Episode 22: Happy Birthday, Dag! Featuring an Exclusive Reading from Simply Dag 📖

In this special episode of Decoding the Unicorn, let's celebrate the 120th birthday of Dag Hammarskjöld, whose remarkable life and legacy continue to inspire us today. Join me as I honor Dag's birthday by sharing an exclusive passage from my next Hammarskjöld project, Simply Dag.

Whether you're already acquainted with Dag Hammarskjöld or just discovering his extraordinary journey, this episode serves as a meaningful tribute, a quiet celebration of a man whose timeless words and actions continue to resonate deeply.

Tune in, reflect, and celebrate Dag Hammarskjöld's life—and perhaps, discover a little of your own story reflected in his. 💙

#daghammarskjöld #decodingtheunicorn #simplydag #happybirthday #biography 

Transcript

Transcription by Otter.ai.  Please forgive any typos!

SUMMARY KEYWORDS

Dag Hammarskjold, Decoding the Unicorn, podcast episode, birthday celebration, Cold War drama, political intrigue, nature lover, introvert, memoir writing, Simply Dag, legacy, Generation X, Edward R. Murrow, Uppsala Castle, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.

Welcome to the Decoding the Unicorn podcast. Here's your host, Sara Causey.

Hello, Hello and thanks for tuning in. Welcome to Episode 22 of decoding the unicorn, the podcast. I'm glad you joined me. As it happens, Today's episode will drop on Tuesday, July 29 2025 and that would be Dag's 120th birthday. Now I don't suppose that he would still be with us, even if he hadn't been taken from the world far too soon, under bizarre circumstances, he wouldn't still be alive at 120 it's so important to me that we remember his life and his legacy, and that we use today to celebrate him and to reflect on who he was and the amazing things that he brought to the world. Stay tuned.

Political intrigue, Cold War drama, cloak and dagger maneuvers. Read 2025's most intriguing book about one of history's forgotten figures. Pick up your copy of Decoding the Unicorn: A New Look at Dag Hammarskjold today.

