Sections 53 and 54 are combed thru this episode, and they’re all about the difference between plight and progress. Progress has to do with well-being, prosperity, an unbroken supply of useful and enjoyable things, but it has no future, as it merely “takes things that already are and expedites them ‘further’ on their previous path. The plight, however, is “that to which we belong, that toward which are we hiddenly compelled,” and “is itself what is genuinely to come.” From this meditation comes the greatest plight, the greatest creations. We close with discussion on Trump’s Joint Address to Congress, our “Beyond Identity” Tik Toks, and how plight vs. progress affects the experience of anxiety.

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