Where did all these months go? If you’re like us, you probably thought we’d be out of the woods with COVID-19. Now that we’re in August, fatigue over the pandemic seems to be ramping up but also we are facing hard decisions about how our education systems should manage themselves going forward. Michael gets vulnerable discussing his own experiences during this time, Evan shares his frustrations over the friction surrounding decision making, and Lindsay talks about how to be empathetic in our decision making processes.
- 03:00 Evan vents about the present reality with COVID-19 and how narratives rule the discussion, and the complex pressures facing society in decisions on how deal with the pandemic. How does COVID-19 not have us leave us great options, and what’s the best way to move forward?
- 08:00 Lindsay details what it’s like face dilemmas on an emotional level, and how our bodies often try to work out our emotions for us.
- 10:00 Why friction exists in group decision-making, and what values and variables often play into that friction. How empathy can help us understand other people’s motivations and also not assume the worst about others.
- 15:00 Encouragement for those having to be in the room making decisions.
- 17:00 Michael talks about his personal experience and his family’s experience leading up to the return to school.
- 22:00 How the right decision might not be the same for others, plus how we can learn to change our decision over time with new information.
- 26:30 The human tendency to reconcile our past decisions with present circumstances, and the anxiety of wondering if we’re wrong. Evan talks about how many adults wish they could go back in time to change their majors in college over this anxiety.
- 30:00 Linsay discusses the difference between naming and owning our decisions, how we often weaponize bad decision (against ourselves and others), and how failure is best used as a learning tool rather than a punishment.
- 38:00 Lindsay talks about how regret over college major doesn’t really serve a purpose, and it doesn’t rule your destiny.
- 39:00 Why mental health is an issue that can be addressed from the pulpit, but why other topics (particularly political decisions) might not be. Evan raises the question of whether or not decisions about school in COVID warrant a greater tolerance of risk.
- 44:00 Are all decision life or death? The weight of all our decisions is explored.
- 46:00 Michael submits a modest proposal on how to navigate these decisions: list them out and externalize your process. Also, the importance of checking in with others.
- 51:00 Dealing with judgment, whether it’s when we judge others for their decisions or we fear being judged for our own. Michael and Evan discuss the judgment of God, how that affects believers, and the importance of knowing He is with us even in the midst of our bad decisions.
- 58:00 Michael gives us encouragement, thanks the listeners for your feedback.
