Lisa Curry is a comedian and TV writer based in Los Angeles. She has written for NBC, TruTV and Comedy Central, where she was a staff writer on The Jim Jefferies Show. During an 8-week tour of Europe in 2019, Lisa performed 51 shows in 9 countries, headlined two festivals, and recorded her debut album “Alive For a While”, which topped the charts following exclusive release on Sirius XM. Lisa is the current opening act on Jim Jefferies’ ‘Moist’ tour, and hosts a podcast called ‘Long Story Long’ on Sirius XM. Her work has been described as ‘smart, dark, and deeply personal’.

Lisa is a human mammal, here are her thoughts:

What brings you the most joy in life?

My dog, Luna. Comedy. Travelling. And succeeding beyond my imagined enemies’ wildest dreams.

What does success mean to you?

Having the respect of my peers. Being able to call my own shots. And money, lots and lots of money.

What do you see as your greatest achievement so far?

I taught my dog to know left from right.

What are you most grateful for?

I am endlessly grateful that Facebook and other social media platforms weren’t around when I was in high school.

What is something most people don’t know about you?

I love peanuts so much I once ate them until I puked.

Who or what has had the biggest influence on your life?

Watching people around me waste their lives in a miserable job has scared me into working harder.

What do you regret?

Being mean to a handful of people who didn’t deserve it… and not being mean to some people who absolutely did deserve it.

Has there been a defining moment in your life? Can you tell us about it?

I don’t think there is one moment in particular, but for the purposes of this blog I’d say that travelling internationally at a young age really shaped me. When I was a freshman in high school, I went to China for 2 weeks with a small group of adults. I know my mum had to run around to get my passport and visa, but for me, it was of course really easy and fun. It set me up for a lot of travel in my adult life and I’m very grateful for that.

As a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?

A rock star-actress-astronaut.

If you could pick one thing to be an expert at instantly, what would you choose?

Painting. I’m pretty good at it now but I’m a long way from being Artemisia Gentileschi.

What advice would you give your younger self?

Don’t worry about what anyone else thinks. Most other people are dumb and uncool.

What is the most important thing we can teach kids in school?

Be kind and learn as much as you possibly can.

If you could have a conversation with anyone, living or dead, who would you choose and why?

My sincere answer is a real downer, so I’ll say Jeff Bezos. I’d ask him what the fuck his problem is and why, with the unbelievable fortune he has, does he not increase his employees’ wages and help more people who are suffering. The billionaire space race is so corny.

What do you doubt most?

The existence of heaven.

When did you last have a significant change of mind?

Today.

What is the role of luck in our lives?

Luck helps propel preparation towards your goals. And in America, luck is what keeps you from getting shot by a madman in public.

Do you have a favourite quote? What is it? Why do you like it?

“Il faut aller voir”

It is a French quote roughly meaning, “we must go”. It was Jacques Cousteau’s life credo and he meant it to encourage people to get out and explore the world.

What would you do with your life if you had unlimited financial resources?

Travel with people I love and do everything in my power to end poverty, hunger, disease… and all the other things Jeff Bezos is too ugly to care about.

If you could have the definitive answer to a single question, what would you ask?

I’m extremely petty, so I’d ask if there’s a god only for the euphoria I’d feel for being right that there is no god.

What concept/fact/idea should every human on the planet understand?

Decency. Kindness.

Do human beings have free will?

Yeah, until they’re horny.

Do you believe in God?

No. I believe in spirits, I’ve seen some.

Could we be living in a simulated universe?

I’m counting on it.

Will the continual development of technology have a net positive or negative influence on humanity?

Technology can only be as moral as the people using it, so the question should be: in the future, will humanity be good or bad? I believe the answer is both.

What is the single greatest achievement of humanity?

Language. And humour.

What do you see as the biggest existential threat to humanity?

Itself.

What does it mean to live a good life?

To be happy for at least part of every day. Also, to be nearly drowning in money.

What is a good death?

One you’re not there for.

What question should I have asked you?

What’s your venmo? It’s olympianlisacurry.

Thanks for your time, Lisa!

Twitter: lisa_curry

Website: lisacurry.net

Instagram: olympianlisacurry

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“I am a 47-year-old Englishwoman who has worked mostly as a care assistant before having a stroke and using the time I was disabled to do undergraduate and post-graduate study in English literature. I have a house full of animals including a boa constrictor named Erebus. Also, a husband and a child. I am a writer and I study critical theories rooted in postmodernism and the activism that springs from them mostly in order to argue against them in favour of liberal humanism. I love to sew and read psychological thrillers.”

Helen is a human mammal. Here are her thoughts:

What brings you the most joy in life?

Writing arguments for things that really matter and doing it well. Getting into the flow of a piece of writing where everything is just pouring out perfectly and a whole tangle of ideas are straightening themselves in my mind as I write. The sheer exhilaration of having an argument come together and just flow out in the perfect formation. The joy of entering into this state makes the other 90% of writing which is frustration and the attempt to untangle and clarify and order all my ideas worth it.

What does success mean to you?

I mostly feel a sense of success when someone Counterweight has endeavoured to help oppose an authoritarian Critical Social Justice in their workplace and it’s been a long and hard battle but we have got there. When someone writes to us and tells us they have got their organisation to stay open to viewpoint diversity, this is when we, as a team, feel a great sense of achievement and celebration. When I can tell them “X just emailed me. She’s done it” and we all share in that sense of purpose and feel we are having a positive impact on the world. 

What do you see as your greatest achievement so far?

I made a person in my body and raised her into a smart, thoughtful, humorous and loving young woman who is strong and resilient and can make really good arguments herself and can cut through irrationalism and illiberalism like a knife. My husband helped, obviously, but with the actual creation of the most perfect human being to ever have existed (I might be biased), he only did the fun bit.

What are you most grateful for?

Having a weird brain that develops all-consuming passions for getting into culture, belief systems, ethics and discourses and studying how they all work internally even if they don’t bear much resemblance to reality. I studied religion and Critical Social Justice theories for these reasons. The way humans make meaning and systems is fascinating to me as is picking them apart and showing the flaws in them. I am grateful that I am able to spend my life doing this because there are people who actually want to read me doing this.

What is something most people don’t know about you?

I have several tattoos and a tongue piercing.

Who or what has had the biggest influence on your life?

My life is defined by many influences. Being born into a wealthy family in a liberal society as a girl with a passion for arguing in the late 20th century makes me more fortunate and given me more opportunity to fulfil my potential than 99.9% of humans who have ever lived, I estimate. I value the work of so many thinkers from Mary Wollstonecraft to Jonathan Rauch – way too many to list. My father is a big influence on me because he showed me it’s OK to be an introverted weirdo with all-consuming passions.

What do you regret?

I treated an ex-boyfriend badly when I was 22. He was a really good man and deserved better from me.

Has there been a defining moment in your life? Can you tell us about it?

Believing I was going to die when I’d just had a baby because there was a tumour on my brain and then learning it was benign and not growing. Before this, I suffered anxiety a lot. Afterwards, I did not. It put things in perspective.

As a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?

Free.

If you could pick one thing to be the best in the world at instantly, what would you choose?

I would hate to be the best at anything in the world. I’d then have a duty to do that thing and not be able to do what I wanted which is a variety of things.

What advice would you give your younger self?

Amphetamines are bad.

What is the most important thing we can teach kids in school?

I don’t know. It depends very much on the kid. My schooling prepared me to fight authoritarianism. My daughter probably benefited most from learning to code.

If you could have a conversation with anyone, living or dead, who would you choose and why?

I’d like to speak to an early human – maybe Cro-Magnon - and see how we differ in our thought patterns, superstitions, cognitive biases, sense of community, love and family.

What do you doubt most?

Whether we as a species will be able to make liberalism last. It’s so counterintuitive to us.

When did you last have a significant change of mind?

I tend to have lots of little changes of mind that add up to significant changes of mind. At the moment, I am questioning my confidence that a regulated capitalism is the best system for human wellbeing because I am learning more about how corporatism works and has negative impacts on democracy.

What is the role of luck in our lives?

I don’t believe in luck. I believe that sometimes things happen to work out fortuitously.

Do you have a favourite quote? What is it? Why do you like it?

No.

What would you do with your life if you had unlimited financial resources?

I’d have to dedicate my life to addressing poverty. That would be the only ethical thing to do in such a situation. This would tie up the rest of my life with board meetings and practical planning which I would hate and make me unable to spend my time reading things I am actually interested in.

If you could have the definitive answer to a single question, what would you ask?

Is there intelligent life anywhere else in the universe?

What concept/fact/idea should every human on the planet understand?

I can’t answer that because it’s almost certainly something I don’t myself understand.

Do human beings have free will?

Probably not. Not when you get down to the nuts and bolts of it. I cannot choose to be who I am with the abilities and desires I have so the things I do are not ultimately my choice.

Do you believe in God?

No.

Could we be living in a simulated universe?

Yes?  

Will the continual development of technology have a net positive or negative influence on humanity?

I have no idea.

What is the single greatest achievement of humanity?

Probably medicine. This is the thing that has reduced death in childbirth and childhood mortality, enabled us to choose how many children we have, remedy pain and cure disease.

What do you see as the biggest existential threat to humanity?

Humanity. We are apes with brains big enough to be really stupid in dangerously complex ways.

What does it mean to live a good life?

To be compassionate, kind and empathetic towards others and to participate in producing systems that enable thriving for as many people as possible.

What is a good death?

To have just enough time to put your affairs in order and say the things you need to say and then choose to die with dignity and before great pain begins.

What question should I have asked you?

What is the correct way to make tea?

Thanks for your time, Helen!

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“My day job is editing and publishing Skeptic magazine, but I do a few other things on the side, such as teaching a course at Chapman University called Skepticism 101: How to Think Like a Scientist, and I like to talk to people whose books I’ve read and enjoyed, which is now a podcast called The Michael Shermer Show (original, uh?), I write a weekly column called Skeptic, which for 18 years was published in Scientific American and is now on Substack, and I like to write books, such as Why People Believe Weird Things, The Believing Brain, The Moral Arc, Heavens on Earth, and Giving the Devil His Due. My next book is on conspiracy theories and why people believe them (titled, simply Conspiracy), in which I disclose that I am the 13th member of the Illuminati—we’ve been trying to run the world for centuries, but as you can see we’re not very good at it. They’re hoping I can help them achieve global domination, but I’m skeptical…”

Since reading The Believing Brain nearly 10 years ago, Michael Shermer’s work has deeply influenced the way I think about the world and my place within it. Michael can be relied on to provide clarity and searing logic to every topic he cares to touch. I’m thrilled he agreed to do this with me.

Michael is a human mammal, here are his thoughts:

What brings you the most joy in life?

My family first, then writing, and finally cycling, hiking, and working out in general, mostly outdoors in the sun and wind and open environments. I pretty much need to mix in all three every day or else I feel like I’m a lazy slacker. If I can hang out with my family, write a couple of hundred words on my next article or book, and ride my bike and/or hike with my dog, Hitch (yes, named after the late great Christopher Hitchens), my day is made. Bonus points if I can watch Jeopardy! in the evening while having dinner. Extra bonus if I know around half the answers in the quiz show.

What does success mean to you?

Happy family, financial stability (defined by my having what many billionaires do not appear to have—enough), and the respect of my peers.

What do you see as your greatest achievement so far?

Raising my children and giving them a loving stable home, living a healthy life so that I can provide for my family and be there for them physically and mentally regardless of age, continuing to publish Skeptic magazine after 30 years, and my books. People often ask me what my best book is. My best book is whichever one I just wrote.

What are you most grateful for?

Being alive and healthy after 67 years. Living in a country where I feel mostly safe and secure. Not being overly burdened by physical or mental health issues. Multiple bests, such as having more than one thing I’m grateful for.

What is something most people don’t know about you?

People in the cycling world who knew me back in the 1980s when I was bike racing have no idea that I now publish a magazine and write books. And, vice versa: people who know me through my magazine and books usually have no idea that I was once a professional bicycle racer. It’s amusing when people put them together.

Who or what has had the biggest influence on your life?

My parents first. Many peers second. Teachers and mentors in college and after third. Intellectually, in no particular order: Carl Sagan, Stephen Jay Gould, Martin Gardner, Paul Kurtz, Richard Dawkins, Jared Diamond, Steven Pinker, Daniel Dennett, Frank Sulloway, and others.

What do you regret?

Not continuing the piano from my youth. Not pursuing a career as a professional baseball player when I spent years dreaming of doing that. Taking up cycling rather late in life (age 25). Working more than I should have to the detriment of relationships with women.

Has there been a defining moment in your life? Can you tell us about it?

