Dara is not in the mood for this week’s episode. He simply doesn’t have the headspace. But he talks himself into it and soon warms up as he mentions how a recent football podcast planted the seed for what he wants to talk about – touchstones. What are the reference points that help us negotiate the world in which we find ourselves? Who are the pillar-like figures that we feel we can lean on? Who remains unchanged?
Talking about change leads Dara to reflect on his belief in essentialism, that is, the idea that we all have an elemental, immutable core that lies at the centre of who we are no matter how old we are or what we are doing in our lives. He talks about how internal change can be so profound for the individual while potentially going totally unnoticed by the outside world. He wonders if this essentialism can survive being paired with his fondness for pragmatism.
There is also time to talk about mood changes, tragic parenting, socialist solutions, and the politics of Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters.