From calling out billionaires at Davos to challenging institutions that would rather stay comfortable, Rutger Bregman has built a career around one simple question: what are we actually doing with our lives?

In this episode of Full Disclosure, James O’Brien sits down with the historian and author of Moral Ambition to talk about purpose, power and the quiet pressure to go along with things we know are wrong. Bregman reflects on his upbringing, his loss of religious faith, and how that search for meaning became a drive to make ideas matter in the real world.

They discuss why small groups of people have always been the engine of change, how ego and idealism often overlap, and why so many smart, capable people feel stuck doing work that doesn’t align with their values. From abolitionists and resistance movements to modern politics, media cowardice and the rise of authoritarianism, Bregman argues that change usually starts when someone simply asks others to step up.

Thoughtful, accessible and quietly challenging, this conversation is about agency, responsibility and the uncomfortable idea that waiting for someone else to act is itself a choice.

Find out more about Moral Ambition: How to Find Your Purpose by Rutger Bregman here

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Rutger Bregman: What are we actually doing with our lives?