Searching for the Sacred Eric Dodson 2019-11-18 | Table of Contents:1:01 -- What does the Sacred feel like? 5:28 --- Holism and the Sacred9:51 – The Age of Distraction11:26 -- The post-modern fourfold12:44 -- Comedic interlude14:59 -- "What are poets for in a destitute time?"16:04 -- Politics: A strategy that doesn't work18:59 -- Activism: Another strategy that doesn't work20:40 – Becoming a secret agent 24:10 – The task of re-sanctifying all of life25:47 – Gratitude... and remembering what we really are
Why is life so hard? Eric Dodson 2023-06-16 | 0:00 – Why does it have to be this way?0:54 – Born to a tragic lot1:42 – Our cosmological suppositions3:05 – What's making life so hard?4:00 – Hell on Earth... and human history6:18 – The problem of self-awareness8:50 – The problem of responsibility11:16 – Politics & false empowerment13:33 – The problem of authenticity16:19 – Wisdom and expanded consciousness 18:07 – A final benediction
Violence and Meaning Eric Dodson 2023-05-22 | 0:00 – The emptiness of our souls0:59 – The problem with political “solutions”2:16 – The nature of meaning 3:10 – Creating a sense of purpose4:20 – Violence as a failure of meaning 5:19 – Psychological abundance vs. destitution7:02 – Meaning in our 2-dimensional world8:12 – Mass-media & our reptilian brains9:33 – Selling a simplified world11:05 – Selling schadenfreude & blood12:55 – Power's investment in violence14:26 – Emptying our minds of bullshit15:55 – Becoming agents of the infinite17:18 – A final benediction
Wisdom and The Depth of Life Eric Dodson 2023-03-11 | 0:00 – Introduction0:32 – Our Mostly 2-dimensional World1:49 – Life's Depth-dimension2:12 – Spiritual and Religious Experience 3:07 – Self-actualization and Authenticity5:00 – Our World's Problems: 3 Types6:28 – Our Lack of 3-Dimensional Wisdom 8:01 – The Power of Distraction9:13 – The Logic of Seduction & Addiction 10:11 – Evolution & Consummating Our Existence11:43 – What's Standing in Our Way? 12:12 – #1: Our Prevailing Cultural Practices13:58 – #2: Institutionalized Power 16:47 – #3: Wisdom's Paradoxical Nature17:25 – #4: Addiction to Self-importance19:08 – Summary of Obstacles to Wisdom19:49 – Cultivating Humility20:14 – Cultivating Self-awareness22:18 – Cultivating Courage 23:36 – Summary of Prescriptive Suggestions24:30 – All apologies
Why is the world so weird? Eric Dodson 2022-06-07 | 0:00 – Matrix reading0:28 – Introduction1:48 – The irrationality of rationality 3:06 – Four examples7:44 – The problem with non-holistic reason9:16 – Living in a 2-dimensional world10:15 – The sense of spiritual depth 12:41 – Speaking prosaically in a poetic world13:50 – Why real understanding is rare15:08 – Ideological divisiveness 16:06 – Why I believe in free thinkers17:28 – Summary18:39 – Hope... and take care of your soul
Dealing with rejection Eric Dodson 2022-05-18 | 0:00 – Introduction2:10 – #1: Recognizing its inevitability5:37 – #2: Considering the source6:14 – .....when people don't understand us7:35 – .....when people do understand us8:57 – #3: Bettering ourselves 10:50 – #4: Authenticity & integrity13:33 – .....confronting our mortality15:23 – #5: Finding our spiritual family17:16 – .....waiting for a sign from one of our kind18:32 – .....deepening our consciousness20:51 – #6: Forgiving & moving on21:38 – .....the selfishness of forgiveness22:53 – .....forgiveness & self-defense24:09 – .....letting go of self-importance26:37 – Summary of 6 strategies28:14 – Take care of your soul
Wisdom & Discomfort Eric Dodson 2022-04-15 | 0:00 – Wisdom's Paradoxical Nature1:14 – A Working Definition2:34 – Encountering our shadows3:50 – Paring away distractions6:42 – Facing our mortality9:57 – Becoming ourselves 13:13 – Letting go of our addictions 16:16 – Decisions & honesty 18:43 – The meaning of commitment 23:21 – Summary25:16 – Take care of your soul
