Summary

Central to this discussion around the use of Artificial Intelligence is the notion that virtue is not intrinsically baked into the technologies that are currently available to us. Given this fact, how do we – as consumers of all this technology – begin to consider how to use tech responsibly, with honour, and oriented towards the good? Further, how can we peel back layers of all that is bright and shiny in front of us so that we can see, with clear eyes and clear minds, the ulterior motives behind Silicon Valley’s technological masterminds? Pete and Jason continue to unpack their thoughts regarding what honourable use of technology can look like, urging listeners not to lose sight of the good, and not just for ourselves but for our neighbours as well. They paint a picture of  what we might actually be after: a society filled with thriving human beings, unmastered by machines, humbly living embodied experiences. Pete and Jason round out the discussion by making a case for the type of environments that we need to foster in order to engage with technology with carefully discerned intentionality. 

Speakers Bio

Pete White is the founder of Vocatio, an organization focused on restoring character and calling to the center of human life. Drawing from a wealth of life experiences – from his work as a carpenter in blue-collar environments, volunteering in homeless shelters, to nearly two decades as a therapist in private practice – Pete encountered the deep brokenness of the human experience in lives oriented away from the heart of God. He witnessed firsthand the fractures caused by addictions, poverty of mind, body, and spirit, broken relationships, and crises in identity and authenticity. His encounters have ignited in him a deep desire to see healing and wholeness, steeped in love, to the world around him. Today, Pete accompanies individuals and organizations in the process of clarifying purpose and life-calling, recovering their vocation as life-as-craft. 

Bio retrieved from Vocatio.

Jason Jensen is the founding partner and CEO of Glass Canvas. He has set the tone for radical pursuit of the way of Jesus in every area of our business, leading with vulnerability, intentionality, and pursuit of the human heart. His personal mission is to help increase the accompaniment capacity of the Church, and he does so with his gifts of being with individuals and leaders to help draw them into an integrated Christian imagination. Jason leads the formation direction and overall vision of Glass Canvas.

Noteworthy quotes

“Our conventional response to all media, namely that it is how they are used that counts, is the numb stance of the technological idiot. For the 'content' of a medium is like the juicy piece of meat carried by the burglar to distract the watchdog of the mind." - Marshall McLuhan, The Medium is the Message

“Human nature will be the last part of Nature to surrender to Man.” - C.S. Lewis, The Abolition of Man

Resources for you

The Weight of Glory
by C.S. Lewis
Order from Amazon

Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man
by Marshall McLuhan and Lewis H. Lapham
Order from Amazon

The Abolition of Man

by C.S. Lewis
Order from Amazon

Timestamps

02:10 How to think vs. what to think
‍02:55 The goal is maturing in how to think properly
‍04:52 Amputation from the past – and limiting the future
05:20 Discernment and the law of unintended consequences
07:28 Being anchored by story-telling, story-making, and story-living
09:30 Using AI responsibility: is it possible?
09:50 Observations on efficacious users of AI
10:45 Have we become more productive?
13:50 People-centered stories
15:40 What is “the good” that we are after
16:20 Begin with honour as a foundation to trust
18:00 Our neighbours are “enspirited” beings
19:10 The locus for inspiration
21:44 What does honour require of you?
27:00 Distracting the watchdog of the mind (McLuhan)
33:27 What does responsible use of technology look like?
34:55 Tethered scrupulosity
38:15 Technology’s cost vs. benefits
40:58 Virtue is not intrinsic in technology
42:32 The best parts of life are embodied
43:12 Playground principles still apply
45:54 To merely do more – but why?
47:47 Glorified gambling addicts
52:05 Re-collection of our memory
53:35 Joe Rogan’s metamorphosis 
55:05 The making of a god
56:12 The people and the product
58:43 Is there goodness to be found?
01:00:04 Attention is a moral act
01:04:03 Characterological problems of the West
01:09:50 In the presence of somebody’s absence
01:13:15 Trust issues and society’s spell
01:16:48 How to face the technological apocalypse
01:21:43 A shared confession
01:26:56 Holding it communally… in neighbourhoods

Stay connected
Thank you for listening to this episode with My Buddy Pete. If this episode encouraged you, make sure to subscribe on your favourite platform and follow us on Instagram to be notified about our latest episodes. 

