TGL035: Being a Good Ancestor and Thinking Long-term with Roman Krznaric

The Good Life Podcast with Sean Murray

On today’s show, Sean talks with Roman Krznaric, the author of The Good Ancestor: A Radical Prescription for Long-term Thinking. We explore the idea of thinking long-term, and we learn about some very long-term projects. Along the way, Roman takes us on a journey. He talks about a Cathedral in Germany that took over 500 years to build, a clock being built in Texas designed to last 10,000 years, a seed vault in the arctic circle designed to preserve seeds for 1,000 years, and others. We learn about the importance of long-term thinking, as well as the battle in our heads between our “marshmallow" and our “acorn” brain. He also talks about how important it is to have a transcendent goal in our lives, how to move beyond the ego-boundary, and why we should all ask, “How will I be remembered when I die?”

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU'LL LEARN:

• The importance of long-term thinking
• The tug of war inside our heads between short-term and long-term thinking
• How to manage between our “marshmallow brain” versus our “acorn” brain
• Jeff Bezos, The Long Now Foundation and the 10,000-Year Clock
• Why we should take into the account the welfare of future generations
• The importance of asking the question: “How will I be remembered when I die?"
• The Grandmother effect and how it weaves generations together
• Why it’s important to have a transcendent goal in life
• What is Cathedral Thinking and why it’s important

BOOKS AND RESOURCES

• The Good Ancestor: A Radical Prescription for Long-term Thinking by Roman Krznaric
• The Long Now Foundation
• The Future Library
• The Uffington White Horse
• The Svalbard Global Seed Vault
• Capital One. This is Banking Reimagined. What’s in your wallet?
• Get the most competitive rate if you’re looking to get a mortgage or refinance in Canada with Breezeful. Plus, get a $100 Amazon.ca gift card at your closing.
• Browse through all our episodes (complete with transcripts) here.
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CONNECT WITH ROMAN KRZNARIC

• Roman's Twitter Account
• Roman's Website

CONNECT WITH SEAN MURRAY

• Sean's Twitter Account
• Sean's LinkedIn Account
• Email: [e-mail]
• Website: RealTime Performance, Inc.
• Weekly Newsletter: RealTime Performance Newsletter

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