Beltway Banthas is a monthly Star Wars podcast transmitted from the heart of America's capital, the Hosts:
Stephen Kent
Swara Salih
Asst. Producer:
John Liang
Politics and Star Wars fuse together on this unique and fascinating show! Beltway Banthas is your place for insightful political commentary featuring the galaxy far, far, away. Beltway Banthas is a Star Wars podcast about the intersection of fandom and the things that drive daily life. For hosts Stephen Kent & Swara Salih, one of those things is politics. Star Wars draws from our world’s politics
just as much as it contributes to it by influencing policymakers, journalists and thought leaders. On the show, you’ll learn about the politics within the Star Wars universe, from Alderaan & Naboo’s monarchies to the function of the Senate on Coruscant. In between episodes we feature interviews with real world change-makers, and talk with them about how Star Wars impacted their lives and view of the world.
We have a balance to strike in our lives. Can we carry on with our work without reading the comments section or nervously checking on reviews? Can we be receptive to feedback and eager to learn or adjust without our entire existence hinging on the validation of others?
A reminder to keep your head down and do your work
A great day talking to people in Fairfax, Virginia about Star Wars and philosophy
We are surrounded by Edmunds in our real lives. They can be really awful. But....without Edmund, there is no victory to be had in The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe.
As modeled by Edmund from The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe
Is Star Wars, Spider-Man, The Lord of the Rings, or the Avengers really meant to be "escapist" or "family entertainment"? Geeky Stoics believes there is more to it. In this video, we explain the reason for this channel with a thought on Luke Skywalker's T-16 Skyhopper he received from Obi-Wan Kenobi, and what that means for the rest of us.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ovUhk3s0AE
You travel to South Carolina….you come home with a sea turtle mug and sand between your toes. You return from California with a tan. You go to school and hopefully return with fun facts, or maybe a black eye. You go to the movie theater to see Star Wars or Harry Potter or The Lord of the Rings or The Avengers, and you come home with ideas of a larger world. Why do you think Obi-Wan Kenobi gave young Luke Skywalker a toy T-16 Skyhopper as a gift?
Your favorite stories are trying to tell you something. Listen.
I’ve been thinking a lot today about why I do this. Here’s what I came up with.
Your favorite stories are trying to tell you something. Listen.
Norman wanted somebody to say, “Thank you”.
That’s what Spiderman is all about. Obligation and duty.
Spiderman, The Green Goblin and Meditations
Nostalgia is a clue in our subconscious about what makes us feel whole. We lose those things along the way due to circumstances and the ever-changing nature of the world. But every day we have a chance to build a new life. So how are you using those nostalgic feelings to guide your decision making?
Geeky Stoics on the pain and promise of nostalgia
All vices are rooted in the future
Star Wars wants you to confront your fears about the future. In this video essay from Geeky Stoics, we explore the writings of Marcus Aurelius, and CS Lewis ...
Your prescription changes everything
Star Wars' origins, eyeglasses and C.S. Lewis' conversion
NEW VIDEO
Star Wars: The Acolyte has a familiar take on good and evil when it comes to the Jedi and the Sith. In Episode 5, Qimir (The Stranger) battles a small army o...
There's a great lesson to be learned about communication from The Lord of the Rings when Gandalf convinces Bilbo to give him the Ring for safekeeping. Gandalf yells, with intention. My favorite philosophy book is Seneca's "Letters From a Stoic" and letter XL is all advice from a Roman senator and lawyer on public speaking. The main takeaway is to have variation in your speed and volume when delivering a message. Be in control, be concise, and have peaks and valleys in your volume.
Gandalf matches Seneca's timeless advice on communication
Did Disney overpromise and underdeliver with Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser? In this video, we take a deeper look at the ambitious but failed "immersive" Star Wars hotel experience. We discuss how Disney fell short of expectations by overpromising at D23 and failing to adjust when faced with criticism.
We also analyze Disney's approach to Star Wars storytelling at Galaxy's Edge and the missed opportunities to incorporate the most iconic elements. But most importantly, we explore the valuable lessons creators can learn from these mistakes. How can we improve at receiving constructive feedback, differentiating it from hate, and making positive changes!
Join us! https://www.geekystoics.com/ Did Disney overpromise and underdeliver with Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser? In this video, we take a deeper look at t...
A lesson from the life of C.S. Lewis about forming baseless opinions.
When C.S. Lewis learned to back up his opinions
Once there was a Gnat who flew over the meadow with much buzzing for so small a creature and he settled on the tip of one of the horns of a Bull. After he had rested a short time, the Gnat made ready to fly away. But before he left he begged the Bull's pardon for having used his horn for a resting place.
"You must be very glad to have me go now," said the Gnat
"It's all the same to me," replied the Bull. "I did not even know you were there."
A Gnat, a Bull and some Mad Men | The problem of ego
Once there was a Gnat who flew over the meadow with much buzzing for so small a creature and he settled on the tip of one of the horns of a Bull. After he had rested a short time, the Gnat made ready to fly away. But before he left he begged the Bull's pardon for having used his horn for a resting place.
"You must be very glad to have me go now," said the Gnat
"It's all the same to me," replied the Bull. "I did not even know you were there."
A Gnat, a Bull and some Mad Men | The problem of ego
NEW VIDEOOOOOO
Check out Part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJM_vBJkoUI In this video, Geeky Stoics cofounder Riley Blanton analyzes how Luke Skywalker's lack of faith...
Only what you take with you...
Check out Part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJM_vBJkoUI In this video, Geeky Stoics cofounder Riley Blanton analyzes how Luke Skywalker's lack of faith...
