Freedom Ltd.
Most of us give up certain liberties to maintain peace and live in civil society, like agreeing not to kill, steal or take justice into our own hands. But some freedoms are more nuanced, challenging... and can even define who you are. This week, Piya asks: What limits would you accept on your freedom?
Here are the stories from this week's episode...
The freeing power of restricting your freedom
When Leslie Peters moved from Toronto to the Western Buddhist monastery Gampo Abbey in Cape Breton, she began to live by a rigid schedule and set of strict rules, from no killing, lying and stealing... to no sex, alcohol or chewing at certain hours of the day. She tells Piya how escaping "decision fatigue" has allowed her to live more simply and freely.
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'He didn't want to die. But he didn't want to live with Huntington's more'
After Erin Schreurs' husband John was diagnosed with Huntington's disease, he decided he'd rather end his own life than depend on others to live. When John discovered he wouldn't qualify under Canada's assisted dying law, he tried to commit suicide twice. Erin speaks with Piya about their eventual journey to Switzerland for John to get the death he wanted.
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Experimental poet Christian Bök ruminates on self-imposed artistic limitation
Sometimes you can have too much freedom. You actually yearn for limits, like when you're a writer staring at a blank page. We asked the experimental poet Christian Bök to ruminate on the meaning of artistic restrictions, in verse, under one great constraint: one syllable at a time.
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'I decided a long time ago that I was going to pay for saying what I thought'
We revisit Piya's conversation with University of Toronto professor Jordan Peterson on why he decided to declare he would not use gender neutral pronouns when a person wants to be referred to by those terms. For Peterson, it's about something bigger - fighting for free speech and against the tide of political correctness.
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One woman's dream home goes up in smoke
When Lynette Benson bought her first home, she considered it her security blanket, refuge, and sanctuary. Then her building decided to go smoke-free... pushing the pack-a-day smoker out. She reflects on what she learned about the right not to be inconvenienced.
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Flipping the gendered script of motherhood
Beyond law and rules, there's a whole lot of social limitation on our freedoms. Reiko Rizzuto felt that when she became a mom and defined what her version of motherhood would look like: not being the primary caregiver. She talks about being accused of walking out on her kids.