Leo D.M.J. Aurini - November 18, 2016


Why the World is Broken Part 1: Fear of Death


Episode Stats

Length

29 minutes

Words per Minute

110.96285

Word Count

3,271

Sentence Count

284

Misogynist Sentences

5

Hate Speech Sentences

9


Summary

In this episode, I talk about why the world is broken, and why we live in a world where we fear death. Part 1: Fear of Death Part 2: Why the World Is Broken Part 3: Why We Fear Death


Transcript

00:00:00.000 Why the world is broken. Part 1. Fear of death.
00:00:12.220 This world is broken.
00:00:16.120 Doesn't take any great scholar to tell you that. Just open up your eyes and look around.
00:00:21.140 Fifty years ago you could go and buy a coffee maker and it would last you the rest of your life.
00:00:25.540 These days, you're lucky if you get six months out of it before it has problems.
00:00:34.540 Look at our political movements.
00:00:37.520 As Jim Goad said, wherever the crowd is, they got there too late and for the wrong reasons.
00:00:43.620 How many more of these political movements, of these subcultures, do you need to see
00:00:48.500 start out with all this promise, all of this hope,
00:00:52.060 and just get flooded by people that just want to fight, that just want destruction.
00:01:00.440 And soon enough you have two sides fighting over garbage
00:01:03.700 and completely ignoring the reason the fight was happening in the first place.
00:01:10.600 Look at our pop culture. Look at our entertainment.
00:01:13.460 It's nothing but these stories that are so foundationally unfulfilling.
00:01:22.020 We go and we watch the movie or we play the video game and there's all this excitement,
00:01:27.480 there's all of these special effects, but there's no catharsis.
00:01:32.380 There's no true psychodrama at the core of it.
00:01:36.120 And we're left afterwards feeling cold and inadequate and desperate for more.
00:01:45.520 This world is broken.
00:01:47.580 And one of the reasons for it being so broken
00:01:50.920 is because we fear death.
00:01:54.780 Now I'm going to tell you three stories, three examples of what the fear of death does.
00:02:05.420 And the connection might not be obvious at first,
00:02:08.420 but it will become apparent.
00:02:13.360 The first is the story of modern economics
00:02:18.720 and about how we think we are above nature.
00:02:26.320 Now what have we been doing for the past,
00:02:29.620 really for the past 80 years,
00:02:32.440 but it's become increasingly evident in the current era.
00:02:37.100 What do we do whenever there's an economic downturn?
00:02:42.120 Whenever people are getting laid off,
00:02:43.940 whenever they can't afford to pay their mortgages?
00:02:45.520 Well, we say what we need to do is increase spending.
00:02:51.920 Because if we increase spending,
00:02:54.240 that's going to increase the number of jobs out there
00:02:57.520 and those people will be hired again.
00:02:59.740 So we lower the interest rate,
00:03:02.900 we make credit a lot cheaper,
00:03:04.720 we give everybody a credit card,
00:03:06.780 so that they rush out
00:03:08.400 and start buying brand new tech gadgets
00:03:11.800 that they don't really need in the first place.
00:03:15.520 And the theory is that will give everybody a job.
00:03:21.940 But here's what happens
00:03:23.280 when you make credit cheap for the consumer.
00:03:27.340 You also make credit cheap for the producer.
00:03:31.220 So, you have all of these consumers
00:03:35.100 with a bunch of cheap credit to go buy stuff.
00:03:37.960 If you're a producer,
00:03:39.580 you borrow some money,
00:03:42.060 you expand your operations,
00:03:43.820 and you start producing more junk.
00:03:46.120 So, none of the companies go out of business.
00:03:52.540 All of the companies have access to this cheap credit,
00:03:55.040 they start producing more junk,
00:03:56.520 and the consumers are buying more junk,
00:03:58.300 and what happens because of this?
00:04:00.480 What happens
00:04:01.500 is that quality drops.
00:04:04.500 The good companies
00:04:08.580 to remain competitive
00:04:10.640 with all the cheap companies,
00:04:12.960 the shoddy companies,
00:04:14.200 the fly-by-night operations
00:04:15.560 that should have gone out of business,
00:04:18.220 but don't,
00:04:19.900 because they've got cheap credit,
00:04:21.920 to remain competitive
00:04:23.980 with these companies
00:04:25.400 that will not go bankrupt
00:04:27.240 no matter how much they deserve to,
00:04:29.920 the good companies
00:04:30.960 need to lower their standards as well.
00:04:38.860 So, it really doesn't matter
00:04:40.300 if you buy a General Electric coffee maker,