Riding from L.A. to New York in the 1982 Great American Bike Race (now Race Across America). You can watch the entire race on ABC’s Wide World of Sports if you google the race name. There you will see my many struggles to make it from the Santa Monica Pier to the Empire State Building, and my many doubts that I would. In fact, until I crossed the George Washington Bridge into Manhattan I wasn’t sure I would make it. After that, I felt like I could accomplish almost anything. A second example is attending a lecture by Carl Sagan in Pasadena in 1987 called “The Burden of Skepticism,” which inspired me to go back to graduate school and earn a Ph.D. and subsequently co-found (with Pat Linse) Skeptic magazine.

If you could pick one thing to be an expert at instantly, what would you choose?

Statistical analysis.

What advice would you give your younger self?

Don’t get married too early. Don’t invest in the stock market too late.

What is the most important thing we can teach kids in school?

How to think.

If you could have a conversation with anyone, living or dead, who would you choose and why?

Thomas Jefferson. David Hume. Harry Houdini. Bertrand Russell. Isaac Asimov.

What do you doubt most?

My own abilities.

Is lying ever justified?

Of course! The classic case is when the Nazi comes to your door and demands to know if you’re hiding Jews and you are, should you lie? Of course you should! As well, little white lies to spare people’s feelings are justified on many occasions, as are lies of commission—it isn’t necessary to blurt out everything you’re thinking, especially if it hurts other people.

When did you last have a significant change of mind?

About a decade ago I changed my mind on anthropogenic global warming, which I was once skeptical of but now accept; also, about 5 years ago, on gun control, coming to believe that some control measures are necessary to reduce gun violence.

What is the role of luck in our lives?

Massive. I’ve written about this extensively, but in short, the luck of where in the world you happened to have been born, and when (what time in history), along with the good fortune (if you have it) of being raised in a loving and stable family in an environment/neighborhood that is safe, plus the good luck of having genes for intelligence and a balanced personality. None of these things are chosen by any of us. We’re just born with them and should be grateful.

Do you have a favourite quote? What is it? Why do you like it?

Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.

What would you do with your life if you had unlimited financial resources?

Exactly what I’m doing now, only I would fly private instead of commercial.

If you could have the definitive answer to a single question, what would you ask?

What caused the Big Bang? Why is there something rather than nothing?

What concept/fact/idea should every human on the planet understand?

How to determine what is true.

Do human beings have free will?

Yes, of course we do. Compatibilist free will, or volition, not libertarian free will. The universe is determined, but we are one of the determining causes ourselves and can choose to act in a way that changes outcomes; so the universe is determined but it is not pre-determined.

Do you believe in God?

No.

Could we be living in a simulated universe?

Very very very unlikely (despite the Bayesian argument that it is more than 50% likely). I would put it at 99% unlikely.

Will the continual development of technology have a net positive or negative influence on humanity?

Net positive, absolutely positively.

What is the single greatest achievement of humanity?

Science.

What do you see as the biggest existential threat to humanity?

Nuclear weapons.

What does it mean to live a good life?

To thine own self be true.

What is a good death?

A good life.

What question should I have asked you?

What is the last question? This one.

Thanks for your time, Michael!

Twitter: @michaelshermer

Website: michaelshermer.com

Podcast: https://www.skeptic.com/michael-shermer-show/

Skeptic column:

Skeptic

Examining the World Through a Scientific Lens

By Michael Shermer

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Eddie Jones is the current Head Coach of England Rugby. After only a year under his guidance, Eddie’s England became the second international team in history to go an entire calendar year unbeaten and won their first Grand Slam in over a decade. Following these achievements, Eddie was named World Rugby Coach of the Year in 2017. Before arriving in England, Eddie coached internationally with the Wallabies, South Africa and Japan, and has had extensive experience at the provincial level across the globe. With a career spanning two decades and four World Cups, Eddie has become one of the most recognisable and decorated coaches in the game.

Eddie is a human mammal. Here are his thoughts:

What brings you the most joy in life?

Seeing players, or a team, play above themselves.

What does success mean to you?

Success is transient – you are either moving towards it or away from it.

What do you see as your greatest achievement?

My greatest achievement is yet to come.

What are you most grateful for?

I’m most grateful for my parents’ guidance.

What is something most people don’t know about you?

I studied French post university because I wanted to play rugby in France.

Who or what has had the biggest influence on your life?

My parents.

What do you regret?

I regret not being a better father to my daughter.

Has there been a defining moment in your life? Can you tell us about it?

Having a stroke in 2013 was a defining moment for me. It made me more focused on wanting to be the best I could possibly be, and made me more caring of others.

As a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?

As a kid, I wanted to be Ian Chappell – bat third, field at first slip.

What advice would you give your younger self?

Go slowly.

What is the most important thing we can teach kids in school?

We should teach kids to appreciate the fundamentals of life – learn and be curious.

If you could have a conversation with anyone, living or dead, who would you choose and why?

I’d like the opportunity to tell my father how much I treasured his guidance.

What do you doubt most?

Doubt everything.

When did you last have a significant change of mind?

Before the 2015 Rugby World Cup – I reneged on my decision to do another 4 years with Japan.

What is the role of luck in our lives?

The role of luck is huge. You get runs of good and bad. The harder you work, the luckier you get.

Do you have a favourite quote? What is it? Why do you like it?

“The only magic in this world is hard work, discipline, and an iron will.” - Indira Gandhi

What would you do with your life if you had unlimited financial resources?

Nothing changes.

If you could have the definitive answer to a single question, what would you ask?

How to win 100% of the time.

What concept/fact/idea should every human on the planet understand?

The value of respect.

Do human beings have free will?

We have will…

Do you believe in God?

Yes.

Could we be living in a simulated universe?

No idea.

Will the continual development of technology have a net positive or negative influence on humanity?

Positive.

What is the single greatest achievement of humanity?

Evolving.

What do you see as the biggest existential threat to humanity?

To stop evolving.

What does it mean to live a good life?

To live with respect.

What is a good death?

To die with respect.

What question should I have asked you?

Why ask me?

Thanks for you time, Eddie!

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“My name is Ben, and I am a writer. I thought about “columnist” or “commentator” but in truth my main skill, to the extent that I have one, is not political insight or erudition but being able to put words together in a relatively elegant and entertaining style. I was born in Bath, England and moved, in my early twenties, to Tarnowskie Góry, Poland, where I have had the luck to live and work for more than eight years. I have written for The Spectator, Quillette, The American Conservative, UnHerd, The Catholic Herald, First Things and a variety of other outlets. I am currently finishing a book of short stories.”

Ben is a human mammal. Here are his thoughts:

What brings you the most joy in life?

Love. Creativity. Beauty. Praise. I was tempted to leave out the last one but it would be dishonest to claim that joy is not a product of the satisfaction of the ego as well as the heart and soul.

What does success mean to you?

Narrowly, success is the achievement of one's goals. Who could deny that Genghis Khan was a successful statesman? But I think that having a successful life means, or should mean, uniting accomplishment with integrity. If, for example, I wrote a fantastically well-received essay that expressed arguments I did not actually believe in, or that was founded on incompetence or dishonesty, I could not count it as a success.

What do you see as your greatest achievement?

In my teens I had a major breakdown that involved chronic anorexia. As much as I hope to write a really brilliant book one day I think recovering from mental illness will remain my greatest achievement because, if nothing else, it preceded any semblance of professional success.

What are you most grateful for?

I am most grateful for being born in England, to wonderful parents, and for having the chance to move to Tarnowskie Góry, Poland, which I knew nothing about but have come to love. In my professional life, I am very grateful for editors like Claire Lehmann of Quillette and Freddy Gray of The Spectator, who took a chance on me when I was totally obscure.

What is something most people don’t know about you?

I have “I'll regret this when I'm older” tattooed across my back.

Who or what has had the biggest influence on your life?

I wouldn’t want to be so presumptuous as to name anyone and have them be held responsible.

What do you regret?

I most regret wasting my adolescence. In fact, most of my regrets involve wasting time and opportunities. I have to remind myself that feeling regretful is, in most cases, a waste of time.

As a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?

When I was nine or ten I wanted to be a writer, so in a sense I have achieved my childhood dreams. On the other hand, when I was five or six I wanted to be a football player by day and a police officer by night – so that little boy would be gravely disappointed.

If you could pick one thing to be the best in the world at instantly, what would you choose?

I'm tempted to say mixed martial arts. It must feel good to stand in front of anyone and know that you could kick their arse. But I'm going to have to go with poker. I'm not actually a fan but I would have a lot more time to focus on being good at things that I am interested in if I had a few million pounds in the bank.

What advice would you give your younger self?

Being miserable about life will only make things worse. Nothing comes without hard work. Get a haircut and start going to the gym. Then again, if I didn’t listen to anyone else, why would I listen to myself?

If you could have a conversation with anyone, living or dead, who would you choose and why?

I would talk with my mum. As for “famous" people, though, I would love to talk to the English comedian Peter Cook – who was apparently at his funniest in informal conversations – or the Polish philosopher Leszek Kołakowski – about Poland, life and politics. Hopefully, they wouldn’t spend the whole conversation screaming “WHAT AM I DOING HERE” and “WHAT DO YOU MEAN I'M DEAD”.

What do you doubt most?

Whether there is intelligence that transcends mankind's. Then, on other days, I doubt whether life could have existed without it.

What is the role of luck in our lives?

Tremendous. There are your genes. There is your childhood environment. There are the people you happen to meet. I was walking across the road the other day and almost got run down by a driver who had turned without braking. If I had been walking just a little slower, or if he had been driving just a little faster, that might have been it for me.

But luck is not enough. You have to make something of it. Even most lottery winners waste all of their money.

What would you do with your life if you had unlimited financial resources?

Write, support other writers and invest in Tarnowskie Góry and the people who live there. I would also build an enormous house with a gigantic library – both to read there and because the books would serve as good soundproofing if I was going to get drunk with the boys.

If you could have the definitive answer to a single question, what would you ask?

Is there a God?

Do human beings have free will?

I think so. But even if we don’t we might as well behave as if we do. I'm sure Patricia Churchland does.

Do you believe in God?

Maybe. That’s an unsatisfying answer, I know, but answering a question that has Aquinas, Leibniz and Anscombe on one side and Hume, Nietzsche and Russell on the other is not easy.

Could we be living in a simulated universe?

Perhaps. When I was a kid, my friends and I used to play The Sims. If you gave your character a swimming pool and waited until they went for a dip you could delete the steps and watch them flail around in the water until they died. A lot about our species would make sense if it was the product of a sadistic juvenile imagination.

What is the single greatest achievement of humanity?

For most of our existence as a species we struggled to find food and fuel. Now, we have more problems associated with their abundance than their scarcity. Sure, that is something of a backhanded compliment. But it is a bizarre kind of achievement.

I was also tempted to say “orchestral music”.

What do you see as the biggest existential threat to humanity?

I suspect the increased lethality and accessibility of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons. Malign superintelligences deserve a mention, too. Distinct from existential risks, additionally, is the civilisational risk of a steep decline in institutional competence.

What does it mean to live a good life?

I'm no moral authority. Still, I think a good life would be to fulfil one's potential while helping other people to fulfil theirs. For some, this means being a noble statesman or a pioneering artist. For others, it means being a good spouse, a loving parent and a loyal friend.

What is a good death?

I'm sure it depends. For some, it is having the time to wish their friends and family goodbye. For others it is, “Look out for that bus!” “What bus?” “Blam.” Of course, a truly exceptional death is sacrificing one's life for the sake of others. But the most we can hope for is maximal dignity and minimal pain.

What question should I have asked you?

“Ben, your boundless genius amazes me. How are you so talented?” I would have answered, “Oh, too kind.”

Thanks for your time, Ben!

Twitter: bdsixsmith

Substack: www.bensixsmith.substack.com

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In 2017, Drew Mitchell retired from professional rugby as Australia’s highest try scorer in World Cup history (14 tries over 3 World Cup’s). Over his career, he earned over 70 caps for the Wallabies, and made over 100 Super Rugby appearances for the Queensland Reds, Western Force, and NSW Waratahs combined. In 2013, he signed a two-year deal with Toulon in France, where he played more than 80 games for the club and secured several European and French crowns. Currently Drew works as a commentator/panellist at Channel 9 and Stan Sport.

Drew is a human mammal. Here are his thoughts:

What brings you the most joy in life?

To be honest, this is a difficult one to be able to tell you truthfully.

The most joy I get is spending time with people I genuinely love and care about, sharing an uncontrollable belly laugh with them, and sometimes just sitting in silence with them knowing we are there for one another. Seeing my family (on the rare occasions I’ve been able to in these past couple of years).