Summary

Join Pete and Jason as they mark the momentous occasion of the digital launch of  Vocatio –  an organization focused on restoring character and calling to the center of human life. This candid conversation takes listeners through Pete’s recounting of the internal battles he faced as he began to grapple with the idea that he was being called away from his private practice as a psychotherapist and into a different calling, for which he did not yet have a clarified idea as to how such a calling can practically take shape. Pete and Jason chat through the considerations around vocation and calling, and what it may look like when you come at a crossroads of considering a reiteration of your calling. Pete describes the nascent threads that have always been there throughout the different jobs he has held in the past that have all pointed to this vocational change decades down the line. Meanwhile, Pete also heralds the various people that have been put in his path – the heroes of the story, as he’d often describe them – and makes an offering of the various puzzle pieces that have come together to bring this heart-dream and aspiration into fruition. 

Speakers Bio

Pete White is the founder of Vocatio, an organization focused on restoring character and calling to the center of human life. Drawing from a wealth of life experiences – from his work as a carpenter in blue-collar environments, volunteering in homeless shelters, to nearly two decades as a therapist in private practice – Pete encountered the deep brokenness of the human experience in lives oriented away from the heart of God. He witnessed firsthand the fractures caused by addictions, poverty of mind, body, and spirit, broken relationships, and crises in identity and authenticity. His encounters have ignited in him a deep desire to see healing and wholeness, steeped in love, to the world around him. Today, Pete accompanies individuals and organizations in the process of clarifying purpose and life-calling, recovering their vocation as life-as-craft. 

Bio retrieved from Vocatio.

Jason Jensen is the founding partner and CEO of Glass Canvas. He has set the tone for radical pursuit of the way of Jesus in every area of our business, leading with vulnerability, intentionality, and pursuit of the human heart. His personal mission is to help increase the accompaniment capacity of the Church, and he does so with his gifts of being with individuals and leaders to help draw them into an integrated Christian imagination. Jason leads the formation direction and overall vision of Glass Canvas.

Noteworthy quotes

“If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, it will be enough."  - Meister Eckhart

Resources for you

Let Your Life Speak: Listening for the Voice of Vocation
by Parker Palmer
Order from Amazon

Timestamps

01:08 Realizing the need to iterate one’s calling
02:21 A theme in Pete’s life
03:15 Clinical psychology and its proposed remedies
06:43 Twenty-two thousand hours of stories, a human education 
09:35 Realizing when the practice has come to an end
12:00 Am I still called to be where I am?
‍16:05 No language for soul responses
‍21:55 The last session and the long walk home
27:20 Grace and effort
30:00 A posture of blessing, hope, and trust
34:00 Jesus is in it with me
35:00 Provision and collaborative hope
37:18 The masculine genius: the men in the forge
40:35 Personal discovery is found in the territories regarded as risk
41:51 Fear, shame, and what do I do when I grow up?
44:27 3AM intrusive thoughts
46:16 Creativity + Introversion = Batman
47:00 Fear is always part of the aspiration towards growth
53:25 Imparting presence
56:40 Frackled dynamics of God’s image
01:01:38 What can you not not do? (Palmer)
01:03:21 Transcending psychotherapy
01:05:03 Surrogate “hope-r” and “believe-r”
01:07:40 Encounter with wisdom
01:08:17 Cushman’s Hermeneutic Circle
01:10:23 Meeting people at the “dead ends” of their being
01:11:35 Reclaiming love as central to all human story
01:12:40 You never have to game the system
01:14:50 From Pete’s heart to yours
01:18:23 A quest to do the best
01:20:40 An offering of something not yet perfected
01:23:08 A word of gratitude

Stay connected
Thank you for listening to this episode with My Buddy Pete. If this episode encouraged you, make sure to subscribe on your favourite platform and follow us on Instagram to be notified about our latest episodes. 

This episode kicks off a new series on the movement of technology, the influence of AI, and the impact it all makes on our humanity. With unprecedented widespread access to technology, how many of us have taken pause and taken the implications of this “upward movement” into humble consideration? Most of us – knowingly or not – are hopping into the machinery that claims to move us forward, but where are we actually headed? 

