Rich Roll - Cory Booker

1) Cory discusses the importance of vulnerability, authenticity, and human connection. They believe that facing one's own struggles and pain openly is the key to building trust and community, and that it is essential in combating loneliness and division. They also discuss the impact of the current political and corporate culture on the country, which they believe is further driving people apart by promoting a culture of outrage, contempt, and mistrust. They call for a return to a more connected and empathetic society, and for a focus on building bridges and finding common ground across differences.

2) Cory discusses the division among people and the need for self-work to become a better external leader. He talks about how extreme personalities like Donald Trump and Sharp James can serve as teachers that reflect back what one needs to work on within themselves. However, politics is an attention economy that traffics in outrage, and being solution-oriented is often denigrated. Booker emphasizes the need to standon one's feet, speak up for values and solutions, and break through the politics to find more community and connection with people.

3) Cory discusses how the current economic system is changing the landscape of farming and how corporate consolidation has resulted in fewer companies dictating prices for inputs and outputs. The effects of this are far-reaching, not only impacting the livelihoods of farmers but also contributing to the fracturing of media which leads to people isolating themselves within certain perspectives and creating common enemies. Thetension between expanding conceptions of us versus them and expanding conceptions of justice is a constant contest in humanity, and it requires a meeting of minds and a willingness to set judgments aside in order to create change.

4) Cory recounts his efforts to build bridges and find common ground with Republican senators in order to pass important legislation. He speaks of his mentor Bill Bradley and the advice to meet with every Republican colleague in order to get to know them as human beings. He shares his experience going out to dinner with Ted Cruz and of passing legislation together. Booker reveals how he overcame his implicit bias when he joined a Bible study in the Hideaway of a right-wing Republican senator.

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5) Cory emphasizes that in order to create change, we must expand the moral imagination of the nation and change the frequency of the country through our own actions and consciousness. He stresses the importance of not falling into the trap of cynicism and divisiveness and doing an inventory of where we're at and where we can do better.

6) Cory reflects on his early days in politics and his decision to move to Newark, New Jersey, to start an organization dedicated to making the world a better place. Booker talks about how he was haunted by his mother's question, "what would you do if you couldn't fail?" and how he was inspired by people like Bryan Stevenson and Jeffrey Canada. He also speaks of how despair is a necessary precondition for manifesting great hope and how he was adopted by tenant leaders who helped him take on slumlords and run for office in Newark, ultimately becoming the city's youngest ever elected candidate.

7) Cory recounts the story of when he went on a hunger strike in a tent under an overpass in a dangerous neighborhood to draw attention to the violence and problems in the area. Although many thought he was crazy, soon, hundreds joined him in the tent and the city began donating resources and items to help the people in the area. From health screenings to job fairs and even eyeglasses, the community came together to support one another. Eventually, the mayor even came out, which led to a bare-knuckle fight between the two for the mayoral position in the future. 25 years later, Booker fasted again for ten days to commemorate this historical moment and reflect on the journey that has led him to his current political position.

8) Cory describes his efforts to connect with kids in the high-rise projects in which he was living. Recognizing that the inner city black kids living there did not have the same privileges as others, he sought to help them achieve their dreams by bringing them out to dinner, the movies, and talking to them about their aspirations. However, despite his efforts to help, one of the boys he had met, Hassan Washington, was later found murdered - a tragedy that left Booker feeling broken and unable to heal.

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9) Cory Booker discusses a personal experience where he was facing a personal crisis and the power of one generous act of kindness from strangers helped him hold it together. People often forget the power they have every single day to be used by the universe in some way that they will never even understand the results of. He also shares the story of a white lawyer, who, appalled by the police brutality against non-violent marchers in Alabama, started a lifelong legacy of one hour a week doing pro bono work with the Fair Housing Council in New Jersey, which led to the legal action that helped a black family move into a white neighborhood.