On the other hand, I’m searching for what brings me joy outside of those relationships. I miss the joys I became conditioned to playing rugby at every level for all those years - things that I’m finding hard to replicate. Perhaps it’s not about trying to replicate those joys of old, but finding a new passion which brings me joys I’ve not yet experienced.

What does success mean to you?

To me, success is when you look back at something and know deep inside that you wouldn’t have changed a thing. Perhaps you fell short in the eyes of others, but if in your own heart and mind you truly wouldn’t have changed anything, to me that is success.

What do you see as your greatest achievement?

It hasn’t happened yet. I’m proud of what I’ve done but when it’s all said and done, and my time is up, I don’t want my greatest achievement to have been reached by the time I was 37. I don’t know what it is or what part of my life it’ll be in, but I haven’t yet achieved it.

What are you most grateful for?

My relationships. I don’t have a huge circle but my circle is tight! My family and my close friends, their support, their challenges and their love is what I’m most grateful for.

What is something most people don’t know about you?

I’ve had cataracts in my right eye from birth, so I’ve learnt to manage with only the sight in my left eye. Growing up with a pirate patch over my good eye to try and strengthen the weak one, having to play rugby on the right wing until I learnt to move my head more because I had no peripheral vision on the right side. I guess I’ve never known any different, so it’s never been ‘poor me’, I just learnt to adapt. 

Who or what has had the biggest influence on your life?

I know this may sound cliché, but it’s my truth. It’s my family and the upbringing I was afforded.

Just about all the male influences in my life growing up were in the military. RESPECT was engrained from my beginning. DISCIPLINE as well - if I commit to something or someone, I do it until the task is done or until I need to ask for help. And PUNCTUALITY - my time is no more precious than anyone else’s, so if I say I’ll be somewhere at some point, I’ll be there 5 minutes early. Then, I get my softer, more vulnerable side from my mum. I also get so much strength from her.

What do you regret?

Too many things to list. People who say they regret nothing, I believe aren’t being honest with themselves. We’ve all been an asshole at times, said things or treated people in a way we would’ve done different given the time again.

There is no shame in regret, only if you’re regretting the same things over and over.

Has there been a defining moment in your life? Can you tell us about it?

I think my rugby career because for the majority of those 15 (or so) years I was defined as a rugby player, and that was it. When people asked, I defined myself as a rugby player, but in this crazy navigation of retirement and finding my next challenge, I’m realising there is so much more to who I am and what I can offer.

As a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?

I had a few professions that got my obsession for short periods, but the consistent ones were in sport. I wanted to win the 100m Olympic gold medal, play league and/or union for Australia - I got pretty tunnel visioned on those dreams/goals in my early teenage years.

If you could pick one thing to be the best in the world at instantly, what would you choose?

Being kind to people. Going back to your first question, doing something for someone else brings me joy. It’s also so hard to do consistently (something I need to get better at). We have so much negativity in front of us these days with the news, social media, gossipers, etc. that make it easy for us to slip into a ‘nasty’ side of ourselves. Imagine being the kindest person in the world?!... might not make a great Marvel movie, but I think the world could do with it.

What advice would you give your younger self?

Trust your instincts more. Don’t get caught up in the spin and see things/opportunities/people for what and who they are.

What is the most important thing we can teach kids in school?

Respect.

Respect for themselves, respect for their peers, respect for others and the environment.

I learnt so much shit at school that I have NEVER come across in my life… I bet kids are still reading To Kill A Mockingbird!

If you could have a conversation with anyone, living or dead, who would you choose and why?

My grandfather Rex who passed. He was just a great man who I respected and loved so much. I’d ask him if I’m on the right path.

What do you doubt most?

Myself. I have come from an environment where I was so confident and so assured of my role and my knowledge. Now I’m starting as the rookie in whatever I do. I know there are transferable skills in many ways, but experience eliminates doubt and until I get that experience, doubt creeps in.

When did you last have a significant change of mind?

Probably when COVID hit in 2020. I was on my way to New York to play rugby again after being retired for a few years. Whilst the opportunity was a great one, I think I was trying to fill some of the voids I was having difficulties filling in retirement and felt another year or two would help. In hindsight, it would’ve only prolonged it and COVID intervening, along with a good chat with the Rugby United New York CEO Rick Salizzo, probably helped in a big way.

What is the role of luck in our lives?

I’m not sure I believe in luck. I think if you put yourself in a position to succeed enough times or you’ve done the work to get an opportunity, then you’ll more often than not get ‘lucky’. I think people who judge others as being ‘lucky’ are the ones who haven’t put in the same level of work to get what that other person has.

Do you have a favourite quote? What is it? Why do you like it?

“I am somebody. I am me. I like being me. And I need nobody to make me somebody” by Louis L’Amour. I like it because it’s about taking control and making something of yourself, instead of waiting for someone to gift you an opportunity or do the work for you.

What would you do with your life if you had unlimited financial resources?

More money more problems! Isn’t that what they say?!

I’d be sleeping in some better digs than I am right now!

Of course, I’d love to be in a position for myself and my loved ones to not want for anything, but just thinking about unlimited financial resources kind of gives me a headache. Let’s just say bookkeeping isn’t a strong point of mine – haha!

If you could have the definitive answer to a single question, what would you ask?

When will I die? People are always telling us to live each day as if it’s your last, but do we?… I think if I knew when it was coming, I could definitely squeeze a little more out of this life.

What concept/fact/idea should every human on the planet understand?

That we are here on Earth for a fleeting moment… but we can still fuck it up with the choices we make for future generations in that short time.

Do human beings have free will?

I think humans have free will, but the choices you make don’t mean you’re free from consequence.

Do you believe in God?

I wrestle with this one to be honest. I’m a bit more of ‘I’ve gotta see it to believe it!’ type of guy. I do believe there is something stronger guiding us and, for me, I believe it’s my loved ones who have passed. That’s who I turn to, who I talk to, when I need some reassurance. 

Could we be living in a simulated universe?

Mate! That’s too deep for my brain to comprehend… keep me away from the upside down world unless I have Eleven by my side! (Stranger Things)

Will the continual development of technology have a net positive or negative influence on humanity?

It needs to have a net positive influence because it’s not going to stop. Technology will continue to evolve and advance at great rates and we need to be prepared to help with any ramifications or consequences that arise from that. Similar to what we’re seeing with the impact social media is having on people’s mental health, body image issues, unrealistic expectations etc. The tech will always advance, but we also have to be better at being proactive with any possible negatives that it may bring.

What is the single greatest achievement of humanity?

That we still exist. Sounds morbid, but there is just way too much hate in the world at the moment and I really don’t want it to turn nuclear. (Pun intended).

What do you see as the biggest existential threat to humanity?

Having the wrong people sitting at the table making decisions which directly impact humanity today, and generations to come.

What does it mean to live a good life?

To be surrounded by people you love, respect and trust. 

What is a good death?

One that doesn’t hurt and comes at a time when I’m at peace with it.

What question should I have asked you?

Question number one should’ve been: Drew, how are you doing mate? And when are we catching up for a beer?!

Thanks for your time, Drew!

Twitter: drew_mitchell

Instagram: drew_mitchell

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With strong Irish heritage, Meg O’Connell moved to Australia from South Africa when she was around 5 years old. She is a TV creator and writer, and runs her own production company, Unless Pictures. Meg co-created, wrote and produced Retrograde for ABC TV, and was development manager on the Logie and International Emmy award-winning kid’s series, Bluey. Meg also produced the International Emmy award-winning Doodles for ABC ME, the AACTA award-winning Robbie Hood for SBS On Demand, and the International Emmy nominated Content for ABC iview.

When I started this blog, Meg was exactly the type of person I was hoping to attract – interesting, intelligent and thoughtful. I am incredibly grateful she took the time to do this with me.

Meg is a human mammal. Here are her thoughts:

What brings you the most joy in life?

Being read to. Impromptu comedy bits in day-to-day interactions. Going to sleep thinking about having a coffee the next morning. Being in a hammock. Good pillows.

What does success mean to you?

I had to look it up to make sure I knew what it meant. Internet says “accomplishment of an aim or purpose” which is maybe why it’s not a word I use intuitively. I don’t believe there’s a point where anyone has simply accomplished their aim or purpose. It is all ongoing, all process. I do have a deep appreciation for brilliance, growth and excellence — so that could be what it means to me.

What do you see as your greatest achievement?

Becoming a morning person.

What are you most grateful for?

Furniture that could be inside being outside instead. One time in a share house we moved the TV set and couch outside on a sunny day (so my housemates could continue to play Fallout) and I often remember it. I am writing this now from the deck in our house which is replete with a coffee table, daybed, armchair, and large “indoor” dining table.

What is something most people don’t know about you?

I am a private person.

Who or what has had the biggest influence on your life?

My upbringing, my partner Jamie, and my brain chemistry.

What do you regret?

Regret is a bit all in for me, I seem to regret everything or nothing depending on the day.

What advice would you give your younger self?

Be kinder to yourself, and try to appreciate being listless.

What is the most important thing we can teach kids in school?

Permission to feel.

If you could have a conversation with anyone, living or dead, who would you choose and why?

For a long time after reading The Fry Chronicles, it was Stephen Fry. Now, I’m not sure. One of my grandads would be nice - I never got to meet either of them.

What do you doubt most?

I doubt almost everything.

When did you last have a significant change of mind?

My partner and I discussed different interpretations of this question. I often change my mind about people, or about myself (my limitations, capabilities, etc.), but he thought it was referring to changing your mind about a belief or issue. My argument (in favour of my interpretation) was that people are beliefs and issues. Maybe the fun lies in what it means to change your mind. Do you need to have a fixed view on something in order to change your mind? Because I don’t have many fixed views. Does something about the word significant indicate to some that people are discounted from the answer, and why?

What is the role of luck in our lives?

It’s hard to apply the fact that a little bit of luck contributes A LOT to all of our successes and failures. If we could properly appreciate what that means we might blame ourselves for less and take credit for less — both things that contribute to expanding perspective.

Do you have a favourite quote? What is it? Why do you like it?

“this is bliss” from Feel Free by Nick Laird.

What would you do with your life if you had unlimited financial resources?

Unlimited you say? Institute universal basic income. Give unlimited resources to rehabilitation research/centres, psychiatric research/institutions, and legal aid. Invest in alternative school systems. Study my own brain and behaviour and the brains and behaviour of others (i.e. have a research team and lab). Buy a large piece of land with multiple dwellings for friends and family and strangers to live when they need or want. Have heaps of coaches across various interests (flying, communication, yoga, cooking, leadership). And much more!

If you could have the definitive answer to a single question, what would you ask?

What is it to be dead?

What concept/fact/idea should every human on the planet understand?

Statistics.

Do you believe in God?

No.

Could we be living in a simulated universe?

I’m not sure if we could/can, but I certainly feel like we do (some days).

Will the continual development of technology have a net positive or negative influence on humanity?

This feels tautological to me. I see technology as an offshoot of humanity. So, if we’re asking if humanity will have a net positive or net negative influence on humanity I’d say we’ll break even at some point, and then who knows.

What is the single greatest achievement of humanity?

Going to space.

What do you see as the biggest existential threat to humanity?

Having to remember so many passwords, two-step verification, and the age of surveillance capitalism.

What does it mean to live a good life?

Making the life you have as good as it can be includes for me: being brave, using my imagination, seeking to change my own behaviour, making my space nice to live in, loving and spending time with those dear to me, attempting self-expression, trying to treat people with respect and cutting them a little slack, looking for possibilities for growth and expansion in the face of difficulty, appreciating moments of bliss, learning as much as possible (it seems to me almost anything can be interesting if you let it), and sharing.

What is a good death?

It is not unrelated to the above. I’ve already had so much of a good thing - when I die I should think I would be pretty chuffed with my time overall. I would prefer not to be very sick for a very long time before dying, but if that is the price I have to pay for so much privilege and joy I hope I could make my peace with that. In the moments before death, I would want my family (blood and water) close. Singing and wearing costumes. Dancing. Filling the room with flowers and song. And I would want Jamie there, reading to me and holding my hand. I would be sad then, but only because I have been so happy.

What question should I have asked you?

What book had the biggest impact on your life?

Thanks for your time, Meg!

Twitter: @megmegmehg

Website: unlesspictures.com

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Laurie Fisher was born, raised and keeps returning to Canberra. Before starting his coaching career, he completed a Bachelor of Arts (double major in modern history), a Bachelor of Human Movement Studies, and a Graduate Diploma in Education. He worked as a Physical Education Teacher for a decade, in Residential Athlete Welfare at the AIS for 6 years, and has spent the past 22 years becoming one of the most respected professional rugby coaches on the planet. Lord has led Munster in Ireland, Gloucester in England, and has been part of the fabric of the ACT Brumbies since beginning his coaching career at the club in 2000.

