x

75% of people globally want unbiased news (Pew Research) but are concerned they're not getting that.

Get balanced coverage with Symby. See how stories are covered across diverse outlets and spot when one side covers a story the other skips.

PODCAST

The Absurd World Podcast

The Absurd World Podcast

The Absurd World is a podcast that dives headfirst into the chaos of existence, exploring life’s biggest (and weirdest) questions through the lens of existentialism, absurdity, and a healthy dose of humor. Hosted by existential psychotherapist Jesse Gill, LCSW, this show unpacks the meaning(lessness) of life, authenticity, and human nature—while also embracing the ridiculousness of it all. Whether you’re questioning reality, laughing at the void, or just trying to make sense of being alive, you’re

society & culture philosophy

All Episodes

00:30:12

Ep. 35 - Why Can’t I Feel?

The Absurd World Podcast ·

2025/11/02

Emotions, what are they, really? Why do we have them? Why do we struggle to express them? And for some of us… why is it so hard to feel them at all?In this week’s episode, I take a deep look at emotions, why they exist, the roles they play in our daily lives, and why so many of us find ourselves disconnected from them. With help from Bell Hooks, Brené Brown, and Rollo May, we’ll also explore how social expectations can pressure entire groups of people to stay numb just to fit in... or even

en-us

00:58:05

Ep. 34 - HALLOWEEN SPECIAL

The Absurd World Podcast ·

2025/10/26

It’s almost Halloween!And to celebrate, we’re digging into one of the most chilling topics of all — Existential Horror.Through film and literature, we’ll descend into the strange, the unsettling, and the deeply human fears of ambiguity, helplessness, and loss of control.Spoiler alert for the following works:EnemyFoeI Who Have Never Known MenA Collapse of HorsesThe Empty ManRoadside PicnicAnnihilationAll Tomorrows

en-us

00:39:26

Ep. 33 - Do I Have Trauma?

The Absurd World Podcast ·

2025/10/19

Throughout my career as a psychotherapist, I’ve worked closely with people healing from trauma. It’s been one of the main focuses of my practice, and in this week’s episode, we’re diving deep into that very topic, asking the question: how much can trauma be treated philosophically?With insights from thinkers like Judith Herman, Peter Levine, Robert Jackman, and David Spiegel, we’ll peel back the many layers of what trauma really is, from its definitions and neuroscience, to its social roots and the

en-us

00:26:57

Ep. 32 - How Much Should I Suffer?

The Absurd World Podcast ·

2025/10/12

After 31 episodes of exploring what it means to be human, we’ve finally arrived at one of the most difficult questions of all: why do we suffer? And maybe even harder, does anything good actually come out of it?Suffering is something everyone experiences, yet most of us spend our lives trying to avoid it, numb it, or make sense of it. But what if, as painful as it is, suffering might hold a kind of strange wisdom? What if, instead of just something to escape, it’s something that reveals what we

en-us

00:32:56

Ep. 31 - What Are My Rights As A Human?

The Absurd World Podcast ·

2025/10/05

What actually are human rights? Do they come naturally, or are they something we invented? Do they exist to define what it means to be human, or to control how humans behave? Are they legal, moral, or something cosmic? And most importantly… do they even work?In this week’s episode, I explore what a “human right” really is, how we’re meant to use them, and whether they actually serve the people they claim to protect. With the help of thinkers like Camus, Weil, Arendt, and Giorgio Agamben, we might

en-us

00:24:56

Ep. 30 - Does Technology Free Me or Trap Me?

The Absurd World Podcast ·

2025/09/28

Technology. From hammers and shovels to smartphones and the AI best friend I beg for validation from (because asking a real human is apparently harder than rocket science). It’s shaped our lives for basically forever. But does it really free us to build the world we want, or quietly trap us in a cage we’ve built ourselves?With the help of thinkers Paulo Freire and Martin Heidegger, I explore whether leaning on technology is liberation or self-sabotage… and if it’s the latter, what on earth we’re

en-us

00:27:05

Ep. 29 - Am I An Addict?

