Unlearn16: Class is in Session - The One Where The Total Eclipse Proved Thoughts Matter More Than Fact

00:00:00.000 classes in session good evening unlearn 16 classes in session listen guys today you just get me but

00:00:11.800 you get me with some depth you get me with some deep thoughts tonight and just so everybody knows

00:00:18.340 i am taping this on eclipse day so in ontario and i don't know is it the world does it is it just

00:00:26.560 Ontario in North America that got the total eclipse. I'm fuzzy on the silence. Don't come at

00:00:31.760 me. Uh, total eclipse. The last time there was a total eclipse was 1979. So I was four. Don't do

00:00:39.700 that math. Um, I want to tell you a story. First, I want to tell you this story. Um, total eclipse

00:00:46.820 of the heart has a very strong place in my heart because that was the first ever slow dance that I

00:00:54.500 had, and it was at a trailer park. I don't know why I was camping at a trailer. My friend's grandma

00:01:01.720 had a trailer in a trailer park, and it was a campfire, all of which things I don't do in nature,

00:01:07.680 and that song came on, and this guy, very young, I don't know how old I was, like pre-grade six,

00:01:15.160 asked me to dance, and I have a visceral memory of dancing to that song, and every time that song

00:01:22.160 comes up, comes back. I'm like, right to that point. Anyways, it's not the point really of

00:01:27.540 this podcast. So today's the eclipse day. And the buildup to this day, as you guys know,

00:01:35.480 was ridiculous, right? Like in Ontario, school boards have shut down schools. They've switched

00:01:40.660 around PD day. So kids can be at home. My school shut down. Everybody's talking about how it's

00:01:45.540 going to burn your retina. Are these the conversations we have? And it's so much

00:01:48.580 different because now it's a total eclipse and total eclipse. You're going to stare at it for

00:01:51.880 exceptionally long periods of time. And we're all going to go blind. We were, this was a lot

00:01:58.580 of conversation, right? Like it was a lot of conversation. And to the point where today,

00:02:05.240 like Anna was shutting all the blinds and stuff just in case like Presley accidentally came

00:02:11.980 upstairs and looked out the window and stared at the sun maniacally or Ripley, you know, same deal. 1.00

00:02:19.380 and they both burnt out their tiny little puppy kitty retinas. All of this buildup and all of

00:02:26.820 this conversation. And then when it's kind of happening today, oh, by the way, Ontario,

00:02:32.040 completely overcast. I'm going to come back to that metaphor in a second. Completely overcast.

00:02:35.860 We didn't see anything where I was in Ajax, Ontario. Okay. So I'm sitting here and my mom,

00:02:42.040 who, by the way, loves all this stuff. Like she, she loves all of it. Like any, any big event,

00:02:47.120 anything of any kind that's going to be, you know, I don't know if it's just like these big

00:02:54.680 events that sort of motivate her or that, you know, she's been watching coverage for it all day.

00:03:00.380 I'm not too sure what drives her, but she said, I'm going to try to explain it. And she says this.

00:03:07.800 Interesting that of course it gets colder with no sun. If the moon and sun got stuck together,

00:03:13.820 we would all die

00:03:17.480 that's what she texts me

00:03:23.520 if they got stuck together

00:03:28.000 now my mom knows that's not what's going on

00:03:33.360 like she knows how far apart they are

00:03:35.840 but her head and the way it's working in this particular moment

00:03:39.940 because at some other point she's watching the whole thing on tv

00:03:43.620 And she goes, I go, I think it's kind of boring.

00:03:47.860 She's like, I've been watching the thing all day

00:03:50.280 in different places and different whatever.

00:03:52.400 And she goes, I really like it.

00:03:54.240 It makes me cry.

00:03:56.460 So amazing.

00:03:58.660 Listen, here's what I want to say about the eclipse.

00:04:02.300 There's a couple of things.

00:04:03.120 And I think they're important things.

00:04:04.540 So bear with me, roll down this metaphor with me.

00:04:08.280 i think people in general want two things in this world and we don't articulate them

00:04:17.820 all the time but i think internally we want them and then when stuff like this happens

00:04:22.160 you see it number one we want to be a part of something important

00:04:30.600 number two

00:04:34.040 we like and we strive for a sense of community and a sense of of connectivity to other people

00:04:49.300 on this planet and i think when i look at this eclipse thing and you you know i i separate the

00:04:57.440 the majesty of it right the beauty of it the the wonder of it the science of it all of those things

00:05:03.840 that sort of make you feel could make people feel small this makes them feel a part of something

00:05:12.800 important a part of something big and it was not it was nothing big guys it was it was witnessing

00:05:20.880 an event collectively. But I really want to focus on the fact that, because I spent a lot of time

00:05:29.260 talking about politics or talking about human nature, talking about the way that people work

00:05:34.560 together or don't work together and the divisive nature of all of these things. And I really think

00:05:41.160 that those two drives, if we could tap into those two drives in an incredibly meaningful way,

00:05:49.260 we would tap into what i think the root nature of humanity is we want to be a part of something

00:05:58.240 big and important and we want to feel and be connected to other people on this planet at this

00:06:09.440 time and that's quite beautiful that's quite impressive when you really think about it

00:06:15.800 If you agree with me, you know, and you think that this is what's driving people, well, that's a beautiful basis, in my opinion, of human nature.