I have been coached by Laurie and have coached along side him, so I am in a good position to tell you that he is the most passionate, dedicated and thorough coach I know. More importantly, he is a genuinely good human being with the capacity to truly connect with people… “I am dedicated to being a positive influence in my corner of the world. I love a beer, a fish, a hit of golf, a game of footy and, most importantly, time with my family.”

Laurie is a human mammal. Here are his thoughts:

What brings you the most joy in life?

Seeing the goodness in my children.

What does success mean to you?

Having a positive influence every day in all my interactions with my fellow human beings.

What do you see as your greatest achievement?

Being respected for who I am, how I conduct myself, and what I have achieved this far in my life.

What are you most grateful for?

For being afforded opportunities in life by the people closest to me (parents, wife, children).

What is something most people don’t know about you?

My life is driven by introspection.

Who or what has had the biggest influence on your life?

The environment and culture I’ve been raised in.

What do you regret?

I regret over thinking things. To be impulsive and take others along for the ride is something I would like to have come naturally.

Has there been a defining moment in your life? Can you tell us about it?

No, my life has been more of a slow burn. Steady progress with few hiccups as a result of application and work ethic.

As a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?

From early secondary school I held an ambition to be a teacher. I taught at high school for a decade and have been teaching in rugby for the past 20 or so years.

What advice would you give your younger self?

Embrace others more readily.

What is the most important thing we can teach kids in school?

To be inquisitive, to enjoy reading, to be kind.

If you could have a conversation with anyone, living or dead, who would you choose and why?

Steve Jobs. Would love to shoot the breeze about life, family, decisions, happiness, fulfilment, regrets, mortality, values, motivation.

What do you doubt most?

I constantly doubt the ability for good to triumph over evil.

When did you last have a significant change of mind?

I’m in a constant state of evolution and adaptation rather than changing my mind.

What is the role of luck in our lives?

If by luck we mean timing, as in being in the ‘right place at the right time’, then it’s crucial.

Do you have a favourite quote? What is it? Why do you like it?

“There’s always free cheese in a mousetrap”, attributed to the great Rugby League Coach, Jack Gibson. It says to me if you want it you have to work for it. No free ride in life.

What would you do with your life if you had unlimited financial resources?

I’d buy a house for each of my children and see the world with the remainder.

If you could have the definitive answer to a single question, what would you ask?

Do you continue to exist in any form after you die?

What concept/fact/idea should every human on the planet understand?

Kindness.

Do human beings have free will?

Yes, but too often choose not to exercise it.

Do you believe in God?

I believe in, and find direction in, a lot of the messaging in my religion, but my belief in God is variable.

Could we be living in a simulated universe?

I believe our thoughts and reactions are increasingly driven and controlled by social media such that reflection and growth become less personal and more controlled by other influences. Perhaps not a simulation, but I believe we exert less personal control over our circumstances.

Will the continual development of technology have a net positive or negative influence on humanity?

We will be forced into using technology for good to save the world from self destruction. Selflessness will eventually triumph over selfishness.

What is the single greatest achievement of humanity?

Survival.

What do you see as the biggest existential threat to humanity?

Climate Change.

What does it mean to live a good life?

To add value to the lives of all those who’s paths you cross on the journey through life.

What is a good death?

Surrounded by family at a ripe old age, still mentally sound and physically capable to my last days, with no enemies, and not having been a burden.

What question should I have asked you?

Can I buy you a beer?

Thanks for your time, Laurie!

Twitter: LordLaurie58

Instagram: lauriefisher2504

Click HERE for Laurie’s Wandering Bear Sports Interview

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Uri Bram is the publisher of the Browser Newsletter, which has recommended the best articles every day for the past 10 years and is still going strong. He has authored two books: ‘Thinking Statistically’ and ‘The Business of Big Data’, and co-created the game ‘Person Do Thing’, which is kind of like Taboo but backwards. One of his life dreams is to invent a useful physical object… “there’s just something really satisfying about physically embodied things.”

Uri has insisted I include his shortcomings. I’m going to leave that up to him… “whenever I read introductions I feel intimidated and inadequate, and I guess I just want to say for my introduction that I’ve spent vast proportions of my time/life doing nothing and feeling bad about it.”

Uri is a human mammal. Here are his thoughts:

What brings you the most joy in life?

Long dinners with interesting friends.

What does success mean to you?

I think remaining a good person despite the temptations, especially when other people are currently being bad to you? Especially if those people are achieving traditional/material success at the same time? It’s very hard not to let that get to you, and to keep your own model of success and meaning. (I don’t know if I’m successful, by this count, but I aspire to be).

What do you see as your greatest achievement?

I’ve tried really hard not to screw over other people for my own benefit -- that’s kind of a “negative achievement”, but in some sense maybe it’s bigger than the small positive achievements that would usually come to mind.

What are you most grateful for?

Just the stuff I take for granted and without which my life would be so much worse -- health, a strong passport, some minimal modicum of social skills (I said minimal! and modicum! ok?)

What is something most people don’t know about you?

Close to 8 billion people don’t know I exist so… probably that. Hello everyone!

What do you regret?

Joining Substack, and helping them to grow; I truly didn’t imagine that they would cause so much grief to so many people. Something I’ve been wrestling with a lot lately is if/how much I’m responsible for their rise, and what I could have done differently, and why I didn’t. (And then, of course, whether there’s still ways to make amends).

As a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?

Is it sad that I really don’t remember? All those dreams, where do they go….

What advice would you give your younger self?

So the thing is, a lot of people did give good advice to my younger self, and I (or should I say “he”?) didn’t take it. I have a theory that the only useful advice is “cusp” advice, advice that gently nudges you over the cusp of something you were pretty close to doing anyway; a very dear friend once told me that they don’t regret any of their choices in life, but they regret not-making all those choices slightly sooner. So I think if I met my younger self I would just advise him to do whatever he ended up doing later, sooner -- it’s not that that’s the best he could have done, it often wasn’t, but it might be the only advice I could give that he might realistically follow.

If you could have a conversation with anyone, living or dead, who would you choose and why?

Daniel Palmer, seems like a super cool and thoughtful human mammal.

What do you doubt most?

If I’m doing the right thing (all the time, whatever I’m doing).

When did you last have a significant change of mind?

Damn I’ve been staring at this question for five minutes and I’m just thoroughly, thoroughly embarrassed that I don’t have any real examples coming to mind. I will try to significantly change my mind more often, it seems like a really admirable thing to do, and it’s sad how hard it is to do it. And how hard it is to remember you’ve done it, once you’ve done it -- I bet mostly when we change our minds in any big way we suppress any memories that we ever felt otherwise.

What is the role of luck in our lives?

Larger than we can possibly get our heads around, right? Not only the many things we narrowly avoided but aren’t even aware almost-happened, but on a deeper level how even being who “we” are, whatever traits and beliefs and priorities we have, are all fundamentally matters of fortune, and we could just as easily be the opposite way.

Do you have a favourite quote? What is it? Why do you like it?

“Everyone forgets that Icarus also flew”, from the poet Jack Gilbert.

You can stress it in two very different ways: that just because you’re flying doesn’t mean you’re not Icarus, and that even if you’re Icarus you might still get some time in flight.

(While we’re at it, another quote, why not: “I leave no trace of wings in the air / but I am glad that I have had my flight” - Rabindranath Tagore).

Do you believe in God?

I believe that God believes in Claude (that’s me, that’s me, thaaaaaaat’s me).

What do you see as the biggest existential threat to humanity?

I’m just going to segue here: what do you think are the chances that the biggest existential threat to humanity is something we’re not even thinking about? Or even something that hasn’t been invented yet? I feel weird about humanity ending, but I somehow feel weirder about it ending from some cause that I’ve never imagined.

What question should I have asked you?

“Hey Uri, any words about The Human Mammal project?”… “Yeah it’s awesome, great questions, super thought-provoking -- thanks for making it.”

Thanks for your time, Uri!

Twitter: @UriBram; @thebrowser

Website: thebrowser.com

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David Wolpe is the Max Webb senior Rabbi of the Sinai Temple in Los Angeles. Newsweek Magazine named him as the most influential Rabbi in America, and the Jerusalem Post cited him among the 50 most influential Jews in the world. His teaching career has spanned the Jewish Theological Seminary of America in New York, the American Jewish University in Los Angeles, Hunter College, and UCLA.  David regularly contributes to many publications including Time.com, The LA Times, the Washington Post’s On Faith website, The Huffington Post, and the New York Jewish Week.

David is a human mammal. Here are his thoughts:

What brings you the most joy in life?

The variety of things that bring me joy.

What does success mean to you?  

To work well, to love well, achievement and kindness in all its glorious multiplicity. 

What do you see as your greatest achievement?

Being a good father. 

What are you most grateful for?

The family I was born into and the life that was given me. 

What is something most people don’t know about you?

I sold women’s shoes in Urban Outfitters in college to help pay for room and board.

Who or what has had the biggest influence on your life? 

My father. I don’t wish to slight my mother’s influence, but my father was the most powerful model in my life. 

What do you regret?

So many things. The times I hurt people, missed opportunities, didn’t do what I could, or what I ought, or did what I ought not to have done. Some mistakes were indispensable to learn; others were just wasted and painful. 

Has there been a defining moment in your life? Can you tell us about it?

Many. No single moment. Birth was pretty big. 

As a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?

A writer. Once I stopped wanting, at age 5, to be a cowboy.

What advice would you give your younger self?

Less fear. Less hesitancy. Bad feelings won’t kill you.

What is the most important thing we can teach kids in school?

Courage of your convictions and the openness to change them. 

If you could have a conversation with anyone, living or dead, who would you choose and why?

My great grandparents who made the fateful choice to brave the seas and leave all they knew to come to America, to thank them on bended knee for saving all of us. As a Jew, had my family stayed in Europe, they would likely all have been slaughtered. 

What do you doubt most?

The wisdom of humanity to appropriately use the genius of humanity.

When did you last have a significant change of mind?

This past year when I went from thinking that technology was overall a force for liberation to thinking it may be a greater tool for enslaving.

What is the role of luck in our lives?

Tremendous. Beyond what most people wish to credit. I didn’t earn my brain or my parents or being born in the richest country in the world in the 20th century. I have been very, very lucky. Others, less so; not less deserving, just less lucky. 

Do you have a favourite quote? What is it? Why do you like it?

“My moods don’t believe one another.” From Emerson.  I treasure quotations and have endless numbers in my Rolodex of a brain, but that one seems aptly to capture our variability. And I love Emerson.  

What would you do with your life if you had unlimited financial resources?

Support the causes I think worthy and read and travel, and travel and read. 

If you could have the definitive answer to a single question, what would you ask?

What kind of life after death is there?

What concept/fact/idea should every human on the planet understand?

That we are all children of God, that every person is not of equal ability or worthiness, but every person is of equal worth. 

Do human beings have free will?

Yes, but to say so is an act of faith. Scientifically, rationally, no. With God, yes. 

Do you believe in God?

Yes. Although I do not necessarily intend what others do by that word. I believe there is a spirit, other than us, from which we come and to which we return. And that human beings are more than stuff. 

Could we be living in a simulated universe?

“Could we?”… loading the dice. Anything is possible. Are we? Almost certainly not.

Will the continual development of technology have a net positive or negative influence on humanity?

See above. Medical advances are miraculous and wonderful. Other kinds of technology, at best the jury is out.

What is the single greatest achievement of humanity?

Literacy. The unfathomable magic of a symbol written hundreds or thousands of years ago enabling me to read Middlemarch, to understand what was in the mind of Aristotle, Moses, Shakespeare. 

What do you see as the biggest existential threat to humanity?

Our action, whether in despoiling our environment or deploying our massive weaponry. 

What does it mean to live a good life?  

To be kind, to contribute from the world that gives us so much, to live in gratitude and in goodness. To reduce sentient suffering as much as possible (this may imply vegetarianism - longer conversation.) 

What is a good death?

One not attended by great pain, loss of faculties or unwanted aloneness. Ideally, the culmination after many years of a good life. 

What question should I have asked you?

Depends what you wish to know…

Thanks for your time, David!

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Jess is an artist, writer, interactive designer, and is currently completing her PhD in visual neuroscience. Her work merges art and science by creating surreal worlds in augmented and virtual reality for scientific, creative and educational purposes. Through her work, Jess explores how we represent ourselves in the age of the internet by altering self-perception through play and interaction. As well as presenting at international vision conferences, art galleries and festivals, Jess has collaborated with the Australian National University, the National Portrait Gallery, the National Gallery of Australia, Adobe and Instagram. Jess has published in scientific journals, and writes about art, science and technology for publications such as Sci Art in America, Lateral, Runway Experimental Art and Medium.

Jess is a human mammal. Here are her thoughts:

What brings you the most joy in life?