Summary

The movement of technology has long made a massive contribution to the progress of humanity throughout history, but the unprecedented advances of the Internet and widespread access to Artificial Intelligence in recent years have unarguably changed the course of how humans interact with machines. With the promise of Utopia on the horizon, what is the price that we pay, and what do we give up of our humanity? Jason and Pete enter into an honest discussion about their own discernment over the use of AI and how they wrestle with appropriating knowledge and accumulating information. Using ‘Biltong’, a South African cured meat, as an example, they dive into the intricacies of using technology to accrue information and how knowledge can then be weaved through stories in culture. They talk through the fallout that stems from the loss of sacred space, and how technology has changed the way we tell and transmit stories throughout generations. They lead the discussion into a consideration of when technology can become evil, when we become disconnected from transcendence, and what we need to do to stay vigilant in an era of rapid progress.

Speakers Bio

Pete White is the founder of Vocatio, an organization focused on restoring character and calling to the center of human life. Drawing from a wealth of life experiences – from his work as a carpenter in blue-collar environments, volunteering in homeless shelters, to nearly two decades as a therapist in private practice – Pete encountered the deep brokenness of the human experience in lives oriented away from the heart of God. He witnessed firsthand the fractures caused by addictions, poverty of mind, body, and spirit, broken relationships, and crises in identity and authenticity. His encounters have ignited in him a deep desire to see healing and wholeness, steeped in love, to the world around him. Today, Pete accompanies individuals and organizations in the process of clarifying purpose and life-calling, recovering their vocation as life-as-craft. 

Bio retrieved from Vocatio.

Jason Jensen is the founding partner and CEO of Glass Canvas. He has set the tone for radical pursuit of the way of Jesus in every area of our business, leading with vulnerability, intentionality, and pursuit of the human heart. His personal mission is to help increase the accompaniment capacity of the Church, and he does so with his gifts of being with individuals and leaders to help draw them into an integrated Christian imagination. Jason leads the formation direction and overall vision of Glass Canvas.

Noteworthy quotes

“Every extension of mankind, especially technological extensions, have the effect of amputating or modifying some other extension." - Marshall McLuhan, The Medium is the Message

“It is the persistent theme of this book that all technologies are extensions of our physical and nervous systems to increase power and speed” - Marshall McLuhan

“Knowledge is the capacity to represent things as they are, on an appropriate basis of thought and/or experience.” - Dallas Willard 

Resources for you

The Abolition of Man
by C.S. Lewis
Order from Amazon

The Great Divorce
by C.S. Lewis
Order from Amazon

The Divine Conspiracy: Rediscovering our Hidden Life in God
by Dallas Willard
Order from Amazon

Timestamps

01:15 How to begin thinking about how to relate with technology’s movement
‍02:42 Approaching the topic as an ‘open question’
‍04:15 The blind use of any tech
05:05 The hope is to help the audience think carefully
06:22 What is integration?
07:00 Big tech changes; AI as near-sentient agents
09:00 “All media extensions of man are an amputation”
09:46 Integration vs. Absorption
10:52 Paul Kingsnorth: “We are story-telling creatures"
13:01 Abundant life without personal transformation
14:02 A Utopian promise
19:07 Technology as “The Alchemy”
20:40 Cultural hegemony
22:00 Pre-GPS eras and asking for directions in neighborhoods
28:33 “All technology is an extension of the senses.” - (McLuhan)
29:58 The integrating process of technology
32:40 The ‘Greatest Commandment’ as the first starting point in consideration
33:39 First question: “Am I meant to be here?”
36:16 Second question: “How do I implement this tech while still telling the truth about me?”
39:00 The loss of sacred space
41:43 The gift of getting lost
42:47 The collective consciousness of Roombas
47:25 Be cautious of what you give your consent to
50:32 Information vs. knowledge
55:37 Knowledge and cultural heritage
01:05:40 The Gray City
01:07:23 The Silicon Valley promise
01:09:19 The most powerful lie
01:13:05 What technocrats can’t promise
01:14:32 What technology should aim towards: new territories of meaning
01:16:30 Caution and hope, and what is lost to you
01:23:03 Technological asceticism
01:27:30 A technocrat’s quest
01:36:20 What questions should we be asking?

Stay connected

Thank you for listening to this episode with My Buddy Pete. If this episode encouraged you, make sure to subscribe on your favourite platform and follow us on Instagram to be notified about our latest episodes. 

