Great simplification pulsing lines

#53 | Frankly

The Haves & The Have-Nots

Check out this podcast

Frankly

Description

In this Frankly, Nate follows up the recent Reality Roundtable on poverty with a wider perspective on the different types of “wealth” in our society that go beyond the material. At the same time that the power dynamic of the economic superorganism leads us to a hyperfocus on the pursuit of growth and monetary wealth, other forms of poverty increase:  relationships, skills, health, and behavioral deficits. How do our assumptions and societal expectations align with the reality of what it means to be rich? Can reflecting on our own place within the various “Haves” and “Have-Nots” help us be more compassionate towards others and direct us to a more stable and sane place in society? How will the turmoil and decrease in total material wealth in the coming decades change what it means to be wealthy – and how does that influence the actions and investments we take on today?

In French, we have a motto that says that a simple drawing is often better than a long explanation. Jean-Marc Jancovici Carbone 4 President

That’s very understandable because with left atmosphere thinking, one of the problems is that you see everything as a series of problems that must have solutions. Iain McGilchrist Neuroscientist and Philosopher

We can’t have hundreds and hundreds of real relationships that are healthy because that requires time and effort and full attention and awareness of being in real relationship and conversation with the other human. Nate Hagens Director of ISEOF

This is the crux of the whole problem. Individual parts of nature are more valuable than the biocomplexity of nature. Thomas Crowther Founder Restor

Show Notes & Links to Learn More

00:10 – Reality Roundtable #7: Poverty

01:04 – Mean income per capita in the U.S. vs Median income per capita in the U.S.

02:17 – Average increase in use of goods and services from 200 years ago globally and in the U.S.

03:38 – Material wealth enables isolation

05:14 – Long COVID

05:20 – Endocrine disruptors

05:24 – Metabolic health declines

05:50 – Percentage of people on mental health medications

06:20 – Declining attention spans

07:55 – Link between agency and mental health

08:20 – Discussing an issue reduces cortisol and boosts helper-T cells

08:58 – DJ White

09:28 – Abrahamic religions

09:38 – Meaning crisis

09:57 – Overton window

10:27 – Dark Triad, 10% of people and prevalence in high level positions

Image Attribution Credits

Lee Bob Black, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

John Edwards, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Lorie Shaull from Washington, United States, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

LLs, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Back to episodes
Frankly#112 | The Quadruple Bifurcation

In this week’s Frankly, Nate outlines four bifurcations that are likely to underpin the human experience in the near future. While the broad biophysical realities of energy and ecology underpin our civilization’s movement over time, in the moment, people will experience these trends mostly economically and psychologically. Whether related to the widening of an already existing economic gap or the expansion of dependence on cognitive crutches like AI, the demographics that comprise society are starting to splinter – to bifurcate. These divergences, and the ways we cope with them, contribute to increasing incoherence as a species.

Watch nowOct 31, 2025
Frankly#111 | The Three Most Important Words We’re Taught Not to Say

In this week’s Frankly, Nate considers the ways in which our social species overvalues false-confidence rather than the more honest and inquisitive response of “I don’t know.” He invites us to consider the science behind this cultural bias towards certainty: from our biological response from the stress of “not knowing” to the reinforcing effects of motivated reasoning that ensnares even the smartest among us (especially the smartest among us).

Watch nowOct 24, 2025
Frankly#110 | What Sloths Teach Us About the Superorganism

In this week’s Frankly, Nate reflects on the multiple metaphors brought to mind via a single photograph, which depicts a sloth climbing a barbed wire fence in Costa Rica. Beyond evoking compassion for a species that’s on the receiving end of human intervention into its ecosystem, the image raises larger ideas about the response of animals, including humans, to artificial cues and novel environments. Just as the sloth mistakes a fence post for the safety of a tree, modern humans mistake consumption, speed, and certainty for meaning.

Watch nowOct 17, 2025

Subscribe to our Substack

The Institute for the Study of Energy and Our Future (ISEOF) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation, founded in 2008, that conducts research and educates the public about energy issues and their impact on society.

Support our work
Get in touch
x