The Mystery That Ignighted Connectedness

Who disappeared? No, he was a friend, a school mate.

As I put the phone down my old friend had done something I didn't even think possible. He had rendered me speechless, uncommon and uncomfortable territory, as an adult at least. 

I was doing some things in the kitchen when a mate rang me and asked if I remembered Brad from Bathurst, an old school friend. 

“Yes, I remembered him, no-nonsense sort of guy, became a cop I think”. My memory being pushed to its limits. “Yes, that’s him, also became Mayor actually” added my caller. 

“But involved in this, are you serious?” 

“Absolutely! Check it out it’s a podcast, knight rider or something”. David Hasselhoff flashed through my mind adding to my disorientation further. 

“I’ll call it up on my phone, no, it’s Night Driver, check it out”. 

I hadn’t really explored podcasts before, they seemed to demand longer periods of time I didn’t have and commitments I could not afford. But now I had personal motivation. A former schoolmate someone I had lost contact with but knew was a suspect in one of Australia’s most chilling crimes. 

I live in Castle Hill in Sydney's North and needed to do several trips to Port Macquarie, a four-hour drive. I leapt at the chance to fill in the time listening to the podcast and trying to make sense of it all. 

Instantly I found myself immersed in a multi-layered story of crime and intrigue. 

Janine Vaughan was a young woman with many friends, a loving family and a good job. She lived in a country town famous for one of the world’s great annual car races. She stepped into a red car in front of friends 19 years ago - and disappeared without a trace.

Brad Hosemans, whom I went to school with was a top Bathurst cop and the town’s Deputy Mayor. Some colleagues tipped him to rise to the top of the police force but when Janine Vaughan disappeared, his life and standing began to crumble around him as rumours and gossip linked him to abduction and possible murder.

The Podcast as my Entry to a Renewed Love of Learning

The Night Driver was so much more than an incredibly sad story. This was a mystery about a person who was missing that ended in discovering what I was missing in my personal growth. The detail and legal analysis that accompanied the 10-hour podcast helped me understand concepts of our legal system I otherwise would not have added to my general knowledge. It made me an insufferable expert in all matters legal for some weeks after. 

Reflecting on this, and the sense of exhilaration I felt having expanded my learning for the first time in some time, I was eager to use the trips to Port Macquarie as my “mini university”. Those four hours suddenly became about so much more than monotony and repetition. I had discovered the joy of the podcast and shortly after the delight of audiobooks. 

If I think about the ways I have come to learn in my life they have until recently, been very traditional. Time needed to be set aside, books purchased, a quiet area found and a good run at it permitted. 

With new technology, I'm able to utilise my brain in the dead times, like driving and relaxing, without disruption or even needing to schedule the time.  

My Journey back to Connectedness via adventure. 

Technology has come under criticism over the years. From the fear of artificial intelligence taking jobs to bullying on social media. However, I choose to see it as a place to be connected in the broadest sense of the definition. How we use the internet in particular, will define what we pay attention too, and what value we receive. 

In the 2020 Netflix documentary #Cats the Mewvie we learn about the first viral videos at the birth of the internet as cats went from cute text memes to iconic celebrities on YouTube. One of the cat owners who has made hundreds of thousands of dollars posting pictures of her cat, tells how it started as a place to share something cute and became a journey of being connected with others who have the same passion.  

Connectedness is so much more than communicating with others. There are lots of different ways now to remain informed about the wonderful world we live in.

We don’t have to give in to algorithms to decide how we wish to use the internet.

We don’t have to see connectedness only through the eyes of social media either. We can delight in the often free educational media that can be accessed with this new technology. 

It is with audiobooks and podcasts that I have come to be more connected to my community and the world. It has opened my eyes to learnings I would otherwise not have experienced without the cheap and easy access today’s technology provides. 

The most exhilarating aspect of all of this is that my journey of connectedness has come in the form of an adventure. Great learning comes from great stories and all my learnings have been adventures into new territories of the mind with a ripping story at the doorway. 

