“The definition of learning and contemplation is very individual.”  - Lisa Cypers Kamen

Socrates is credited with saying, “the unexamined life is not worth living”. Yet, our contemporary world of results-driven work leaves us very little time for ponderance. To unearth the benefits of growing our inner worlds through examination and contemplation, Positive Psychology Podcast Host Lisa Cypers Kamen speaks with author and founder of the Catherine Project, Zena Hitz. Zena shares examples of individuals, real and imagined, who enrich themselves with life-long learning to discover the pleasures of intellectual development. She also shares key elements of her book, Lost in thought: The Hidden Pleasures of an Intellectual Life. 

• Zena references the movie, The Hedgehog, to describe her learning for its own sake concept. [2:26]
• After years of schooling and work, Zena joined a religious community that focused on manual tasks, which gave her the opportunity to enter into the intellectual life of those around her. [10:49]
• Zena recognized that anyone, no matter their walk of life, can find these spaces and tap into that capacity to contemplate and learn. [14:34]
• In her book, Lost in thought: The Hidden Pleasures of an Intellectual Life, Zena shares the benefits of considering the so-called useless things in life. [15:59] 
• If all tasks are results-driven people won’t have a chance to connect with their humanity. [20:15]
• Contemplation allows us to discover who we truly want to be in life. [23:14]

About Lisa’s guest:

Zena Hitz earned her PhD at Princeton and is a Tutor at St. John's College, Annapolis, Maryland. Her book, Lost In Thought, has been widely discussed, including in Wall St. Journal, Chicago Tribune, El Mundo, and Irish Times. A Spanish translation has just appeared from Ediciones Encuentro, and translations into six more languages are on the way. She received the Hiett Prize in the Humanities in 2020 and is the founder and president of the Catherine Project.