EPISODE 13 - Ted Roosevelt (Part 1): The Rough Rider And His Demons

“You must still have chaos in yourself to be able to give birth to a dancing star” — Friedrich Nietzsche

“History as well as life itself is complicated—neither life nor history is an enterprise for those who seek simplicity and consistency.” — Jared Diamond

He was the first American to receive a brown belt in Judo. 
He won the largest percentage of the vote ever by a third-party candidate.
He once took a bullet to the chest shot at point blank range, and rather than going to the hospital went to deliver a 90 minute speech. 
He survived tragedies that would break lesser men.
He spent his life fighting against the inner demons trying to destroy him. 
He was a perfect embodiment of what Nietzsche probably had in mind when he wrote, “You must still have chaos in yourself to be able to give birth to a dancing star." 
He was a warmonger with a diplomatic tact. He was a hunter and an environmentalist. He was a nerd and an athlete. He flirted with white supremacist ideas and yet was very progressive about race by the standards of his day. He was a big proponent of personal responsibility and supported quasi-Socialist policies.

Love him or hate him, he was larger than life. 

He was Theodore Roosevelt.

In this episode: 

• A sickly child discovers the joys of the strenuous life
• Defeating fear by facing fear
• Having the woman you love die in your arms; into the Dakota wilderness 
• “A six year old child on steroids” 
• "Black care rarely sits behind a rider whose pace is fast enough" 
• “Theodore had to hold on to his optimism very tight, otherwise he couldn’t get through the shadows, the darknesses, surrounding him” 
• Marriage # 2
• Why telling Roosevelt “It will break you. You will yield. You are but human;” is a bad idea
• The Rough Riders
• Going to war against his own party
• How Thomas Platt’s plan to eliminate Roosevelt gave him the presidency