My family. I also love learning new things!

What does success mean to you?

Feeling happy and satisfied with life. Of course, what that means for each individual is different.

What do you see as your greatest achievement?

Having my son. I’m also about to have a second baby, during a pandemic!

What are you most grateful for?

I feel like I’ve been lucky despite the pandemic. This is because most of my work is digital, so my work opportunities have only increased. I’m also very thankful to live in a house with a backyard during this most recent lockdown. I was in an apartment for the last one, and it was not so great.

What is something most people don’t know about you?

I love living in cities now, but I actually grew up in the country and I’m the eldest of 5. When I was a kid, I really wanted to be a vet and I was obsessed with knowing everything I could about horses and dogs. To this day, I’ve retained a lot of obscure horse and dog facts.

Who or what has had the biggest influence on your life?

The internet.

What do you regret?

Not taking more risks as a teenager and in my early twenties. I was very shy and not very assertive.

Has there been a defining moment in your life? Can you tell us about it?

I finished my Honours degree in art with a less than perfect grade (shock horror, I know!). This was a blessing in disguise, it made me a lot more motivated and gave me the freedom to try new things (like neuroscience) which hadn’t been a large part of my life before that.

As a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?

I wanted to be an artist or a vet.

What advice would you give your younger self?

Throw yourself in and do it! Just say yes and figure it out afterwards.

What is the most important thing we can teach kids in school?

So many things, it’s hard to pick just one. Perhaps critical thinking, creativity, and coding.

If you could have a conversation with anyone, living or dead, who would you choose and why?

Bill Murray. Or Tina Fey. I love the creativity of comedy, and I think it’s such a great thing to apply to real life.

What do you doubt most?

I’m not a fan of the sloth as an animal. I don’t like them or trust them. I doubt them, their intentions, and abilities.

When did you last have a significant change of mind?

The pandemic has allowed me to think differently about where I want to live, and my priorities in life. A silver lining.

What is the role of luck in our lives?

Everything is down to luck. Of course, you can influence your luck, but whether you can do that is also down to luck.

Do you have a favourite quote? What is it? Why do you like it?

I like this quote by Douglas Adams. It just sums up life for me.

"Anything that happens, happens.
Anything that, in happening, causes something else to happen, causes something else to happen.
Anything that, in happening, causes itself to happen again, happens again.
It doesn't necessarily do it in chronological order, though."

What would you do with your life if you had unlimited financial resources?

I would give a lot of money away. But it would be great to have houses in different countries and travel between them. Barring a pandemic of course.

What concept/fact/idea should every human on the planet understand?

The scientific method is a pretty useful one.

Do human beings have free will?

No, but we have the illusion of free will, and maybe that’s good enough.

Do you believe in God?

No.

Could we be living in a simulated universe?

Maybe? I’m not fully convinced by the logical arguments for it. It reminds me a lot of the philosophical brain in a vat thought experiment, but with more brains.

Will the continual development of technology have a net positive or negative influence on humanity?

I’d like to be technologically optimistic and think it’s a net positive, but of course there will be problems to continually overcome.

What is the single greatest achievement of humanity?

Control of fire?

What do you see as the biggest existential threat to humanity?

Probably climate change.

What does it mean to live a good life?

Having good relationships with the people that are important to you.

What is a good death?

A quick and painless one.

Thanks for your time, Jess!

Twitter: Jess_Herrington

Instagram: jess.herrington

Website: jessherrington.com

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Jamie was born and raised in suburban Wollongong, then lived in Canberra, and is now in Brisbane with Meg, his partner of eight years. He was a school teacher on and off for ten years, ran an independent radio station, was a tour guide at Australia’s Parliament House, worked as a science communicator, and started Australia’s first dedicated podcasting business. Currently, Jamie is a postdoctoral research fellow at the Institute of Advanced Studies in the Humanities (University of Queensland). His research career has focused on contemporary evolutionary theory and how narratives are used to communicate science in nonfiction formats, with a particular emphasis on climate science.

In his own words… “I did a vanity PhD in the Philosophy of Science, have established a quasi-career in academia, and am now writing for TV and working on a book about the larger meaning of recent scientific knowledge.”

Jamie is a human mammal. Here are his thoughts:

What brings you the most joy in life?

Those simple, high-quality things: dinner with friends, a great sentence, reading to Meg while she goes to sleep, a shocking joke, an interesting bird, the starry vault. And, greatest of all, good olive oil.

What does success mean to you?

Having enough money to have enough time to do what we think is important. (And therefore, universal basic income is the most humane policy ever suggested.)

What do you see as your greatest achievement?

Nothing comes to mind.

What are you most grateful for?

Probably my (perhaps) rare talent for gratitude. Every day, I get a genuine thrill from drinking unlimited clean water from a tap in my home. Even as I type this… it’s mind-blowing. And it gets more amazing as I get older too. But I’m equally grateful that I have this feeling without being one of those glassy-eyed cultish types who lack all critical faculties.

What is something most people don’t know about you?

Over the years I’ve memorised hundreds of lines of English verse. Now I know by heart a lot of my favourite poetry and can explore it at will.

Who or what has had the biggest influence on your life?

My parents clearly did in the early years. More recently my partner Meg. Otherwise, factors utterly outside my control, I guess, like the decade and place I was born.

What do you regret?

My personality means I don’t have regrets, don’t experience FOMO. But I have a lot of guilt! If I linger on basically any episode from my past I feel guilty for not having been better, kinder, more sensitive, more diligent, less selfish. Ugh.

Has there been a defining moment in your life? Can you tell us about it?

Recently, I remembered an episode from when I was about six. My schoolyard friends were shaping up for a brawl. They split into two factions and I had to declare my allegiance. Being friends with boys from both sides, I was torn. I whispered to the leader of one side that I would merely pretend to be on the other side, but really was on his. And I told the other team’s leader the equivalent. With dread, I waited for this transparent ruse to blow up in my face. But it worked perfectly. In some ways, my life since has been about unpacking the emotional and political implications.

As a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?

An alcoholic. That’s what I would tell grownups. I didn’t know what it meant but my favourite character in the Tintin books was Captain Haddock. I asked my dad what he was and he replied, “An alcoholic.”

What advice would you give your younger self?

Don’t read the news. Ever.  

What is the most important thing we can teach kids in school?

Make school entirely voluntary (at least from age 12), then the content will sort itself out.

If you could have a conversation with anyone, living or dead, who would you choose and why?

First person I can think of is a high-end sex worker, someone whose clients included billionaires. I think I’d learn something interesting about power, freedom, and desire.

What do you doubt most?

That anything more than a very small percentage of (straight) men don’t have contempt for women.

When did you last have a significant change of mind?

Well, Dan, everyone claims to keep an open mind but struggles to name anything. I keep a ledger! Recent example: geoengineering. I was pro, then anti, now I’m kind of pro again. I also try to deliberately inhabit different worldviews, just to experiment. I certainly hope that in the future I’ll have different politics; if not, I won’t have learned anything.

What is the role of luck in our lives?

Seemingly total.

Do you have a favourite quote? What is it? Why do you like it?

I mentioned above that I know a lot of poetry. But I also like it when Belinda Carlisle sings…

“In this world we’re just beginning,

To understand the miracle of living,

Baby, I was afraid before,

But I’m not afraid anymore.”

I’m convinced that the ‘80s pop song, Heaven is a Place on Earth, is some kind of crypto-atheist anthem.

What would you do with your life if you had unlimited financial resources?

Countless things. There are causes I would bankroll (nuclear disarmament, research into carbon sequestration, disease prevention, poverty alleviation); art projects I would commission; studies I would fund into new questions in social and natural science; and plenty of staff I would hire to achieve these things, none of which I can do myself. I would also never work again and dedicate my own time to where I can offer something unique, namely some kind of blog that was part speculative philosophy, part analysis of football tactics.    

If you could have the definitive answer to a single question, what would you ask?

A solution to the Fermi paradox.

What concept/fact/idea should every human on the planet understand?

That assuming others are like you only works some of the time and the frequency depends entirely on how typical you are.

Do human beings have free will?

So-called “libertarian” free will? No. But people can be more or less self-determined (i.e. the causes of their actions are to a greater extent internal or localised to them).

Do you believe in God?

No. I don’t even believe in “belief”.

Could we be living in a simulated universe?

I think it’s implausible. Nick Bostrom is a great philosopher but the simulation argument sucks. Not because of its outlandishness or the argument based on anthropic reasoning. I think it falls down on basic misconceptions about things like “experience”, “consciousness”, “computation”, and “simulation”. It’s the same problem as Descartes’ Evil Demon, Boltzmann brains, or The Matrix idea: they doubt the world but fail to equally doubt the doubter.

Will the continual development of technology have a net positive or negative influence on humanity?

So far, I think it’s net positive (birth control, vaccinations, running-goddam-water, literacy, etc.). I don’t make predictions. But if those nuclear weapons are triggered, that will make it net negative pretty definitively.

What is the single greatest achievement of humanity?

One view of economic history says that during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, there were a bunch of improvements in agriculture in England. These massively boosted yield and made feeding large populations relatively cheap, laying the foundations for the productivity boom that saw all the massive improvements in standards of living across a lot of the world over the next two centuries. If true, this is important because it allowed an increasing portion of us to confront the dangerous promise of free time.

What do you see as the biggest existential threat to humanity?

Weighing impact, likelihood, and imminence, it has to be nuclear war (deliberate or accidental).

What does it mean to live a good life?

There are so many answers to this. I endorse all of them, except the ones that preclude new answers.

What is a good death?

One that benefits others with closure, catharsis, or organs.

Thanks for your time, Jamie!

Twitter: JamieFreestone

Website: mcgannfreestone.com.au

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James Horwill has earned more than 100 caps for the Queensland Reds and over 60 for the Wallabies. He captained the Reds to a Super Rugby Championship in 2011, and led the Wallabies during their Rugby World Cup campaign in New Zealand later the same year. After finishing his professional playing career with Harlequins in the English Premiership, James moved to Cambridge University where he captained their first XV and earned a Masters of Business Administration. Having recently relocated back to Brisbane, he is now working in his family business within the automotive industry. He is a husband to Lauren and a father to two girls, Eva and Arabella.

James is a human mammal. Here are his thoughts:

What brings you the most joy in life?

Spending time with my family and friends and seeing them succeed. Being part of a team/group that achieves what it sets out to. I also enjoy travelling and seeing new places.

What does success mean to you?

Completing what you set out to do while staying true to yourself.

What do you see as your greatest achievement?

I’m hoping my greatest achievement is yet to come…

What are you most grateful for?

I’m grateful for my upbringing and the support I have always been given from my family… I am super grateful for my family, particularly my wife and 2 daughters.

What is something most people don’t know about you?

Not sure, I’m an open book.

Who or what has had the biggest influence on your life?

Both my parents have had a huge influence on me in different ways – I’m very lucky to have them.

What do you regret?

I try not to have regrets but they undoubtedly happen, so I try to learn from them and move on - you can’t change the past.

Has there been a defining moment in your life? Can you tell us about it?

I’m not sure this was a defining moment, but it had a big impact on me. When I was 20, two of my best mates died in a boating accident. This happened a week before I left on my first Wallabies tour. It taught me that you need to make the most of opportunities you get because you never know how long you have.

What advice would you give your younger self?

Read more and make the most of the spare time you have.

What is the most important thing we can teach kids in school?

Understanding that everyone is different, and this should be celebrated.

What do you doubt most?

Myself.

When did you last have a significant change of mind?

During these questions.

What is the role of luck in our lives?

Luck can only be important if you are able to make the most of it.

What would you do with your life if you had unlimited financial resources?

I would hire the smartest people in the world and work out how to solve the big issues impacting the planet and humanity.

If you could have the definitive answer to a single question, what would you ask?

What’s next?

Do human beings have free will?

Some do.

Do you believe in God?

No - I believe there is higher power, not sure what it is though.  

Could we be living in a simulated universe?

There is a chance.

Will the continual development of technology have a net positive or negative influence on humanity?

Technology isn’t the issue – the way humanity uses it is.

What is the single greatest achievement of humanity?

Hopefully it’s still to come.

What do you see as the biggest existential threat to humanity?

Humanity itself.

What does it mean to live a good life?

To be happy with yourself and the life you live while bringing joy to those around you and impacting their life in a positive way.

What is a good death?

One at the end of a good life.

Thanks for your time, James!

Twitter: @james_horwill

Instagram: @jhorwill

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After growing up in the Pilbara, Emma moved to Perth as a teenager. She holds a degree in Women’s Studies, a Masters in International Development, and has written a book with her husband, Dave, titled ‘In Our Nature’. Em has been a lot of things in her life - a florist, youth worker, research assistant, has been involved in various think tanks, and in politics. She spent a year living in Japan writing poetry, and another in Zimbabwe working on a citrus farm. Currently, Em runs her own organisation, FrontRunners, that supports athletes and sporting organisations tackle the climate and environmental challenges we all face.