10) Cory talks about the importance of taking action, no matter how small it may seem. He emphasizes that every action has an effect and that individuals need to recognize the power they have in shaping history through their actions. Booker speaks about the intersection between science and spirituality and how everything in the universe, including humans, is made up of light and energy that is infinite. He encourages choosing the right attitudes and energy in any given situation and drawing on the energy of others to push through. Booker expresses his gratitude for his community and recognizes the nobility in the people who live and fight for their city.

11) Cory shares his first hand experience with the devastating impact of gun violence in his community. Recalling a traumatic event where he tried to save a child who was shot, he expresses his frustration and anger that the US has normalized this level of violence. Despite this, Booker shares the importance of taking responsibility and choosing how to respond by sharing his experience with Miss Jones, a woman whose son was murdered in the same building that Booker lived in. Despite this, she still chose to stay and exercise her responsibility, becoming a powerful example of everyday heroes that we should look up to. Booker emphasizes the importance of elevating these heroes and their stories so that we can choose faithfulness and hopefulness in our own lives.

12) Cory shares how he has learned to cope with stress and frustration as a politician. He recounts the example of police officers who risked their own lives to try to rescue a baby during a hostage situation. He emphasizes that he must continually remind himself of other people's selflessness and determination in difficult situations in order to push through his own frustrations in his work as a senator. Senator Booker discusses the importance of spiritual and self-care practices for himself, including sleeping well, exercising, and seeking out a community of friends for support. He points out that the US is in a health crisis, with some of the highest rates of diet-related diseases that get worse by the year. He advocates for providing healthy food as a human right and changing the system that subsidizes unhealthy food while barely subsidizing fruits and vegetables. This situation hurts farmers, contributes to environmental degradation, and leads to high healthcare costs, currently taking up 80% of spending due to diet-related diseases.

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13) Cory highlights the broken food system in America, underscoring that it needs an overhaul to prevent its continued devastating effects on agriculture, ecology, and all aspects of the country's life. He notes that food production in the US has been geared towards commodity crops to make calories readily available since the 1950s when the state policies were designed, which has resulted in corporate consolidation, hurting small-scale farmers and allowing massive corporations to control the entire food system.

14) Cory talks about the upcoming farm bill and some of the legislation he and others have put forward. The current farm bill perpetuates problems rather than eradicating them and the legislation that he and others have put forward offers things like incentives to people using EBT(SNAP) in farmers markets and urban farms. He cites the example of an African-American woman who was on subscription drugs to manage her diabetes that cost $700 a month and then turned to the food sourced from an urban farm and saw her diabetes go away. Food is the most influential lobby with powers who are trying to protect the status quo and always on both sides of the aisle, and it won't be easy to change the situation.

15) Cory talks about the need for a change in the current food system in America. From attending food summits to coalition building, he states that the conversation surrounding how to remove fast food restaurants from African-American communities and the removal of factory farming should be the focus. Booker speaks from experience, having spent a day working in the fields with farmworkers who experienced wage theft and sexual harassment. Booker notes that food systems in America need to localise, regionalise, and create systems that promote the success of families and farmers, making them stronger and healthier for all American people.

16) Cory discusses the negative impact of multinational corporations on rural communities, including the hollowing out of these communities due to a lack of diversity and sustainable farming practices. He emphasizes the need for individuals to take responsibility for themselves instead of pointing fingers at corporations and governments, and to work on raising consciousness and empathy to create real change. There is a grassroots movement forming around food systems, but real change will require a shift in incentives and rules, as well as campaign finance reform to eliminate the need for ungodly amounts of money to run for political office.

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17) Senator Booker also emphasizes the need for small dollar contributions instead of corporate funding and praises the benefits of ranked choice voting. Booker urges individuals to become engaged in the civic space since inaction is as potent as taking the wrong action. Ultimately, individuals can leave a stronger democracy than when it was inherited by becoming involved in the Civic space, and bad people are elected when good people do nothing.