The Big Life Questions Show

Show Notes As regular listeners know, The Big Life Questions Show does not believe President Trump will finish out his current term. But - just in case he does - as an important public service announcement, Doug and Chris disclose in this episode the list of countries each would consider moving to in the unfortunate event that the country abandons all semblance of reason. The cohosts also disclose the proprietary methodologies they used to arrive upon their choices.  0.00 Chris's intro to this episode 3.20 Why Chris might move if Trump is re-elected 8.05 Research on the best countries to live in 9.40 Doug's big reveal of where he would move 17.40 Chris's dramatic reveal of his methodology and where he would move 25.43 The final lesson - "We have options"

Show Notes This is an episode that everyone can relate to. Doug and Chris discuss the causes of burnout, with an emphasis on why the problem seems to be getting worse - and what we can do about it. 0.38 Burnout and lack of purpose 6.15 Burnout and frustration with things being out of control 9.10 Physician burnout 15.25 Burnout and wasted time 16.00 Burnout and financial stress 19.40 Possible solutions to burnout

A whistleblower! An impeachment inquiry! A self-incrimidating president! In this special edition of The Big Life Questions Show, Doug and Chris discuss whether Donald Trump will be able to survive the investigation into a detailed whistleblower complaint that paints a picture of a president willing to sell out his country to win reelection.

In keeping with the Big Life Questions Show theme, Doug and Chris ponder the essential questions about religion in this episode. They explore both the positive and the dark side of religions. They also disclose their own religious histories, including an experience Doug had that suggests a possible afterlife. In the end, the cohosts disagree on the question at hand - are we better off with or without religions? 1.10 Chris and Doug's religious backgrounds 5.25 Everybody has a right to their own beliefs 7.30 The benefits of a religious practice, according to Chris 11.08 Are religious people happier? Are they healthier? 16.15 Doug's spiritual experience 22.15 Is religion based on magical thinking? 22.55 Religion, wars and evil behavior 29.55 A final verdict (sort of) on the question  

In this episode of The Big Life Questions Show, Chris and Doug tackle one the most polarizing and controversial issues of our time -- immigration. Our cohosts discuss immigration policies throughout the history of the United States, from the country's founding to the Trump Administration, as well as how immigration has changed the culture of the nation and influenced our politics. Doug and Chris also try to inject actual facts into the immigration conversation. 1.05 The facts about immigration and crime, job growth and the economy 6.05 Re-writing the poem on the Statue of Liberty 8.50 The history of immigration in America 11.20 Doug's radical view of immigration policy 14.50 The game-changer - The immigration act of 1965 18.45 Why do immigrants want to come in the first place? 25.45 Why were New Mexico and Hawaii denied statehood for a long time? Links: Coming to America, by Roger Daniels  

In this episode, Doug and Chris explore why college is so expensive and why the market for higher education in the United States is broken in significant ways. They present important data on the magnitude of the problem, and talk through potential ways to make higher education more affordable. Finally, they discuss how Chris, as a father of three, personally feels about the college education cost dilemma.  4.00 Differences in Per Capita income, high school versus college graduates 5.45 Tuition rate increases since 1973 8.00 Why the value proposition of a college degree is in question 8.40 How higher education, like healthcare, doesn't operate as a competitive economic market 15.35 How does Chris think about this topic as a father of three? 19.55 Are college teaching people the right things? 22.55 What could we as a society do about the high cost of college education? Links: Indebted: How Families Make College Work at Any Cost, Caitlin Zaloom  

The Business Roundtable, a group of corporate CEOs, recently put out a statement that CEOs should be focused on more than just shareholders. What does their statement mean, practically speaking? What are the pressures on CEOs and how should they balance the short term vs. the long term? Are corporations moral? Should they be? We tackle these big life questions and more, right here in this episode. 0.48 The Business Roundtable Position Statement 3.45 What pressures do CEOs really face? 6.17 A ray of hope for CEO behavior 9.26 Long term versus short term focus 11.15 Is there a moral element to capitalism? 16.05 Are CEOs worried about growing discontent with capitalism? 18.55 A CEO case study 26.15 CEOs, Boards, and creating good jobs