My Approach to YouTube (40K special) Eric Dodson 2022-03-09 | 0:00 – Introduction0:36 – I don't beg2:31 – I don't waste time with fancy graphics3:21 – I don't pan-handle6:34 – I don't do social media8:06 – Speaking the truth as I see it8:25 – Giving to other people9:00 – Giving back to YouTube10:00 – Self-discovery10:45 – Creativity11:49 – Who do I think you are?12:54 – Captaining your own ship14:00 – The importance of passion 15:06 – Opening the wings of our souls16:12 – Thanks for being born to this world
What I Believe... (part 2) Eric Dodson 2022-02-26 | 0:00 – Awakening, waiting & moderation1:13 – Wounds, destiny & danger2:16 – Needs, limitations & childhood3:20 – War, hatred & privilege 4:47 – Growth, entropy & dying5:27 – Stupidity, gratitude & change6:24 – Silence, arguments & crowds7:22 – Fear, freedom & potential
What I believe... Eric Dodson 2022-02-19 | 0:00 – Human nature4:53 – Our world's problems5:47 – Life generally6:40 – Politics7:21 – Our dictatorial desires & projects9:21 – Humor & laughter10:08 – Teaching, learning & wisdom11:18 – Finale
The Seducer Archetype (and why our world needs it) Eric Dodson 2022-02-09 | 0:00 – Introduction1:29 – Some basic definitions2:20 – Seduction is all around us3:00 – Understanding seduction 4:03 – Our dark, forbidden desires6:08 – Appealing to our hidden impulses9:33 – How self-awareness protects us12:27 – Self-awareness & the nature of trust 16:21 – We're creatures of desire, not reason 19:39 – Summary21:41 – Sometimes we need to go astray
The Sage Archetype (and why our world needs it) Eric Dodson 2022-01-29 | 0:00 – Introduction1:03 – Defining archetypes and sages2:24 – Wisdom vs. intelligence3:47 – Wisdom as holistic5:36 – Our world's problems: 3 categories7:06 – Problems relating well to each other 9:13 – Problems relating well to ourselves10:49 – Problems relating well to the world 12:47 – Becoming aware of wisdom as a value15:17 – Changing our lives19:28 – Some representations of the Sage Archetype 20:59 – Wisdom & the task of consummating our lives
The Hero Archetype (and why our world needs it) Eric Dodson 2022-01-20 | 0:00 – Why so few heroes among our leaders?2:06 – Preliminary 1: Basic definitions3:08 – Preliminary 2: Courage 4:33 – Preliminary 3: The Hero's Journey5:19 – Descending into the underworld6:54 – Actualizing what's powerful in our souls8:00 – Honoring our suffering9:13 – The problem with Mary-Sue's11:59 – Our resistance to the heroic14:36 – Our fear of responsibility 17:03 – Our fear of alienation & rejection18:50 – Our fear of our own souls 20:14 – Our addiction to self-importance23:13 – Summary of 8 main points25:31 – Reclaiming ancient wisdom
The Trickster Archetype (and why our world needs it) Eric Dodson 2022-01-13 | 0:00 - “One must still have chaos within oneself...”1:30 - Defining archetypes3:15 - Carl Jung & Joseph Campbell5:53 - Liminality: Fools, creativity & progress11:31 - Resisting dictatorial tyranny 14:05 - Tricksters & wisdom 19:38 - Infinite games & having fun 24:22 - Summary25:56 - The terrible blood-wound of life
Soul-work & psychopomps Eric Dodson 2022-01-07 | 0:00 – Comedic invocation1:08 – What is a psychopomp?2:34 – Losing the sense of soul 3:50 – Reclaiming the sense of soul 7:52 – Psychotherapy as soul-work9:21 – Teaching as soul-work11:25 – Comedians, poets & oracles14:43 – Psychopomps in everyday life
Why is life unfair? Eric Dodson 2022-01-03 | 0:00 – Introduction0:24 – Reason 1: Life's logic isn't about fairness3:37 – Reason 2: There's no definitive reference point5:22 – Our personal view of fairness isn't the only one8:05 – What we desire vs. What is real11:16 – Unfairness, misery & letting go of entitlement14:08 – The illusion of needing things before we can start17:19 – The illusion of faux empowerment19:35 – Resenting other people's good fortune22:09 – More on luck & unfairness24:19 – Moving from resentment to enjoyment26:41 – Fortune favors equanimity & being sanguine
