There’s so much fertile ground in all of these spiritual traditions for moving forward and imagining and building a new world; I think we can collectively let go of the myth that religious faith should be an obstacle to progress.
Welcome back to Let’s Talk, a series of conversations about life’s biggest questions. Today, I’m so excited for you to meet Abby Rosebrock, my life co-conspirator and an all-around inspiration.
Abby Rosebrock is a Brooklyn-based playwright, screenwriter and actress originally from South Carolina. Her work includes the plays Blue Ridge, Dido of Idaho, Singles in Agriculture and Different Animals. She frequently makes videos online with Layla Khoshnoudi. Catch them on Instagram at @abbyrosebrock and @female_query_.
In this episode, Abby and I talk about the intimacy of friendship, lots of books we love, creativity in capitalism, finding ethical paths forward in problematic industries, handling uncomfortable confrontations with power, and the meaningful way spiritual frameworks relate to political imperatives.
This conversation is rich with laughter, and lucky for you, I managed to only scream once.
Listen above or find us in your favorite podcast app.
When we discussed the challenges of making art in capitalism, Abby reflected on the need for deep-rooted change:
It’s just really incredible to behold the contradictions in operation right now in the entertainment industry. The focus on social justice is promising and important, but there aren’t enough voices calling for a deconstruction of the valuing of people by dollar amounts.
Abby and I love to talk about spiritual and metaphysical frameworks of all kinds, which helped shape this conversation. She grew up in an evangelical setting and has spent time studying texts from many other traditions, which led her to a simple but critical conclusion:
I know that religious difference and distinctions play a huge role in people’s lives sometimes materially, but the more I read and learn, the more I think that the cliché that we’re all sort of going after the same thing is very real.
Many paths, one truth, as they say.
And as Abby and I explored at length, that “one truth” is integral to the ongoing quest for social healing and political transformation.
Let Abby and I know your favorite female singer of all time in the comments; we spent a good five minutes gushing about ours. You can help “Let’s Talk” grow by giving it a rating in your podcast app or sharing it online. To everyone who is considering becoming a sponsor for WE’RE ALL FRIENDS HERE, you have my truest, deepest gratitude.
In the words of Abby Rosebrock, stay crazy out there.
Share this post