{"id":9079,"date":"2015-05-14T12:22:56","date_gmt":"2015-05-14T18:22:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/barbadamslive.com\/?p=9079"},"modified":"2015-06-30T10:03:31","modified_gmt":"2015-06-30T16:03:31","slug":"may-16-2015-john-j-higgins-barb-adams-open-discussions-hours-1-and-2-and-dr-angelo-volandes-the-conversation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/barbadamslive.com\/?p=9079","title":{"rendered":"May 16, 2015 – John J. Higgins & Barb Adams, OPEN DISCUSSIONS Hours 1 and 2 and Dr. Angelo Volandes, “The Conversation”"},"content":{"rendered":"

May 16, 2015 – Archives\/Pod Casts\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Hour 1<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 –\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Hour 2<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 –\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Hour 3<\/a><\/p>\n

Hour 1:\u00a0 OPEN DISCUSSION with John J. Higgins and Barb Adams on Being of Service…What’s Love Got to Do with It?<\/em><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”\u00a0 –\u00a0 Mahatma Gandi.<\/p>\n

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Credit: http:\/\/peanutbutterrunner.com<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Being of service…what does it mean?\u00a0 Being of service means to do the bidding of a person or group of people for whom you are “in service.”\u00a0 In everyday terms, it implies being neighborly, volunteering, helping others out when they need help — to voluntarily put yourself into a role to fill a need for others in order to raise them up.\u00a0 It’s about putting ego aside and allowing the greater love for humanity to come forth.<\/p>\n

The term public servant is often used when referring to elected officials.\u00a0 We elect individuals to represent us.\u00a0 They, in turn, are then considered to be “in service” to us.\u00a0 The act of public service contributes to our democratic ideals of an engaged citizenry that the Founding Fathers recognized as vital to our form of government.<\/p>\n

Whether as individuals or as public servants, service before self (setting aside personal interests) is the essence of what it means to be “in service.”\u00a0 Our Founding Fathers understood this principle, risking their lives and fortunes to form this great American experiment.\u00a0 George Washington “…was known to have initially declined a salary of $25,000 per annum and had wanted to serve the nation as a pure public servant.\u00a0 However, he accepted it on compulsion and made a serious attempt to cut down on all other royal extravagant practices.”\u00a0 Additionally, Washington…”preferred the prefix ‘Mr. President’ to all other titles that were suggested.” (From http:\/\/constitutionday.com<\/a>)<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, political corruption runs rampant, and today we have far too many examples at the local and national levels of leaders who have forgotten what being a good public servant entails.\u00a0 Rather than serving the greater good, they serve themselves and those special-money interests who helped buy their candidacy.<\/p>\n

In order to make government more honest, more responsive, and perform better on key issues, we must remind ourselves of what being a good public servant encompasses.\u00a0 We must hold our public servants accountable and understand that good government begins with good people…individuals who are willing to serve for the greater good of all.<\/p>\n

As Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., said, “You don’t need to be great, because anybody can serve.\u00a0 You don’t have to have a college degree to serve.\u00a0 You don’t have to make your subject and verb agree to serve.\u00a0 You only need a heart full of grace…a soul generated by love.”<\/p>\n

Join Barb and John as they discuss Being of Service…What’s Love Got to Do with It?<\/em><\/p>\n

Hour 2:\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>OPEN DISCUSSION with John J. Higgins and Barb Adams on\u00a0The Power of Humor<\/em><\/strong> <\/span><\/p>\n

\"Credit:<\/a>
Credit: http:\/\/fallinginlol.com<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When things get you down, laugh!\u00a0 Laughter has often been called “the best medicine,” and rightly so.\u00a0 It increases happiness and intimacy while strengthening the immune system, diminishing pain, and protecting you from the ravages of stress.\u00a0 Humor is infectious – in a good way!\u00a0 And best of all, it’s free!<\/p>\n

Shared laughter is one of the best tools for keeping us healthy at the physical, social and mental health levels.\u00a0 It’s a powerful way to heal not only physical ailments, but also resentments and arguments.\u00a0 Laughter unites…especially during difficult times.<\/p>\n

\"Credit:<\/a>
Credit: Tom Tomorrow<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Additionally, humor is a social corrective.\u00a0 In her paper, Comedy and Democracy:\u00a0 The Role of Humor in Social Justice, <\/em>author Nancy Goldman points out that Americans “…have a long tradition of critiquing the dominant forces in society and ridiculing those in power.\u00a0\u00a0 Since American society was built on the ideals of democracy but is awash in the realities of social and political imperfections, comedy can bring awareness to these discrepancies in a way that we can hear,” and affect change. (From http:\/\/animatingdhtemocracy.org\/resource\/comedy-and-democracy-role-humor-social-justice)<\/a><\/p>\n

Join Barb and John as they share their own humorous perspectives on life and politics.<\/p>\n

Hour 3:\u00a0 Dr. Angelo Volandes<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Dr.AngeloVolandesPHOTOApr2015\"<\/a>Joining the show during the final hour is physician and researcher at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital, Dr. Angelo Volandes.\u00a0 <\/strong>Dr. Volandes will be discussing his book, The Conversation:\u00a0 A Revolutionary Plan for End-of-Life Care.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Despite billions of dollars invested in medical research and development and technological breakthroughs in American healthcare made to prolong and improve the lives of patients, a devastating statistic remains. Two thirds of Americans die in healthcare institutions tethered to machines and tubes at bankrupting costs, despite research that shows 80 percent of Americans would prefer to spend their last days in their homes surrounded by loved ones.<\/p>\n

Dr. Angelo Volandes has an important message that everyone needs to hear, and he proposes to turn end-of-life care upside down.\u00a0 In \"TheConversationBOOKCOVER\"<\/a>The Conversation, <\/em><\/strong>Angelo wants patients, families, and doctors to place greater emphasis on the oldest trick in the black medical bag — talking to each other.\u00a0 Repulsed by the number of end-of-life patients who die in hospitals at exorbitant costs, Dr. Volandes will discuss the urgent need for doctors, patients, and families to join together to determine care objectives, to discuss the validity of life-prolonging care, as well as the need for completing living wills and health proxies.<\/p>\n

Dr. Angelo E. Volandes is a physician and researcher at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital. He is also the founder of Advance Care Planning Decisions, a nonprofit organization devoted to encouraging The Conversation<\/em> through the use of videos. He lives outside Boston, Massachusetts.<\/p>\n

For more information, please visit: \u00a0www.theconversationbook.org<\/a> and www.AngeloVolandes.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

NO CALLS, THIS SEGMENT WAS PRERECORDED.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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May 16, 2015 – Archives\/Pod Casts\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Hour 1\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 –\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Hour 2\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 –\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Hour 3 Hour 1:\u00a0 OPEN DISCUSSION with John J. Higgins and Barb Adams on Being of Service…What’s Love Got to Do with It? “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”\u00a0 –\u00a0 Mahatma Gandi. Being of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[19,24],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-9079","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-show_archives","7":"category-guests","8":"entry","9":"has-post-thumbnail"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/barbadamslive.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9079","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/barbadamslive.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/barbadamslive.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/barbadamslive.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/barbadamslive.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=9079"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/barbadamslive.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9079\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9229,"href":"https:\/\/barbadamslive.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9079\/revisions\/9229"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/barbadamslive.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9079"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/barbadamslive.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9079"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/barbadamslive.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9079"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}