00:04:42.660 or if you buy some cheap knockoff from China.
00:04:47.780 They are both built
00:04:50.060 to the lowest common denominator,
00:04:52.880 because this flooding of cheap credit
00:04:56.800 denies,
00:04:59.180 it denies
00:05:01.460 the forces of nature.
00:05:05.740 Sun rises,
00:05:07.040 sun sets.
00:05:09.900 You have a
00:05:10.900 you have a bull economy,
00:05:13.160 and you have a bear economy.
00:05:17.720 The forest grows
00:05:19.200 and becomes dry,
00:05:21.040 and a lightning strike
00:05:22.180 starts a forest fire,
00:05:24.720 clearing the way
00:05:25.580 for the forest to grow
00:05:27.000 anew.
00:05:29.180 Man, however,
00:05:34.700 man thinks he is above such things,
00:05:38.000 that we don't need
00:05:39.280 a forest fire,
00:05:40.540 that we don't need
00:05:41.920 a night time,
00:05:44.000 that we don't need
00:05:44.620 a bear market.
00:05:46.800 We are going to keep
00:05:48.180 the economy
00:05:49.380 in a perpetual
00:05:50.800 bull market.
00:05:54.040 We are going to
00:05:55.200 hop it up on uppers
00:05:56.620 and keep it going.
00:06:00.540 And brain dead zombie
00:06:01.960 is what we have.
00:06:07.180 Let's talk about our
00:06:08.040 psychodramas
00:06:08.840 for a moment.
00:06:10.260 Let's talk about our
00:06:10.980 our subcultures.
00:06:12.020 let's talk
00:06:17.120 about sports ball.
00:06:20.500 With the understanding
00:06:21.440 that we're not just
00:06:22.100 talking about sports ball.
00:06:23.380 We're talking about
00:06:24.160 every single
00:06:25.040 political movement
00:06:26.000 out there.
00:06:26.880 We're talking about
00:06:27.360 the recent election.
00:06:28.760 We're talking about
00:06:29.780 all of it.
00:06:31.240 and it's perfectly
00:06:34.680 summed up
00:06:35.480 in sports ball.
00:06:40.040 So let's say
00:06:41.020 you're a big fan
00:06:42.660 of this.
00:06:43.700 You go and
00:06:44.840 you go and watch
00:06:46.120 the sports ball game
00:06:47.380 and you're sitting there
00:06:48.340 in front of your TV
00:06:49.260 wearing the jersey
00:06:50.380 and you're jumping up
00:06:51.360 and cheering
00:06:51.960 every time they score
00:06:53.160 a goal
00:06:53.600 and you're getting angry
00:06:54.920 whenever the ref
00:06:55.780 makes a judgment
00:06:56.480 that you don't like
00:06:57.560 and you are so
00:06:58.900 invested
00:07:00.020 in this event
00:07:02.600 that has nothing
00:07:03.500 to do with you.
00:07:07.600 And at the end
00:07:08.420 of the game
00:07:08.940 maybe you're cheering
00:07:10.740 because your team won.
00:07:12.740 Maybe you're crying
00:07:13.540 because your team didn't.
00:07:18.140 But at the end
00:07:18.940 of the day
00:07:19.280 you have lost
00:07:20.520 and you have
00:07:21.940 benefited
00:07:22.640 nothing.
00:07:24.380 Maybe you made
00:07:25.080 a $50 side bet
00:07:26.380 on the game.
00:07:27.260 But that doesn't
00:07:27.700 matter to you.
00:07:28.800 You spent $100
00:07:29.540 on all the
00:07:31.080 accoutrements
00:07:31.860 to watch the game
00:07:33.200 in the first place.
00:07:33.940 The $50 is nothing.
00:07:35.020 You've already
00:07:35.340 wasted $100 on it.
00:07:39.240 You just had
00:07:40.040 this huge
00:07:41.040 psychodrama
00:07:41.960 that meant
00:07:42.540 absolutely
00:07:43.700 nothing
00:07:44.700 whatsoever.
00:07:45.620 There were no
00:07:46.620 consequences
00:07:47.820 to this
00:07:49.200 psychodrama.
00:07:54.440 And this is all
00:07:55.400 politics has become
00:07:56.280 now.
00:07:56.580 politics
00:07:59.040 has devolved
00:08:00.700 into two
00:08:01.720 camps
00:08:02.280 yelling at each
00:08:03.360 other.
00:08:03.960 Calling the other
00:08:04.600 ones villains
00:08:05.380 and calling
00:08:07.280 themselves
00:08:08.080 virtuous.
00:08:13.120 With no
00:08:14.120 consequences.
00:08:14.900 No real
00:08:15.580 consequences
00:08:16.880 for either group.
00:08:19.320 There are real
00:08:20.620 consequences
00:08:21.240 but we don't
00:08:21.740 talk about those.
00:08:22.660 the consequences
00:08:24.240 that the two
00:08:24.860 groups talk
00:08:25.420 about
00:08:25.740 are mostly
00:08:28.400 illusory
00:08:29.400 in nature.
00:08:36.140 You've got
00:08:36.780 these debates
00:08:37.580 happening
00:08:38.120 between
00:08:40.120 atheists
00:08:41.960 and
00:08:42.620 evolutionists
00:08:44.120 and
00:08:44.580 Christians
00:08:45.480 and creationists
00:08:46.960 and feminists
00:08:48.160 and MRAs
00:08:49.520 and you get
00:08:49.820 all of these
00:08:50.500 debates.
00:08:53.380 And yet
00:08:53.600 neither side
00:08:54.320 could exist
00:08:54.980 without each
