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This week we talk to Robert Sessions about becoming real
A native of South Dakota, Robert Sessions earned a B.A. from Drake University and a Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Michigan. Before focusing on photography, for more than four decades he taught at Kirkwood Community College, Grinnell College, Luther College, and the University of Minnesota in Duluth.
As a photographer he works frequently with his wife, travel writer Lori Erickson. Together they produce Spiritual Travels, a website describing holy sites around the world, and Holy Rover, a blog hosted by Patheos, the world’s largest website on religion and spirituality. His photos also appear regularly in publications that include the Cedar Rapids (Iowa) Gazette and Group Tour Magazine. He is a member of the Society of American Travel Writers.
In addition, Sessions is the author of Becoming Real: Authenticity in an Age of Distractions and co-author of Working In America: A Humanities Reader. He has also published several dozen articles on environmental philosophy, the philosophy of work, ethics, and the philosophy of technology.
He lives in Iowa City, Iowa.
In This Interview, Robert Sessions and I Discuss:
- The One You Feed parable
- His new book, Becoming Real: Authenticity in an Age of Distractions
- That authenticity is something fundamental that is at the heart of what we are all seeking
- How authenticity is impacted by variables found on the inside as well as in the world surrounding a person
- The three main distractions that get in the way of authenticity
- That work is a major context within which we discover ourselves
- How bad habits surrounding technology can get in the way of being our authentic selves
- That nature is a really important and powerful way to bring us back to our authentic selves
- How important the role of decision making is in living out our authentic selves
- That knowing yourself – knowing who you are – is crucial to making the right decisions in your life
- That happiness is unique in that it is something you can’t get if you pursue it directly.
