Wit & Wisdom with Tom Greene

I've got good news for you. It's almost over. The incessant ads, the relentless text messaging and the non-stop news coverage of every candidate's latest move.  It's exhausting. So listen in and hear how we got to a point where we think half the country is evil for voting for the other team. And, how to move forward after it's all over. 

According to a recent survey, we've abandoned one of the great American pastimes: entertaining. Up until 1975, 42% of Americans entertained in their home at least once a month. Today it's just 12%. What happened?  Listen to find out. 

The last public execution in the US happened over 90 years ago. Recently The Pentagon announced the live-streaming of the firing squad execution of Nadal Hassan. Later The White House stepped in and stopped the livestream. Now the country is bitterly divided between those who want to watch and those who think watching is barbaric. Listen to find out why good people generations ago decided against inviting the public to watch executions of the condemned, regardless of the severity of the crime. 

A young woman at Cornell University alleges that she was sexually assaulted by seven young men. There is plenty of booze involved and even some prescription Ketamine. A lot of bad decisions were made that night. I'm not interested in adjudicating the case. I'm interested in one thing: where was the one good man?

With constant ringing, pinging and noise in our daily lives we often forget that the greatest opportunity to impart wisdom is to stop talking and start listening. The wisest souls that ever lived knew this but we've often confused wisdom with words. Perhaps we got it backwards. 

The famous quote "Carpe diem" we all translate to seize the day. But the more important part of that passage is "Carpe diem. Trusting as little as possible in tomorrow". See, back when people only lived about as long as a Labrador Retriever, it was important to seize the day. But, today, we seem to have lost sight that tomorrow is far more important than today.  Listen to find out why. 

Have you ever noticed that you never judge what you have against what you used to have?  You always judge what you have verses what everyone else seems to have. It's called the inflation of expectations. That is, our expectations seem to rise in direct correlation to how well everyone else is doing. And, suddenly, our picture perfect life doesn't seem so perfect anymore. 

Men aged 75 and over have the highest suicide rate in the US.  It's not just retirement. It's a loss of identity and purpose. But, you can help. Learn the warning signs and phrases and how you can help. Might just save a life. 

What if I had a secret formula that almost guaranteed that your children and grandchildren would get better grades, avoid drugs and pre-marital sex and prevent anxiety and depression. Wouldn't you want to know about it?  Listen to find out. 

We are all communicating more. A lot more. But all this communication and technology is killing something off. We are speaking fewer words per day than ever. In fact, between 2005 and 2019 we lost 3,000 words....every day. And, it's only getting worse. Convenience has a habit of quietly replacing things we never intended to lose.  

We all know what we want: more money, better sex and six pack abs. But, it's much more instructive to understand "what you want to want". Because sometimes we simultaneously desire and reject the exact same thing.

Would you believe me if I told you that the happiest young adults were in places like Tanzania, Nigeria and other remote parts of Africa?  It's true. And the rest of the kids on earth are struggling in clinically significant ways. You'll have to listen to find out why those kids in Africa have it all figured out. 

Most regret doesn’t come from making the wrong decision. It comes from simply making a decision.

From chocolate milk and classroom memories to the simple lessons of kindness, wonder, and slowing down, this heartfelt reflection explores why the values we learned as children may be the ones we need most today.

Our birth rates are crashing all across the planet. And, at the same time, several companies are mass producing robots. So, how do these two things collide?  Listen to find out. 

As we celebrate our 250th anniversary as a country it's a good time to question what our lives would be like in the US if the revolution had never happened.

Most of the things we worry about never come to pass. Or if they do, they're never as bad as we think. 

I'm not gonna lie, there are enough things going on right now in the world to make me question if I was born in the final chapter of the human race.  But, then I'm reminded of Adam's Law of Slow Moving Disasters. It's saved us from certain demise hundreds of times. Tune if to find out why you worry too much....and I do too. 

For a brief moment in the summer of 2026 we have a brief moment to see America clearly. The scale, ambition, the abundance, the contradictions and the optimism as viewed through the eyes of a foreigner. Let's hope we may never be the same. 

There are certain lessons that no matter how many times you are told....you simply have to learn them the hard way. It's a part of growing up...and maybe growing old. Eventually you get punched in the throat by life and everything suddenly becomes clear.

Grief is almost uniquely human. Few animals grief like we do. No other emotion brings out the best and the worst in people. But grief leaves a fingerprint. An identity long after the person we love is gone. And the only way to move forward is to remind yourself that grief is living proof that we've loved and lost. It's a gift unlike any other and one we do not deserve. 

Sometimes the worst moment of your life is the turning point of your life. Because, let's face it, you are not the best judge of what your life will become. 

Something odd is happening. A divergence between the sexes. It's happening around the world. Men and women are growing further and further apart from one another. And, it's impacting dating, sex, marriage and the number of children being born. So when did this happen and, more importantly, why?  You'll have to listen to find out. 

We all wonder how our days will come to an end. What will we be on our minds as the days grow very short. Ben Sasse knows.  He's dying of pancreatic cancer and is already living on borrowed time. But in his last days on earth he's taking the time to teach us how to live and die with dignity and grace. 

We all live like we are being watched. Like there's some kind of great digital scoreboard in the sky watching our every move. But, as we age hopefully we realize that nobody is paying any attention to us because they are too busy paying attention to themselves. 

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Stoicism is having a moment. Again. Like a philosophical cockroach, it refuses to die—probably because it’s built for resilience.

Stoicism is a philosophy that...

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Despite all the noise and bad news, this is an insane and remarkable time to be alive.

Imagine you just woke...

If you listen to enough of the talking heads on television, you might convince yourself that the world is going to hell in a hand basket. Well, let me be the first to throw cold water on that. Because right now just might be the most remarkable time to be alive. But, it's also the most insane. 

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There are two kinds of people in this world: people who love dogs and people I don’t understand. See, dogs are truly one of...