Fermi's Paradox

In Act Two, “Two Can Be As Sad As One”, Ira Glass interviews a woman named Esther Perel. Perel is a therapist who “records her real-life sessions with real life couples who’ve agreed to be recorded” and is also an author. The session that is highlighted in the podcast is one between a wife and husband who are struggling to hold onto a marriage that has been riddled with infidelity. The wife is trying her best to trust her husband again, and not let judgement from the outside world affect her decision to stay, because she still loves her partner. The husband is trying to gain her trust back and understand the pain he has caused, but is also dealing with his own pain, which makes it difficult for them to communicate effectively. The wife even says “I mean, I know you know you hurt me, but I don't think you really get the magnitude. Because it always switches back to you.” Perel pushes them to be raw with each other, and they finally break through and begin to communicate, it is not easy, and it takes multiple attempts, but it is progress. One quote I find very interesting is when Perel says “you can build walls with words and insurmountable barriers”, it seems like the couple is becoming more separate and lonely while they are talking to each other.

I think that all three of the acts were included under one podcast episode instead of separate ones because they all deal with feelings of loneliness and longing. Whether its feeling alone in the universe, in a marriage, or in your own mind, it is a feeling that effects everyone, and can consume someone if they don’t know how to deal with it.

If given the chance, I would ask my parents: “How have you dealt with feelings of regret and failure throughout your life, and how have you bounced back from them?” My parents are two of the most hardworking people I know – we moved to Tallahassee when I was 2 so my dad could go to law school at Florida State – my parents both worked and went to school, all while raising three children. I know to get where they are today they experienced countless hardships, and I would like to know how they bounced back from them. I think they could both give very profound and inciteful answers.

Unlike David, I do not feel scared that there hasn't been life discovered beyond earth. As a Christian, I personally do not fear being alone in the world or fear what will happen when I die. I can see how these topics could be very troubling for someone who does not believe in a higher being or an afterlife.

My favorite question Rosie asks is “How do you know what's true?”