Life is full of lessons to be learned -- or ignored! In this episode, Chris and Doug offer life advice to their younger selves based on their own experiences, mistakes, observations, and epiphanies. What valuable life advice would you offer to your younger self? 1:15 Don't spend too much time in your own head 3.14 Don't ignore karma; it's real 6.56 It's usually not personal 8.56 There are people you can't reason with 12.25 Eliminate negative influences from your life 16.24 Be in the world, but not of it 17.45 Live abroad for a couple of years 20.05 Stay healthy 22.35 Don't ignore the obvious    

in this episode, Doug and Chris discuss what a person's responsibilities are to be a productive member of society - and, for that matter, what exactly does it mean to be productive? For example, do you need to make money to be a productive member of society? What is the bare minimum behavior to be considered productive? Basically, what are our responsibilities - if any - that result from being on this planet? 0.45 What does it mean to be productive? 3:54 Can a toll booth operator be a productive member of society? 8:45 Is civility part of being productive? 10.00 What is not productive behavior for society? 11.25 What about dropping out of society? Is that okay? 18.14 The problem with libertarians

In this episode, Doug and Chris struggle with the ramifications of what Baby Boomers have done to make the future more difficult for Millennials, Generation X, and succeeding generations. The full gamut of debacles is covered -- climate change, wealth and income inequality, bad leadership, political polarization. Our cohosts scour the planet for possible solutions, or at least ways to make Baby Boomers feel better. 6.58 We need better humans 8.45 We need better models of leadership and success 15.20 A billionaire endorses the wealth tax 20.05 The Norwegian Sovereign Wealth Fund 21.50 Care and concern for other species

Imagine that you could invent a time machine and have dinner with famous, or not-so-famous, historical figures. Who would you pick? What questions would you ask them? That's what Chris and Doug do in this episode, and they cover people from all eras and walks of life. The cohosts also reveal who almost made the cut. 1.25 Dinner Guest Number One (for both Doug and Chris) -- A political prisoner and a corrupter of youth 8.17 Dinner Guest Number Two -- An emancipator and a roundtable wag 14.00 Dinner Guest Number Three -- A first lady and a funny lady 19.20 Dinner Guest Number Four -- A Founding Father and a legendary boxer 27.04 Dinner Guest Number Five -- An inventor and a musician/songwriter 33.19 Summary and Last-minute Dinner List Cuts Links: Walter Issacson, Leonardo da Vinci

If you are desperately trying to figure out how we get Donald Trump out of the White House, The Big Life Questions Show analysis of the 2020 Democratic Primary is for you. Doug and Chris make no attempts to discuss all 183 people running, nor do either of them announce their own candidacies. Instead, they handicap the major contenders and throw in their own obsessions, biases, peculiarities, and occasional insights. They even argue! If you're looking for poll results, you won't find them here. But if you want the lay of the land on what's really happening, check out this episode.

Life throws curveballs at all of us; it's how we respond to those curveballs that matters the most. Sometimes what happens to us even challenges our definition of self. In this episode, Doug and Chris discuss how a running injury has made Doug re-think the fundamentals of his life.  1.00 Doug's Running Injury 9.05 Diagnosing yourself over the internet (bad idea) 10.13 The conversation with the surgeonm11.50  The aftermath of the surgery 15.55 Doug's stab at some overall perspective 20.26 Coping and not coping with health issues and injuries

In this episode Doug and Chris deal with a crucial question for the summer months: What makes for a great vacation? It turns out that taking a vacation isn't as simple as it sounds, especially when kids are involved. Are vacations just a break or can they be transformative to your life? Should you deal with work email while on vacation? How often do you get really good ideas about the rest of your life while on vacation? How important is it to get to all 50 states in the U.S.? (A subtle dig by Doug.) Are the best vacations the ones where you stay in one place or the ones where you move around? And what is your idea of the ideal vacation?  3.30 Is reading work email while on vacation advisable?   9.30 Should you go new places or go where you've been before? 10.20 The All 50 States Contest 14.52 How much should you plan your day-to-day itinerary? 18.20 The Big Life Questions Show Vacation Endorsement

Age tends to creep up on us. Then again, there seem to be some subtle (and not so subtle) signs when other people think you are old. In this episode, Chris and Doug explore those signs along with questions such as: Why do doctors like to tell you that "it's just wear and tear"? Is age really just a number? Is there a form of intelligence that gets better as you get older? Our cohosts also talk about they keys to healthy aging. 0.25 Update on Chris's medical mystery 5.30 When the doc says "it's just wear and tear" 6.30 Is age just a number? 9.00 The intelligence that seems to get better as you age 15.30 Mortality and Immortality? 18.15 Healthy aging