In this episode, Dara is doing what he thinks he should have done last week; namely, reflect on the throughline of one hundred and fifty episodes of the podcast. His mission statement from the original blog iteration of The ClearOut in 2013 remains just as relevant over 10 years later – Decluttering. Clarifying. Connecting. Those three imperatives continue to assert themselves on the weekly attempt to offer something of use to the listener. They, attached to an eye-rolling scepticism about toxic positivity, are at the heart of the podcast’s subheading – Wellness with Attitude.
Dara recognises a certain amount of nominative determinism in his relationship to clarity. Why does he so badly want to be clear? He equates clarity with calmness, both of mind and emotion, but is quick to acknowledge that clarity in his case does not mean brevity, as he demonstrates on a weekly basis! He discusses the place of intentionality in this mix of wellness and self-awareness, identifying the complexity of intentionality that operates on a more subconscious level.
Thinking about his belief in the human capacity for change, Dara tries to accommodate the horror and depravity that humans can visit upon one another. He believes that terrible pain and trauma can be overcome, but only in the presence of patience, time, love, and forgiveness.
Finally, the new series about Patricia Highsmith’s Tom Ripley is looked at in the context of clarity, intention and calmness. Why is that beautiful black and white cinematography so pacifying?