Why humans need to matter
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Hogging seats on a crowded train, not saying excuse me, watching videos on your phone with no headphones in. Sometimes it feels like we don't know how to act anymore. What we have been seeing, increasingly, is people breaking rules. Why should I play by the rules if nobody else is going to do that for me? This week on Explain It to Me, how to mind your manners.
New episodes Sundays wherever you get your podcasts. We are creatures who long to matter, not just to belong, not just to be loved, but to matter objectively. We are a species that, for whatever reason, needs to feel that our lives are justified in some deep way. And that longing drives almost everything we do, our careers, our art, our politics, our religions, even our resentment.
When the longing is satisfied, we're good. When it collapses, We spiral individually and collectively. I'm Sean Eilly, and this is the gray area. Today's guest is Rebecca Neuberger-Goldstein, philosopher, novelist, and the author of a book called The Mattering Instinct.
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