The Paths To Understanding Podcast

Learn more about Paths to Understanding at https://www.PathsToUnderstanding.org
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In last week’s edition of Challenge 2.0, we began an examination of what have been called food deserts or food wastelands...and its’ impact on the health and wealth of communities...particular those of color. We continue that conversation this week with a man called the Sioux Chef...winner of not one but several of the highly coveted James Beard awards. He has made it his mission to address the economic and health crises that impact indigenous communities.

Learn more about Paths to Understanding at https://www.PathsToUnderstanding.org
Join the Paths Network at https://www.PathsNetwork.org

Forty percent of the food produced in the United States is thrown away. That’s more than in any other country. Food waste takes up more room in landfills than any other source. Yet hunger, malnutrition and related health problems are increasing. More than thirteen million Americans live in what are called ‘food deserts’. What are food deserts, and how do efforts to achieve what’s called food sovereignty aim to bring new life and health to such places? That’s the subject of this edition of Challenge 2.0.

Learn more about Paths to Understanding at https://www.PathsToUnderstanding.org

Join the Paths Network at https://www.PathsNetwork.org

Faith communities seem to be subject to the same polarization seen throughout the United States. Yet an organization called the Faith Action Network coordinates the voices of more than 150 such groups in this state. FAN...as it’s called...asserts that translating prayer into policy is valid, needed, and can build community.

Often, we examine difficult issues on this program. The implications are challenging, often painful for all of us and the responses they demand are at the least uncomfortable. But there are also issues that can be inspiring-that’s true of the topic of this edition of Challenge 2.0. We’ll focus on children with great needs but little ability to express them, ones that have often resisted traditional therapies. We’ll meet a talented Seattle recording artist who has developed a program that harnesses the power of music to give these young people a voice and a future that once seemed impossible. Singing Away Silence. 

Learn more about Paths to Understanding at https://www.PathsToUnderstanding.org
Join the Paths Network at https://www.PathsNetwork.org

Although money spent on gifts during the holiday season increases yearly, one in five Americans now seeks to spend less. The founder of what is called The Church of Stop Shopping is hoping to expand that trend...and not just during the holiday season. This week on Challenge 2.0, we continue to explore the work of the man known as Reverend Billy...and why he believes our future is dependent on spending less, not more. 

Learn more about Paths to Understanding at https://www.PathsToUnderstanding.org
Join the Paths Network at https://www.PathsNetwork.org

Shopping malls have been called cathedrals of consumption...advertisers acolytes of excess. At no time is that more evident than during the Christmas season. Holiday spending drives 41% of Americans into debt. That behavior has many critics, but one man has made it his mission to convince us that the cost extends well beyond a single holiday season, well beyond our bank accounts. His work is the focus of this edition of Challenge 2.0-Reverend Billy, and the Church of Stop Shopping. 

Learn more about Paths to Understanding at https://www.PathsToUnderstanding.org

Join the Paths Network at https://www.PathsNetwork.org

In last week’s program, we examined the damage wrought by Colonialism…the exploitation of one people by another for profit. Some historians point to colonialism…and the exploitation that was part of it… as the springboard of capitalism. Yet some faith and political leaders suggest religion and capitalism are inseparable. That assertion is the subject of this edition of Challenge 2.0.

More than two thousand local newspapers have ceased operating since 2005. That has left half of all counties in the United States without any source of local news coverage. Even where local newspapers survive, the ability of journalists to cover key issues such as public safety, education and government suffers. What impact does that have on accountability…and stopping abuse of power. That’s the subject of this edition of Challenge 2.0. 

A popular social media post notes “The late CBS News Anchor Walter Cronkhite read the news and kept his opinions to himself”. This resonates with many at a time of polarization that rivals, if not exceeds that of the 1960’s…and information that conflicts with personal opinion is viewed as fake.  In reality, Cronkhite pointedly revealed the difference between government accounts and the reality of the war. Most Americans then obtained their information from news operations that were viewed as a public service, not a profit center and there was no ‘social media’. How changes in the news media is impacting what we hear as information, and how changes in our attitudes is impacting what we believe we hear. In this episode of Challenge 2.0, we visit with two veteran television news journalists. 

Muskwa Park is a place steeped in history and tragedy. Now a sacred meeting place for the Cree Nation in Alberta, Canada…it was once the site of a Catholic-run residential boarding school. Memories of the abuses committed there continue to haunt Indigenous Canadians. And it was clear those abuses haunt Pope Francis…who came to the park to meet with tribal leaders…and apologize for those abuses. They were one example of the sour fruit of colonialism…committed by many cultures, faiths and nations…and the subject of this edition of Challenge 2.0.