The Absurd World Podcast ·

2025/09/21

Do I have a problem? Am I too dependent on this? Am I an addict? These are questions I hear often in my work, and questions that rarely come with simple answers. Even when they do, there aren’t always easy fixes, because dependency isn’t just about chemicals, it’s also about who we are.In this episode, we dive into addiction from an existential perspective: what it means when your very sense of self becomes entangled with something outside of you. With insight from thinkers like Kierkegaard, and

en-us

00:21:21

Ep. 28 - When Will I Stop Grieving? – Death Part 3

The Absurd World Podcast ·

2025/09/14

Grief — the ache we’re left with after a loss, the pit we fear we’ll never climb out of, and one of the hardest existential challenges we can face.In the third and final episode of our mini-series on death, we examine this painful aspect of mortality: what it means to be the one left behind. Joined by thinkers like Andrew Solomon, Kierkegaard, Rollo May, and Viktor Frankl, we try to make sense of grief and search for ways to find peace.One question hangs over the whole episode: Will grief ever stop

en-us

00:27:57

Ep. 27 - Should I Have The Right To Die? – Death Part 2

The Absurd World Podcast ·

2025/09/07

Suicide — the topic we avoid. The conversation new therapists are trained to face despite discomfort and fear. The nightmare for families and loved ones. Yet it’s something that has weighed heavily on humanity’s mind since the beginning of time. How do we confront it? How do we talk about it? And perhaps most importantly, should it be considered a human right?In this episode, I wade into the dark and murky waters of suicidality with the help of Albert Camus, Emil Cioran, Viktor Frankl, and the

en-us

00:33:21

Ep. 26 Should I Be Afraid Of Dying? – Death Part 1

The Absurd World Podcast ·

2025/08/31

Death — the thing so many of us fear most. Hardwired into nearly every living creature is the instinct to fight against it, yet it remains the one certainty we cannot escape. The opposite of survival, and still, the end awaiting us all. What kind of cruel joke is that? And why does it terrify us so deeply?In this episode, I open a new mini-series on death by asking: why do we fear it so much? And is there any way to escape such a horrid truth... or must we learn to accept it?With the help of a

en-us

00:38:06

Ep. 25 - Does Money Control me?

The Absurd World Podcast ·

2025/08/24

Oh money. The thing that buys us what we want and what we need. The thing that seems to do everything for us. People love to say, “money can’t buy happiness”—yet most of us can’t even imagine happiness without it somehow being involved. Sometimes, having money feels just as essential as food and water. Maybe even more. But what is it, really?In this episode, I get a little help from one of modern philosophy’s favorite chaotic uncles, Slavoj Žižek, as I dig into what money truly is, what it does to

en-us

00:25:25

Ep. 24 - Should I Embrace Labels or Fight Them?

The Absurd World Podcast ·

2025/08/17

What are labels, really? Are they made by us, or are they something bigger than us? Do they help define who we are, or just confuse us about the truth? Should we fear them, reject them, fight them—or embrace them and make peace with them?In this episode, I dig into what labels actually mean, how they function, and whether we truly embrace the ones we carry—or if they never really fit us at all. With thoughts from Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir, and even the ever-confusing Hegel, I ask: is life

en-us

00:31:11

Ep. 23 - Am I Creating Art, or Being Created By It?

The Absurd World Podcast ·

2025/08/10

What is art? How do we make it? What does it mean to see it, hear it, experience it? And who does it really belong to—the artist, the audience, or something else entirely?In this particularly pretentious and confusing episode (your words, not mine), I turn to existentialists of the past—like Martin Heidegger and Rollo May—to help untangle what art is supposed to mean, why it matters, and how it impacts those who encounter it.Along the way, we’ll also wrestle with the question of who gets to

en-us

00:30:36

Ep. 22 - Am I Crazy?