00:08:55.760 other.
00:08:57.420 Both sides
00:08:58.520 thrive on
00:08:59.580 outrage.
00:09:01.260 Both of them
00:09:01.900 perpetuate
00:09:03.000 the cycle.
00:09:04.500 There is
00:09:05.120 no ultimate
00:09:06.060 purpose.
00:09:07.240 There is no
00:09:07.640 ultimate end
00:09:08.460 to the sports
00:09:09.260 ball game.
00:09:10.080 It doesn't
00:09:10.500 matter who
00:09:11.440 wins the
00:09:12.340 Stanley Cup.
00:09:13.300 It doesn't
00:09:13.820 matter who
00:09:14.860 wins whatever
00:09:15.940 yearly event
00:09:17.300 it is.
00:09:17.900 There is
00:09:18.140 going to
00:09:18.300 be more
00:09:18.720 sports
00:09:19.140 ball games
00:09:19.720 next year.
00:09:21.420 There is
00:09:21.980 no end
00:09:22.720 state.
00:09:23.100 There is
00:09:23.300 no purpose.
00:09:24.120 The purpose
00:09:24.620 is the
00:09:25.180 existence of
00:09:25.920 the debate
00:09:26.340 itself.
00:09:33.780 These are
00:09:34.600 false
00:09:35.040 psychodramas.
00:09:37.300 That's all
00:09:38.100 they are.
00:09:41.120 And this
00:09:42.140 spills in
00:09:43.880 to our
00:09:44.940 culture as
00:09:45.840 well.
00:09:46.760 The false
00:09:47.400 psychodrama.
00:09:49.380 The false
00:09:50.080 hero's
00:09:50.980 journey.
00:09:55.540 Now the
00:09:56.440 hero's
00:09:56.800 journey
00:09:57.140 is
00:09:59.180 it's a
00:10:00.640 journey
00:10:00.960 from the
00:10:02.020 regular world
00:10:02.940 into
00:10:04.540 the dark
00:10:05.960 realm.
00:10:07.260 Into the
00:10:08.280 spirit world.
00:10:10.400 Into
00:10:10.760 the psyche.
00:10:13.520 And it's
00:10:14.220 a return
00:10:14.680 from it.
00:10:17.020 It's the
00:10:17.800 monomy.
00:10:21.220 And all
00:10:22.140 of our
00:10:22.580 myths
00:10:23.080 stop
00:10:24.080 halfway
00:10:25.220 through.
00:10:30.580 Star Wars
00:10:31.460 Episode 4.
00:10:32.640 This is
00:10:33.040 generally held
00:10:33.620 up as a
00:10:34.060 perfect version
00:10:34.900 of the
00:10:36.020 hero's
00:10:36.380 journey.
00:10:36.680 except it's
00:10:39.880 not.
00:10:40.560 It's a
00:10:40.940 stunted
00:10:41.340 hero's
00:10:42.000 journey.
00:10:43.020 But let's
00:10:43.500 run through
00:10:43.980 it as if
00:10:44.640 it is
00:10:45.900 the real
00:10:46.740 hero's
00:10:47.320 journey.
00:10:49.560 So the
00:10:50.440 journey starts
00:10:50.980 off.
00:10:51.580 Step one
00:10:52.160 is the
00:10:54.080 ordinary
00:10:54.460 world.
00:10:56.020 This is
00:10:56.260 where you're
00:10:56.660 introduced to
00:10:57.360 the hero.
00:10:57.960 You understand
00:10:58.440 their environment,
00:10:59.740 where they
00:11:00.200 come from,
00:11:01.260 their family,
00:11:02.340 their history.
00:11:04.400 But there's
00:11:05.060 something pulling
00:11:05.600 at the world.
00:11:06.140 at the
00:11:06.820 hero.
00:11:08.060 Leading to
00:11:08.800 step two.
00:11:11.020 The call
00:11:11.440 to adventure.
00:11:14.200 This
00:11:14.800 is where
00:11:16.220 Luke Skywalker
00:11:18.140 learns
00:11:19.260 about the
00:11:20.420 princess that
00:11:21.320 needs rescuing
00:11:22.140 and he
00:11:22.940 learns about
00:11:24.140 the Jedi.
00:11:25.240 He learns
00:11:25.860 about the
00:11:26.320 lightsaber.
00:11:29.000 Next you
00:11:29.760 have the
00:11:30.060 refusal
00:11:30.560 of the
00:11:31.720 call.
00:11:32.580 I can't
00:11:33.100 do it.
00:11:33.800 I have
00:11:34.220 farming to
00:11:34.760 take care
00:11:35.240 of.
00:11:35.440 I need
00:11:36.280 to do
00:11:37.360 all of
00:11:37.800 this.
00:11:41.120 This
00:11:41.680 refusal
00:11:42.180 is met
00:11:43.560 with events
00:11:44.200 that cannot
00:11:45.060 be ignored.
00:11:46.260 They refuse
00:11:46.960 the call
00:11:47.360 but are
00:11:47.700 forced into
00:11:48.340 it.
00:11:48.600 At which
00:11:49.620 point
00:11:50.000 they get
00:11:50.960 to meet
00:11:51.420 the
00:11:52.080 mentor.
00:11:54.160 Luke Skywalker
00:11:54.800 finds
00:11:55.320 Obi-Wan
00:11:55.960 Kenobi
00:11:56.400 and Obi-Wan
00:11:58.160 Kenobi
00:11:58.480 teaches him
00:11:59.260 how to
00:12:00.180 leave
00:12:00.680 his
00:12:01.280 regular
00:12:01.680 world
00:12:02.180 and go
00:12:03.740 across
00:12:04.900 the
00:12:05.560 threshold
00:12:06.180 into
00:12:07.340 the
00:12:07.540 dark
00:12:08.000 world.
00:12:11.720 At the
00:12:12.640 end of
00:12:12.900 act one
00:12:13.420 this is
00:12:14.520 where
00:12:14.920 Luke Skywalker
00:12:16.200 goes to the
00:12:16.800 hive of
00:12:17.260 scum and
00:12:17.780 villainy
00:12:18.300 under the
00:12:19.360 tutelage
00:12:20.260 of Obi-Wan
00:12:21.340 and he
00:12:23.000 meets with
00:12:23.480 a pirate
