Gareth Higgins is a global treasure. The way he sees the world, understands complex forces, distills the most painful and beautiful aspects of our human condition with a hopeful and discerning heart...all of it and more are shared in this intimate conversation. His new book "How Not to Be Afraid" is timely, brilliant, profound ~ balm for our spirit and a portal to living and understanding fear(less). He invites us to think, feel, and wrestle with our stories, and questions our narratives of unworthiness, isolation, aloneness, loss, and division. He doesn't just talk about the gifts hidden within our fears, but he shows us how fear can lead us to a deeper knowing of who we are, a healing of our disconnections, and reveal our map for love. We talk about the power of the present moment to notice, to attend, and to change the way we see. At the end of our conversation, he reads an extraordinarily powerful excerpt from his wonderful book, and finally lands on one of the most breathtaking lines I've heard. His words are still resonating with me. NOTE: In pre-production for the launch of this new podcast series, this conversation was recorded prior to the start of the year.
Gareth Higgins was born in Belfast in 1975, grew up during the northern Ireland Troubles, and now lives in the US. He writes and speaks about the power of storytelling to shape our lives and world, peace and making justice, and how to take life seriously without believing your own propaganda.
He has been involved in peace-building and violence reduction in northern Ireland and helping address the legacy of conflict, received a Ph.D. in Sociology from Queen’s University Belfast, and co-taught the world’s first graduate course in Reconciliation Studies at Trinity College Dublin.
He also helped found the Wild Goose, New Story and Movies & Meaning festivals. Gareth leads retreats in North America and Ireland; and edits The Porch Magazine. He says he's happy to be a work in progress.
Connect with all of his beautiful work and projects here:
The Foreseeable Now is hosted and executive produced by Lu Hanessian, co-production and original music by KÁNO SOUND. Subscribe so you don't miss an episode...and share! Follow us on IG @theforeseeablenowpodcast