https://youtubetranscript.com/?v=6f9M-Bjyl8A
The system is rigged against you, okay. You’re gonna die. You’re gonna be ill. Like, it’s rough, man. Now, you don’t want to lay that at the feet of the social structure, because the social structure, at least in part, is trying to have you not die. Right? I mean, that’s why we have walls and electricity and all of that. It works pretty damn well, you know? You’re probably gonna live till you’re 80. And the only reason you’re not gonna live longer is because we can’t figure out how to get you to live longer. That’s why. You’re not gonna starve to death. Wild animals aren’t gonna tear you in pieces. Tyrants aren’t gonna rip you from limb to limb. It’s like, these are good things. Now, you still got a big problem, because the cosmic system is rigged against you, in a sense. But, okay, so fine. What do you mean by that? The cosmic system? Well, you know, you’re vulnerable, and you can be broken, and you will be in many ways. But you can’t blame someone for that. It’s just… That’s the structure of reality. Okay, so what do you do about that? Well, as far as I can tell, and I’ve always looked as a psychologist for optimistic ideas. And I’m not… I’m not an easy sell with regards to optimistic ideas. Especially because of my basic belief in the idea that, you know, the most profound truth is that life is suffering. So, okay, fine. Life is suffering. You can’t blame that on anyone. Alright, so what do you do about it? Well, maybe nothing. Maybe nothing. Maybe the jig’s up. It’s hopeless, you know. But maybe that’s not right. Maybe here’s something. What do you have against the suffering and the malevolence, let’s say? You have possibility. You have potential, in front of you. Inside of you, even, whatever that means. So here’s the question. What would your life be like if you made use of all the potential that you were offered? That’s the optimistic question. Because you can test it out. Say, okay, well, I’ll just try that for a year. I’m gonna do the best I can at everything that offers itself to me. Just as an experiment. And then I’m gonna see, well, is my life better or is my life worse? It’s like, you try it for a year. You think, huh, it’s actually better. My friendships are better. My family’s better. I’m less anxious. I’m more positively oriented. I’m less resentful and bitter and jealous and angry. You know, I’m more physically healthy. It’s like, hey, great. And still, you’re not that good at it. It’s like, what happens if you did that for five years? Yeah, that’s a good addiction. That’s an addiction. Yeah, it’s an addiction to possibility. And then it’s also an exponential thing. And this is actually technically true. We know this beyond a shadow of a doubt. There’s this principle that economists talk about. They often call it the Matthew Principle. Which is based on a statement in the New Testament. From those who have everything… No, yeah. To those who have everything, more will be given. And from those who have nothing, everything will be taken. It’s really a vicious statement. But what it means is, as you go downhill, you go downhill faster and faster. And people know that. It’s like, it isn’t linear, man. It’s exponential. You do one thing, stupid. Then two stupid things happen. Then four stupid things happen. And, you know, before you know it, you’re done. But the reverse of that is also true. You do one good thing, and then, you know, you get two opportunities, and you fix them up, and you get four. And this is how the world works. It’s a fundamental economic principle. And you see, because of that, that a small proportion of people have most of the gains accrue to them. And they’re the ones… they’re healthy. That’s luck, often, you know. They didn’t get run over by a bus, like there’s lots of arbitrary things about life that have to go right. But after that, it’s like, those are also people who are capitalizing on what they’re being offered without bitterness or resentment. And then, maybe it won’t work for you, but you don’t have a better plan than that.