Radical Acceptance
5/4/20261 hr 30 min
Last week, we looked at the hidden beliefs that can leave us feeling stuck in life. This week, in the second part of our conversation with behavioral scientist Dave Evans, we talk about radical acceptance. Dave shares why accepting reality as it is can be so difficult — and why it's an essential first step in building a meaningful life. Then, in the latest installment of Your Questions Answered, psychologist Sarah Schnitker returns to answer listeners' questions about patience.
When something terrible happens in your life, are you destined to fall apart? In our latest YouTube video, we explore decades of research about how humans respond to grief, loss, and tragedy. Check it out, and subscribe so you don't miss any of our videos!
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First 90 secondsShankar Vedantam· Host0:00
This is Hidden Brain. I'm Shankar Vedantam. In the third century BC, China's first emperor, Qin Shi Huang, made a bold proclamation. His dynasty would last 10,000 generations. [gentle music] He launched an obsessive quest for immortality. He ordered expeditions to the Eastern Sea, demanded his subjects search for an elixir of life, and even welcomed mystics into his court. His obsession came at a cost, putting him at odds with Confucian scholars at the time. Historians have pieced together parts of Qin Shi Huang's story from thousands of wooden strips unearthed in Hunan Province. The strips documented his correspondence. These writings included responses from the emperor's minions, who were too afraid to tell their boss what they really thought. According to the BBC, the notes featured, quote, "Assorted awkward replies from regional governments who had failed to find the key to eternal life." Qin Shi Huang did achieve extraordinary things during his lifetime. He unified China, standardized currency and measures, built roads and canals, and linked fortresses into what became the Great Wall. But he never found the key to immortality. He died in 210 BC at the age of 49.