My 13-year-old has me reading The Mysterious Benedict Society, a New York Times bestselling work of fiction. I sure can relate to the bookish 11-year-old Reynie Muldoon, who, having used the word “enjoyable” to describe a book he was reading, was predictably taunted for the rest of the day.
That was me when I was his age. I was interested in the wrong things — reading, politics, government, economics. When I was 12, I was very interested in the Reagan-Mondale race. My peers made it perfectly clear that I was not supposed to be.
One of my friends, who was extremely bright, went out of his way to appear uninterested in academics so he’d be more popular. That attitude wound up crippling him later, but that’s another story.
Why do I bring all this up? Today’s episode of the Tom Woods Show is intensely personal. Interviewed by the top-notch Isaac Morehouse, I cover a wide range of topics: publishing, public speaking, high-profile attacks (on me), being an intellectual entrepreneur of sorts, my kids and how they bring meaning to my life, and a lot more.
But I also talk about my shortcomings, which I am determined to overcome. (I actually have a list of 19 character defects I wish to uproot.) One of them is grudges and resentments: up until quite recently, I was still stewing about how those jerks treated me in junior high.
The episode ends with something of a lightning round:
- What’s the single most helpful thing I’ve done to improve my work/life balance?
- What music am I listening to today?
- What is my response when people tell me I should run for office?
- What’s something that’s well outside of my field that I love that not many people know that I love or am interested in?
- Who is my ideal podcast guest?
- When will I run out of gas?
This one’s a real beauty.
P.S. If you haven’t yet checked out my Real Dissent: A Libertarian Sets Fire to the Index Card of Allowable Opinion (featuring a foreword by Ron Paul), it’s my favorite of my books and a good place to get started if you’ve never read my stuff. It’s just four smackers on Kindle, and $0 through Audible. Check out RealDissent.com for details.