About Rhapsody
In Rhapsody, I explore what it means to be human and how to be happy. I’m especially interested in the relationship between individuals and groups—families, workplaces, cities, states, clubs, sports teams, etc.—and how the interplay between individuals and groups affect our happiness.
Humans are social creatures, yet we also need space. For many, happiness is intricately tied to some sense of fulfillment, and also for many, fulfillment often comes from being a part of something larger than themselves. Some people aspire to be parents and start a family, some people want to be at the top of their chosen field, and others want to serve their communities. The majority of people probably derive some sense of fulfillment or purpose from a mix of these (and many other) types of groups.
There are a few themes that will come up time and time again, because they seem central to happiness:
What is happiness?
What motivates people, and how do our motivations relate to happiness and well-being?
How do workplaces affect happiness and well-being?
How should society organize itself to promote greater happiness and well-being?
What can we learn about happiness from the research conducted in fields such as cognitive science, developmental psychology, anthropology, linguistics and others?
What can we learn about happiness through the comparative study of various cultures, philosophies and religious traditions?
I don’t have all the answers, and I’m not an expert on any of these things. I think writing is critical to learning, and by writing Rhapsody, I will learn more about human nature and how to be well and live a happy life.
About me
My name is Joe Ragazzo and I’m the publisher at Talking Points Memo, where I’ve worked since 2012. Before that, I was a financial journalist at Debtwire and Bloomberg News. I graduated from Ohio University with degrees in journalism and philosophy, which I really only mention because I think it’s fairly obvious how someone with that pedigree might come to write a newsletter on Substack about happiness.
While I was at OU, I began keeping a journal. In the beginning it was a typical journal where I’d document what I was up to. Over time, it became more of a thought journal. I’d write about things I was trying to work through in my mind. The subjects I wrote about most were happiness, meaning, and fulfillment. What kind of life would make me happy? What would bring me fulfillment? As I progressed at TPM and eventually people started to work for me, these questions took on greater significance. How I managed my employees would directly affect their well-being. I started to think of management as more of a science to be researched and studied. I read all kinds of work on management theory, coaching, developmental psychology, etc. The most important book I read was Tribe by Sebastian Junger, which introduced me to Self Determination Theory, which is the closest thing I’ve encountered to a unified theory that explains human motivation and how it relates to happiness. Long story short, the more I wrote about this stuff in my journal, the more I thought I should start writing for a broader audience. And that is what led to Rhapsody.
I am a big fan of asking questions and trying to learn about complicated subjects, and I like to straddle the abstract and the practical. My head is always somewhat in the clouds, but I do try to take the abstract and apply it the best I can. That’s what I want to do here. I want to write about and think about any number of subjects pertaining to what it means to be human, what it means to be happy, and how to do it. I am specifically interested in the relationship between individuals and various sorts of organizations (companies, families, sports teams, societies, the Mafia, pirates, anything), and how those contexts affect happiness.
Why you should subscribe
I’m not a wellness coach, I’m not a therapist, and I’m not a guru. I’m not even a PhD or an academic researcher. I’m just someone who spends a lot of time reading and trying to learn as much as I can about human nature and human happiness and try to apply the lessons I learn. If you want to go on this journey with me, I’d be extremely grateful. What I can assure you is the following:
I’ll strive to build a community where we are all learning together. I’ll serve as a kind of sherpa, curating interesting things I read, hear, or watch and adding my commentary as a sort of leaping off point.
I’ll strive to be interesting. Scholarly research has its place, but it can be a tough slog for non-experts. This isn’t meant to be a place for dense, inscrutable academic writing. Nor is it a place for sophomoric hot takes.
I’ll strive to be extremely transparent and honest about where I get information.
I’ll strive to make it fun. It’s ironically easy to be overly earnest about being happy. While being happy is serious business, it should be fun.
What you should expect
I’ll publish essays on pop culture, book reviews, and movie reviews. I’ll curate interesting links to other media I think is interesting and worth your time. I’ll interview people who actually are experts on these subjects. I’ll write commentary on various goings on in the world. And all of this stuff will relate back to the central theme: What does it mean to be human and how can we be happy?
How often will I publish? Honestly right now, I’m not sure. I’m trying to figure out a workflow. In the beginning, hopefully at least once a week. But no promises.
Why the name Rhapsody?
Years ago, I was hanging out with some TPM colleagues and a friend of mine, Tom Kludt, said, “When Joe talks, he rhapsodizes.” That stuck with me. Merriam-Webster defines rhapsody as “effusively rapturous or extravagant discourse” and that is kind of how I talk. I get all excited and sort of monologue for a spell. There’s also kind of a few other double meanings in there. My favorite piece of music is “Rhapsody on a Theme of Pagnini” by Sergei Rachmaninoff, and growing up I used to watch RapCity (sounds like Rhapsody) The Basement every day, where in between hip-hop videos, the host Big Tigger and his guest would just sort of shoot the shit about things.
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