Summary

How many of us have sat through a job interview, wondering how we can make an honest offering of ourselves while determining a commensurate value for our work?  Left undiscerned, our sense of worth and value are often shaped less by our moral convictions and more by immediate needs or lifestyle pressures. In this episode, Pete and Jason offer a fresh perspective on considering our incalculable worth as individuals and how it relates to tangible measures such as wealth and compensation. Offering perspectives from both sides of the table – as employer and employee – Pete and Jason make a case for the lasting difference it makes when we show up as ourselves, without pretense. They discuss the importance of seeing the uniqueness and innate creativity of every person as they relate to the team, and why it is vital for companies and organizations to help employees form more integrated versions of themselves. They dissect the nuances of discerning fit and compatibility and the pitfalls of having a myopic view of life. Ultimately, Pete and Jason invite listeners to consider these economic realities within the context of living and operating within the Kingdom of God. 

Speakers Bio

Pete White is the founder of Vocatio, an organization focused on restoring character and calling to the center of human life. Drawing from a wealth of life experiences – from his work as a carpenter in blue-collar environments, volunteering in homeless shelters, to nearly two decades as a therapist in private practice – Pete encountered the deep brokenness of the human experience in lives oriented away from the heart of God. He witnessed firsthand the fractures caused by addictions, poverty of mind, body, and spirit, broken relationships, and crises in identity and authenticity. His encounters have ignited in him a deep desire to see healing and wholeness, steeped in love, to the world around him. Today, Pete accompanies individuals and organizations in the process of clarifying purpose and life-calling, recovering their vocation as life-as-craft. 

Bio retrieved from Vocatio.

Jason Jensen is the founding partner and CEO of Glass Canvas. He has set the tone for radical pursuit of the way of Jesus in every area of our business, leading with vulnerability, intentionality, and pursuit of the human heart. His personal mission is to help increase the accompaniment capacity of the Church, and he does so with his gifts of being with individuals and leaders to help draw them into an integrated Christian imagination. Jason leads the formation direction and overall vision of Glass Canvas.

Noteworthy quotes

“It takes three kinds of courage: to abandon your tried-and-true methods, to put yourself in the ring before you feel ready, and to make more mistakes than others make attempts." - Adam Grant, Hidden Potential: The Science of Achieving Greater Things

Timestamps

01:10 The trouble with Bitcoin
‍03:45 What are most things grounded in?
04:15 Love is the most valuable thing in the universe
‍06:15 What is money?
13:30 Benevolence: love as in intention to will someone’s good
14:45 The “gold standard”: a quick economic refresher
18:20 Who gets to decide the value of currencies?
21:16 Vocation: The way that you were made to love
31:10 Experiences with sales - is this for me, or for them?
35:22 Doing what love invites and refusing what fear demands
37:11 What to ask yourself at the end of the (work) day
38:28 Choosing our amnesia
39:24 Work is tethered to our provision and our personhood
41:51 A loving responsibility - we are made for profundity
45:53 Our attention as a commodity and its consequences
48:20 The most reliable path to wealth itself
49:30 Wealth: inversely correlated with unmet wants, a measure of contentment
53:03 The impoverished wealthy person
55:35 The dichotomy of eternal vs. temporal things
58:10 War as an alternative to love
01:01:20 Workforce ethics: a commitment to what you’re not going to do
01:04:10 Real value and integrity prove themselves in the end
01:06:15 The job inside of every job
01:09:01 The betterment of people as the epicentre of what you’re doing
01:10:33 A trust framework: Goodwill, Competence and integrity
01:13:25 Showing up as ourselves at work
01:14:55 There is meaning and purpose when you are needed as you are
01:17:08 Becoming *that* person who comes in mind when a need arises
01:19:05 Untethered vocation
01:25:58 Negotiating when we are making an offering of ourselves
01:28:38 Why not “fake it ‘til you make it”?
01:31:00 Are you prepared to make a fair appraisal of yourself?
01:35:50 Young people: get clear on your ethics!
01:39:05 An encouragement to employers
01:42:50 Isaac’s story and Irish Whiskey
01:50:55 Courage and calling
01:51:12 Fail more than others attempt
01:52:22 Is it okay to want to not be poor?
01:57:20 How to live in the Kingdom, according to Jesus

‍Stay connected

Thank you for listening to this episode with My Buddy Pete. If this episode encouraged you, make sure to subscribe on your favourite platform and follow us on Instagram to be notified about our latest episodes.

