Wit & Wisdom with Tom Greene

Young men are seemingly failing to launch. Spending time gambling on line, watching porn and failing to get out from underneath their parent's protection. Is this a lack of motivation? Is it a laziness? I don't think so. I think it's something totally different but you'll have to listen to find out.

All across the US, anxious high school students are watching their emails and busily refreshing their browsers waiting to hear about college acceptances. It's that time in life where seemingly everything is dependent on a few strangers making a decision in your favor. But what if all of that angst is overblown? What if getting into the right school and getting great grades really isn't the key to success? Could all this angst be a waste of time? Listen to find out.

Wisdom used to be something we expected to grow in to, something we earned through years of trails and errors--years of confusion and uncertainty. We still respect wisdom today, but have we grown too impatient to pursue it ourselves?

As we get on in age, we often tend to spend time thinking about legacy. About what things we leave behind for others. But that's not the right way to think about legacy. We shouldn't be thinking about the stuff that matters to us. We should be thinking about the traits we pass on. The ones that tend to live on long after we are pushing up daises.

Today's conversation started with a simple observation during an ordinary drive. It made me think about how we handle mistakes, detours and the quiet adjustments we are forced to make in life. Those adjustments that often and color and richness to our lives.

The older I get the more I realize that wisdom and growth isn't always about adding. It's about subtracting; letting go. Because the life you envisioned isn't always the life you actually want.

If you're reading this summary then you likely survived dry January. The time when 1/3 of Americans give up booze for 30 days. Or at least try. It's a nice idea and your liver needs it. Alcohol consumption is down in the US already, way down. But what are the unforeseen consequences of all this sobriety. You'll have to listen to find out.

The loudest voices, the angriest voices, seem to have taken over the stage. We are naturally empathetic people but only to a point. We used to be able to have a conversation and disagree without being disagreeable. We could have empathy and still disagree. Today empathy is hijacked by movements and you either agree on you're wrong and immoral. How did we get here?

Parents today have pulled out all the stops for this kids. During a period of unprecedented prosperity today's kids have enjoyed the finest schools, clothes, neighborhoods, cars, etc. All in an effort to give kids the good life. But what if all we were doing was setting the kids up for disappointment later in life when the real world started for them?

We are told constantly that the world is cruel, people are selfish and civility is a relic of a bygone era. Maybe I'm old school but I think that's BS. There are tons of signs that civility is alive and kicking. You'll have to listen to learn why.

This generation came of age during the most prosperous time in human history. Parents provided their kids with every advantage and allowed them to sample the good life. It came with the message of study hard, stay out of trouble, get into a good college and all your wildest dreams will come true. Now as that generation enters the real world, they're finding out how misleading that dreamy sales pitch really was. Like an all-inclusive vacation where the glossy brochure totally oversold the promise of the good life.

It's that time of year. The time when we look back at 2025 and figure out which podcasts you liked the most. There were three winners in 2025 that got you really fired up. Jump in and enjoy this "best of 2025" episode of Wit & Wisdom.

Nobody wants to suffer at the end of their life, especially me. But is Canada's Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) the solution? Last year 60K people voluntarily ended their life in Canada. That seems like an awful lot to me. A number of US states are following the lead. Several now have laws that allow for your doctor to end your life. This is a tough subject but one that deserves a lot of debate and discernment.

Twenty five years ago Robert Putnam noticed something odd. More people were bowling, but fewer people were bowling in group leagues. But, why? The answer has to do with a gigantic sociological shift towards aloneness. And that was before the pandemic, work from home, videoconferencing, the iPhone and the Peloton. It's crazy how far ahead of his time he was. And now 25 years later he's looking like a modern-day Nostradamus.

My Dad used to say that nothing in life is free. He was right. So many things we used to hold dear to us are now free. And you and I both know that nothing of any real value is given for free. So what am I talking about? You'll have to tune in to find out.

It's been a confusing time to be a young adult. The pandemic and all the various social movements of the past few years has made it hard to be a kid. Record number of college freshman couldn't or wouldn't identify their gender. By 2022 and 2023 the numbers exploded. But then something strange happened in 2025. You'll have to listen to find out what it is.

Are you in the second half of life? Are you struggling to find your purpose in life now that things have settled down? Given the abundance of opportunities available, we can often feel overwhelmed or uninspired. Like having 500 channels on TV and nothing to watch. There's an answer to this dilemma but you'll have to listen to find out what it is.

Today we're having a conversation about something we'll all need at some point in our lives: resilience. Why? Because regardless of your income, your position in life or your age, resilience is usually in short supply. We all have those moments where life takes your breath away. It's at that point that you'll need to lean on your own resilience. Here are three ways resilient people rely on three habits. And, I'm going to tell you what they are.

I wrote another letter to myself. Yeah, I know, but I promise this is the last one. My 80 year old self wanted to give my "younger self" some advice. Just a few adjustments today will make all the difference tomorrow. Some good wisdom here. Hope you enjoy.

Remember when summer days as a kid used to crawl by? And the summer felt like it'd last forever? Yet today it seems as if the days, weeks and even years just fly by. I often wonder if adulthood and technology changed our perspective on time. Listen to find out.

There's a lot of noise on the inter webs about the state of our finances in the US. Specifically, younger Americans are complaining about the deck being stacked against them. Home prices are sky high, interest rates are crazy high and the boomers and squatting on all the good homes--just waiting to fleece money out of the Gen Z'ers. But, is it true? Maybe we need to take a stroll down memory lane and see how people lived before everyone wanted to be a Kardashian.

