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IS THERE ANY SUCH THING AS A GENUINELY BAD EXPERIENCE?

This is a series of posts that was kicked off by two National Public Radio (NPR) interviews with acclaimed podcaster and author Kelly Corrigan (https://g.co/kgs/heCit8i).

They all revolve around the issue of whether anything can be bad – simply bad, something that “just sucks”.

This first 4-minute post, shot just this morning, frames the whole conversation.

“Are there some experiences that ‘just suck’? My reading of my own life says ‘No!’”

Here is a very brief 12-minute overview of my 78-year life, asking the question whether any of the significant traumas I have experienced could be called totally bad.

“Attempting to tell my life story through the lens of good things and bad things.” (1/8/25, 12’)

A couple of months ago I heard a terrific interview on National Public Radio. Kelly Corrigan outlines ways to keep people talking and express what they need to say.

“A guide to being brave in relationships.” (Kelly Corrigan – “TED Talks Radio Hour”, National Public Radio, 11/1/24, 50’)

https://one.npr.org/?sharedMediaId=1210938556:1262314121

Just a few days later, I interviewed a young woman artist who was working on one of the many murals of this lovely town of Akumal. Listening to that video, it was obvious to me how much I had been influenced by Kelly’s formulas for keeping people talking.

“Michigan artist Charlotte Art: ‘The gifts and lessons of my difficult early years have taught me to fly.’” (11/13/24, 13’)

This video describes an experience I had withJack Canfield (https://g.co/kgs/knW8LAUis), co-author of The Chicken Soup for the Soul books, in the 80s.

“One of my all-time favorite dance experiences – with Pachelbel’s Canon in D.” (12/21/24, 4’)

The two key principles of my spirituality are:
That life is connected – not random or chaotic
That life is intelligent. It is always sending us exactly the experiences we need for our own growth and healing

The following 12-minute video, which I shot two days before Christmas, portrays such a web of connection in my life that it once again cemented my experience that my life is not chaotic – and that every experience comes to me for a reason.

“My connection to Edie Brickell, Paul Simon & Steve Martin: Try to tell me that life is not connected!” (12/23/24, 12’)

This 13-minute video – which I shot very early on Christmas Day – tells the story of the meaning of this Christmas for me, and the magical experiences I’ve had on my last 5 Christmas days.

“My personal Christmas Carol: Christmas Eve visits from happy ghosts of 5 Christmas pasts.” (12/25/24, 13’)

The event that really caused me to pull together all these videos on the theme of good things and bad things was listening to the following NPR podcast with Kelly Corrigan. As fully as I had embraced her November 1 podcast about Brave Relationships, that’s how wholeheartedly I disagreed with something she said in this interview.

Here is the interview, hosted by Mary Louise Kelly:

https://one.npr.org/i/1222389475:1264191865

And here is my 9-minute reply:

“Is it possible for something to go wrong or ‘just suck’?” (9’, 1/3/25)

Right after listening to that interview with Kelly Corrigan – and responding with my disagreement about her position that “some things just suck”, I had several experiences related to that theme. They are contained in the following three videos.

“The movie The Secret sucks: you don’t manipulate God. You don’t program your life by your thoughts.” (1/3/25, 3’)

“My most peaceful place in Akumal is the athletic field. The gate is locked! Is that a bad thing?”

Here’s another dialectic: claiming that no experience is truly bad needs to live in balance with compassion for people who are experiencing painful situations. The collapse of my relationship with Marina at the coffee shop was a situation like this.

“This was a magical bench for me – none today. But 1 hour earlier, across the street, magic struck!” (1/3/25, 4’)