Why Do You Do It? episode artwork

EPISODE · Mar 31, 2026 · 11 MIN

Why Do You Do It?

from The Everyday Human · host Eastin DeVerna

March: On DeathMarch 31Today's reflection was inspired by John Keats' poem "Ode to a Nightingale."We often want what we can't get. That's another odd yet fundamental aspect of human nature. Immortality, something we already looked at in previous reflections, for instance. Or at least the desire to live on in one way, shape, or form after we're gone. Why do we want this? How does this perceived or imaginary time after we die impact the present moment in which we live?While the nightingale’s song may be immortal, the bird does not sing for everlasting life, it sings because that is what it must do. So find what it is that you must do, and carry on with it joyfully until you die, and do not wish for anything beyond that. Reflection title: Why Do You Do It?Creative inspiration: John Keats, "Ode to a Nightingale"Reflection Question: What is it that I must do and create? Have I been looking for immortality in the wrong places? How can I shake this desire to better live in the present?

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Mar 31, 2026

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March: On Death March 31 Today's reflection was inspired by John Keats' poem "Ode to a Nightingale." We often want what we can't get. That's another odd yet fundamental aspect of human nature. Immortality, something we already looked at in previous reflections, for instance. Or at least the desire to live on in one way, shape, or form after we're gone. Why do we want this? How does this perceived or imaginary time after we die impact the present moment in which we live? While the nightingale’...

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Why Do You Do It?

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