screw dolphins

The Cash:

The Episode:

To download the audio, right click and press “save as”.

Remember to subscribe on iTunes or subscribe on Pocket Casts.

If you enjoyed the episode, don’t keep it a secret! Feel free to share it on Twitter, Tumblr, Facebook, Reddit, or your office bathroom wall.

Integrity – A Man’s Gotta Have a Code Part 1: Link McElvenny & Mr. J. – Episode 135

by Kurt Robinson on November 1, 2016 in Podcast • 0 Comments

The Story: Values, principles and ideals

Many people go through this life without thinking too deeply about what it is they value, what they would be willing to die for, and what they would be willing to kill for. It takes an uncommon man to consider the question deeply, and an even rarer man to follow through with his decision when the chips are down. Undoubtedly, people fail in this process all the time, but when you see someone make one of those tough choices, putting his principles above his bank balance, or his integrity before gratification, it can inspire you, and make you wonder: if one soul can stand so firm, firmer than old concrete, what else might it be able to achieve?

In this episode, Kurt is joined by two friends and collaborators, Link McElvenny and Mr. J. to discuss their ideas on the codes, principles, values and frameworks which they use to make decisions, and guide themselves through interesting lives. We discuss liberty, the non-aggression principle, non-violence, masculine and feminine polarity, trying to help others to gain a more empowering perspective, open-mindedness, and the difference between eastern and western views of teaching and learning.

Join us in this next soul-challenging, introspective, middle-path-walking episode of The Paradise Paradox!

The Eps:

Down at the ashram: Link McElvenny

The Cash:

The Episode:

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Episode 44 – Down at the Ashram: Link McElvenny

by Kurt Robinson on July 2, 2015 in Podcast • 0 Comments

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The Story:

The year is 400 ACE. A scholar dutifully reads Sanskrit from a decaying fern leaf, contemplating the words, arranging them within the forefront of the mind, and again writing them in fine caligraphy onto another leaf. The scholar couldn’t have known that even more than a thousand years later, people would be referring to those words and the wisdom contained within. That scholar’s name was Patañjali, and the words are known as the Yoga Sutras.

Not even Patañjali could trace the exact moment, or even the exact millenium, in which the first person decided to sit down and contemplate, to calm their mind, to say some sweet words to themself, representative of some idea greater than their own personal existence, to explore inner space, and attempt to find some kind of transcendent truth. Nobody knows exactly where this practice started, individually, or in parallel. Nevertheless, the threads of this first meditation, this first yogi, extend all over the world today, permeating every major religious tradition in the world, in what’s known as “mysticism”.

One such tradition continues today. Thousands of people all over the world chant the mantra “Om Namah Shivaya“, patiently waiting to experience divine gratitude, happiness, and grace. In this episode, Kurt interviews his close friend Link McElvenny to find out about his three month trip to an ashram in India. Join us on a spiritual journey as we are transformed, in this exciting chapter of … The Paradise Paradox!

The Links:

Om Namah Shivaya on Wikipedia
The Yoga Sutras
Hatha Yoga Pradipika
Inkstain Pro on Bandcamp
Inkalot.net
Inverter Alter on Soundcloud
Link interviews Kurt on The Space Between

Cover image used and modified under Creative Commons. Original image.