00:12:24.440 and a
00:12:25.180 smuggler
00:12:25.700 and escapes
00:12:27.560 Tatooine
00:12:28.660 while running
00:12:29.600 from the
00:12:30.280 law.
00:12:31.080 He's gone
00:12:31.540 from the
00:12:32.160 regular world
00:12:32.840 where he is
00:12:33.300 a good
00:12:33.740 farm boy
00:12:34.440 into the
00:12:37.380 dark world
00:12:38.140 of being
00:12:38.900 an outlaw.
00:12:39.440 next
00:12:43.740 in the
00:12:45.380 dark world
00:12:46.040 he starts
00:12:46.980 to challenge
00:12:47.720 himself.
00:12:48.400 This is
00:12:48.600 step six.
00:12:49.340 Tests
00:12:49.700 allies
00:12:50.180 and enemies.
00:12:51.580 He is
00:12:52.220 tested
00:12:52.700 he is
00:12:53.420 challenged
00:12:54.080 and he
00:12:55.080 he passes
00:12:55.960 the test
00:12:56.680 he passes
00:12:57.140 the challenge
00:12:57.620 he overcomes
00:12:58.420 he figures
00:12:59.180 out who
00:13:00.220 his allies
00:13:00.780 are
00:13:01.160 and who
00:13:02.180 his enemies
00:13:03.140 are.
00:13:06.280 And once
00:13:07.240 he is ready
00:13:07.860 once he is
00:13:08.400 ready through
00:13:08.780 these tests
00:13:09.380 comes step
00:13:10.320 seven.
00:13:11.440 The approach.
00:13:14.220 This
00:13:14.740 is where we
00:13:15.860 find where
00:13:16.380 we are at
00:13:17.100 the end
00:13:17.700 of episode
00:13:18.680 four.
00:13:19.120 A new
00:13:19.380 hope.
00:13:20.720 The approach.
00:13:22.340 We are
00:13:22.900 on Yavin.
00:13:24.540 The Death
00:13:25.000 Star is coming.
00:13:25.760 We know
00:13:26.120 what the Death
00:13:26.620 Star is.
00:13:27.120 We know
00:13:27.600 who Darth
00:13:28.780 Vader is.
00:13:29.380 And Darth
00:13:29.700 Vader knows
00:13:30.760 who Luke
00:13:31.220 Skywalker is.
00:13:32.080 He knows
00:13:32.540 who the
00:13:32.880 Rebellion
00:13:33.400 is.
00:13:34.520 Who they
00:13:34.880 are.
00:13:35.920 These lines
00:13:36.460 have been
00:13:36.680 drawn in the
00:13:37.160 sand now.
00:13:38.080 Good guys
00:13:38.540 and bad
00:13:38.860 guys.
00:13:39.380 So there's
00:13:41.380 the approach
00:13:42.040 that the
00:13:43.340 Death
00:13:43.560 Star approaches
00:13:44.360 and the
00:13:45.660 X-Wings
00:13:46.040 and the
00:13:46.280 Y-Wings
00:13:46.660 they approach
00:13:47.220 the Death
00:13:47.580 Star.
00:13:48.380 And finally
00:13:48.920 the ordeal.
00:13:54.860 Ordeal,
00:13:55.800 death,
00:13:56.460 and rebirth.
00:13:57.140 This is
00:14:00.200 supposed to be
00:14:00.740 the middle
00:14:01.220 of the
00:14:01.520 story.
00:14:03.120 But in
00:14:03.760 Star Wars
00:14:04.260 this is
00:14:04.520 the end
00:14:04.880 of the
00:14:05.120 story.
00:14:07.480 And after
00:14:08.220 it there's
00:14:08.660 a very,
00:14:09.360 very short
00:14:09.920 denouement
00:14:10.620 which is
00:14:11.900 step nine.
00:14:13.940 Reward.
00:14:15.680 This is where
00:14:16.360 the hero
00:14:17.440 grasps the
00:14:18.860 treasure
00:14:19.300 that they're
00:14:20.640 supposed to
00:14:21.080 have.
00:14:21.600 And this is
00:14:22.240 where our
00:14:22.540 movies end.
00:14:23.140 it's very
00:14:28.440 clearly played
00:14:30.340 out like that
00:14:31.040 in Star Wars.
00:14:32.300 But you go
00:14:32.860 and see any
00:14:33.620 Marvel film
00:14:34.640 and it's the
00:14:35.500 exact same
00:14:36.080 thing.
00:14:37.680 There's a
00:14:38.320 big bad guy
00:14:39.340 out there
00:14:39.920 and he's the
00:14:40.620 bad guy
00:14:41.080 because he's
00:14:41.560 the bad guy
00:14:42.200 and the hero
00:14:43.000 needs to go
00:14:43.480 fight the bad
00:14:44.080 guy because
00:14:44.560 he's the
00:14:45.000 hero.
00:14:45.300 end of
00:14:46.740 story.
00:14:54.240 In a real
00:14:55.120 story,
00:14:55.740 this isn't
00:14:56.160 where it
00:14:56.460 ends.
00:14:58.560 No,
00:14:59.160 after defeating
00:15:00.200 the bad
00:15:00.680 guy,
00:15:01.720 there's the
00:15:02.740 road back.
00:15:05.160 This is
00:15:06.020 where the
00:15:06.460 hero reflects
00:15:07.320 on what
00:15:08.400 they paid
00:15:09.220 for this
00:15:10.420 thing they
00:15:10.900 acquired.
00:15:12.180 They begin
00:15:13.040 to understand
00:15:13.720 what this
00:15:14.400 thing
00:15:14.720 is that
00:15:16.860 they acquired
00:15:17.360 through the
00:15:17.940 price they
00:15:19.200 paid for
00:15:19.820 it.
00:15:20.620 They begin
00:15:21.160 to understand
00:15:21.860 that the
00:15:22.860 villain wasn't
00:15:24.400 truly a
00:15:25.680 villain.
00:15:27.100 It was just
00:15:27.920 another person.
00:15:29.580 It was just
00:15:30.140 another force
00:15:31.300 in the universe
00:15:32.380 like they're
00:15:33.100 a force in
