Adventure is about much more than excitement and novelty. It is also about facing challenges and solving problems. It is about venturing into the unknown. It is about moving forward following setbacks. It is about making decisions, and dealing with risk. And yes, adventure can be about wonderful, curious, and frustrating things in far-off lands. This episode is about all of those things and more.
My guest is adventurer, teacher, writer and political risk consultant Oscar Scafidi. In 2016, he and Alfy Weston kayaked the full length of the Kwanza River, the longest river in Angola – from the source all the way to the Atlantic Ocean. They did this for and with the Halo Trust, a charity that removes land mines around the world. The remoteness of the journey, natural and human hazards, the country’s civil war legacy and associated land mine problem meant that this was no ordinary journey – it was fraught with risks.
Along the way, Oscar and Alfy were chased by hippos, sank their kayak, dealt freezing temperatures (yes, you read that correctly) and even got arresting at gunpoint. We get into all of that as well as:
- Angola’s post-colonial history of civil war and the tragedy of land mines in the country;
- Where Alfy and Oscar got the idea to do this journey;
- Preparations, including the risks they faced;
- The journey itself;
- Lessons Oscar took away;
- Much more!
Show notes:
Kayak the Kwanza Documentary on YouTube
Another Day of Life by Ryszard Kapuśiński
Science weighs in on “bad vibes”
Episode 5 with Tarran Kent-Hume – Kayaking the Amazon – did you know that Angola and Brazil were once part of the same land mass?
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Have you ever scrolled through the comments section of an article or a Twitter thread and wondered – “where do these ‘trolls’ come from?” If you’ve ever wondered that causes these often hateful, toxic and often mis-informed opinions, you are not alone. My guest this week wondered the same thing. In fact, he made a book and documentary film about this phenomenon.
Meet Kyrre Lien, a 27-year old Norwegian journalist and documentarist. Last year, Forbes magazine named Kyrre one of the 30 young media entrepreneurs “defining the every shifting world of news and content.” Kyrre spent three years researching, and travelling the world to meet and spend time with the “Internet Warriors” – read internet commentators or less charitable, trolls. The “Internet Trolls” became the title of the book and documentary.
The project took Kyrre from his native Norway to the UK, middle America, the Ukraine, Russia and Lebanon. These people let him into their homes and lives. The film certainly captures many of their often hateful views, but it also captures many of their inconsistencies and contradictions, along with the loneliness and even humanity of its subjects.
One might think that a project like this gives some of these people even more of a platform to voice hateful views – and in a sense that may be true – but it is not a project about celebrating these people. In fact, when I watched it the sentiment I often had was one of pity.
Kyrre talks about all of this in the episode, going from the origins of the project, how he put it together, through to its broader implications. He also discusses his approach to risk, having been to the Donbass region of the Ukraine to cover the Ukraine-Russia conflict. This is a fascinating conversation that reveals a number of insights.
Show notes:
Article in the Guardian: “Internet Warriors: Inside the dark world of online haters”
“EGRIP” – How to engage with someone we disagree with
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iTunes: http://apple.co/1PjLmKh
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Find all episodes here: www.allthingsrisk.co.uk
This is a conversation that emphasises a number of positive things we can do in the face of fake news, lying politicians, disagreements and decision-making. My guest is Gleb Tsipursky and if that name sounds familiar, it might be because he was our guest in episode 45.
Gleb is a professor, a science communicator, the co-founder of Intentional Insights, a non-profit that seeks to promote science-based truth-seeking, meaning and purpose. He is also the co-founder of something called the Pro-Truth Pledge. This is a pledge to share, honour and encourage truth. All Things Risk has taken the pledge, as have many prominent thinkers such as Steven Pinker, Jonathan Haidt, and Peter Singer (in addition to many politicians).
Gleb is also a prolific author having published articles in Newsweek, The Guardian and Psychology Today. He has also recently authored The Truth-Seeker’s Handbook, which shares strategies and tools to help us ensure that our views are aligned with reality. This includes things like avoiding thinking errors and by engaging constructively in conversations with others.
Gleb joined me and we talked about all of those things as well as:
- Why we ignore facts;
- The problem with social media;
- How we can become more truth-focused as a society;
- The trouble with “debates”;
- How to engage people who may not agree with us;
- Probabilistic thinking;
- The skill of collaboration;
- The Pro Truth Pledge
- Tons more!
Show notes:
- The Pro Truth Pledge
- The Truth Seeker’s Handbook: A Science-based Guide
- Gleb’s website;
- Gleb on Twitter
- Intentional Insights;
- Steven Pinker
- Jonathan Haidt
- Peter Singer
- “EGRIP” – empathy, shared goals, rapport, information, positive reinforcement
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