How American Boys and Men Are Falling Behind – and What We Can Do to Help Them

In the US, women and girls now outperform men and boys at every level of education. Boys are less likely to graduate from high school, enroll in college or finish college. Men are more likely to die by suicide, and they aren't participating in the labor market as much as they used to either. In the last forty years, American society has made concerted efforts to boost opportunities for women and girls. That job is not finished, so when we talk about gender inequality in America, it makes sense that the conversations tend to be about women. But American boys and men are falling behind. Have we accidentally overlooked their struggles? Today on Top of Mind, we're looking at a few of the issues facing modern men and boys, and how to help them. We talk to a program director working with boys of color in Baltimore, an economist who’s studied what it means for boys to be raised in single parent households at a record rate, an academic who’s been following these trends for years, and the founder of a nonprofit with an unusual approach to supporting men in their mental health struggles.

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2 Nephi 1–2

In this episode we'll talk about 2 Nephi chapters one and two. We’ll start with Lehi’s counsel to his wayward sons, Laman and Lemuel. We’ll review how he encouraged them to think about the good things the Lord had done for them, in order to strengthen their faith. Then we’ll talk about a recent and very personal story from my life, where my wife had a cancer scare. We’ll review how the Lord provided assurances and we had the chance to decrease anxiety and increase faith as we chose to belief in Him. We’ll emphasize how increasing faith is one way to help manage anxiety. 

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The Surprising Rebirth of Belief in God

A little less than two decades ago, you might walk past a bookstore and see The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins featured among the bestsellers. The mid to late 2000’s were the heyday for the New Atheists, a small cohort of scientists and philosophers who were convinced religion was both untrue and a bad influence in the world. At the time, it was easy to see the rise of the New Atheists as the latest peak of secularism, a sign that public belief in religion was long gone, and there was no going back.

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Slowing Down by 5%

Thomas Wirthlin McConkie is an author, developmental researcher and meditation teacher. As a teenager, he met his first teacher and has been practicing for over 25 years under masters in the traditions of Sufism, Buddhism and Christian contemplation, among others. Thomas is the founder of Lower Lights School of Wisdom, a nonprofit organization committed to sharing ancient and modern teachings from the world’s Wisdom traditions. He is currently researching and writing on the topic of transformative spiritual practice at Harvard Divinity School. He lives with his wife, two kids, and rescue dog.

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How do I make friends as an adult?

As parents it's not uncommon that we spend so much time focusing on taking care of the kids, putting food on the table, and making sure life doesn't fall apart at the seams that we don't find time to work on our own social circles. So what do we do when the kids are becoming independent and we have a little more free time, but it's been years since we tried making a new friend? In this episode of The Lisa Show's Council of Moms, Lisa talks with Heather Frazier, Melanie Call, and Whitney Call about their experiences and advice.

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