Summary

How many of us have sat through a job interview, wondering how we can make an honest offering of ourselves while determining a commensurate value for our work?  Left undiscerned, our sense of worth and value are often shaped less by our moral convictions and more by immediate needs or lifestyle pressures. In this episode, Pete and Jason offer a fresh perspective on considering our incalculable worth as individuals and how it relates to tangible measures such as wealth and compensation. Offering perspectives from both sides of the table – as employer and employee – Pete and Jason make a case for the lasting difference it makes when we show up as ourselves, without pretense. They discuss the importance of seeing the uniqueness and innate creativity of every person as they relate to the team, and why it is vital for companies and organizations to help employees form more integrated versions of themselves. They dissect the nuances of discerning fit and compatibility and the pitfalls of having a myopic view of life. Ultimately, Pete and Jason invite listeners to consider these economic realities within the context of living and operating within the Kingdom of God. 

Speakers Bio

Pete White is the founder of Vocatio, an organization focused on restoring character and calling to the center of human life. Drawing from a wealth of life experiences – from his work as a carpenter in blue-collar environments, volunteering in homeless shelters, to nearly two decades as a therapist in private practice – Pete encountered the deep brokenness of the human experience in lives oriented away from the heart of God. He witnessed firsthand the fractures caused by addictions, poverty of mind, body, and spirit, broken relationships, and crises in identity and authenticity. His encounters have ignited in him a deep desire to see healing and wholeness, steeped in love, to the world around him. Today, Pete accompanies individuals and organizations in the process of clarifying purpose and life-calling, recovering their vocation as life-as-craft. 

Bio retrieved from Vocatio.

Jason Jensen is the founding partner and CEO of Glass Canvas. He has set the tone for radical pursuit of the way of Jesus in every area of our business, leading with vulnerability, intentionality, and pursuit of the human heart. His personal mission is to help increase the accompaniment capacity of the Church, and he does so with his gifts of being with individuals and leaders to help draw them into an integrated Christian imagination. Jason leads the formation direction and overall vision of Glass Canvas.

Noteworthy quotes

“It takes three kinds of courage: to abandon your tried-and-true methods, to put yourself in the ring before you feel ready, and to make more mistakes than others make attempts." - Adam Grant, Hidden Potential: The Science of Achieving Greater Things

Timestamps

01:10 The trouble with Bitcoin

‍03:45 What are most things grounded in?

04:15 Love is the most valuable thing in the universe

‍06:15 What is money?

13:30 Benevolence: love as in intention to will someone’s good

14:45 The “gold standard”: a quick economic refresher

18:20 Who gets to decide the value of currencies?

21:16 Vocation: The way that you were made to love

31:10 Experiences with sales - is this for me, or for them?

35:22 Doing what love invites and refusing what fear demands

37:11 What to ask yourself at the end of the (work) day

38:28 Choosing our amnesia

39:24 Work is tethered to our provision and our personhood

41:51 A loving responsibility - we are made for profundity

45:53 Our attention as a commodity and its consequences

48:20 The most reliable path to wealth itself

49:30 Wealth: inversely correlated with unmet wants, a measure of contentment

53:03 The impoverished wealthy person

55:35 The dichotomy of eternal vs. temporal things

58:10 War as an alternative to love

01:01:20 Workforce ethics: a commitment to what you’re not going to do

01:04:10 Real value and integrity prove themselves in the end

01:06:15 The job inside of every job

01:09:01 The betterment of people as the epicentre of what you’re doing

01:10:33 A trust framework: Goodwill, Competence and integrity

01:13:25 Showing up as ourselves at work

01:14:55 There is meaning and purpose when you are needed as you are

01:17:08 Becoming *that* person who comes in mind when a need arises

01:19:05 Untethered vocation

01:25:58 Negotiating when we are making an offering of ourselves

01:28:38 Why not “fake it ‘til you make it”?

01:31:00 Are you prepared to make a fair appraisal of yourself?

01:35:50 Young people: get clear on your ethics!

01:39:05 An encouragement to employers

01:42:50 Isaac’s story and Irish Whiskey

01:50:55 Courage and calling

01:51:12 Fail more than others attempt

01:52:22 Is it okay to want to not be poor?