Emma is a human mammal. Here are her thoughts:

What brings you the most joy in life?

There are so many things – nature, loved ones, writing. One thing I’ve been thinking about recently is the joy that comes from hard but productive physical work. I experience this both gardening and as part of our local park care group which involves lugging heavy branches and logs into big piles as we remove the non-natives and restore the woodland. There’s something deeply satisfying about getting to the end of either activity and feeling really worn out but being able to see the effects of what you’ve done. That is one of my favourite feelings.

What does success mean to you?

I suppose it’s not something I think about a lot. Maybe endeavouring to answer the questions life asks of you?

What do you see as your greatest achievement?

This isn’t really the lens through which I view my life. I’ve done a lot of things that I feel proud of, but I think it’s the small, everyday things that make us who we are and when we focus only on big achievements, we can often obscure what kind of person we were in the making of them.

What are you most grateful for?

I try (and often fail) to keep up a gratitude practice and the few things that reliably come up are: my partner, Dave; time spent in Nature; relationships that stretch and nurture; and having a body that is healthy and capable.

What is something most people don’t know about you?

I only ever had three wisdom teeth.

Who or what has had the biggest influence on your life?

Apart from the obvious answers – my parents, my beautiful sister, Dave – the people that spring to mind are the writers whose work has shaped me: Mary Oliver, Rilke, Rumi, Maya Angelou, Madeline Miller, Clarissa Pinkola Estes, Paulo Coehlo, James Hollis… to name a few.

In our culture we often lack the language and courage to say things that speak to the core of human existence, our desire to make meaning out of our lives, our longing to belong, to be seen and to count for something. But in writing (and in songs) those things can be said in a way that transcends those limitations, making it possible to imagine something bigger, more powerful, more meaningful. Or at least that’s how it has been for me.

“You are only free when you realise you belong no place - you belong every place - no place at all. The price is high. The reward is great.” - Maya Angelou

“I live not in dreams but in contemplation of a reality that is perhaps the future.” - Rilke

“Go out in the woods, go out. If you don't go out in the woods nothing will ever happen and your life will never begin.” - Clarissa Pinkola Estes

"Emerson, I am trying to live, as you said we must, the examined life. But there are days I wish there was less in my head to examine, not to speak of the busy heart." - Mary Oliver, Red Bird

What do you regret?

On the one hand, so many things. Mostly moments where I have been unkind or careless, made jokes that have hurt the feelings of people I love, not been courageous enough to do what I think is right or necessary. But I also know these things have been some of my greatest teachers. In the words of Dr Hollis:

“There is more mess of things to be made ahead; some of them will be our great teachers, some will cause us to grow, and some will bring the fullness of failure to bear on the encounter with the mystery. Great meaning will often come from such dismal moments; they are our moments, our meaning, and we will be entitled to them because we will have paid dearly for them.”

Has there been a defining moment in your life? Can you tell us about it?

Meeting my partner, Dave. Being friends with someone who has so much courage and who lives so honestly has had a huge impact on how I see myself and the world around me. It’s not always easy, but it’s always good.

As a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?

It changed all the time… a writer, a politician, a diplomat, a lawyer.

What advice would you give your younger self?

I sometimes wish I had been less worried about keeping the people around me happy as a kid. But now I can see how that served me well. Learning to follow my own inclinations as an adult but with the ability to understand the needs of the people around me is its own kind of strength. So, I’d probably just tell baby Emma that she was ok and she would work it out.

What is the most important thing we can teach kids in school?

Curiosity and how to be in their physical bodies.

If you could have a conversation with anyone, living or dead, who would you choose and why?

In the age of podcasts, I feel like we get to hear so much from some of our best thinkers, writers, scientists, academics. One of my favourite podcasts is called Longform. They interview longform writers on their work and lives and I’d love to have such insight into some of the authors I love from centuries past – Rilke, Rumi, Jane Austen, Henry David Thoreau. If I had to pick just one, I’d probably say Thoreau. I love reading his journals and would love even just to hear what his voice sounded like.

What do you doubt most?

So many things! In my teens and early twenties, I was so sure of myself and the world, of what was right and what was wrong. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve become less and less sure about so many things. But I find that uncertainty liberating in a way.

My certainty in my teens could sometimes create a rigidity and inflexibility that wasn’t particularly pleasant to live with or be around and was at odds with some of my values of kindness and generosity. The more room there is for grey, for nuance, the more curious I feel about the world, the more generous I can be.

It’s not to say there is no possibility of reaching a conclusion or truly knowing something, but it changes the way I approach difference and disagreement and I hope it makes me more kind.

When did you last have a significant change of mind?

I recently discovered I love anchovies after believing my whole life that I hated them.

What is the role of luck in our lives?

I suppose luck is a positive form of chance and so it does play a role. I have a personal gripe with people attributing to ‘luck’ what is actually the result of either hard work or structural advantage. On the one hand if someone has worked incredibly hard to achieve something and then gets described as “lucky” it diminishes their efforts. And on the other, if they are rewarded for things they did not work to accrue and call it luck it misses the structural factors at play. We often call things luck or lucky when they certainly are not.

Do you have a favourite quote? What is it? Why do you like it?

At the moment, this quote sits on the wall above my desk:

“It is six A.M., and I am working. I am absentminded, reckless, heedless of social obligations, etc. It is as it must be. The tire goes flat, the tooth falls out, there will be a hundred meals without mustard. The poem gets written. I have wrestled with the angel and I am stained with light and I have no shame. Neither do I have guilt.” - Mary Oliver in Of Power and Time

I hope to be able to one day answer the questions life is asking of me without shame or guilt.

What would you do with your life if you had unlimited financial resources?

I would write. I would buy up land to manage for biodiversity. I would find ways to use my resources to bring an end to fossil fuel exploration, help transition fossil fuel communities to the new economy, and fund climate litigation. And I would try to help build the new models we need to reorient our lives back toward Nature.

If you could have the definitive answer to a single question, what would you ask?

How do we get out of the mess we’re in?

What concept/fact/idea should every human on the planet understand?

We are part of Nature.

Do human beings have free will?

Given we’re born into particular families, societies, nation states, and times, and those things shape what we can even conceive of, as well as the course our life takes, I suppose we don’t have free will. Just the possibility of making decision within those limitations or opportunities.

Do you believe in God?

I grew up in a family with a strong Christian tradition. My grandfather was a Baptist Minister and my parents always really involved in our local church. There were a lot of things I loved about growing up as part of that community. As I got older some of the beliefs began to grate against my own experience of the world and the things I was learning. I began to have questions that weren’t always welcome or encouraged. That resulted in me moving away from churchgoing.

I haven’t spent a huge amount of time dwelling over it. Lots of friends and people I grew up with who have left the church or faith of their families and childhood have needed to push far away from it but that hasn’t been my experience.

I don’t know precisely what I would say I believe now, but I do have a love for the unfolding mystery around us. I often find myself looking for and revelling in transcendent experiences in Nature and music. I have a deep longing for meaning, and I still find real value in some of the teachings and texts of that tradition I grew up in.

Could we be living in a simulated universe?

There’s a walk I take a few times a week that goes past a walkway over a creek. On the underside of the walkway “The Matrix was a doco” is spray painted in large, wobbly, black letters. Seeing that a few times a week is honestly the only time I ever think about this question – so often, but without any depth.

If we are, whoever is in charge could really be doing a better job.

Will the continual development of technology have a net positive or negative influence on humanity?

Oh man. I have such a fraught relationship with technology. On the one hand I know, rationally, how much it has given us as a species and on the other I often fantasise about life without so much of it.

Thinking about the damage it’s wrought on Nature but also on our psyches, it’s very hard for me to appropriately weigh the negatives and positives. It seems to me that perhaps the problem is not the technology we have and continue to create, but our relationship with one another and the world around us. As if our technological knowhow has outstripped and been prioritised ahead of other kinds of knowing, ahead of our care for Nature and one another. I think if we could correct that balance, we could reorient toward a net positive.

What is the single greatest achievement of humanity?

I don’t know about the greatest, but I am extremely grateful for our ability to tell story, to make myths. They have often served us very badly, but when they serve us well they have the power to reshape everything.

What do you see as the biggest existential threat to humanity?

I want to say the climate crisis. But I think it is what sits behind that – our muddled relationship with Nature, our inability to see our proper place in the great web of life.

What does it mean to live a good life?

I think living a good life means not being afraid to look beyond the edge of the map of known terrain. To have more days when you overcome the twin gremlins of fear and lethargy that sit at the end of our beds every morning. To have the courage to try and answer the questions life is asking of you.

What is a good death?

I couldn’t possibly hope to say it better than Mary Oliver:

When death comes

like the hungry bear in autumn;

when death comes and takes all the bright coins from his purse

to buy me, and snaps the purse shut;

when death comes

like the measle-pox;

when death comes

like an iceberg between the shoulder blades,

I want to step through the door full of curiosity, wondering:

what is it going to be like, that cottage of darkness?

And therefore I look upon everything

as a brotherhood and a sisterhood,

and I look upon time as no more than an idea,

and I consider eternity as another possibility,

and I think of each life as a flower, as common

as a field daisy, and as singular,

and each name a comfortable music in the mouth,

tending, as all music does, toward silence,

and each body a lion of courage, and something

precious to the earth.

When it's over, I want to say: all my life

I was a bride married to amazement.

I was the bridegroom, taking the world into my arms.

When it's over, I don't want to wonder

if I have made of my life something particular, and real.

I don't want to find myself sighing and frightened,

or full of argument.

I don't want to end up simply having visited this world.

— Mary Oliver

What question should I have asked you?

Maybe: what is the role of love in our lives?

Thanks for your time, Em!

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After first signing with the ACT Brumbies around 14 years ago, Christian has earned 150 Super Rugby caps for the club, has played seasons with Waikato in New Zealand and Ulster in Ireland, has made more than 20 appearances for the Wallabies, and is currently contracted with the NTT Shining Arcs in Japan. Christian is a New Zealand-born Samoan who grew up in Melbourne playing every sport under the sun. He is a proud Christian and a dedicated husband and father.

At the height of his career in 2016, Christian was diagnosed with leukaemia. The strength he displayed through this difficult period was inspirational, though wouldn’t have surprised those who know him. He is a brilliant human - humble, honest, selfless, and funny.

Christian is a human mammal. Here are his thoughts:

What brings you the most joy in life?

Family happiness and safety. Seeing my son and wife happy. Reward or achievement following persistence, hard work and self-belief.

What does success mean to you?

Doing or achieving something that brings you happiness and building meaningful connections with people.

What are you most grateful for?

Family. Health. 

What do you see as your greatest achievement? 

Becoming a father to my amazing young boy, Jeremih.

Who or what has had the biggest influence on your life?

God. Family. Role models/other athletes.

What do you regret?

I regret caring too much about what others thought of me and wanting to impress people.

I also regret any mistakes I may have made that hurt others.

What advice would you give your younger self?

Learn how to best look after your finances. Be more present. Control what you can control.

What do you doubt most?

That there will be world peace.

When did you last change your mind?

Everyday. My decisions change all the time after consideration and time to think things through.

What is something most people don’t know about you? 

I wanted to be a police officer growing up and did work experience at a police station during school. 

What is the role of luck in our lives?

I believe things happen for a reason. They were always meant to be.

Has there been a defining moment in your life? Can you tell us about it? 

Losing my father when I was 18-years-old. It was very difficult as I had just moved away from home to chase my rugby dream. I could have thrown in the towel and returned home, but I decided to pursue my ambitions in rugby - something I know my father wanted for me. 

Also, being diagnosed with leukaemia. This was a very tough period for me and my family, but with love and support from family, friends and the community, I was able to find the strength and come out the other side. 

Do you have a favourite quote? What is it? Why do you like it?

A bible verse that got me through my journey with my illness. Believing whole heartedly that there was a plan for me got me through some tough days.

“For I know the plans I have for you. Plans to prosper you not harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future” Jeremiah 29:11

What is the most important thing we can teach kids in school? 

I think to be kind to one another. So much bullying, and now cyber bullying, happens in our schools – it can have a significant effect on people both during and after their school years.

I guess also teaching more life skills would be useful to prepare kids for adulthood and the responsibilities that come with that… how to present in an interview, how to do your taxes, understanding finance and how best to manage money, etc. 

If you could have a conversation with anyone, living or dead, who would you choose and why? 

My father. I Lost my father when I was 18-years-old. I would love to share stories, hear more about his life, and get his views on being a dad.