Why are we here? Eric Dodson 2021-12-29 | 0:00 – Introduction0:50 – Why bother asking why we're here?1:53 – Reason #1: Enhancing our experience of life3:15 – Reason #2: Discovering our deeper possibilities4:50 – The anxiety of confronting life's uncertainty6:53 – The anxiety of deviating from social norms9:19 – Deferring to religious belief-systems12:41 – The narcosis of commodity/entertainment culture15:06 – My answer: Phenomenological holism16:27 – My answer: Riding the wild stallion of life18:14 – My answer: Becoming the artists of our answers to life's riddle
Seeing Public Figures as Human Beings Eric Dodson 2021-12-06 | 0:00 – Introduction2:00 – How we're all composites of good & bad4:00 – Judgment vs. understanding5:33 – Humility & our fragile egos7:03 – Our addiction to self-importance8:48 – The problem of confirmation-bias10:07 – Seeing Joe Biden as stupid14:00 – Seeing Donald Trump as an arrogant jerk17:30 – Letting go of our demonizing rhetoric 18:47 – Letting go of our self-importance20:01 – Becoming a conduit for compassion & freedom
Holism, Addiction & Wisdom Eric Dodson 2021-12-01 | 0:00 – Invocation1:14 – Holism as relational 3:12 – Holism as contextual4:22 - How life resists reduction5:59 – The dark side of life8:50 – How holism includes anti-holism12:16 – How holism alters thinking itself14:29 – What is wisdom?15:53 – Addiction & self-importance19:38 – Accepting things as they are20:59 – Wisdom & humility22:31 – Humanity's evolutionary struggle23:45 – An exercise you can try at home
The Value of Humor Eric Dodson 2021-11-17 | 0:00 - Introduction2:24 - Qualifier 1: The issue isn't a matter of absolutes3:21 - Qualifier 2: My own, personal biases4:25 - Value 1: Humor is a way of experiencing the joy of life itself6:19 - Value 2: How humor expands our awareness7:32 - Value 3: How humor fosters wisdom by deflating our self-seriousness9:04 - Value 4: How humor fosters the humility to perceive reality as it is11:47 - Value 5: How humor loosens social repression and fosters honesty13:33 - Value 6: How humor safeguards a space for chaos, magic and the Dionysian15:07 - Summary 16:34 - Humor's power to unsettle and challenge us18:24 - Our eagerness to take offense... and our dictatorial impulses19:59 - How free are we really? The Emperor's shlong is flopping in the wind!
What Makes Life Worthwhile? Eric Dodson 2021-11-06 | 0:00 - Introduction2:03 - The perspectival nature of the question and its possible answers4:29 - Answer #1: Pleasure & happiness5:25 - Problem: Times when suffering makes life worthwhile7:33 - Problem: The interdependency of pain and pleasure9:57 - Answer #2: Aesthetics & wisdom13:26 - Answer #3: Sociality... giving & receiving16:52 - Answer #4: The adventure of transcendence18:06 - Danger, fear and the prospect of annihilation20:42 - Transcendence requires no special occasion24:04 - The necessity of cultivating a strategic sense for danger25:32 - Practicing self-awareness29:53 - Summary & conclusionHere's a link to my earlier video on anti-natalism and efilism, which has to do with the question of what makes life NOT worthwhile:youtube.com/watch?v=xFzxgZq6Vcc&t=2s
Why we dont trust the news Eric Dodson 2021-10-22 | 0:00 - Introduction0:42 - Distrusting the news media's ideological biases2:33 - The news and The Boy Who Cried, 'Wolf!'6:12 - The news foments division in our world8:16 - The news compromises its own credibility & generates chaos 11:36 - Factual news & the task of living in a representative democracy12:25 - Appealing to the lower brain16:27 - Outrage, hatred and the quest for identity18:23 - Our resistance to change, and to assuming responsibility 19:41 - Profit and the cerebral cortex20:42 - Who's to blame? No one and everyone25:55 - What to do? Starting with the man in the mirror