00:15:34.420 the universe.
00:15:36.300 And thus,
00:15:37.520 going through
00:15:38.080 that darkest
00:15:38.800 quadrant of
00:15:40.240 eight to
00:15:41.460 ten from
00:15:42.220 the ordeal,
00:15:43.640 which is their
00:15:44.040 death and
00:15:44.440 rebirth,
00:15:44.720 to the road
00:15:45.840 back,
00:15:46.740 they have
00:15:47.280 gone fully
00:15:48.320 through the
00:15:49.620 dark world.
00:15:50.780 They are now
00:15:51.440 part of the
00:15:52.860 dark world,
00:15:53.680 leading to
00:15:54.040 step 11,
00:15:55.740 the resurrection.
00:16:00.580 Mario,
00:16:01.860 in the
00:16:02.620 resurrection,
00:16:03.160 Mario has
00:16:04.220 been through
00:16:04.920 the ordeal.
00:16:06.140 He has
00:16:06.400 fought off
00:16:06.900 Bowser,
00:16:07.380 has rescued
00:16:07.880 Princess Peach,
00:16:08.660 and now he
00:16:10.620 comes to
00:16:11.040 realize
00:16:11.660 that his
00:16:13.760 enemy was
00:16:14.760 never
00:16:15.000 Bowser.
00:16:16.180 Bowser is
00:16:16.660 just another
00:16:17.120 man.
00:16:18.480 That Princess
00:16:19.260 Peach was
00:16:20.440 not a reward.
00:16:22.420 Princess Peach
00:16:23.040 is just another
00:16:23.720 human being
00:16:24.720 on her own
00:16:25.720 journey.
00:16:26.060 this is where
00:16:29.340 Mario
00:16:30.060 achieves
00:16:30.800 enlightenment,
00:16:32.280 and he
00:16:33.060 realizes what
00:16:33.880 it means to
00:16:34.540 be a hero
00:16:35.040 and what it
00:16:35.520 means to
00:16:35.980 be a villain,
00:16:37.000 and that we
00:16:37.500 all have both
00:16:38.280 these elements
00:16:38.940 inside of
00:16:39.960 ourselves.
00:16:41.040 And so
00:16:41.280 finally,
00:16:41.760 12,
00:16:42.320 he returns
00:16:43.140 with the
00:16:43.820 elixir.
00:16:45.300 He returns
00:16:45.880 to the
00:16:46.160 regular world,
00:16:46.900 he returns
00:16:47.360 to his
00:16:47.820 home.
00:16:50.680 And now
00:16:51.480 he can be
00:16:51.900 a force
00:16:52.440 of wisdom
00:16:53.380 within his
00:16:55.060 own home.
00:16:56.240 He can
00:16:56.700 become the
00:16:57.260 mentor to
00:16:58.140 the next
00:16:58.540 young man
00:16:59.180 that needs
00:17:00.060 to go
00:17:00.560 on the
00:17:01.400 hero's
00:17:01.780 journey.
00:17:07.440 That's
00:17:07.960 the true
00:17:08.340 catharsis
00:17:09.020 that comes
00:17:10.240 from it
00:17:10.560 all.
00:17:11.880 It's the
00:17:12.400 realization
00:17:13.200 that every
00:17:15.400 single one
00:17:15.940 of us,
00:17:16.760 we might be
00:17:17.440 the hero
00:17:17.880 of our
00:17:18.280 story,
00:17:18.980 but we're
00:17:19.540 the villain
00:17:20.040 of somebody
00:17:21.040 else's.
00:17:23.380 When you
00:17:24.720 go to
00:17:25.020 church,
00:17:25.700 if you
00:17:26.040 go to
00:17:26.340 church,
00:17:27.600 the
00:17:27.740 Christian
00:17:28.240 psychodrama,
00:17:31.580 we,
00:17:32.340 we in
00:17:33.460 the pews,
00:17:34.800 we're not
00:17:35.180 the protagonists.
00:17:37.700 We are
00:17:39.560 the villains.
00:17:41.020 We are
00:17:41.400 the ones
00:17:41.700 that crucified
00:17:42.320 Christ on
00:17:44.020 his hero's
00:17:44.720 journey,
00:17:45.660 and yet he
00:17:46.020 came back
00:17:46.580 with the
00:17:46.960 elixir.
00:17:48.600 And so
00:17:48.860 we return
00:17:49.320 to him
00:17:49.780 as penitents,
00:17:51.800 as petitioners,
00:17:53.380 asking for
00:17:56.060 this wisdom.
00:17:58.500 If you
00:17:58.700 study the
00:17:59.120 Bhagavad Gita,
00:18:02.360 Arjuna
00:18:02.840 eventually
00:18:04.720 comes to
00:18:05.220 realize that
00:18:05.780 he himself
00:18:06.420 must also
00:18:07.020 be the
00:18:07.920 villain when
00:18:08.840 he fights
00:18:09.500 his old
00:18:10.180 family members
00:18:11.280 because that's
00:18:11.720 the only
00:18:12.000 path forward.
00:18:15.360 The hero's
00:18:16.360 journey is
00:18:17.220 painful.
00:18:18.680 It's
00:18:19.000 self-examinatory.
00:18:21.340 It's
00:18:21.960 self-revelatory.
00:18:23.380 You
00:18:24.260 learn
00:18:24.700 about
00:18:25.420 yourself.
00:18:25.980 You
00:18:26.060 learn
00:18:26.360 things
00:18:26.980 that
00:18:27.220 hurt
00:18:27.640 about
00:18:29.680 yourself,
00:18:30.120 but that's
00:18:30.400 not what
00:18:30.680 we have
00:18:31.100 nowadays.
00:18:32.000 That's
00:18:32.280 not what
00:18:32.520 we want.
00:18:33.840 We want
00:18:34.560 to stop
00:18:35.300 the hero's
00:18:36.220 journey
00:18:36.560 at point
00:18:38.020 eight,
00:18:38.480 right on
00:18:39.840 the brink
00:18:40.440 of the
00:18:40.820 darkest
00:18:41.180 moment.
00:18:42.500 We want
00:18:43.180 to pretend
00:18:43.580 that everything
