Podcast Series: Can Individuals Really Change The World?

Changing the world is very tough. You don't really know where to start and when finally at it you can't stop wondering what exactly you're doing. Pretty much everybody wants to change the world at a young age; afterwards most of us have enough on our hands just keeping up with it.

However, there are some people who claim to remain true to that ideal and continue trying over and over.

'Ways to Change the World', a new podcast series by Channel 4, wants us to meet them.

Krishnan Guru-Murthy conducts long interviews with prominent personalities from very different fields, among them writers, politicians, and comedians—interviews in which we discover their motivations and goals at trying to change the world.

Yes, I agree. The title of the series, which also works as a main thread during the long interviews, sounds as pretentious and empty as the worst click bait headline can get. But leave aside your skepticism as I did and start listening to what the interviewees have to say.

If you do it you will enjoy a deep, full talk between an expert on their field and a presenter that knows how to pose pertinent questions without stealing the show, as it often happens with prominent, self-centred journalists.

Take Salman Rushdie's interview, for example.

In this podcast we can learn about his reflections on a wide range of issues, from the meaning and purpose of his literature, the (not so new) phenomenon of fake news, to the current polarisation of America.

The good thing about this podcast is that it covers people from very different ideological sectors, from conservative political commentator Peter Hitchens to British MP for the Green Party, Caroline Lucas.

In today's world, where we are constantly bombarded with news, updates and social media status and stories, it's very refreshing to sit back and just listen for forty minutes to someone talking. Never mind the title of the series.