Maybe children are okay with hearing this kind of story but this 30-year-old is going to have a hard time getting it out of her head and heart. Too much sads...

Oh George you made me cry on my way to work again. It also made me hug my husband and puppy harder when I got home, so thanks. Great podcast.

Geo: http://www.rifftrax.com/

Send them your Ten Commandments idea; I'm sure they'll love it.

Great show! I like the essays, always thought provoking and a nice change of pace from the norm. And yay for multi-confused-handedness. I'm the same way. The only thing I am truly ambidextrous at is bowling. Sometimes entertaining, but not terribly useful.

Carrie, thanks for digging up the link. I misheard the author name in the podcast and was getting really confused.

Thank you George for the excellent podcast.

Woah. Clearly you weren't just twiddling your thumbs with all that studio time! :)

So...I'll clumsily try to articulate this: The stuttering guitar stands out. Is there a "reason" for it beyond just liking it? It made me think of the way I feel about death. I start out with the harsh, grating recollection that yeah, I'm gonna die, and may lose my parents soon--and then start to relax myself by walking through, as the song says, how that's okay, and oddly fair, and is the price I pay for being here. But the grating fear fights for attention, so my thoughts become a tug of war between fear and reason. Which the contrast between the guitar bits and the rest of the song reminds me of.

Anyway, great version. You should send it to Dawkins, I think it perfectly captures the sentiment behind his "We are going to die, and that makes us the lucky ones" line. Also reminds me a bit of Marcus in B5:

"You know, I used to think it was awful that life was so unfair. Then I thought, wouldn't it be much worse if life WERE fair, and all the terrible things that happen to us come because we actually deserve them? So, now I take great comfort in the general hostility and unfairness of the universe."

Beautiful story and song George. Tried not to cry, but I did.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/18/education/edlife/18philosophy-t.html

Philosophy teachers regularly use picture books with children in order to investigate concepts, like the ones you mentioned. We've taught teachers here through the 'Philosophy for Children' program how to incorporate them into lessons.

Nice way to give us a song! :)

yay! right before I head out for work! it's gonna be a great day.

~Dan