00:06:32.480 That basis of human nature we can do something fantastic with for a minute, and we'll deal with them separately.

00:06:40.920 Let's deal with the idea of doing something important first, and then we'll talk about

00:06:46.120 community second.

00:06:48.240 Because if I was going to run, I'm not announcing anything, but if I was going to run, these

00:06:53.420 would be my two fundamental principles about what people need and what people want in this

00:06:59.700 world, and therefore from their elected representatives, number one.

00:07:04.180 They want to feel like what they do matters.

00:07:07.680 Who they are matters.

00:07:09.560 and something like the eclipse and giving this like external important event that only happens

00:07:15.620 every 50 years, let's say something like that. It's momentary. It doesn't last,

00:07:22.300 but you can see why people are just drawn to it. So on that fact alone,

00:07:30.540 making people understand, making people aware, making people proud of who they are

00:07:38.860 of what they do of the importance of their life today in this minute in this second not not 50

00:07:50.420 years from now right now the fact that you're here the fact that you exert a level of control

00:07:58.360 on your own life and then it ripples to all these other people the job you do the people you love

00:08:04.360 the people you take care of, even the people you hurt. That matters. I honestly believe that if

00:08:11.720 more people understood that they are powerful entities operating in this world, that they

00:08:18.220 matter, that every single day they're a part of something important, maybe not an eclipse,

00:08:22.380 but you understand what I'm saying. Don't we change a lot? Don't we look at mental health

00:08:31.260 differently don't we look at our jobs differently don't we look at our friendships and our

00:08:36.140 relationships and and our impact on this world differently and if we can start to look at those

00:08:42.220 things differently don't we feel better don't we stand taller don't our isn't that level of

00:08:51.740 and i don't mean pride in a in a you know in a horrific sense in an extreme sense i mean i mean

00:08:59.580 a healthy sense of I matter. I matter. Everything I do is a solar eclipse. I know it's a shaky

00:09:11.480 metaphor, but do you understand what I'm saying? When I walk in this world, every step I take,

00:09:17.640 it's a ripple. Decisions I make, streets I turn down, people I hold a door open for,

00:09:24.400 My kids I send off to school with the lunch. The job that I do. All of those things are significant in and of themselves. And they're significant as an individual. And we might not be powering the world the same way the sun is.

00:09:44.400 but we are powering if not for us we are powering the world if not for all those individuals right

00:09:56.460 because we constantly and maybe this would rock and and change the way that we look at celebrity

00:10:01.920 culture or billionaire culture or the way that we prioritize you know so-and-so who's a doctor

00:10:08.660 over so-and-so who's a garbage collector over so-and-so who's a teacher and so-and-so is a

00:10:13.360 lawyer, maybe we would stop stacking them up as though they matter more or less, but rather we

00:10:22.520 can start talking about how they matter and are vital and are essential differently.

00:10:31.280 Maybe we can start seeing, you know, that the kid that's struggling with dyslexia,

00:10:36.500 but can play an incredible guitar is bringing something to this world that literary geniuses

00:10:44.780 aren't. Maybe we can start seeing for one damn minute that we're not all competing, 0.89

00:10:54.780 that it's all a collective enterprise. I don't know, people in my comments, 0.90

00:11:02.480 especially over there on X, are going to be like, oh, she's such a communist. Look,

00:11:06.500 It's nothing about that. It's about being rational. It's about being clear-headed. It's about understanding all of the intricacies that are necessary for us as a person, as a family, as a society, to move.

00:11:29.100 rather than pitting you against me us against them it's a shift it's an ecosystem it's a give

00:11:39.540 and take you know and i saw this this image of this solar flare so so it's some people obviously

00:11:49.720 got to see the total eclipse um because it wasn't overcast they got these beautiful images

00:11:54.860 and the one that I like the most

00:11:57.500 is the moon covering the sun, sure, in its entirety

00:12:01.780 and there's this one solar flare

00:12:04.920 flashing from the bottom, perceivably the bottom of the sun

00:12:08.640 and the best part is

00:12:12.220 solar flares happen all the time

00:12:13.820 you just don't see them

00:12:17.020 that this element of our solar system

00:12:22.080 and that of everyday life

00:12:23.860 what seems as though to be unique and magical and one in a million is happening all the time.