00:18:44.200 is fine.
00:18:47.080 Everything's
00:18:47.620 happy.
00:18:47.920 and so
00:18:53.360 we see
00:18:53.680 these
00:18:54.000 perfected
00:18:55.220 idols
00:18:55.980 of the
00:18:57.400 hero
00:18:57.700 who never
00:18:59.380 learn anything
00:19:00.300 about
00:19:00.700 themselves.
00:19:02.560 They never
00:19:03.500 learn anything
00:19:04.260 about the
00:19:04.740 villains.
00:19:07.500 All they
00:19:08.360 learn is
00:19:08.740 that they
00:19:09.020 deserve
00:19:09.500 success
00:19:10.120 and we
00:19:11.180 walk away
00:19:11.880 angry
00:19:12.840 and bitter
00:19:13.720 that we
00:19:15.340 don't have
00:19:15.860 that same
00:19:16.540 sort of
00:19:16.900 opportunity,
00:19:18.040 that same
00:19:18.480 sort of
00:19:18.920 success
00:19:19.480 in life.
00:19:20.900 We're angry
00:19:21.680 that we
00:19:22.840 don't have
00:19:23.180 an Iron
00:19:23.620 Man suit,
00:19:24.480 that we
00:19:24.800 don't have
00:19:25.080 a lightsaber,
00:19:26.040 that the
00:19:26.400 closest we
00:19:27.040 can get
00:19:27.680 is to
00:19:28.380 pretending
00:19:28.880 to be
00:19:29.780 Luke Skywalker
00:19:30.840 in the
00:19:31.220 movie,
00:19:31.780 pretending
00:19:32.120 to be
00:19:32.860 Iron
00:19:33.260 Man.
00:19:37.100 And so
00:19:37.980 instead of
00:19:38.560 returning with
00:19:39.060 the elixir,
00:19:40.260 instead of
00:19:40.560 examining
00:19:41.000 ourselves
00:19:41.520 and coming
00:19:41.900 away with
00:19:42.300 wisdom,
00:19:43.220 we turn
00:19:44.500 away from
00:19:45.000 death.
00:19:46.900 and pretend
00:19:48.500 that everything's
00:19:49.260 just fine
00:19:49.960 as we
00:19:50.900 see with
00:19:51.780 bitterness.
00:19:58.460 So what
00:19:59.340 is death?
00:20:02.460 What
00:20:03.180 is death?
00:20:06.680 Well, it's
00:20:07.520 the end, but
00:20:08.300 it's more than
00:20:09.220 just the end.
00:20:12.420 Death
00:20:13.180 death is
00:20:14.700 the final
00:20:15.060 judgment.
00:20:18.480 Now, whether
00:20:19.200 you believe
00:20:21.140 that you
00:20:21.560 are going
00:20:21.940 to encounter
00:20:23.500 the book
00:20:24.580 of life
00:20:25.060 and be
00:20:26.440 held
00:20:26.740 accountable
00:20:27.220 for all
00:20:28.220 of your
00:20:28.440 deeds,
00:20:29.620 or if
00:20:31.380 you believe
00:20:31.900 that
00:20:32.300 consciousness
00:20:33.420 ceases,
00:20:36.180 there's
00:20:37.500 that eternal
00:20:38.420 nothingness.
00:20:42.740 Either way,
00:20:43.420 it's a
00:20:43.580 judgment.
00:20:45.600 Your body
00:20:46.380 is going
00:20:47.000 to be lying
00:20:47.500 there in
00:20:47.940 that casket
00:20:48.660 as all
00:20:50.520 the friends
00:20:51.560 and family,
00:20:53.020 those that
00:20:53.400 are left,
00:20:54.700 those that
00:20:55.040 you still
00:20:55.360 have,
00:20:57.080 stand
00:20:57.400 around.
00:20:59.240 And they'll
00:20:59.840 say kind
00:21:00.340 words, but
00:21:01.140 the fact is
00:21:03.060 your life is
00:21:03.620 over.
00:21:04.840 There's no
00:21:05.260 more,
00:21:05.780 there's no
00:21:06.980 more hope.
00:21:08.420 There's no
00:21:09.420 more
00:21:09.760 opportunity.
00:21:13.040 The final
00:21:14.000 chapter has
00:21:15.300 been written.
00:21:16.420 The work
00:21:16.940 is completed.
00:21:19.360 There's
00:21:19.920 nothing more
00:21:20.600 to be added
00:21:21.240 to it.
00:21:22.100 Whatever it
00:21:22.680 was,
00:21:24.060 it stands
00:21:25.020 for whatever
00:21:26.260 it was.
00:21:30.680 Death
00:21:31.480 is that
00:21:32.720 judgment.
00:21:33.080 judgment.
00:21:37.280 And whenever
00:21:37.960 we are
00:21:38.260 judged,
00:21:39.640 we fall
00:21:41.480 short.
00:21:44.360 Whenever you
00:21:45.020 take a test,
00:21:46.600 very seldom do
00:21:47.500 you get 100%
00:21:48.300 on that test.
00:21:49.460 If you get
00:21:49.900 100%, then the
00:21:50.920 test was far
00:21:52.280 too easy,
00:21:52.740 wasn't it?
00:21:54.180 What's the
00:21:54.760 point of taking
00:21:55.660 a course of
00:21:56.240 doing a test
00:21:56.880 where you get
00:21:57.920 100%?
00:21:58.700 any test
00:22:04.080 worth taking
00:22:05.020 is going
00:22:05.280 to be a
00:22:05.600 failure.
00:22:06.040 And that
00:22:06.240 ultimate test
00:22:06.900 of life,
00:22:07.340 you are going
00:22:07.740 to fail
00:22:08.080 on it.
00:22:12.240 And so
00:22:12.820 death isn't
00:22:13.380 just death
00:22:15.240 itself,
00:22:15.780 the final
00:22:16.400 arbiter.
00:22:17.840 Death is
00:22:18.340 something that
00:22:18.840 happens to
00:22:19.340 us every
00:22:20.400 single day.
00:22:21.760 every single
00:22:24.780 day when we