What would you do with your life if you had unlimited financial resources?

Do what I can to help find a cure for cancer and give to those less fortunate. Help rid the world of poverty and homelessness.

If you could have the definitive answer to a single question, what would you ask?

How do we go back to living the way we did before this pandemic?

What concept/fact/idea should every human on the planet understand?

I’m not sure on this one. We would be living in a better world if people could be more understanding and kind. 

Do human beings have free will?

I don’t think so… There are rules and consequences for the decisions we make. Although we make our choices freely, they are always external forces that affect people and how they react.

Do you believe in God?

Yes.

Could we be living in a simulated universe?

I don’t think so.

Will the continual development of technology have a net positive or negative influence on humanity?

Hopefully positive. I hope that technology can help us discover new and interesting ways to evolve and survive in this amazing world we live in.

What do you see as the biggest existential threat to humanity?

Our care for one another, or lack of it.

What does it mean to live a good life?

Be kind. Be understanding. Be caring.

What is a good death?

Hopefully a painless and quick one. Knowing that you have lived as good a life as you could have. 

Thanks for your time, Christian!

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Ian Roberts has been described as one of the toughest men to play Rugby League. He started his career at the South Sydney Rabbitohs, and subsequently represented the Wigan Warriors, Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles, and the North Queensland Cowboys. Over the course of his career he also represented NSW in State of Origin 9 times and played for Australia 13 times. Since retiring, Ian has been awarded the Australian Sports Medal for his contribution to Australia's international standing in Rugby League, was included in the 2004 South Sydney Dream Team, and was named one of the 25 greatest ever NSW Rugby League players.

In 1995, Ian became the first high-profile Australian sports person and the first rugby player in the world to come out as gay. More than 25 years on, he is a patron for Pride in Sport and remains one of the most powerful voices addressing LGBTQI issues in sport. Ian is also an actor, having appeared in Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones, Little Fish, Superman Returns, and Underbelly: A Tale of Two Cities.

Ian is a human mammal. Here are his thoughts:

What brings you the most joy in life?                      

It has always been performing. I’ve been a show off my whole life. I was always part of the ensemble at school as I grew up. Even when sport took off for me, it was still a type of performance - the footy field is just a bigger, and more physical, stage - I still got to show off.                                         

What does success mean to you?    

It has so many different meanings depending on the situation. It also feels a little arrogant or maybe entitled to claim success - ‘success’ compared to what?… When I think about my playing career, I never won a premiership - that feels like such a failing/regret for me personally as a player, though I absolutely loved my time playing. So I have regrets in sport, but I also have a wonderful sense of joy and accomplishment, which is a success in a sense. A sense of happiness or joy in the present, or in reflection, is a good gauge of success I think.                                   

What do you see as your greatest achievement?   

If nothing else, reaching the age of 56 is somewhat of an achievement!… I think living truthfully, and in turn being able to use my public profile to help others.          

What are you most grateful for?     

I’m grateful I was born gay. I’m grateful to have grown up in a country that has, for want of a better word, a sense of ‘freedom’, although admittedly we still have a way to go. I’m also grateful we have at least some forms of free education, a free health system, social security etc.                             

Who or what has had the biggest influence on your life?  

I suppose my family. I grew up in a family that had in-built misogynistic, racist, and homophobic views, which were obviously very conflicting and confusing. But, in saying that, I absolutely grew up in a loving home as well.

Also, coming to terms with my lack of education growing up and how that has affected me as an adult. I grew up being unable to read and write. That was such a sense of shame for me through my childhood. Navigating those obstacles and the consequences as a child had far reaching negative results as an adult.          

What do you regret? 

Like most people, given what I know now, I would change plenty in my past. For one, I would have invested big in Google and Apple in the late 1990’s!           

Has there been a defining moment in your life? Can you tell us something about it?

I don’t know if I personally have had a ‘defining moment’. It is hard to choose a single moment that defines how I see myself or how others see me. I would say I’m not the person I was even 10 years ago, let alone over my whole life - change is constant. Although I can’t pin point one moment that was defining to me, I suppose when I came out publicly in 1994 as a gay man that was somewhat of a defining moment for ‘Ian Roberts the footballer’ (it feels so wanky speaking about myself in the 3rd person… hehe).                                       

What advice would you give your younger self?    

Educate yourself. Never deny yourself. Trust your gut.            

What do you doubt most?    

Equality.

When did you last change your mind?

As I was answering this question.                                 

What is the role of luck in our lives?            

Good or bad, ‘luck’ is definitely a four-letter word. We use it when we’re unsure if we’ve done enough work beforehand. I mean, the harder you work the luckier you get. We also use it to justify completely random stuff, again both good and bad.      

Do you have a favourite quote? What is it? Why do you like it?   

I have a tattoo on my arm that I’ve had for a long time, it still rings true to me. It’s self-explanatory - ‘A life lived in fear is a life half lived’.                 

What would you do with your life if you had unlimited financial resources?       

Wow! Now that is a question. I suppose like most people I would like to end all the humanitarian issues we face globally - equality, address global warming, diminish extinction rates etc. On a more selfish l note, I’d love to sail around the globe.    

If you could have the definitive answer to a single question, what would you ask?        

Well the obvious questions I’d love to know the absolute answers to are below… and you can take your pick…

Is there other life out there in the universe?

What are all the laws that govern the universe?

Is there a god? 

Why is there something rather than nothing?

What concept/fact/idea should every human on the planet understand?

It’s so easy to get on, just be kind to one another.      

Do human beings have free will?     

Some days, depending on what mood they’re in.                                                            

Do you believe in God?

Which one, there’s so many to pick from?                                                                   

Could we be living in a simulated universe?

No, you couldn’t make this shit up… hehe. Yeah why not? Anything’s possible. A simulated universe is still real to me though, right?                    

Will the continual development of technology have a net positive or negative influence on humanity?

Well, you would hope it’s a net gain, but let’s be honest, our history as a species doesn’t reflect that. The gains we make usually favour a few and the vast majority do not benefit at all - look at the disparity between the 1st and 3rd world today. From a different perspective, I’d love to become an app one day, technology permitting.    

What is the single greatest achievement of humanity?     

You love the big questions, don’t you?!… Comedy, then science.             

What do you see as the biggest existential threat to humanity?

Male pride/ego. Every war we’ve had has been started by men. Apart from that, maybe just a big random fucking asteroid.        

What does it mean to live a good life?

‘What does it mean to live a good life’, sounds like a Martin Scorsese film! I’d say hopefully there’s more ups than downs, and you know the difference. Everyone needs to have their heart broken at least once to truly understand the power and depth of their own love. Empathy. Like who you are. Have people who love and miss you when you’re gone.      

What is a good death?

Quick.

What question should I have asked you?

All of the above.                                             

Thanks for your time, Ian!

Twitter: @didiforget

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Nic White has had a rugby career to be envied. He has earned more than 80 Super Rugby caps and won a championship with the ACT Brumbies, has played 2 seasons in France with Montpellier where he won the Challenge Cup, has won both the English Premiership and European Champions Cup with the Exeter Chiefs, and has represented the Wallabies more than 40 times. Nic is a husband to Mel, a father to Leo and Sonny, and apparently didn’t speak a word until he was 4 years old… as his former house mate, I’m in a strong position to tell you that he is certainly making up for that now.

Nic is a human mammal. Here are his thoughts:

What brings you the most joy in life?

My wife, being a Dad, and winning trophies.

What does success mean to you?

Being content with your life. Being a good husband, father, son and brother.

What do you see as your greatest achievement?

My family - not a day goes by where I don’t pinch myself.

What are you most grateful for?

Being born into the family I have and all the things that have come from that - I’ve had a pretty good run so far!

What is something most people don’t know about you?

I was a long distance runner growing up.

Who or what has had the biggest influence on your life?

My Dad. I hope to have the same impact on my boy’s lives.

What do you regret?

Lots of things. But I’m happy with my ‘now’, so I wouldn’t go back and change anything.

Has there been a defining moment in your life? Can you tell us about it?

Becoming a Dad. It changes the way you look at the world. You have so much more love… and fear.

What advice would you give your younger self?

Be patient. Stick at it.

What is the most important thing we can teach kids in school?

Tolerance.

What do you doubt most?

Myself.

What is the role of luck in our lives?

We’re pretty lucky to have been born…

Do you have a favourite quote? What is it? Why do you like it?

‘It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog’… I’m a scrum-half, I think you can see the appeal.

What would you do with your life if you had unlimited financial resources?

Find a group of extremely intelligent people and task them with ways to better the world.

What concept/fact/idea should every human on the planet understand?

A balanced diet.

Do human beings have free will?

I hope so.

Do you believe in God?

No.

Could we be living in a simulated universe?

No.

Will the continual development of technology have a net positive or negative influence on humanity?

Positive I hope, for my kid’s sake.

What is the single greatest achievement of humanity?

Language.

What do you see as the biggest existential threat to humanity?

Ourselves.

What does it mean to live a good life?

A good life should equal happiness. And to be missed when you’re gone.

What is a good death?

Old and cognisant. My wife and I hope to tap out together.

Thanks for your time, Nic!

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In case you missed it, you’re reading this blog on a platform called Substack, a company co-founded by Hamish McKenzie. Hamish is from Alexandra, a town of 5,000 people in the South Island of New Zealand. He is a journalist and writer by trade, having worked for a range of publications, from a digital marketing trade magazine to an entertainment and listings guide, to a website that covered start-ups and technology companies. As a freelancer, he has written about all sorts of things - books, culture, politics, technology - for magazines and newspapers in the US, Canada, Hong Kong, and New Zealand. He has also written a book…

“In 2013, I asked Elon Musk if he’d be interested in co-operating on a book about him and his companies, and instead of agreeing to that he offered me a job at Tesla. So I joined Tesla as lead writer in January 2014. I left just over a year later to write a book about how Tesla catalyzed an electric revolution to end the oil age. The book is called ‘Insane Mode’, and it came out at the end of 2017, just after I started Substack with Chris Best and Jairaj Sethi.”  

Hamish is a human mammal. Here are his thoughts:

What brings you the most joy in life?

Moments of peace in nature (preferably in New Zealand) with my two young sons.

What does success mean to you?

Being able to live a life with a good balance of resource security, physical security, and psychological security. 

What do you see as your greatest achievement?

Starting Substack with Chris and Jairaj and seeing it change some writers’ lives for the better.

What are you most grateful for?

The love and support of my family throughout my entire life. 

What is something most people don’t know about you?

I’m part Māori. 

Who or what has had the biggest influence on your life? 

Losing my brother when he was 14 and I was 11. 

What do you regret?

Not starting a family at a younger age.

As a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?

A journalist. 

What advice would you give your younger self?

Learn how to pay attention to and respect your emotions. 

What is the most important thing we can teach kids in school?

Consideration for others. 

If you could have a conversation with anyone, living or dead, who would you choose and why?

Kurt Vonnegut. He would be a great conversation, I’m sure, full of wit and wisdom and humility and good cheer and ideas, but also a kind of cynicism from having borne witness to horrors. He saw humanity at its worst and decided it was still worth betting on, specifically as a storyteller. Please keep in mind that I haven’t thought about this question too deeply and I probably should have said Joan of Arc or Leonardo da Vinci or someone like that, but we’d probably have to talk through a translator, which would just be cumbersome.  

What do you doubt most?

That the advent of agriculture was a positive development for humanity. 

When did you last have a significant change of mind?

Last week, with something about Substack’s strategy for attracting writers to the platform. 

What is the role of luck in our lives?

It’s like the weather – unavoidable, out of our control, a necessary part of the ecosystem we inhabit, and it can make or ruin your life at any moment. It’s hard to do anything about bad luck except to make the best of it, so my attitude has always been to focus on making the most of good luck.   

Do you have a favourite quote? What is it? Why do you like it?

“If this isn’t nice, what is?” – Kurt Vonnegut. I like this because it’s a reminder to appreciate what you have rather than focus on what you lack, and an exhortation to savor life’s good moments because they are what make it worth living. 

What would you do with your life if you had unlimited financial resources?

Continue to live it. 

If you could have the definitive answer to a single question, what would you ask?

What is consciousness? 

What concept/fact/idea should every human on the planet understand?

You don’t have to tweet. 

Do human beings have free will?

Probably not. 

Do you believe in God?

No.

Could we be living in a simulated universe?

Yes.

Will the continual development of technology have a net positive or negative influence on humanity?

Net positive. 

What is the single greatest achievement of humanity?

Figuring out how to start a fire seems pretty significant. 

What do you see as the biggest existential threat to humanity?

Climate change. 

What does it mean to live a good life?

To have enjoyed the love of others, and to have returned it many times over. 

What is a good death?

