Uploaded November 2019 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
Sebastian Junger is a journalist, author and film director. His books include bestseller The Perfect Storm, War, and Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging. He directed Restrepo, a harrowing and touching documentary that follows the brutal deployment of a U.S platoon in the Korengal Valley in Afghanistan (ex Navy Seal commander Jocko Willink has pointed to the documentary as the best depiction of life on the front there is; it's on Netflix, go watch it).
We talk about how much modern life differs from the lives of our ancestors. We explore how evolution shaped us as social primates but increasingly we live alone and apart from those close to us, noting how in cities we regularly pack ourselves like sardines into public transport but avoid each other's gaze like it's a mortal sin. We discuss the intense meaningfulness found in close knit communities where survival is on the line, and examine why this means that soldiers often do not want to return to society after war. We note the discrepancy between being on the front line, where every day is about keeping yourself and your brothers alive and every action matters, and living in a safe wealthy society, doing a fairly inconsequential job with seemingly no impact on personal or group survival. We consider the importance of person to person interactions and social rituals like weddings, and examine how tribal societies used ritual to assist returning soldiers in reintegration and healing the psychic traumas of war, noting how we lack any equivalent rituals today. Finally, we share reflections on growing up in affluent middle class neighborhoods and tips for leading a satisfying, community oriented existence.
Sebastian Junger is a journalist, author and film director. His books include bestseller The Perfect Storm, War, and Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging. He directed Restrepo, a harrowing and touching documentary that follows the brutal deployment of a U.S platoon in the Korengal Valley in Afghanistan (ex Navy Seal commander Jocko Willink has pointed to the documentary as the best depiction of life on the front there is; it's on Netflix, go watch it).
We talk about how much modern life differs from the lives of our ancestors. We explore how evolution shaped us as social primates but increasingly we live alone and apart from those close to us, noting how in cities we regularly pack ourselves like sardines into public transport but avoid each other's gaze like it's a mortal sin. We discuss the intense meaningfulness found in close knit communities where survival is on the line, and examine why this means that soldiers often do not want to return to society after war. We note the discrepancy between being on the front line, where every day is about keeping yourself and your brothers alive and every action matters, and living in a safe wealthy society, doing a fairly inconsequential job with seemingly no impact on personal or group survival. We consider the importance of person to person interactions and social rituals like weddings, and examine how tribal societies used ritual to assist returning soldiers in reintegration and healing the psychic traumas of war, noting how we lack any equivalent rituals today. Finally, we share reflections on growing up in affluent middle class neighborhoods and tips for leading a satisfying, community oriented existence.
