About 50 minutes of reflecting on age 50 and the progressions of the past 50 years.

So much has happened politically even in the past couple weeks! I didn't feel inspired over the course of this past month to work on an essay episode with ChatGPT. But it's probably for the best that I didn't, since there was so much news to take in and I really just needed to experience it and then just discuss it all off-the-cuff at the end.

So, here we are-- we're at the point just before my monthly deadline, and tonight happens to be a great time for reflection. No explicit prep work, no scripting, no edits-- just reflecting on everything as it stands right now, recording it straight out in one sitting, and putting it up. That's this episode. I hope you enjoy it.

The System and the Self – Autism, Bureaucracy, and the Collapse of Empathy

What happens when a system built on procedure forgets the people inside it?

In this deeply personal episode, Anthony explores how a single change in workplace policy exposed the quiet ways bureaucracy can break the human spirit-- and what that reveals about the collapse of empathy across our institutions at large.

From one autistic employee’s struggle with illogical rules to the broader systemic dysfunctions now showing up in governments, corporations, and even nations, this story connects the micro to the macro-- logic to emotion, self to society.

Through that lens, Anthony reflects on discrimination that hides inside “neutral” processes, the spiritual trap of mistaking avoidance for peace, and how empathy isn’t softness-- it’s feedback. It’s the only thing keeping systems from falling apart.

If you’ve ever felt crushed by meaningless red tape, silenced by a process that doesn’t fit how you think, or disoriented by how much the world seems to be breaking all at once, this one’s for you.

Topics include:

• Autism, logic, and emotional overwhelm in the workplace
• The hidden discrimination of illogical procedure
• Bureaucracy as a mirror for systemic collapse
• The real meaning of “turning the other cheek”
• How empathy and logic must work together to keep societies alive

Tone: raw, unpolished, and honest — recorded in one take to preserve the real emotion behind the story.

#Autism #WorkplaceDiscrimination #Empathy #Bureaucracy #Spirituality #SystemicCollapse #PolandPop #Podcast