00:22:25.400 go to
00:22:25.760 sleep,
00:22:26.760 that day
00:22:27.220 is completed,
00:22:28.160 that day
00:22:28.480 is finished.
00:22:30.220 Everything
00:22:30.620 that could
00:22:31.680 have been
00:22:31.980 done,
00:22:32.620 all those
00:22:32.920 possibilities,
00:22:33.700 they no
00:22:33.960 longer exist.
00:22:35.080 Instead,
00:22:35.920 what was
00:22:36.600 done is
00:22:38.120 all that
00:22:38.400 exists.
00:22:43.000 And there's
00:22:43.640 going to be
00:22:43.920 failure in
00:22:45.640 that.
00:22:46.980 Most days
00:22:47.720 of your life,
00:22:48.280 there's going
00:22:48.740 to be
00:22:49.340 failure.
00:22:51.760 and
00:22:54.640 failure.
00:22:56.540 Well,
00:22:57.280 failure
00:22:57.640 leads to
00:22:59.520 suffering.
00:23:03.040 The
00:23:03.640 business
00:23:04.840 that
00:23:07.360 made bad
00:23:08.620 investments,
00:23:10.200 it's a
00:23:10.420 cockamamie
00:23:10.920 idea,
00:23:12.760 that business
00:23:13.320 that during
00:23:13.640 the bull
00:23:14.200 market,
00:23:15.680 that everybody
00:23:16.180 was so eager
00:23:17.020 to invest
00:23:17.800 in this
00:23:18.140 business,
00:23:18.600 this sounds
00:23:18.980 like an
00:23:19.280 idea,
00:23:19.700 maybe we
00:23:20.120 can make
00:23:20.400 a million
00:23:20.740 dollars.
00:23:21.760 Some of
00:23:23.620 those
00:23:23.760 businesses
00:23:24.100 go on
00:23:24.500 to make
00:23:24.720 money,
00:23:25.280 but a
00:23:25.560 lot of
00:23:25.880 them
00:23:26.120 fail.
00:23:28.320 And this
00:23:28.920 creates
00:23:29.480 suffering.
00:23:35.380 The
00:23:35.940 adventures we
00:23:36.440 make in
00:23:36.720 our own
00:23:37.100 lives,
00:23:38.060 the
00:23:38.200 relationships
00:23:38.700 we build,
00:23:39.540 the
00:23:39.680 friendships
00:23:40.060 we create,
00:23:41.380 some of
00:23:41.840 these
00:23:42.200 dissolve.
00:23:44.940 All
00:23:45.500 things
00:23:45.980 eventually
00:23:47.080 dissolve.
00:23:48.480 Everything
00:23:48.900 falls
00:23:49.980 apart.
00:23:53.520 If it's
00:23:54.300 allowed to.
00:23:56.960 But you
00:23:57.660 see,
00:23:57.900 we,
00:23:58.180 we fear
00:23:59.340 death.
00:24:00.800 We fear
00:24:01.760 the suffering.
00:24:03.760 We fear
00:24:04.740 the business
00:24:05.380 closing and
00:24:06.260 being laid
00:24:06.700 off.
00:24:07.400 We fear
00:24:08.020 the broken
00:24:09.320 heart,
00:24:10.200 that if we're
00:24:10.800 actually honest
00:24:11.740 and open with
00:24:12.960 somebody,
00:24:13.300 it is a
00:24:14.540 distinct result.
00:24:15.300 we fear
00:24:18.940 the suffering
00:24:20.180 of realizing
00:24:20.900 that we
00:24:21.900 ourselves
00:24:22.360 have been
00:24:23.020 villains in
00:24:24.000 some other
00:24:24.400 hero's
00:24:24.920 story.
00:24:28.020 We fear
00:24:29.460 that suffering,
00:24:30.960 we fear
00:24:31.460 that death,
00:24:33.540 and so we
00:24:35.120 turn away
00:24:35.560 from it.
00:24:38.120 We create
00:24:39.080 the economic
00:24:39.540 stimulus to
00:24:40.800 keep all of
00:24:41.280 these companies
00:24:41.780 going so that
00:24:42.440 nobody ever
00:24:43.140 gets laid
00:24:43.560 off, none of
00:24:44.020 these companies
00:24:44.440 ever die.
00:24:46.260 And the
00:24:46.860 economy turns
00:24:47.520 into a
00:24:48.260 zombie economy.
00:24:52.860 We fear
00:24:53.660 failure within
00:24:54.480 our own lives,
00:24:55.120 so we turn
00:24:55.460 to sports
00:24:55.940 ball.
00:24:56.480 We turn
00:24:56.840 to these
00:24:57.440 stories that
00:24:58.900 are truncated
00:24:59.760 halfway through
00:25:00.540 so that we
00:25:02.340 never have to
00:25:02.880 pay the
00:25:03.120 consequences.
00:25:04.660 We can
00:25:04.900 live vicariously
00:25:06.060 through these
00:25:07.780 heroes.
00:25:09.960 Always be
00:25:10.680 winners as
00:25:11.640 we're living
00:25:12.000 through these
00:25:12.400 heroes.
00:25:12.800 Never be
00:25:13.120 losers,
00:25:13.680 never suffer.
00:25:15.300 And so
00:25:18.720 we never
00:25:19.080 learn.
00:25:20.120 We never
00:25:20.400 actually take
00:25:21.180 the test.
00:25:22.560 We never
00:25:22.880 fail, we
00:25:24.380 never suffer,
00:25:25.840 and we
00:25:26.280 never grow.
00:25:32.580 Failure and
00:25:33.960 suffering is
00:25:35.180 necessary for
00:25:36.300 growth, and
00:25:37.200 we shy away
00:25:37.940 from it.
00:25:38.920 We deaden
00:25:39.720 ourselves with
00:25:41.000 heroin.
00:25:41.480 We deaden
00:25:42.480 ourselves with
00:25:43.480 other psychoactive
00:25:44.580 substances.
00:25:47.260 We deaden
00:25:48.480 the economy
00:25:49.300 with stimulus.
00:25:51.740 We are