Meditation and Empowerment Eric Dodson 2021-04-20 | 0:00 - Introduction1:34 - Empowerment and hierarchies of advantage3:02 - The illusory nature of hierarchical empowerment7:27 - Empowerment that keeps us disempowered8:46 - Introducing meditation: Presence, awareness & mindfulness10:14 - The power of silence: Uncommon sanity... and contact with reality12:57 - Self-awareness16:08 - Understanding other people18:50 - The failure of today's prevailing vision of empowerment21:55 - The art of allowing: The power to accept things as they are25:27 - Generating a divided, resentful world (like ours)27:31 - A portrait of empowerment from a meditative perspective30:42 - The automaticity of genuine empowerment
Existentialism and Empowerment Eric Dodson 2021-03-31 | 0:00 - Introduction. Empowerment means...1:13 - (1) learning to live authentically6:35 - (2) assuming personal responsibility for the quality of our lives9:21 - (3) wanting what we get, rather than getting what we want12:06 - (4) improving ourselves, rather than blaming others13:16 - (5) realizing that no one ever empowers us, other than ourselves15:00 - (6) becoming a free thinker and a free agent17:01 - (7) realizing that change happens as a function of acceptance and patience, rather than spiritual bypassing
Hauntology and hauntings Eric Dodson 2021-03-05 | 0:00 - Introducing hauntology1:10 - Jacques Derrida and post-structuralism3:52 - Marxism's graveyard5:02 - Forgetfulness and the reanimation of cruelty6:39 - Hauntology and music7:22 - Nostalgia: The steampunk and retro movements8:41 - A personal anecdote: Coin collecting 10:09 - A personal anecdote: Learning Latin11:09 - Hauntology and regret13:19 - Hauntology and unrealized possibilities14:54 - Finding value in our imperfections16:24 - Learning to love the fugitive spirits that fill our hearts & mindsHere's the video I did that explains basic Structuralism & Post-structuralismyoutube.com/watch?v=Nx-RuOpg31E&t=757sHere's a video that contains a lot of hauntology musicyoutube.com/watch?v=EYBOOKtzTfY
The Meaning of Commitment: A Few Thoughts Eric Dodson 2021-02-18 | 0:00 - Introducing commitment0:30 - Commitment involves difficulty and pain1:47 - Commitment involves being "half-sure, but whole-hearted"3:58 - Commitment involves integrating our hearts and minds5:40 - Commitment involves self-awareness7:07 - Commitment involves authenticity9:14 - The struggle to lay claim to our lives11:52 - Consummating our existence itself
When our dreams destroy us... Eric Dodson 2021-02-06 | 0:00 - Introducing the Icarus Complex1:17 - Example 1: Addictive behavior2:59 - Example 2: Crash-and-burn love relationships5:00 - Example 3: Celebrity flame-outs6:28 - Example 4: Cults & genocidal social movements7:57 - The role of hubris10:32 - The problem with deviating too far from reality13:18 - A corrective: Learning to inhabit the present moment fully14:57 - Daedalus's secret: Balance15:57 - Finale: Navigating between truth and desire
The Source of our Fears: An Exploration Eric Dodson 2021-01-26 | 1:24 - The problem with a narrowly scientific approach2:49 - The problem with trying to see what we don't want to see4:19 - Our fear of non-existence6:08 - Our fear of the unknown9:00 - Our fear of change & letting go of attachment10:32 - Our attachment to suffering & misery12:17 - Our fear of the reality of life & death15:10 - Soren Kierkegaard's concept of dread 18:48 - Humanity's appetite for destruction20:43 - Our desire for what we fear: The darkness within ourselves 23:23 - The project of living past our fears25:12 - Why there's no shame in cowardice27:18 - My own journey...
