Why everyone's social skills are getting worse (ft. David Brooks)

This episode with David Brooks had me smiling and thinking in equal measure. From the idea of teaching social skills like flirting or breaking up (because we can get better at these with practice) to his call for deeper questions in everyday conversations, there was so much to take away.

I loved his go-to prompts like, “If this five years is a chapter in your life, what’s it about?” or “If you were not afraid, what would you do?” They made me wonder why we don’t ask these more often. Is it cultural? Personal? Are we afraid of being too vulnerable, or of asking others to be?

And then, his view on politics: that it’s not a battle of right vs wrong, but a balance of partial truths: freedom and/vs equality, achievement and/vs community. He is able to see the positives in both side of politics. That mindset felt like a breath of fresh air.

https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/solved-with-mark-manson/id1247526593?i=1000641187531