Refuse to Stop Learning 

To me, this is a great revelation. Learning is about seizing a moment and making it stick. It's about embedding knowledge that can be recalled at a useful time. However, in the same way, people say love what you do, and you'll never work a day in your life. I believe that if you love learning you will refuse to stop. 

The human experience tells me that we love stories.

We all consume them in our favourite form. An enthralling book, a fabulous movie, a clever play. We love to draw in the subtitles of expression in all its forms. We do the same within our friendships. These bonds are enhanced by the measure of our willingness to share the stories of our lives. The more we give the more I get, the more we learn to appreciate the people who enrich our lives. 

We sit around the dinner table or chat at a party we animate our stories more like a drama and less like a lecture. Sometimes we like a story so much that we share it later with other groups as if it now belongs to us. 

So, it comes as no surprise to me that when we learn through story we remember. This begins very early in life. As children, we are told fables that intend to direct our behaviour. The boy who cried wolf teaches us not to spread falsehoods, Hansel and Gretel teaches us not to be greedy, or perhaps avoid witches. We learn through story. 

What I have discovered is the joy of how new technology brings those stories to me at my convenience, allowing me to learn through the medium of story in all its forms. 

Some of my most loved audiobooks include ‘The Happiest Man on Earth’ by Eddie Jaku. In the same vein as AB Facey, Jaku has survived a shocking experience during WW2 but still sees his life as one of great joy. 

‘Becoming’ by Michelle Obama is another inspirational story of hope set in a world pitted against the author. The importance of not just shaping a morality for yourself but acting on it is stark here. 

On the business side I have enjoyed ‘Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action’ by Simon Sinek. This simple question for all organisations serves to motivate both employees and customers into action. Simon’s example of Dell computers and how they failed to break into the TV market, despite making perfectly great computer monitors, is caused by a missing ‘why’. Or the whitegoods maker LG’s answer to why they do what they do. Their caption 'We give people time back to their families' motivated the R&D department to create better and more efficient washing machines. 

If you’re looking to get a clearer understanding of the global political shift, I recommend ‘Jacinda Ardern’ by Madeleine Chapman. The unremarkable humble beginnings of New Zealand’s Prime Minister set the stage for her to govern with real humanity, common sense and care. 

Podcasts are a great find for me. They feature an episodic format of fireside like discussions that take the listener on a journey that is difficult to walk away from. Many a car journey has ended far too quickly. 

Some of my favourites include ‘Revisionist History’ with Malcolm Gladwell. The soft and delightful demeanour of Gladwell presents astonishing facts in the most gentle and funny of ways. 

‘Armchair Expert’ with American actor Dax Shepard, best known for his role in 2010-2015’s ‘Parenthood’ and many other TV shows and movies, is another gem. Learning is present in his self-deprecating style that is both funny and challenging. It’s a bit like being in a car with a friend you haven’t seen for some time. 

When I’m keen for some business advice and helpful tip to get ahead, I turn to Mid-Market Matters with Craig West. This podcast features conversations about real business development for companies that are struggling with their new success.

This serves to engage my ideas bank and become focused when I need to be creative. 

Finally, for the purposes of simply relaxing and enjoying a laugh but still learning, I turn to 'Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend' with American late-night TV host Conan O'Brien. Over the years and despite thousands of interviews, Conan has never made a real and lasting friendship with any of his celebrity guests. So, he started a podcast to do just that. This is a fascinating premise to interviewing celebrities. Would I indeed like this person on a human level if I took the time to go deeper? This highlights a podcast's real quality as it can use my time more productively by having conversations that connect us to people in ways a five-minute interview cannot.

Over to You 

It's always disconcerting when you hear someone whom you knew is in trouble. It never sits well with me when the accusation doesn't fit the person. That phone call from my friend and the subsequent podcast journey I went on was jarringly personal. However uncomfortable I felt, I was grateful for the opportunity to have access to a wealth of information that assisted me in having an informed position on the circumstances. I was also fortunate to learn so much more about law and human behaviour. 

So now it's over to you.

What are the audiobooks and podcasts that have captured your imagination?

 Tell me the story of your journey of reconnecting to lifelong learning and the joy it brings in the comment section below. 

#ignightedness