The Sun Also Rises

When the sun came up on May 28 in the year 585 BCE, the Medes and Lydians were still at war. They had been at each other’s throats for years, and it looked like there was no end in sight for their conflict. But something extraordinary happened on the battlefield that day, which changed everything. This episode also features an interview with Dr. Fred Espenak, an astrophysicist, and scientist emeritus at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.

Gunter Wetzel was 22 years old when he decided that he had to get his family free. But how could he get himself, his wife and their two small children past all the soldiers and over the razor wire-topped walls keeping them inside of East Germany?

Mr. Wetzel recently gave an interview to The Sun Also Rises, and, in this episode, he shares the astounding story of how human ingenuity and the longing to be free triumphed over Communist East Germany.

In the mid 1800s, a major medical breakthrough happened that has saved countless lives since then. But could it be that this life-saving knowledge was actually available to mankind for millennia before that breakthrough?

In today's episode, Mary Previte discusses a forgotten World War Two battle: The Girl Scouts vs. Imperial Japan. Mrs. Previte took part in the fight. Her story is astounding.

When it comes to intellect and creative power, there’s no question that humans vastly outperform every other creature on earth. But did you know there is also a basic physical ability in which people can outperform the animals? Today’s episode takes a look at the marathon as a metaphor for life, and examines some life lessons we can learn from endurance running.

It’s not enjoyable for us to be told that our creative work has problems, or that it is of inferior quality. We like to hear positive feedback, and generally recoil from such criticism. In this episode, host Jeremiah Jacques tells the story of an artist who was bombarded by critical feedback. The artist’s reaction to it contains a lesson for us all.

In our era, it’s usually the innovators who receive the bulk of reward and recognition. But what about those who restore, regrow, recover and rehabilitate? This episode turns the spotlight on individuals who have achieved remarkable accomplishments, not so much with new innovations, but by fixing something that went wrong.

On today’s episode, we dig deeply into a four-word sentence.

What is humor? Why is it? Where does it come from? What happens in its absence? In this episode, host Jeremiah Jacques addresses these questions, and also attempts to demonstrate humor in a way that makes the listeners laugh. Also discussed is the vital role that humor played in the life of a history-altering man.

Racism often becomes a self-exacerbating force. If a person feels hated by a certain group, his normal reaction is to hate that group right back: Meet hatred with hatred. It’s the natural, usual reaction. But today’s episode examines a man who does not behave in the natural, usual way. This man doesn’t meet hatred with hatred, but with authenticity, humility, patience, friendship and hope for his fellow man. This man’s unusual approach has achieved some extraordinary results that we can all learn from.