Plus a new video on YouTube about conquering fear and doubt
The Queen of Naboo, Padme, took a knee before the Gungan leader and professed that they both represented great societies and unique cultures and that they shared an interest in repelling the off-world invaders. Boss Nass didn’t believe the invasion was his problem, after all, the Gungans live deep in the waters of the Naboo swamps. He changes his tune fast.
“You don’t think you’re greater than the Gungans?! I like this. Maybe we can be friends,” Nass says in the wild Gungan dialect.I was reminded of this reconciliation moment in Star Wars early this morning while doing my journaling. The Daily Stoic Journal by Ryan Holiday asked me to write “Who can I root for other than myself?” I knew the answer. Someone I love deeply but am mostly estranged from. Distrust and suspicion run deep. Feelings of superiority and condescension have poisoned the well over the years. I don’t know how it happened, but it did. Not that it matters, but it certainly runs both ways.
Then I turned to my Bible and opened it to Philippians. I couldn’t believe the passage that was on the page before me.
People, Obstacles and Humility
"I’ll never forget watching Return of the Jedi for the first time and there’s this moment toward the end when Luke has to answer this very same question. Luke is confronting Darth Vader and the Emperor himself. He’s standing at the precipice of darkness, fighting for his life, crossing swords with the monster who used to be his father. Luke has reached out time and time again, begging for the salvation of Anakin Skywalker on the other side of the black mask, but it’s no use. Vader pushes Luke to the breaking point.
This is what villains do. They think, as Batman says to the Joker in The Dark Knight, “the rest of the world is as ugly as you are.” So villains try to corrupt good people and break them. The Joker says it earlier in the movie, “When the chips are down, these civilized people will eat each other.”
But who we are at our lowest moments is not who we are. The Joker is wrong. And so is Darth Vader.
After Vader threatens Leia, Luke loses it. He loses self-control, breaks his focus, and for a brief moment…Luke loses himself completely. He loses sight of who he is. This is the moment when Luke sees what he’s about to do, execute his father, but he snaps out of it.
Luke Skywalker makes a defining choice. Who do you think you are?"
Star Wars and the Your Crisis of Identity
How do you best keep the forces of Darkness at bay? Do you suppress it, not make eye contact with it, and keep it locked away….or do you study it, know it, and try to make sense of it?
Fair minds can disagree.
Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings and a warning about evil
Philosophy is meant for action. Today we think of philosophers as do-nothings at Harvard and Cambridge, but the Stoic philosophers were mostly men of action. That's what I've learned in my time reading Marcus Aurelius, Seneca, and Epictetus, as well as the work of Ryan Holiday of The Daily Stoic.
In this video, I'll explain one of the fatal flaws of the Jedi Order, and connect that to Luke Skywalker in The Last Jedi, and the Hobbits of the Shire. I'll explain a personal life update, which is that I'm running for office in my town in Virginia. Philosophy is for living. That's what Geeky Stoics is all about.
Philosophy is meant for action. Today we think of philosophers as do-nothings at Harvard and Cambridge, but the Stoic philosophers were mostly men of action....
Life is comfortable in the ivory tower. You can look down on the rest of the world from the observatory window, seated next to your collection of books chock full of ancient wisdom and quips. The Jedi Order was trapped in this state during the years leading up to the Star Wars prequel trilogy (Episodes I, II, III). The Jedi Council literally sat around at the top of an ivory-looking tower on Coruscant, projecting outward their enlightenment and supernatural power as they looked out on Coruscant from the council chamber. How nice.
Yes, there were Jedi of action. If you weren’t on the Council, you were doing missions more regularly and seeing the real state of the galaxy. But if you moved up the Council, your world would be books, meditation, politics, and endless discussion. This is famously why Qui-Gon Jinn rejected an offer to join the Jedi Council when a seat opened up. During the Clone Wars period, Jedi Council members experienced more regular deployment into the field, leading many to die in battle. But again, it was not the historical norm.....
Watch now (12 mins) | The Jedi, John Mulaney & a BIG personal announcement
Why would the Devil want human beings focused on the future? What’s so bad about thinking ahead?
Why might the Dark Side prey on our superpower of future vision?
“Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger” - James 1:19
Star Wars, Cable News and a Roman Senator on choosing silence
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Watch now (49 mins) | Eric A. Clayton interview about Ignatian spirituality & Star Wars
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"Your children love you. They want to play with you. How long do you think that lasts? Soon Jack may not even want you to come to his games. We have a few special years with our children, when they're the ones that want us around. After that, you're going to be running after them for a bit of attention. It's so fast, Peter. It's a few years, then it's over. And you are not being careful. And you are missing it."
Responsibility IS Adventure Don't turn away from it It'll sweep you into a new world
A preview of the whole video now up on geekystoics.com
A preview of a new video going up on GeekyStoics.com this Monday!
Dave Filoni understands the assignment
On our new episode, a conversation about Knives Out Movie leads straight into The Lion King. Bravery is not the same as courage.
"Come to your senses!"
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Politics and Star Wars fuse together on this unique and fascinating show! Beltway Banthas is your place for insightful political commentary featuring the galaxy far, far, away. Beltway Banthas is a Star Wars podcast about the intersection of fandom and the things that drive daily life. For host Stephen Kent, one of those things is politics. Star Wars draws from our world’s politics just as much as it contributes to it by influencing policymakers, journalists and thought leaders. On the show, you’ll learn about the politics within the Star Wars universe, from Alderaan & Naboo’s monarchies to the function of the Senate on Coruscant. In between episodes we feature interviews with real world change-makers, and talk with them about how Star Wars impacted their lives and view of the world. Host: Stephen Kent Asst. Producer: John Liang