One that comes when you are ready for it. 

Thanks for your time, Hamish!

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Iona was recently introduced to me by a friend who insisted she’d be a great addition to the blog. Not quite knowing what to expect, I sent my questions and requested some background information for an introduction. What came back was fascinating and it was immediately obvious that no summary I could write would do her justice… 

… So here is Iona Italia introducing Iona Italia:

“Conceived amid the dancing dust motes of a Karachi bedroom and born in an industrial Scottish town with a dystopian vista of oil refineries in the background, a member by birth (courtesy of my Indian father) of one of the world’s smallest ethnic minorities – the Parsis, a group of transplanted Zoroastrians who crossed the Indian Ocean from Persia to Gujarat in the eighth century -- I’ve been a misfit and a globetrotter since I was in my mother’s womb. Transplanted permanently to the UK after my parents fled General Zia’s militant Islamist dictatorship while I was a young child, I’ve since lived in six countries on four continents and speak four languages fluently. I studied English Literature at Cambridge and wrote a doctoral dissertation on the eighteenth-century periodical essayists who were the pioneering forerunners of our current op ed writers and opinion journalists. I later expanded my thesis into a book called Anxious Employment (a title that has since become uncomfortably autobiographical). After a decade in academe, I fell passionately in love with Argentine tango and left for Buenos Aires, where I spent eleven years studying, teaching and performing the dance and writing about it in my book ‘Our Tango World’. In 2017–18, I spent two years in India, living in the heart of the Parsi community in Bombay and exploring my Zoroastrian roots. During that time, I also began writing for and copyediting the online publication Areo Magazine, a political commentary publication with an anti-woke leftist stance. I took over as editor in chief of Areo in May of this year and am now fully dedicated to keeping that feisty little publication vibrant and flourishing and hosting the associated podcast, Two for Tea. I live at the edge of London, on the skirts of Epping Forest, with four old friends. I am an oversharer, a chatterbox, a giver of long and sustained hugs, an Indian food supremacist, a Babylon 5 and Star Trek nerd, a voracious reader of both fiction and popular science, an abominable chess player, a reluctant runner and a universal liberal humanist. I have a fastidious horror of the skin on hot milk but will let any dog lick my face.”   

Iona is a human mammal. Here are her thoughts:

What brings you the most joy in life?

Joy comes in a wide variety of forms, but I’d divide it chiefly into pleasures of doing and pleasures of having done. Of the former, the thing that has provided the most intense experience of a blissful flow state is Argentine tango: the perfect blend of sensual pleasure, enjoyment of another person’s proximity, immersion in music, self-expression and sheer joy in movement. Of the latter, I think the most thrilling is when I discover that I have reached or moved someone through my writing. 

What does success mean to you?

Feeling that you have made a positive contribution and changed the world for the better in some way, however small, and that that has been noticed, acknowledged and valued. 

What do you see as your greatest achievement?

I don’t think I’d see them as achievements - I don’t think of myself as an achiever - but the two things I managed that were most difficult were writing my academic book - that was a very hard slog - and my trip to India. I was supposed to be living with a Parsi mother and son, but instead of taking me to their home from the airport as I stumbled bleary-eyed off a fourteen-hour flight, they dropped me at an extremely spartan hostel in a hectic, noisy, crowded part of town. I knew no one. One year on, I was living in a lovely neighbourhood and had established one of the warmest, most fulfilling circles of friends I’ve ever had in my life.   

What are you most grateful for?

My health, my intellect, my friends. Just being alive is an extraordinary stroke of good fortune. Against astronomical odds, for a brief period between two vast stretches of inexistence, you and I are here, now. 

What is something most people don’t know about you?

That my name has nothing to do with Italy but is a corruption of ita-walla (lit. “brick man,” i.e. mason) and a common Parsi surname.

Who or what has had the biggest influence on your life? 

I’m continually inspired by the humour and compassion of the eighteenth-century writer Samuel Johnson, who is severely undervalued. Forget his dictionary and Boswell’s biography and read his periodical essays. 

What do you regret?

Having wasted so much of my precious life feeling sorry for myself and frittered away my time in empty activities, such as reading magazines, watching YouTube and, lately, on Twitter. 

Has there been a defining moment in your life? Can you tell us about it?

There were three defining moments: one good, one ambiguous and one bad. In 2006, I left my job in academe to study and later teach Argentine tango. I was utterly enthralled by the dance and I’ve always been drawn to things that offer adventure and joy, and have neglected the kinds of things you need to do in order to create security for yourself. But at the same time I am a very anxious person and was absolutely unsuited to the financially precarious life of a dancer. Also, I was rather old to begin a new phase of life and not as talented as I believed I was. Then, in 2009, I left my marriage. I was deeply and desperately unhappy in that relationship but afterwards I felt for years that I had wantonly condemned myself to poverty and loneliness by leaving the security of a partnership and I was consumed by regret, one of the most pointless of emotions. That finally changed when I went to India. It felt like taking a loose, dangling thread that I had barely noticed, weaving it into the tapestry of myself and becoming whole again. It was an intense experience and one I would almost certainly not have had, had I not made those unwise previous choices. That’s the paradox. If I hadn’t been unhappy, I wouldn’t have searched for a cure for my unhappiness – and I wouldn’t have found one. India healed me.  

As a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?

First, an astronaut. Then, the first female prime minister (that was in the pre-Margaret Thatcher days). And then, from age 13, a bluestocking living in my ivy-covered Oxbridge rooms surrounded by books. 

What advice would you give your younger self?

Establish some financial security for yourself first and only then seek adventure. And find out who your father was – don’t neglect that half of your identity. 

What is the most important thing we can teach kids in school?

How to be emotionally and financially independent. 

If you could have a conversation with anyone, living or dead, who would you choose and why?

Samuel Johnson: one of the wittiest and most eloquent people to have ever lived and yet deeply compassionate and humane. 

What do you doubt most?

Whether I have made the right decisions.  

When did you last have a significant change of mind?

I’m extremely susceptible to influence and change my mind about things all the time. It usually takes me a while to admit it, though. 

What is the role of luck in our lives?

It’s all luck, all the way down: our personalities, circumstances, inclinations. I am a radical non-believer in free will, though, of course, as Christopher Hitchens so aptly put it, I behave and think as if I had free will – I have no choice. 

Do you have a favourite quote? What is it? Why do you like it?

“The natural flights of the human mind are not from pleasure to pleasure, but from hope to hope.” Also, “Men oftener require to be reminded than informed.” Both from Samuel Johnson. 

What would you do with your life if you had unlimited financial resources?

Travel the world, but not to see new places, but to visit my friends, scattered across several continents. Write another book, without time pressure. Take dance classes every day. 

If you could have the definitive answer to a single question, what would you ask?

How can I find peace? 

What concept/fact/idea should every human on the planet understand?

Evolution. 

Do human beings have free will?

No. See above. 

Do you believe in God?

No, though I appreciate religion for the ritual, symbolism and the feeling of connection to the past. 

Could we be living in a simulated universe?

It seems vanishingly unlikely.

Will the continual development of technology have a net positive or negative influence on humanity?

Net positive. The state of nature is overrated and the noble savage is a myth. Let’s invent the warp drive and reach for the stars. 

What is the single greatest achievement of humanity?

Our willingness to trust and cooperate with strangers, even to show them love and compassion. 

What do you see as the biggest existential threat to humanity?

Environmental degradation. 

What does it mean to live a good life?

George Eliot puts it best in Middlemarch: “What do we live for if not to make the world less difficult for each other?”

What is a good death?

One in which you are grateful for the time you have had and content to go. 

Thanks for your time, Iona!

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Matt Giteau is one of the most accomplished Australian rugby players in history. He is one of only two to have debuted for the Wallabies before playing any provincial rugby, and has since earned more than 100 international caps - including three World Cup campaigns. Matt has won the John Eales Medal once, has won two Super Rugby titles with the ACT Brumbies, three European Cup’s and a French Top 14 title with Toulon, has won the Japanese Top League with Suntory Sungoliath, and only this year added a championship with the LA Giltinis in the USA Major League to his tally. 

Matt is a human mammal. Here are his thoughts:

What brings you the most joy in life?

Seeing my family and friends happy and content brings me the most joy.

What does success mean to you?

Well, I’m still playing rugby, so my mind instantly shifts there. Ultimately, in rugby at least, success to me is winning. Although, at this stage of my career, I get a lot of satisfaction helping young players develop their game and hopefully make their national teams. 

What do you see as your greatest achievement?

My family. Seeing how much my kids love each other and their cousins, and seeing them be so respectful. They are my greatest achievement.

What are you most grateful for?

I’m most grateful for the health and happiness of my family. My niece got diagnosed with cancer a few years ago, and I know it sounds very cliché, but it quickly made me realise what’s important in life. For me, it’s just about being happy, healthy and loving life.

Who or what has had the biggest influence on your life? 

My parents. They shape who you are as a person and they’ve been a constant source of support for me throughout my rugby career and life in general. They’ve been there through the good and the bad, and have given me the opportunity to live this great life I’m so fortunate to be living.

What do you regret?

I don’t know if I believe in regrets. All of my mistakes and things that I may have done poorly gave me the opportunity to learn, evolve and grow as a person. They ultimately made me better. I’ve certainly done things I’m disappointed in, but off the back of those mistakes I’ve grown and been able to improve myself. 

As a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?

As a kid I always wanted to play Rugby League for the Canberra Raiders. My dad coached the local League team in Canberra and before that he was playing professionally for the Raiders, so that was something I really wanted to do.

What advice would you give your younger self?

Don’t think too far ahead, just enjoy the moment more. I think that is something I’m still trying to learn.

What is the most important thing we can teach kids in school?

Today, we need to teach kids how to best navigate the world of social media. I think the mess of expectations, opinions and comments online can dramatically affect the metal health of people, especially children. Through platforms like Twitter, kids are getting commentary on their lives that they’d never have had back in my day. It is important to understand that a social media account doesn’t define you as a person. 

If you could have a conversation with anyone, living or dead, who would you choose and why?

I would love to sit down and have a conversation with Michael Jordan. He has been a sporting hero of mine for such a long time – I’m fascinated by the way he thinks, how he got himself up for competition… and I’m sure he’d have some really good rockstar stories as well!

What do you doubt most?

I doubt the future - I have no idea what it will hold for me. As a professional sportsman, you know we only have a short lifespan. I’m constantly thinking about what I’m going to do when it all ends.

When did you last have a significant change of mind?

Well, I was going to retire when I left Japan 6 months ago… But, all of a sudden, my wife and I decided to take on an adventure to play a season of rugby in America with the LA Giltinis. It was an unbelievable experience and I’m glad I had that change of mind.

What is the role of luck in our lives?

I believe in the old saying, ‘the harder you work, the luckier you get’. I think if you work hard in any facet of life you give yourself a better chance of getting a crack at something. If you work hard, you’re always prepared to take opportunities when they arise.

Do you have a favourite quote? 

No, I don’t.

What would you do with your life if you had unlimited financial resources?

I think material things only bring joy for only a very short time in life. For me, it’s more important to focus on living well and teaching my kids that there is more to life than simply acquiring material possessions. Living in LA did remind me how much happiness and joy the ocean brings me though. If I’d had a bad day, I’d just go to the beach and would immediately feel better – so that’s one lifestyle change I’d make if I had the opportunity. I’d buy a beach house. 

If you could have the definitive answer to a single question, what would you ask?

Who will be the first 4 in the Melbourne Cup this year?... that would give me that beach house!

What concept/fact/idea should every human on the planet understand?

Look Palms, I’m not sure I’m smart enough to answer these questions…

Do you believe in God?

Yeah, I think I’ve always had a belief in something. It makes me feel better knowing that there is an afterlife or something like that… So, I like to believe in something.

Will the continual development of technology have a net positive or negative influence on humanity?

I think if it’s used correctly, it can absolutely have a positive influence on humanity. But on the flipside, I can already see the negative influence of social media on the wellbeing of kids and people in general. But other forms of technology bring scientific advancement, cures for diseases, etc., which is undoubtedly positive. I guess it’s ultimately about education and how well we are able to manage the use of risky technologies.

What does it mean to live a good life?

It means being genuinely content and being proud of the people you’re with. If you can be happy with nothing but your family and those close to you, I think that’s what it means to be living a good life. I get so much joy from simply hanging with my family and friends, just doing the simple things in life like having a drink together in the garage and listening to music. For me, a good life means being able to find joy and contentment in the simple things.

What is a good death?

Pain free. Knowing that your family and everyone around you loves you. Being content with the life that you lived and happy with the position that your family is in. That’s probably the best way to go out.

Thanks for your time, Matt!

Twitter: giteau_rugby

Instagram: matt_giteau

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