Fishing Without Bait 521: Fighting Ideas, Not People with Eamon and Merlin
In Fishing Without Bait 521, we bring our four-part conversation with returning guests Eamon and Merlin to a close.
This final part moves through some powerful and deeply human territory: faith, queer history, identity, community, Pittsburgh, personal freedom, and the ongoing work of finding your voice.
Jim opens the conversation around belief, spirituality, and the idea of a power greater than ourselves. From there, Eamon and Merlin explore how culture shapes the way people see the divine, and how different traditions often describe the same light through different lenses.
The conversation also touches on history, education, and the importance of remembering that queer and trans people are not new. They have always existed. Merlin speaks clearly about the danger of treating people as enemies instead of challenging harmful ideas, offering one of the strongest lines of the episode: “We are fighting against ideas and not people.”
As the discussion turns toward community, Eamon and Merlin talk about the importance of finding spaces where people are welcomed. Pride events, drag shows, and queer community gatherings are discussed not as abstract ideas, but as real places where people can feel accepted and seen.
They also reflect on life in Pittsburgh after several years in the city. Pittsburgh has been a place of growth, challenge, friendship, loss, opportunity, and self-discovery. Through their podcast A Gay and His Enby, they have learned how to speak more clearly, advocate for others, and approach people with empathy instead of assumption.
Near the end of the episode, Jim asks what message they would offer to a young person who feels fear or uncertainty about their identity. The answer is gentle and important: you do not have to figure it all out today. You are allowed to take time. You are allowed to be safe. You are allowed to discover who you are one day at a time.
The episode ends with a gift, a reminder to color outside the lines, and Jim’s familiar prescription: fruits, nuts, and vegetables. Unplug your television and take up fishing. And for a truly mindful experience, fish without bait.
Listen to Eamon and Merlin’s podcast A Gay and His Enby: https://agayandhisenby.fireside.fm/
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Pick up “Learn to Fish Without Bait: A 365-Day Mindfulness Journal and Adult Coloring Book”: https://www.lulu.com/shop/james-ellermeyer-lpc-ma-ncc-lpc/learn-to-fish-without-bait/paperback/product-6n9rd8.html?page=1&pageSize=4
