Explaining Everything (audio)

Talk by Stephen Bezruchka on "Alternative Radio" on the final hour of Roy of Hollywood's all night "Something's Happening (B)" on KPFK.org, 12:00 am-6:00 am, Dec. 29, 2011

Rarely have we heard such a brief yet complete analysis of the "big picture." Bezruchka lays bare what is happening in America today and why. He goes far beyond the headlines to tie it all together.

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It is no secret. The 99% get the short end of the stick in many ways. The poor (relatively speaking) live shorter lives and suffer from almost every social problem -- from lack of decent housing, to lousy food, to no healthcare, to being isolated and reviled. Poverty results in toxic levels of stress (dukkha).

Among all the countries in the world, the US ranks in the top five in stress, according to an ongoing Gallup survey. Consumerism and the "good life" are elevated to an idyllic plane. But selfishness leads us to an emotional dead end.

It is time to move beyond empty slogans like "I'm just looking out for Number One." Cooperation and collaboration are healthy. Why does it make medical and moral sense to have a healthy society? Source

• Stephen Bezruchka is Senior Lecturer in the Dept. of Global Health at the Univ. of Washington. For many years he worked as an emergency physician in Seattle, researching population health and societal hierarchy. He spent over 10 years in Nepal promoting health programs and teaching in remote regions. He is an author of articles, essays, and a contributor to the book Sickness and Wealth.
• Program #BEZS007, recorded in Federal Way, WA on Oct. 29, 2011.