00:25:52.020 terrified of
00:25:53.080 falling asleep,
00:25:55.180 of entering the
00:25:55.900 dark world,
00:25:56.840 because we do
00:25:58.020 not want to
00:25:58.720 admit what
00:26:00.020 sort of
00:26:00.400 monsters lie
00:26:01.960 beneath the
00:26:02.840 surface.
00:26:07.360 And because we
00:26:08.540 are afraid of
00:26:09.120 these monsters,
00:26:09.860 because we are
00:26:10.360 afraid of
00:26:10.820 death, we
00:26:11.620 are afraid of
00:26:12.180 the darkness,
00:26:12.620 because we do
00:26:13.400 not enter it.
00:26:15.540 Those monsters
00:26:16.320 chase us for
00:26:17.880 our entire
00:26:18.680 lives.
00:26:20.080 They run us
00:26:21.080 ragged.
00:26:24.740 And that energy
00:26:26.080 that we started
00:26:26.820 with in youth
00:26:27.780 is bled from
00:26:29.500 us.
00:26:30.440 We are bled
00:26:31.280 dry like the
00:26:33.060 victim of a
00:26:34.300 vampire, and we
00:26:35.560 become that
00:26:36.300 vampire's willing
00:26:37.680 servant.
00:26:38.360 we ourselves
00:26:39.840 become undead
00:26:41.720 because we
00:26:44.600 fear death.
00:26:50.320 The solution
00:26:51.620 is to stare
00:26:53.920 death in the
00:26:54.500 face.
00:26:55.720 The solution
00:26:56.340 is to accept
00:26:58.540 suffering.
00:27:00.320 The solution
00:27:01.180 is to pursue
00:27:03.300 virtue.
00:27:04.200 Virtue.
00:27:08.360 When you
00:27:08.640 are suffering,
00:27:11.360 there's
00:27:12.540 often nothing
00:27:14.360 you can do
00:27:14.820 about it.
00:27:17.400 If you
00:27:18.040 are working
00:27:18.440 for a company,
00:27:20.720 you are going
00:27:21.980 to get laid
00:27:22.740 off eventually.
00:27:25.440 Could be
00:27:26.080 through your
00:27:26.500 fault, or it
00:27:27.100 could be
00:27:27.360 through no
00:27:27.760 fault of your
00:27:28.240 own.
00:27:28.460 You are
00:27:28.700 going to be
00:27:29.100 laid off.
00:27:31.180 That part's
00:27:31.940 inevitable.
00:27:34.320 But while
00:27:34.940 you're there,
00:27:35.820 you can work.
00:27:36.620 you can
00:27:37.800 accomplish.
00:27:38.800 You can
00:27:39.280 show virtue.
00:27:42.760 You are
00:27:43.400 going to have
00:27:43.880 a broken
00:27:44.220 heart.
00:27:46.020 And you
00:27:46.520 can ignore
00:27:46.940 this.
00:27:47.420 You can
00:27:47.620 never trust.
00:27:48.320 You can
00:27:48.460 never open
00:27:49.020 your heart,
00:27:49.980 and you
00:27:50.180 can run
00:27:50.480 roughshod over
00:27:51.780 everybody else.
00:27:52.640 You can run
00:27:53.320 from the
00:27:54.100 pain.
00:27:55.880 And then
00:27:56.380 you'll have
00:27:56.680 nothing.
00:27:57.560 And then
00:27:58.080 you'll have
00:27:58.360 created more
00:27:58.920 pain in the
00:27:59.360 process.
00:27:59.960 Or you
00:28:01.480 can trust.
00:28:03.160 You can
00:28:03.800 open yourself.
00:28:05.060 you can
00:28:06.460 accept the
00:28:08.040 darkness, the
00:28:08.880 pain, the
00:28:09.700 monsters.
00:28:10.920 You can take
00:28:11.460 the risk.
00:28:11.960 And you
00:28:12.180 will pay
00:28:12.680 for it.
00:28:14.080 But you
00:28:14.680 can practice
00:28:15.420 virtue.
00:28:19.040 So that
00:28:19.760 when that
00:28:20.340 final
00:28:21.040 examination
00:28:22.540 comes, that
00:28:23.380 final judgment,
00:28:25.880 you know
00:28:28.640 you're going
00:28:29.000 to fall
00:28:29.340 short.
00:28:31.040 That judgment
00:28:31.880 will come
00:28:32.620 for you.
00:28:33.400 And there
00:28:33.760 will be
00:28:34.260 failure.
00:28:35.060 but by
00:28:37.660 confronting
00:28:38.520 death,
00:28:39.480 confronting
00:28:39.880 failure
00:28:40.400 throughout
00:28:40.820 your life,
00:28:42.080 and reacting
00:28:42.960 with virtue,
00:28:44.760 finding that
00:28:46.380 pearl of
00:28:47.200 wisdom,
00:28:48.660 and returning
00:28:49.700 with the
00:28:50.160 elixir,
00:28:51.560 even though
00:28:51.980 it costs
00:28:52.460 you,
00:28:54.700 you can
00:28:56.120 confront
00:28:56.620 death
00:28:57.140 with a
00:28:58.620 peaceful
00:28:58.900 heart.
00:28:59.280 death.
00:29:03.880 I'm going
00:29:04.700 to leave
00:29:04.960 you with
00:29:05.300 a short
00:29:06.020 poem
00:29:06.540 by the
00:29:08.720 17th
00:29:09.320 century
00:29:09.640 Japanese
00:29:10.160 poet
00:29:10.580 Matsuo
00:29:11.780 Basho,
00:29:13.540 which
00:29:13.940 some of
00:29:14.680 you might
00:29:15.000 recognize
00:29:15.620 from the
00:29:16.000 Ian Fleming
00:29:16.600 novel.
00:29:19.500 You only
00:29:20.560 live twice,
00:29:22.400 once when
00:29:23.440 you're born,
00:29:24.940 and once
00:29:26.060 when you
00:29:26.880 look death
00:29:27.460 in the
00:29:28.220 face.