Uploaded December 2023 | Updated September 2026, 4 hours ago
''Be your best self. Live your best life. Don't hurt anyone else.' Sounds pretty good. But is that really all being a human is about?
Our culture is fixated on the self and the idea that meaning, purpose, and truth can all be found inside ourselves. It's the punchline of countless kids' films: don't try to please everyone else. Just be yourself!
But as Graham Tomlin explains in this episode, that whole idea is a pretty recent innovation – and if we're not careful, it can totally undermine any sense that we should serve and care for each other. In fact, 'just being ourselves' can take us to some very dark places.
Together with hosts Paul Woolley and Grace Fielding, Graham unpacks the Christian roots of individualism, says what's good about it, and explains why, if we really want to live in peace and harmony, we need to start with Christ-like selflessness, not self-fulfilment.
The Rt Revd Dr Graham Tomlin is the former Bishop of Kensington, and currently President of St Mellitus Theological College and Director of The Centre for Cultural Witness.
''Be your best self. Live your best life. Don't hurt anyone else.' Sounds pretty good. But is that really all being a human is about?
Our culture is fixated on the self and the idea that meaning, purpose, and truth can all be found inside ourselves. It's the punchline of countless kids' films: don't try to please everyone else. Just be yourself!
But as Graham Tomlin explains in this episode, that whole idea is a pretty recent innovation – and if we're not careful, it can totally undermine any sense that we should serve and care for each other. In fact, 'just being ourselves' can take us to some very dark places.
Together with hosts Paul Woolley and Grace Fielding, Graham unpacks the Christian roots of individualism, says what's good about it, and explains why, if we really want to live in peace and harmony, we need to start with Christ-like selflessness, not self-fulfilment.
The Rt Revd Dr Graham Tomlin is the former Bishop of Kensington, and currently President of St Mellitus Theological College and Director of The Centre for Cultural Witness.