00:12:34.260 We just don't see it. And if we saw it more often, would it make it less magical? Would it

00:12:41.700 make it less impressive? Or if we saw it all the time, will we start to gain a better understanding

00:12:48.200 about the way the world works are you guys with me i know i'm like way deep here on a monday night

00:12:54.540 but but roll with me for a second because we can have things that seem like magic

00:13:01.000 solar flares in the middle of an eclipse or we can start pushing our society

00:13:08.880 and and we have the capacity to a deeper more nuanced understanding of the intricacies

00:13:16.420 and the connectivity and the way that the whole world works.

00:13:20.920 So we aren't controlled and in awe of magic.

00:13:26.860 We understand and we see it and we respect it,

00:13:32.920 but we use it to make better plans.

00:13:37.100 We use it to understand deeper context.

00:13:40.080 We use it so we're not now sitting here going,

00:13:43.520 you versus us, them versus them, my job versus your job, my money versus your money.

00:13:50.900 We stop doing it because this ridiculous notion that a solar flare only happens when we happen

00:13:58.720 to see it or only impressed by it because we could see it that one time, maybe it's time we

00:14:05.400 start understanding the depth of the things that happen every single day. And because those things

00:14:12.820 happen every single day. That is what's spinning the world. Right? Like watching the moon go in

00:14:20.320 front of the sun, it's a lovely coincidence. Understanding that as we're moving around the

00:14:30.100 sun, the moon's moving around, our whole solar system's moving around, we're all spinning

00:14:36.220 in giant masses in space?

00:14:40.840 What?

00:14:44.120 And I think we exist in that awe.

00:14:48.520 And then here's the cool part.

00:14:52.300 We come together during that awe.

00:14:55.900 You know, you see all of these people

00:14:58.380 from all over the place

00:14:59.900 coming to meeting points to witness this,

00:15:02.940 but witness it together,

00:15:04.340 to experience it as the human race i think they care about what your politics are how much money

00:15:13.600 you made no in this moment you understand that that eclipse matters because of where you are

00:15:20.480 and where we are is on this planet together and if that's the case then we need to start doing

00:15:27.660 things, understanding that we're all on this planet together, that it is a collective

00:15:35.480 experience, religion, race, geographical boundaries.

00:15:41.860 Listen, those all can get thrown out the window if we were to ever take a giant, if we were

00:15:49.400 to, if we were to zoom out, right? Zoom out. If we, if we do that, we understand how connected

00:16:00.360 and dependent and bound we are to one another here on this planet now. And everything we do

00:16:09.260 connects to that. And everything we do causes a ripple effect of that. And the people we are

00:16:15.420 and the decisions we make and the need by the way to be a part of a bigger social environment

00:16:23.340 we we are social animals well why is that well i believe

00:16:31.100 that the nature of people being able to have emotion and to be able to linguistically and

00:16:40.780 rationally express it those things make us powerful they can also segment us they can

00:16:53.660 divide us they can limit us but in my opinion it is those things everybody's always talking

00:17:01.420 about how we should limit our emotionality oh emotions are bad they're for a week you got to

00:17:07.100 be rational you got to be this you got to be this you got to be cutthroat you just got to make

00:17:11.020 decisions facts don't care about feelings i i disagree i'm i'm gonna say that our emotionality

00:17:24.220 is what distinguishes us and our ability to speak on it and connect with it and for it to drive

00:17:30.460 that's what makes us incredible powerful that's what differentiates us from everything else it

00:17:39.260 really does our emotion not our rationality

00:17:48.060 rationality is math and numbers and i need this so i'm gonna go take that and

00:17:53.900 our emotionality makes us human. And our emotionality made us all stand and buy glasses

00:18:01.640 and feel connected and feel, stand in awe of something like this eclipse.

00:18:12.580 That wasn't fact, that was feeling. That feeling drives us. It's that feeling that makes us want

00:18:21.560 to know what comes after this. It's that feeling that makes us ask, why am I who I am? It's

00:18:27.220 the feeling that makes us try to contemplate, do I have a soul? Does it go on? It makes

00:18:33.420 that feeling, feelings are by far the most important thing about us. I think our lack

00:18:48.720 of desire to express them, name them, describe them in a clear, concise way, that's what's

00:18:57.860 limiting us. Have you ever noticed that in a lot of futuristic novels, the idea of like

00:19:07.780 telepathy, I think that's the word if I'm using it wrong, is telepathy. What is it when you can

00:19:14.280 read somebody else's mind. Now, some people would say, okay, but you know, that's invasive. And what

00:19:21.080 if they're thinking about it? But the underlying principle is this. If you can understand somebody,

00:19:28.900 truly understand somebody, you can understand their intent, their emotionality, who they are,

00:19:34.620 where they come from, it becomes a much more beautiful relationship. And the only reason we

00:19:40.920 don't have that yet is because we're pretending as though the emotionality isn't our driving force

