On today's show, we talk about the novel "War & Peace." Sean sits down with Andrew Kaufman, Professor of Russian Literature at the University of Virginia, and author of the book "Give War & Peace a Chance: Tolstoyan Wisdom for Troubled Times." Andrew is incredibly knowledgeable about Tolstoy, and the life lessons we can draw from what many consider to be the greatest novel of all time. Don't worry if you haven't read War & Peace. Andrew does an amazing job talking about themes and characters without any major plot spoilers.

In this episode we talk about Tolstoy's advice for how to deal with change, both in our individual lives and in society at large. We discuss Tolstoy's view on suffering and how it relates to meaning. We talk about the role of family in a flourishing life. We also cover Tolstoy's view on leadership. Stick around for the end when we get to Tolstoy's advice on how to live the good life.

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU'LL LEARN:

Why War & Peace is an entirely new form of novel that had never existed before
How Tolstoy took on the "Great Man" theory of history and replaced it with a more realistic version of history that is based on the individual
How War & Peace can affect our relationship with change
How Tolstoy’s characters in the novel find meaning through suffering
Why our greatest insights come from the moments in our life when we experience our greatest suffering
Why Russian writers are uniquely positioned to teach lessons about life and survival
Why Tolstoy needed 1,500 pages to tell this story
How today's tragedy is often the springboard to tomorrow's triumph
Why Napoleon’s strategy during the invasion of Russia in 1812 failed, and why the Russian general Kutusov's strategy succeeded
Why Tom Peters, the leadership guru, called "War & Peace" the greatest book on management ever written
Why Tolstoy tells us that life is change, movement and suffering
Why Tolstoy advises us not to confuse happiness with the gratification of our own desire
How Tolstoy's lost his family's ancestral home in a card game, and why that experience helped him write a better novel
The power of family to help us through life's changes and challenges
How a simple action of human compassion and kindness can change everything
Why greatest joy is enjoying the experience of simply being alive, and enjoying the sheer beauty of the present
Why we shouldn't trust the 'gurus" when they offer us an easy answer to success or living the good life

BOOKS AND RESOURCES

Give War & Peace a Chance by Andrew Kaufman
War & Peace by Leo Tolstoy
Browse through all our episodes (complete with transcripts) here
Support our free podcast by supporting our sponsors

CONNECT WITH ANDREW KAUFMAN

Andrew Kaufman's Website
Andrew Kaufman's Twitter Account
Andrew Kaufman's Facebook Page
Andrew Kaufman's LinkedIn Account

GET IN TOUCH WITH SEAN MURRAY

Sean's Twitter Account
Sean's LinkedIn Account
Email: Sean@TheInvestorsPodcast.com
Website: RealTime Performance, Inc.
Weekly Newsletter: RealTime Performance Newsletter

HELP US OUT!

Help us reach new listeners by leaving us a rating and review! It takes less than 30 seconds and really helps our show grow, which allows us to bring on even better guests for you all! Thank you – we really appreciate it!

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

TGL044: Tolstoyan Wisdom for Troubled Times with Andrew Kaufman (Personal Development)

The Good Life Podcast with Sean Murray