It's a common life trajectory for men: graduate college, get married, get a 9 to 5 job, have some kids, settle down in the suburbs. And somewhere along that way, they start to get a little soft and stagnant. They let themselves go, becoming less active, and more sedentary. They have more material possessions but fewer hobbies and interests. They lose their edge.

My guest has spent his life battling against this loss. In his more than five decades on earth, he's served in the French navy, trained soldiers in close quarter combat, skydiving, long-range weapon shooting, first aid, and explosives, set a deep water scuba diving record, and studied multiple martial arts, and he currently owns a gym, teaches as a MovNat Master Instructor, and coaches men over forty in how to live better, stronger, and more vibrant lives. His name is Vic Verdier and today on the show he shares his advice on how a man can stay fit and engaged with life as he gets older. We first discuss Vic's background before getting into why it's important for men to seek physical achievement and become physical polymaths, and the role strength training, cardio, and working on your balance plays in that pursuit. Vic then shares his advice on keeping the pounds down and your testosterone up as you age, and why he thinks training in combatives is important on both a practical and psychological level. We talk about the importance of maintaining a connection to nature and keeping your possessions minimal, before ending our conversation with why it's important to stay comfortable with being uncomfortable, and how men can continue to seek adventure and exploration, even when they live in the suburbs. 

Get the show notes at aom.is/edge.

#704: How to Keep Your Edge as You Get Older

New Class of Jazz

Real Needs

Look around a grocery store, airport lobby, or subway car, and you’ll see a bunch of people who are physically together but distinctly separate, each off in their own world, often looking at their phones. In public environments like these, we rarely think to talk to others, and hope no one talks to us.

But my guest today says that initiating these kinds of interactions will not only be more edifying and enjoyable than we think, but holds a key to the sustaining of civilization. His name is Joe Keohane, and he’s the author of The Power of Strangers: The Benefits of Connecting in a Suspicious World. Joe and I spend the first part of our conversation taking a high-level look at how talking with strangers makes individuals happier and society more connected, and why we so strenuously avoid these interactions, even though they almost invariably go better than we anticipate. We discuss how interacting with strangers helped expand human civilization, the codes that ancient cultures developed on how to treat strangers, and a theory as to why people are more social in places like Brazil than in Nordic countries. From there we turn to the more practical side of things and discuss how to develop or redevelop your ability to talk to strangers. Joe shares how to ask people how they’re doing in a way that will get a real response and a better question to ask people than what they do for a living. We also talk about how to change your perspective on small talk, and move it as quickly as possible into meatier territory. We end our conversation with how talking to strangers can overcome division and polarization in society, and how it’s changed Joe’s own life.

The Art of Manliness

#742: The Power of Talking to Strangers

Zikr Project: Atlas

Atlas

Tracklist:

Morcheeba - Blood Like Lemonade / https://soundcloud.com/morcheeba/blood-like-lemonade-1 
Lamb - Trans Fatty Acid (Kruder & Dorfmeister Session Mix) / https://soundcloud.com/lambofficial/trans-fatty-acid-kruder-1 
Tricky - Overcome / https://soundcloud.com/trickyofficial/overcome
Nightmares On Wax - Stars / https://www.discogs.com/master/80232-Nightmares-On-Wax-Smokers-Delight
Massive Attack - Rising Son / https://soundcloud.com/massiveattack/risingson
Björk - Jóga / https://soundcloud.com/bjork/joga-1
Portishead - Over / https://soundcloud.com/portishead-official/roads
Bowery Electric - Without Stopping / https://www.discogs.com/release/66545-Bowery-Electric-Without-Stopping
Hooverphonic - Mad About You / https://soundcloud.com/hooverphonic/mad-about-you
Mono - Playboys / https://www.discogs.com/master/8170-Mono-Formica-Blues
Sneaker Pimps - Six Underground / https://www.discogs.com/release/80986-Sneaker-Pimps-Becoming-X
Cibo Matto - Sugar Water / https://soundcloud.com/cibomattoofficial/sugar-water
Everything But The Girl - Walking Wounded / https://soundcloud.com/everything-but-the-girl-official/walking-wounded-2
Peace Orchestra - Who Am I / https://www.discogs.com/master/101318-Peace-Orchestra-Peace-Orchestra

Intergalactic Wasabi Mix on aNONradio.net - Ep 867 - 2022-02-19

Seeing Things

Seeing Things (Mystral Remix)

When you think about someone having a midlife crisis, you probably think of a man getting divorced, stepping out with a younger woman, and buying a sports car. But my guest today says the often jokey, mockable trope of the midlife crisis we have in our popular culture discounts the fact that the sense of dissatisfaction people can feel in their middle years is quite real, and that the questions it raises are profond, philosophical, and worth earnestly grappling with.

His name is Kieran Setiya, and he's a professor of philosophy and the author of Midlife: A Philosophical Guide. Kieran and I first discuss what researchers have uncovered about whether the midlife crisis really exists, how it might be better described as a kind of midlife malaise, and how Kieran's own sense of life dissatisfaction began when he was only in his mid-thirties. We then explore the philosophical reframing that can help in dealing with the existential issues that the journey into midlife often raises, including feeling like you've missed out on certain possibilities and feeling regret over your mistakes and misfortunes. We also talk about how to shift out of one primary cause of the midlife malaise — the sense that your life is merely about putting out fires and checking off boxes.

#704: How to Keep Your Edge as You Get Older

The Art of Manliness

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