In recording an episode like this, it's a bit difficult to think of only one or two key topics, because there are so many things about DAG's management style, the way that he worked within the UN the way that he worked with the broader international community, and even just who he was as a person that I find intriguing and admirable, his love of nature, his love of solitude, his ability to be with friends and family and to enjoy companionship when he wanted it, and then to be able to go and have silence and peace when he wanted to be introspective and reflective and to have a break. I think all of us who identify as introverts can understand what that's like, even if we've been with a small group of friends who we love and adore. After a little while, the social battery runs out and you just need the opportunity to decompress. And there's something so healing about nature taking a hike in the woods, or even just walking around in your yard barefoot, really feeling the grass and the dirt beneath your feet. It's so healing. In the interview that dag did on person to person with Edward R Murrow, that's one of the things that he talks about, is going to the countryside whenever he's able to taking his shoes off and just feeling the grass underneath his feet. And I'm like, I get it. There is something really grounding, literally grounding about being able to do that. So I was thinking about what I wanted to talk about in this episode. There are so many wonderful things that I could draw from, from decoding the unicorn. But I actually want to give you a little sneak preview of my next project. I've been writing simply DAG, which is absolutely the most intimate thing that I've written to date. And I started out I knew that I wanted to write something that covered a plethora of stories that I just didn't have the space to tell in decoding the unicorn, Dag had such an amazing and at times chaotic, dangerous life, it was difficult to get everything into one biography unless I wanted it to be an absolute doorstop, which I didn't, because I was limited for copyright reasons, decoding the unicorn could only be released as an e book, and only in the United States. I knew that that's not the direction that I wanted to take for simply DAG, and I very much felt His Spirit telling me to write it first person, to make it more intimate, so that the reader feels that they are sitting and having communion with DAG. That's been powerful. It's been powerful for me to write it and to have that communion myself, and then also to be able, in the future, to offer that to an audience. My goal, knock on wood. We all know the Yiddish phrase man plans and God laughs. My goal, my plan, is to release it actually, in a year on July 29 2026 so that it's released to the public on DAGs birthday, and to have it widely available, so that anybody in the world that wants to buy a copy can we're not under any kind of copyright restrictions, and to have it broadly available in terms of format, ebook, paperback and hardback, so that if somebody is just really not A fan of trying to read something on a tablet or a device. They can get a good old fashioned hardback or paperback copy without any difficulty. So what I'd like to do in today's episode thinking about dag his life and remembering him on his birthday, I want to read a passage to you from. Them simply DAG. This is draft 2.0 it will soon be going into the editing process. We know that things change as we go through editing and proofreading. The first few drafts that we make of something are typically not the ones that get published. So if you're imagining that somebody sits down to write the great American novel or a book of any kind, whether it's academic, it's biographical, it's political intrigue or historical fiction, whatever, even if it's just a romance novel, it's not your first draft that gets published, believe me, the first draft is almost like stuff that just pours out of you that has to get down on the paper, and then the editors come and then the publishing attorneys, things happen. So I say all that to say that this may change in final publication, but here we go. This is at the beginning of chapter one, where we're really entering DAGs world. In his childhood, I was a young boy full of restless energy and endless imagination as I made my way through the sun dappled woods. God, I love that forest. Every crunch of leaves beneath my feet, I turned into the Gallop of a great stallion. I was no longer a small blonde haired child. I was a Chevalier, brave and bold, technically, as a hammer sold. I was already a knight, but my visions were much grander. In my mind, I rode a magnificent black horse with a long, flowing mane, as my hands gripped warm leather rains, the trees transformed around me, becoming a mysterious land full of intrigue. Fierce giants lurked behind thick trunks waiting to be outwitted, while my stallion leapt over obstacles effortlessly. In the distance, I saw Uppsala Castle, its turrets still somewhat visible through the canopy of leaves. Of course, a sad Princess waited in the highest tower, and the downtrodden villagers needed a hero. It was up to me to save them with a shining sword and a confident smile, I swung my imaginary blade at a low hanging branch, pretending it was the tail of a dragon blocking my way. Fear not. I called aloud, summoning as much authority as I could. I'm Sir Dag hammershould and I will protect this place. The wind rustled the leaves in response, almost like it was cheering me on. I grinned, my heart swelling with courage, imagining the gleam of my silver armor. Later that day, I knelt in a patch of dirt. My fingers stained with earth, the sun warmed my back as I leaned closer to the ground, peering at the tiny world beneath me. When I lifted a small stone, I found a group of ants scurrying about. Their movements both chaotic and orderly. I watched them until I saw a bright green beetle. Fascinated, I reached into my pocket for a small glass jar I had borrowed from the kitchen. It once held lingonberry jam, but today it was ready for far more exciting occupants. I coaxed the beetle onto a twig, guiding it into the jar with care, you'll be safe here for now, I whispered, as if the beetle could understand me. I like to think that every creature had its own story, a life as interesting as any humans. A movement near a patch of wild flowers caught my eye. I crawled closer, finding a fuzzy caterpillar inching along a blade of grass. I smiled, knowing that one day it would become a butterfly, a transformation that always amazed me. Gently, I scooped the caterpillar into my hand, feeling its bristles tickle my palm. The intricate black and yellow. Patterns on its back were fascinating, and I wondered all the secrets nature held, how ants followed in neat lines, how beetles glimmered, how caterpillars spun cocoons to emerge with wings. The world was full of mysteries, and I wanted to understand them all. I lost track of time in my explorations, and didn't really notice that the sky was slowly growing darker, the breeze picked up, and I felt the first drops of rain begin to fall, but I was still content with my little Wonderland. Then I heard my mother's voice cutting through the gentle patter of precipitation. Dag, where are you? Come inside right now.

