Have you ever felt uncomfortable asking a stranger for directions because you don’t want to bother them? Social psychologist Vanessa Bohns says we might want to think again because we have far more influence over others than we think. Peter Marra saw Disney’s The Little Mermaid in theatres many times as a child. But it was only as an adult with a PhD in film studies that he truly recognized the influence the movie had on his queer identity.

Tapestry from CBC Radio

Under the influence

A.G. Holdier believes that Marvel films and Disney princess movies would satisfy the existential inclinations of Friedrich Nietzsche and other philosophers because they deal with what it means to be human. A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...they had a lot of resilience. For Chris Knight, the chief film critic for the National Post newspaper, the life lessons found in Star Wars are now hitting pretty close to home. Next week on Thanksgiving Sunday, Tapestry producer Kent Hoffman tells his story on The Doc Project on how he managed to find comfort in rituals again during a time of loss in the pandemic.

Philosophy in film

J.B. MacKinnon has travelled the world to try and discover what might be inconceivable to many – what if, one day, the world stops shopping? Thad Russell’s parents built an off grid home, but their plan to live a more modest life wasn’t as nearly simple as they hoped.

Beyond consumerism

Father James Martin is a noted advocate for the LGBTQ community. He says there is much the Catholic church can do now to offer its support, even without changing church doctrine. Father Martin explains the difference between sadness and despair, and what The Lord of the Rings can teach us about morality.

Jesuit priest tells LGBTQ Catholics, "you are in a church that is still learning how to love you."

Given the enormous costs of intoxication, why has the consumption of alcohol remained at the heart of social life? Author Edward Slingerland says it was essential to human evolution.

Alcohol helped shape civilization and ferment innovation, says author

A documentary brings the sounds of nature into an Australian prison, a queer dancer connects with the drag queen community, and what it’s like when your grandfather is revered as a saint by his church.

Finding oneself through sound, dance and family

A documentary brings the sounds of nature into an Australian prison, a queer dancer tries to make space for other LGBTQ artists, and what it’s like when your grandfather is revered as a saint by his church.

Words have the power to shape how we see the world and each other. In Telling Our Twisted Histories, host Kaniehti:io Horn guides listeners through over 70 conversations with people from 15 Indigenous communities sharing their truths about the impact of words on our perspectives, cultures, and lives. Together we will decolonize our histories – and ourselves – one word at a time. More episodes are available at smarturl.it/twistedhistories

Introducing: Telling Our Twisted Histories

Xorje Olivares looks for solace and hope from the Catholic church. The problem is he's gay and the formal church continues to identify same-sex unions as a sin. Olivares shares what a different vision of the capital-C church could look like, if the institution was more accepting. Later, we hear from scientist and environmental advocate Jane Goodall, who is this year's Templeton Prize winner.

LGBTQ Catholics and why they stay

Danny Stewart was on his way to meet his partner for dinner when he happened upon a baby, bundled in a sweatshirt and abandoned at a New York subway station. That started him on a path to parenthood. Later, a Concordia professor explains why the world's biggest problems can't be solved by personal boycotts.

Working together to make a family and a better world

Post-pandemic, design critic Alexandra Lange says we would all benefit from city-wide, street-based events. And it might be worth asking what the kids would want. Meanwhile researcher Adam Mastroianni has found that conversations tend to last a length of time that makes no one happy.

The joy of getting back out there

Reverend Paula Hollingsworth outlines the evolution of faith in Jane Austen’s novels and her personal life. And writer Amy Shearn, is on a quest to better understand why we take on long-term projects and what keeps us going through the process.

Finding faith in creative acts

Conversations about race can be fraught in the best of circumstances. But what happens when you’re trying to have that conversation with relatives who’ve experienced racism themselves — and who still dish it out to others? When Vancouvers’s Jamie Lee released her debut jazz album at the beginning of 2020, she didn't know the pandemic would almost convince her to leave her music career behind.

The Struggle at home

When composer Hollis Taylor first encountered the pied butcherbird in Australia, she described it as an “epiphany.” She takes recordings of the bird and turns them into sheet music, often simplifying birdsong so they can be played on human instruments. Karaoke is the perfect poster child of all that we’ve missed during the pandemic, says writer Mel Woods. Woods says it’s a fun way to let loose - once it's safe to do again - even if you can’t sing.

Let’s Sing

Pairing science with psychology, Claudia Hammond wrote the book on rest - and why we need more of it. The Art of Rest, reveals the activities (other than sleep) that can most help you relax, even if it’s something you struggle with doing. The previously untold story of Canadian hockey executive Sherry Bassin is recounted in a documentary by NPR's Gary Waleik. In the early 1980s, when he was general manager and assistant coach of Team Canada, Bassin risked arrest by the KGB to deliver prayer books and prayer shawls to a synagogue in the Soviet Union.

The Art of Rest & Smuggling Jewish religious items into the Soviet Union

CBC Radio's Tapestry is a weekly exploration of spirituality, religion and the search for meaning, hosted by Mary Hynes.

hubhopper

Tapestry from CBC Radio

hubhopper