Ep. 212: Rob Bell — The Joy of Discovering That Your Interest and Curiosity Lead to Firdus

My guest this week is Rob Bell. I was so happy that I got to speak with Rob. I’ve been a fan of his work for quite a while now—I listen to his podcast all the time and have read a few of his books, and I’ve just found his work so helpful. I  actually had an opportunity to spend a couple of days at the Rodale Institute where Rob was hosting one of his events where about 30 people come and bring an issue, a question, or a stuck point, and one by one we each sit and talk with Rob as the rest of the group observes. It’s hard to describe exactly what happens, but something kind of shifts and opens up. That was definitely my experience.

So it was great to speak with Rob here. We focused mostly on his really cool new book called Where’d You Park Your Spaceship? An Interplanetary Tale of Love, Loss, and Bread (affiliate link). If you haven’t read it already, I strongly suggest you get a copy! It’s fantastic.

Topics Rob and I got into included:

• The ways that Rob shows up in his new novel

• The outside-of-earth perspective that Where’d You Park Your Spaceship offers

• The crucial importance of surrendering to the narrative when telling a story, vs. trying to make a point

• The sense that there is a creative entity within us that to seems to have a mind of its own

• Following interest and curiosity vs. debt, duty, and obligation

• The main character’s existential sense of loneliness

• The importance of moving past denial

• The Enneagram and knowing the pain of your number

• Setting aside the pattern and energy of explaining things

• Reference in the book to Rob’s play, What’s a Knucka?

• Themes of anger, defiance, and liberation

• Recognizing one’s part in creating a system one is opposed to

• The forthcoming second installment of the series

Rob Bell is the New York Times bestselling author of 14 books and plays which have been translated into 25 languages.

His visual art can be seen on Instagram, his band is HUMANS ON THE FLOOR, and his podcast is called The RobCast.

Rob lives with his family in Ojai, California.

Learn more about Rob at his website.