Emptiness

Emptiness[1]

Series
The Other Side (Series)
Original Broadcast Date
5/27/2001
Cast
Joe Frank, Larry Block, Jack Kornfield, Debi Mae West
Format
Karma Style, 1 hour
Preceded by:	Four Part Dissonance
Followed by:	Summer Hill

"Malcolm's about to come home, and my friends just called and asked if we wanted to meet them at the Sky Bar."

Emptiness is a program Joe Frank produced as part of the series The Other Side (Series). It was originally broadcast on May 27, 2001.

Synopsis

• Debi Mae West: meaning of life, need for purpose.
• Jack Kornfield on emptiness.
• Larry Block: fantasizing about a cross country trip ending at Joe's house and how Joe might react to the unexpected visit.
• Debi in creative despair.
• Larry on the guys in line at the bank, wishing he felt their joy and contentment.
• Debi anticipating a three-week visit from her boyfriend's kids. Joe's not impressed with what he hears about Malcolm, seeing his kids just a few weeks out of the year and needing to have his wages garnished to support them.
• Jack: it's now or never. Why he was drawn to Buddhism. Funny personal story about meeting his sister in law in New York, then driving a taxi in Boston; graduate school, trying to maintain serenity. The point: discovering that fleeing a painful family life and moving to Asia to become a monk is not the same as banishing anger and pain and emotion forever.
• Larry: feeling like an utter failure. Joe is completely behind him on this.
• Debi: where is Malcolm? He's late. She feels threatened by his ex wife. Yet she's considering marriage. She sand Joe discuss Malcolm's future. Malcolm finally arrives.
• Jack: fear underlying all dukkha.
• Larry: feeling generized rage.
• Jack: more on pain. Emily Dickenson quote.
• Larry: doing badly, switched to vodka, ran out of valium.
• Jack: concluding thoughts.
• Larry tells a few jokes and has to explain them for Joe.

Music

• "Sex" - The Necks (from Sex, 1989) | YouTube== Commentary ==

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Spblat

Wow, what a nice example of the Karma Style. Jack's story was uncharacteristically personal and I loved it. Really classic stuff, tied together perfectly. When Joe's style changed from the absurd monologues to these drawn out conversations back when these were being made and aired on KCRW, I wasn't that into it and often tuned out. But now I'm starting to find the Karma Style as captivating as some of the greats in the Somewhere Out There series.