The Absurd World Podcast ·

2025/08/03

Am I crazy? Would I even know if I were? Should I rely on others to tell me? Could that be dangerous? Who could I really trust to decide what’s wrong with me?In this episode, I get to the heart of something many of us fear, misunderstand, or even go to therapy to wrestle with: the feeling that something must be wrong with me. That there’s something that sets me apart from everyone else... in a bad way.With the help of French philosopher Michel Foucault, we’ll dig into the history of how society

en-us

00:34:03

Ep. 21 - Am I A Rebel?

The Absurd World Podcast ·

2025/07/27

In today’s world, we face fears, uncertainty, and living conditions that many have grown deeply tired of. Political terrors, social estrangement, and a good dose of paranoia — for many, it feels like the perfect time to rebel… or at least to demand serious change.In this episode, I focus on exactly how we can do that. People often find themselves lost at the starting line of what it takes to spark a true rebellion — of any kind. Luckily, our dear friend Albert Camus has some answers… though you may

en-us

00:31:46

Ep. 20 - Can I Be A Mystic? - Spirituality Part 3

The Absurd World Podcast ·

2025/07/20

Mysticism… What is it, really? Is it tarot cards, crystals, and reading the stars? Potions, curses, and chatting with spirits? Magic spells? Or is it just some nerds hanging out in basements, eating mushrooms, and flipping through ancient books?In this episode, we wrap up our three-part series on spirituality by exploring these spiritually adventurous souls who exist on the fringes of religious institutions.With help from thinkers like English philosopher Simon Critchley, we’ll ask what it might

en-us

00:29:05

Ep. 19 - Am I Religious? - Spirituality Part 2

The Absurd World Podcast ·

2025/07/13

What does it mean to have a religious experience? Do I have to talk to God? Do I have to be touched by the divine? Or… could it be more than that? Maybe I’ve already had one and didn’t even realize it.In this episode, we dive into what it really means to be religious—and to be open to having a religious experience at all. With a little help from psychologist, philosopher, and father of pragmatism William James, we unpack what it means to call yourself religious, who gets to make that claim, and why

en-us

00:22:06

Ep. 18 - Should I Have Faith? - Spirituality Part 1

The Absurd World Podcast ·

2025/07/06

What does it mean to have faith? Is it something reserved for those who believe in a god (or gods)? For the religious only? Or is it something everyone takes part in, whether we realize it or not?In this week’s episode, we kick off the first in a three-part series on spirituality. I start us off with a headfirst dive into the meaning of faith. With the help of the great grandpapa of existentialism himself, Søren Kierkegaard, we explore the role faith plays in the lives of possibly everyone who has

en-us

00:25:38

Ep. 17 - Are My Morals Real?

The Absurd World Podcast ·

2025/06/29

What’s right and what’s wrong? How do I know if I’m doing the right thing — or if I’m just being a bad person? Jesse told me morality is all human-made… but then why do I feel so bad when I do something I think is wrong?In today’s episode, we dive into the concept of morality — not to brush it off as just another social construct, but to explore the deeper, human side of ethics beneath all the philosophical jargon.With help from Simone de Beauvoir, Jean-Paul Sartre, and Fyodor Dostoevsky, we dig

en-us

00:26:49

Ep. 16 - Am I in Control, or Just Desperate?

The Absurd World Podcast ·

2025/06/22

What does it mean to have control—and to be under someone else’s? And do we really know how to tell the difference?In today’s episode, I dive into the elusive, slippery concept of control and how it shows up in our daily lives, often in ways we don’t even notice. Along the way, we’ll turn to one of the most celebrated psychotherapists of the 20th century—often mentioned alongside Freud and Adler—Viktor Frankl.Maybe we’ll discover that control isn’t always about the actions we take, but about the

en-us

36 results

Similar Podcasts

Voices of Life

APG Mannheim

Promo Estereo Podcast

Promo Estereo

Talking Timelines Podcast

Talkingtimelines

גיקונומי

ראם שרמן ודורון ניר

Drømmefanger

Drømmefanger