Basecamp for Men E135: Punching Karl Marx

E135: Punching Karl Marx with Special Guest Mark Jackson

 

E135 Introduction

Well, I am back and refreshed after a week down on the Gulf side of Florida. Sun, sand, water, and lots of good food. I highly recommend a visit to the Gulf side of Florida if you have not been.

This week I have the pleasure of interviewing Mark Jackson, a man who I count as one of my best friends for the past 20 years. We have been through initiations together and supported one another on our respective Hero’s Journeys. I have sat with him over countless coffees and laughs around Manhattan to discuss the deeper issues and challenges that we face as men.

When I first became friends with Mark, we were both die hard liberals. Everything seemed fine back then. But communism and Marxism was shape shifting and moving along the American cultural landscape and both Mark and I started to sense something darker and sinister unfolding here in our own country.

This episode is really the first part of a primer on Marxism and America. Not as a scholarly expression. Neither Mark or myself feel qualified for such a deep dive. The episode is meant to show how two friends see what is becoming an obvious threat to our nation and its principles.

The next episode I do will be an exploration of American Marxism and its impact on our education system. Something I have an active interest in. Yes, the content is dark and heavy. But I believe it is necessary to warn you, my dear listeners. Particularly if you have young children.

Anyways, here is my friend Mark Jackson and I. Two men talking around the campfire, so to speak. I hope you enjoy it.

Mark Jackson Bio

Mark Jackson is the senior film critic of the Epoch Times whose film reviews can be found on Rotten Tomatoes and Flickster. He has been a professional actor for 25 years and is the official radio and television voice of the world touring Chinese classical dance show Shin Yun. He is also the narrator of the audiobook How the Specter of Communism is Ruling Our World. Here is my interview with Mark Jackson.

E135 Final Thoughts

I hope you enjoyed my conversation with Mark as much as I did. The audiobook and books are titled “How the Specter of Communism is Ruling Our World” from the Epoch Times and the editorial board of “Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party”. These writers are absolute experts and authorities on all things communist and Marx and how it is impacting us and threatening our future.

You can find the book at www.theepochtimes.com and go to their store at Epoch Shop. Go get yourself educated. It may change how you approach things like who you vote for or where you send your child to school. All food for thought.

 

 

 

Basecamp for Men E2: Men and the Hero’s Journey

E2: Men and the Hero’s Journey with Special Guest Mark Jackson

E2 Introduction

I absolutely love the myth of the Hero’s Journey and I use it all the time. Joseph Campbell called it the great mono-myth as it was present at all times in all cultures. It has been with us as long as we’ve been here. Myths speak the universal language of the heart and so are not dependent on a particular religion or way of thinking. As you read and then interact with this myth, it teaches you deep truths about what it means to be human, what it means to be a man, and what direction we need to go to do our part to help the world and its people.

What is this myth trying to teach us? For one thing, it’s teaching us that we need to be courageous every day. We need to be vigilant and discerning about our habits so that we don’t find ourselves just going through the motions of our lives.

When you start to live more mythically, you start to get more connected to the heart. You get more connected to the Divine and to a personal destiny. You feel connected to something greater than yourself and pulled out of your comfort zone. It feels exhilarating and enlivening. The more you say yes to this myth, the more clearly you will be shown your unique road. That is how it works.

Men, your comfort zone is your enemy. I hate to tell you that but it’s true. I know we all love to be comfortable but it will kill your chances of looking back on your life and honestly saying that you lived courageously. Our tendency is to think that the Hero’s Journey is only for these sort of epic historic figures like Gandhi, Dr. King, Mother Teresa. We rarely suspect that the archetypal hero in the story of our lives is us. Isn’t that interesting? Carol Pearson is a great writer and teacher of the Hero’s Journey and I hope to have her on the show soon.

Here’s how she describes the Hero’s Journey. And I quote,

“As you go on a quest to find greater vitality and life for yourself, you also seek answers that contribute to a collective transformation. In fact, anytime you identify a wasteland element in your life such as illness, boredom, lethargy, alienation, emptiness, loss, addiction, failure, anger or outrage, it is time to take a journey. You can be called to quest by such dissatisfaction or simply by a desire for adventure. The journey will inevitably transform you.” And then she goes on to say,

“Heroes are agents of change. The hero’s task has always been to bring new life to an ailing culture. So here you can see that you can be called out onto a new path by a sense of adventure or a sense of loss or boredom or even addiction. All can be seen as a call to the hero’s journey when viewed from this great mono-myth. When you step out onto a new path, it signals that the hero is leaving base camp and the world starts to shift and shape to the new reality. Change is afoot.”

And before get to our interview, I’d like to read you just one last quote.

I love this quote because it kind of perfectly captures the spirit of the Hero’s Journey.

“I have always known that at last, I would take this road, but yesterday I did not know it would be today.”

                                        Narithra

Mark Jackson Bio

Mark Jackson is long-time actor and artist and is the film editor for the Epoch Times newspaper, which is read all over the world. Mark is dedicated to his meditation and spiritual practice, Falun Dafa, which is a form of Chi Gung. In his spare time, Mark loves to take long rides on his Harley.

Here is my interview with Mark Jackson.

Final Thoughts-

That’s our show for today, men. Remember that the story of your life is not yet all told. I’m Tony Rezac and thank you for listening to Basecamp for Men.