Things are crazy today. So I decided to write a letter to Younger Me back in 2000 so I'd be ready for some of the changes coming my way.

There was a time, not so long ago, when shame was a guardrail. It protected us from doing dumb things. But, mostly it protected us from ourselves. But, today, shame is dead. It's the age of moral relativism. That is, the definition of right and wrong is subject to interpretation. That's the kind of thinking that allows young people to have sex in a room full of people while television cameras record every second in high definition through night-vision lenses. Yes, shame is dead. Is it time to bring it back?

When life takes you on a detour through a series of potholes, focus on these five key pillars of happiness and you'll be just fine.

If you spend any time watching the news, it seems as if everyone is doing it today. I'm not talking about sex. I'm talking about lying. It's become a national pastime. Do we have an epidemic of "Liabetes"?

Of the myriad of happy emotions, from gratitude to contentment, the most underrated emo is hope. Hope is the ember at the bottom of the fire that refuses to go out. It's the green shoot that appears from a scorched earth. Because when everything else is stripped away, hope is the last light that remains.

I bet at some point you went through an existential crisis. A period where you questioned "why am I here?" A period that causes you to pursue that one true thing that defines your passion. But, what if there is no single passion? What if the great learning of life is to be patient and that meaning isn't often found in clarity, but in mystery.

Today's kids are raised differently. They live their lives with structured play, guardrails and constant adult supervision. The days of adventure and courage are long gone. And, it's making an entire generation lack courage.

Take a look around. See if you can find the color red. Bet you can't? Why? Because since the 1970's we've been slowly removing color from our world. 80% of all cars sold today are monochrome: gray, black or white. And, that's just the beginning. It's leaking into movies, comedy, food, music and branding. Yes, the world is quickly going "griege".

Like everything else today, we've outsourced dying. What was once a family and neighborhood affair has been converted to an institutional and sterile process. One handled by the utmost professionalism and care. But, one that is best managed by third parties, so as to avoid the messiness of it all. This is episode number 139 and you'll likely think differently about life (and death) after you listen.

There's something odd happening in the world. Men are finally opening up. Disclosing their most carefully guarded thoughts, feelings and secrets. It's to be applauded. But, here's the catch. They aren't opening up to therapists or friends. Their opening up to ChatGPT. It's fraught with ethical and legal issues. And, there are multiple cases where these Artificial Intelligence applications encouraged men to commit suicide. You don't want to miss this episode of Wit & Wisdom.

A female born today has a 5% chance of living to age 100. Which raises the question: if you could live to age 100, would you want to?

The Male Sedation Hypothesis isn’t just a clever phrase—it’s a glimpse into the quiet crisis playing out in plain sight.

If you were evil, I mean truly evil, how would you end the world without a gun or a nuclear bomb? Yeah, I know, kinda morbid. But, it's a perfect question to pose to ChatGPT to see how the computers and robots are going to take over. It gave me six, clear steps to destroy our society. The scary part is that most of it is already in process. You won't wanna miss this one.

The floods in the Texas hill country were gut-wrenching. And, our immediate reaction is often to assign blame to a person, a government or political party for creating the environment for such pain and loss. Sure, it's reassuring to find a culprit. And, it allows for a distraction from our unthinkable grief. But, is that the healthy thing to do at a time of such loss? You'll have to listen to find out.

Why is it that I struggle to remember my AMEX card number, but I can remember by 8th grade girlfriend's phone number? And, when did we decide that remembering things like phone numbers, birthdays and anniversaries was no longer worth the effort. Yes, technology is great, but I think it has cheapened thoughtfulness and intentionality. In the process we've slowly trained ourselves to stop paying attention to the things that really matter.

Have you ever had that feeling that you've met someone before? Or, that you've been someplace before but can't recall when or why? We've all been there. But, it's especially maddening to learn later that you had met that person earlier or that you had visited that place in the past. Which made me wonder, how many things are buried so deep in our subconscious mind that we can't easily recall them? And, what if those thoughts would cause us to lose friends or family relationships if they ever got out? We'll, you'll have to listen to find out where all this is headed but I bet you'll enjoy this little walk down memory lane.

We curate everything today: our news, our entertainment, our music, taxis and even our coffee. But, is all this customization really necessary? And, does it really bring our lives more peace? Or, do all those options make us immediately regretful of the decisions we make? You'll have to listen to find out.

I get it. You hate uncertainty. But, did you know that your brain actually thrives on uncertainty? Just imagine trying to explain to someone from 1974 how we book an airline ticket, select our seat, pass through TSA and board a commercial aircraft all without touching a single piece of paper or speaking to another human. Yet, we’ve all enhanced our lives despite all this change. Why? Because we secretly love uncertainty.

Have you ever been at a crossroads in your life and started noticing the same number everywhere? Or kept running into people who gave you the same advice? Or had a book fall in your lap with just the right message for the moment? Some call it karma. Others call it fate or destiny. But, in reality, these things are textbook examples of Synchronicity. The questions is whether you're paying enough attention to recognizer that the universe is trying to tell you something.

Have you ever noticed that the most confident people are typically with ones with the least expertise? It's true and it's the reason why researchers explored something called the Dunning Kruger effect. What is it? You'll have to listen to find out.

You've often heard that life is a journey. On that journey we will learn that our greatest impact came from the smallest of gestures. And, that my friend, is the reason why you're here.

We're living in the most connected time in history. But, we've never had a harder time genuinely connecting with one another. I blame the pandemic. With all that sheltering in place, we simply lost our social agility. But, this podcast will give you the roadmap for creating deeper connections with people you care about.