01:57:20 How to live in the Kingdom, according to Jesus

‍Stay connected

Thank you for listening to this episode with My Buddy Pete. If this episode encouraged you, make sure to subscribe on your favourite platform and follow us on Instagram to be notified about our latest episodes.

Summary

We spend a great number of our adult lives at work; and left unexplored, our daily routines eventually write the script for what we believe our vocation is meant to be and how it is to be lived. Pete and Jason lay the groundwork for offering a broad definition of what ‘work’ is – and what it can be – while simultaneously addressing the belief that truly meaningful work is a luxury unavailable to most. They touch on topics like the fallout caused by the cult of the ‘self’, considerations to make when discerning careers, and the stifling effects of micromanaging on beauty and creativity. Along the way, they offer hope towards those who are threadbare, struggling in positions and responsibilities they currently hold. Further, Pete and Jason offer a refreshing take on the gift of living with honour and authenticity, taking hold of that which brings us life, in spaces where our professional and personal lives meet. In this dialogue, discover how we can become our truest selves when we inhabit spaces that speak to our ‘vocatio’ – our life calling.

Speakers Bio

Pete White is the founder of Vocatio, an organization focused on restoring character and calling to the center of human life. Drawing from a wealth of life experiences – from his work as a carpenter in blue-collar environments, volunteering in homeless shelters, to nearly two decades as a therapist in private practice – Pete encountered the deep brokenness of the human experience in lives oriented away from the heart of God. He witnessed firsthand the fractures caused by addictions, poverty of mind, body, and spirit, broken relationships, and crises in identity and authenticity. His encounters have ignited in him a deep desire to see healing and wholeness, steeped in love, to the world around him. Today, Pete accompanies individuals and organizations in the process of clarifying purpose and life-calling, recovering their vocation as life-as-craft. 

Bio retrieved from Vocatio.

‍

Jason Jensen is the founding partner and CEO of Glass Canvas. He has set the tone for radical pursuit of the way of Jesus in every area of our business, leading with vulnerability, intentionality, and pursuit of the human heart. His personal mission is to help increase the accompaniment capacity of the Church, and he does so with his gifts of being with individuals and leaders to help draw them into an integrated Christian imagination. Jason leads the formation direction and overall vision of Glass Canvas.

Resources for you

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
by C.S. Lewis
Order from Amazon

Man’s Search for Meaning
by Viktor E. Frankl
Order from Amazon

Noteworthy quotes

‍―Viktor E. Frankl, Man's Search for Meaning

Timestamps

01:50 Laying the groundwork: what is ‘work’?
‍06:03 Work as a dynamic creative expression
07:05 What might ‘Work’ in a rightly-ordered healthy society look like?
‍09:50 Life scripts as prognoses prohibitive to creativity
12:12 Authenticity sounds like a luxury or a fantasy
14:50 The means to the beginning of discernment into who we are
19:00 We need a place to get aspects of ourselves to land
20:05 Pete’s (surprising) first questions to clients in therapy
25:03 The alternative of showing up not as ourselves in the workplace
26:15 We were made to steward, and to take care of creation
28:00 The pain of not being able to express who are are
31:45 A fulfilled person is a gift to the world
34:00 True habitational self is always a gift
35:40 The cult of ’the self’ while craving meaning and purpose
37:23 The special ingredient
39:41 When is the right time to do all this?
40:00 What ‘gainful employment’ truly means
47:19 Net losses in high-demand and low-trust environments
56:50 Hopeful advice for the thread-bare and overworked
01:00:36 Changing the narrative you’ve always subscribed to
01:07:07 Going on our own odyssey
01:09:20 An encouragement for those who just need a job
01:10:35 Viktor Frankl’s grand revelation
01:15:10 A question about being seen
01:17:50 How we can truly understand ourselves
01:25:20 The alternative to the world’s way: good work
01:34:22 Why not now?
01:39:10 Gandalf’s bridge
01:43:55 Finding your life calling, your ‘vocatio’
01:52:50 Better than a fairytale 

‍Stay connected

Thank you for listening to this episode with My Buddy Pete. If this episode encouraged you, make sure to subscribe on your favourite platform and follow us on Instagram to be notified about our latest episodes.