I sighed, reluctantly, leaving the caterpillar behind. I also set my beetle friend free, as I knew mama wouldn't be happy if I brought him inside, even contained in a jar. Standing I brushed off my clothes, though it hardly helped. Mud clung stubbornly to my shorts and shirts. By the time I trudged back to the castle, the rain had soaked me through, and my hair was plastered to my forehead. Mama stood at the door with her arms crossed. Dag hammer should look at you. You're a mess. Those good clothes are probably ruined. Now. She reprimanded, shaking her head. I looked down at myself sheepishly, aware of the grime streaked across my body. I was just exploring mama. I offered. She sighed and her expression softened. She could never stay angry with me for long go around to the back, take off those muddy clothes and head straight to the bath. Honestly, DAG, one of these days you're going to bring half the forest inside with you and no bugs in the house. I nodded, giving her my best look of contrition, but once out of her sight, I smiled to myself, even a scolding couldn't make me trade my adventures for any. Thing. As I sat in the tub, an idea occurred to me, if mama is going to fuss at me for dirtying my good clothes, I'll just take them off and play naked next time. It seemed like a perfectly logical solution. Once I was clean and dry, I still had time before dinner. The castle was a curious place, and I decided to continue my investigations indoors. We lived there because Papa was the governor of the Uppsala province. But this castle wasn't like the ones in fairy tales, no grand ballrooms or gilded ceilings. It was practical, with simple decor and evidence of past fire still marked the walls in some places. Mama had warned me that certain rooms were off limits because they were damaged, and I took her words seriously. My older brothers loved to tell spooky stories about the castle, whispering that it was haunted by spirits of the past. I wasn't sure if I believed them, but I wasn't sure if I didn't believe them either. One of my favorite places was the northern turret. I climbed the stairs pushing open the heavy wooden door at the top. From here, I could see up solid cathedral and another set of woods between us. This was like a secret lair where I could watch the birds undisturbed. I scanned the tree tops. There's a gray, black Jackdaw and a peach breasted brambling I'm murmured to myself. I like this kind of solitude, observing the birds from above, each one busy with its own small adventure, like the beetle and the caterpillar, they had a purpose, and I wanted to understand them. As I watched, I felt a deep sense of peace, but soon the call for dinner broke me from my thoughts. The dining room was warm and comforting, with a fire in the hearth and candles on the large wooden table, Papa sat at the head, Mama beside him, and I took my usual seat next to my brothers Oka and Sten, my eldest brother, Beau, was already away at university, something that made me both proud and sad. Our conversation flowed easily, and near the end of the meal, I looked up at Papa. May I go to the library after dinner? I want to pick out a book to read before bed. Papa nodded, of course. DAG, you know where to find it. I loved the library. Exploring outside was fun, but books held their own kind of magic. As soon as the meal ended, I slipped away, eager to find my next adventure. The library smelled of old parchment, which I treasured. I scanned the shelves, my fingers trailing over the spines of neatly arranged books until one title caught my eye, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. By Lewis Carroll. I had heard of Alice and her strange journey, and I was ready to follow her down the rabbit hole with the book tucked under my arm, I went to my bedroom and very carefully placed a small candle on the table beside my bed. Its flickering flame cast shadows on the walls as I settled in, already feeling the pull of Wonderland and the promise of strange, magical things tonight, I was ready to see where that quest would take me. I've had so much enjoyment writing and working on this book, tuning into DAGs energy and really being able to give him the opportunity to write something like a memoir. That was one of the things that he intended to do when he retired to his farmhouse, was to be able to write, to translate, and he had absolutely toyed with the idea of writing his own memoir, of being able to present his story in his life as he wanted it to be remembered, and it feels really amazing to me to be a conduit for that. I'm humbled, I'm grateful, I'm excited all of the above, and so I really hope that you'll spend some time today doing something to honor DAGs life and legacy, whether that's as simple as going out for a hike or a bike ride, enjoying nature, writing an extra page in your journal, just thinking about what dag means to you. What does his life mean to you? What are things from his legacy that still speak to you today? It's really up to us in the younger generations to keep people's legacies alive. There are many people now that they never had any overlap between DAGs life and their own, and I'm one of those people as a member of Generation X. I was born after dag had already passed away. So I challenge you really think about what dag means to you. Celebrate him today, carry him with you, and think about all the best parts. This is not a day for sadness. This is not a day for sackcloth and ashes. This is a day to really think about all the things that were great and what you can do in your own life that feels great to you.

I'll see you in the next episode.

Thank you for tuning in. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to this podcast and share it with others. We'll see you next time.