Start Here (Episode 0)

Welcome to The BetterPears Podcast bringing you fruit for the human soul. I am Dr. Jason Fugikawa, the founder of BetterPears and host of the podcast. The name BetterPears comes from St. Augustine’s reflections, indeed confessions, concerning his theft of a neighbor’s pears one night in his youth over 1,600 years ago in Northern Africa. He notes that he had better pears, and presumably better friends, at home. Like St. Augustine, so much of our energy and consumption is devoted to seeking lesser goods that we ourselves realize are lesser goods. Through the internet and electronic devices, we have access to the greatest thoughts and ideas ever shared, yet how much of our time and attention is devoted to ephemeral news and entertainment which distract us from our true calling?

BetterPears was founded to provide lasting fruit for the human soul. The BetterPears Podcast features short essays on insights into language, human nature, philosophy, and theology. The “big bad” or nemesis of the first season is “Big Lexi” the lexicography cartel that is so eager to provide a fix for our addiction to word definitions to the eclipse of our wonder and reflection. As you may have concluded already, this is not a workout podcast nor even a driving podcast—please no heavy machinery while listening. It is more an end of the day or solid fifteen-minute break in the day podcast. 

For those who like to read along and point out where I go off-script, transcripts of these essays can be found at BetterPears.com/Preserves. As with most other boot-strapped podcasts, production quality improves with later podcasts. Furthermore, it should be noted that these essays are sometimes prefaced by dedications in gratitude to lives well lived or brief updates on BetterPears developments, such as our in-person reading courses of classical texts.

These in-person courses are beginning in the Oklahoma City metropolitan area. If you are interested in bringing this aspect of the BetterPears cultural empire to your city or shire, please send an email to Jason@BetterPears.com. To support the work of BetterPears, please consider our Community Supported Analysis or CSA. To order some BetterPears swag, please visit our Market, also on the BetterPears.com website.