00:19:46.940 we're pretending as though we're these rational robotic AI creatures that don't care about

00:19:53.780 feelings well of course that's just flat out wrong why do you think we're so fixated and moved by

00:20:02.960 love why do you think i mean it's what art and and music and movies and all of the this is what

00:20:15.680 stands the test of time even somebody like you watch a movie like oppenheimer you speak about

00:20:25.780 einstein and these mathematicians and physicists that you're they're always operating in fact

00:20:31.080 no they're not no they're not they're dealing in in mathematical reality but in order to discover

00:20:42.160 something guys in order to take leaps you need to trust your what you can't trust fact it hasn't

00:20:53.300 been invented yet you got to trust your feeling you got to trust your intuition you got to trust

00:20:58.480 your gut call it whatever you want to call it anything amazing that has ever happened has

00:21:06.480 happened because of feeling because i i i think i believe i have faith and i'm not talking religious

00:21:14.320 though that something else better is going to happen because i can feel it i can i can sense it

00:21:21.040 right you go through i mean obviously i'm i teach history and you go through elements

00:21:29.980 you know you go through the scientific revolution and the enlightenment and

00:21:34.400 and you move away from religion but the funny part is

00:21:37.960 religion is just thought and feeling that we couldn't quite express yet

00:21:47.480 I think we're about to have another revolution. And I think the revolution is going to be in

00:21:54.580 mental health. And it's not the way you think it is. It's not because everybody's going to

00:21:57.580 have an issue and blah, blah, blah, blah. No, no, no, no, no. We're going to finally

00:22:00.880 start to come to an understanding that what we think matters more than what is. I know it's

00:22:10.840 very postmodern. Roll with me. What we think about the world we're walking in matters more

00:22:22.160 than what is, because you can't get around of what you think and feel. But if we are strong

00:22:29.760 enough, brave enough, intelligent enough, thoughtful enough, articulate enough to put

00:22:34.720 what we thought into words to to do our very best to have people around us understand what that is

00:22:45.520 and why that is i think that's the next revolution that's the next big thing you know right now we're

00:22:55.680 looking at mental health sort of from a negative perspective right people have mental health issues

00:23:00.720 we need to help them. Bullcrap. I mean, that's true. People need, lots of people need help for 0.98

00:23:05.860 different reasons. That's not going to be the revolution. The revolution is that our mental

00:23:13.040 health, our brain health matters. What we think matters more than what our circumstances are or

00:23:25.880 what our body is doing because our brain can control it because if the thought happens

00:23:32.600 right that's what matters more that's why so many people are all about well we might be in

00:23:38.640 the matrix because really does it really matter if you're plugged into something and you think

00:23:42.180 this is reality does it matter if it's not reality and it would be losing her mind if

00:23:47.780 she's a part of this progress podcast like does it matter if it's not reality if you're if you're

00:23:53.560 If your brain is tapped into it, and it's going through the entire world and the entire life and all those experiences,

00:24:02.340 does it matter that your body physically isn't doing it if your brain thinks you did?

00:24:10.160 And I know it's weird when I think about the eclipse and I think about my first dance to total eclipse of the heart.

00:24:17.000 but i think it matters because those things that become meaningful and powerful and life-changing

00:24:29.480 are about are all about are all are all rooted in how it made me feel

00:24:39.420 that's why you'll get older and you'll never have music that impacts you the way it did when you

00:24:44.820 were 14. And when you were 14, it's when things were forming for you. You were experiencing

00:24:53.860 things for the first time. Your brain was evolving, was maturing. And it's in these

00:24:59.580 moments that the, for good or for bad, whatever was playing on the radio, that's it.

00:25:05.300 extrapolate that

00:25:09.560 that's not just about music

00:25:12.980 but what I am saying is this

00:25:16.260 it wasn't about

00:25:20.600 the physicality of my first dance that I remember

00:25:24.300 it wasn't about

00:25:27.560 the person necessarily

00:25:29.720 it was about the feeling I had in my gut

00:25:33.420 that when that song comes on, I experience it all over again.

00:25:41.900 And if that is human nature, that is beautiful and powerful.

00:25:46.580 And if we need an eclipse to show itself every 50 years to try to recenter that,

00:25:52.960 to try to connect us enough for a minute in order to go back and understand

00:25:58.460 how we feel matters just as much as what is, if not more.

00:26:03.420 I think it's beautiful.

00:26:07.180 And I think we're ready for that next revolution.

00:26:10.900 On that note, I hope you guys have a great week,

00:26:14.060 and I will see you next Tuesday.

00:26:16.740 Same bat time, same bat channel. 0.95

00:26:21.040 Dismissed. 1.00

Unlearn16: Class is in Session - April 09, 2024

The One Where The Total Eclipse Proved Thoughts Matter More Than Fact

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