In this episode, Dara tries to remind himself of the existential power of understanding life as an unending path that leads to endless unknown destinations. In relation to a recent rough mental health episode, he is also happy to be reminded that the path of life will continue past the present moment, no matter how challenging it might be.
Dara discusses destinations, end points, and arrivals in the context of conventional capitalist-materialist thinking. He wonders if we’re not better off accepting that one place and one moment can only ever lead to the next place or moment. He argues that we are perpetually moving into empty spaces and empty moments in which we have very little true control.
Citing Darren Aronofsky’s 2017 nightmarish Mother!, Dara recounts his experience of having to deal with uninvited guests. He decides that though unwelcome, that these guests must have been invited after all. But what can be learned from such unpleasantness?
Also, a couple of other podcast recommendations that Dara connected with, the independence of traumatised children when they grow up, and a cat in zen mode!