Courage, Fear & Danger Eric Dodson 2020-10-24 | 1:11 - Courage isn't about a simple absence of fear3:14 - Courage is a capacity we develop over time4:47 - Why life itself is already dangerous, and calls for courage7:25 - Developing a taste for strategically dangerous experiences9:58 - Developing the courage to be what we are11:06 - The cold caress of death13:31 - Facing our most primitive fears: Death, suffering & rejection16:04 - Our paradoxical fear of being brilliant & powerful19:07 - What's really the alternative to becoming courageous?20:20 - Learning to choose growth over fear
Having Compassion for our Enemies Eric Dodson 2020-10-05 | Table of Contents:0:54 - Why bother having compassion for our enemies?3:33 - So called “Idiot Compassion”5:27 - Compassion as "suffering with" 6:51 - Justifying our enmity through our perceived moral superiority7:40 - The selfishness of forgiveness10:22 - Letting go of our superficial self-importance12:51 - Developing self-awareness15:10 - Developing courage and a taste for authentic existence16:35 - Experiencing danger, and transcending the limits that define us
Gratitude vs. Entitlement Eric Dodson 2020-09-30 | Table of Contents0:45 - Our tendency to focus on the negative1:59 - An example: How we see our bodies4:08 - Cultivating an awareness of the gifts we're receiving5:18 - Addiction to suffering... and the Attitude of Entitlement7:33 - How entitlement toxifies our world9:31 - How gratitude enhances our world11:09 - Perceiving beauty: Openness, vulnerability & safety13:12 - Becoming intimate with danger: Choosing between love & fear15:17 - How to change the world through gratitude17:18 - Why love wins in the end
Confirmation Bias and Meditative Consciousness Eric Dodson 2020-09-20 | Table of Contents0:44 - What is Confirmation Bias?2:17 - The difficulty of perceiving reality accurately3:39 - An Example: Confirmation Bias and the nightly news4:48 - The thrill of feeling superior to other people6:15 - The problem of stagnating in our own echo-chambers8:20 - Perceiving the world in terms of our personal investments10:24 - "It's all bubbles..." Introducing Buddhist meditative practice 12:04 - Holding onto our attachments loosely14:39 - Deepening our awareness by practicing mindfulness16:00 - Freeing ourselves from the prison-house of our desires19:17 - Don't take my word for it. Experience it for yourself.
How the world changes (and how it doesnt) Eric Dodson 2020-09-12 | This video is about how change in our world occurs across the personal and social dimensions.1:15 - Allowing vs. forcing: The paradigm of pregnancy 4:34 - The problem with spiritual bypassing6:24 - The self-defeating nature of today's activism8:34 - How our opponents choose their champion9:47 - Denial and blame-shifting: How we deal with defeat12:28 - Changing our lives: Becoming the change we want to see in the world15:40 - Dropping our self-importance and ideological pretensions18:37 - Cultivating patience, tolerance, acceptance, and a loving relation to life21:04 - Assuming responsibility for ourselves, and giving up blame-shifting24:04 - Allowing people to be what they are25:54 - Our better and deeper destiny in this life...
Leaving the work-world: The meaning of retirement Eric Dodson 2020-09-03 | 1:28 - Becoming the captain of our own ships3:25 - The quest for meaning6:25 - Choice, freedom and intrinsic motivation8:24 - Sartre on Bad Faith and the horror of freedom10:00 - Money, debt and how we enslave ourselves12:33 - Our desire to be more than one-trick-ponies16:38 - Interlewd: We are all whores18:27 - Temporal regulation in the work-world21:02 - Slowing down and living in temporal abundance22:55 - Retirement as an intimation of death
Message to a Young Millennial Eric Dodson 2020-08-24 | Table of Contents0:57 – Andrew's message and how I understand it3:23 – Three positive signs5:56 – Living a meaningful and satisfying life7:54 – Responsibility: Sailing into the storm that scares us10:50 – The trickiness of meaning 12:28 – What's getting in your way? 13:08 – Finances? 13:27 – Family and/or friends? 13:57 – Self-doubt? 15:52 – Impatience? 16:58 – Addictive behavior?18:11 – Becoming strong: Letting go of addictive behavior21:53 – Discovering your power23:55 – Dealing with a crisis of imagination26:29 – Finale: Affirming the value & validity of your struggle
An Introduction to My Channel Eric Dodson 2020-08-06 | This short video is about my YouTube channel, which I'm going to be revamping and expanding pretty soon. I also have a second YouTube channel, which is devoted to more formal academic lectures. Here's a link to that channel, if you're interested:youtube.com/channel/UCPNNoDL-z-qLcc7lF5bsWGA
Becoming a Free Thinker Eric Dodson 2020-08-05 | Table of Contents:1:24 - Two personal motivations 2:54 - The problem with today's politics 4:53 - Avoiding advocacy8:07 - Avoiding critical douchebaggery9:10 - Embracing traditional wisdom10:51 - Creativity and originality11:37 - Seeing things from multiple perspectives12:16 - Transcending defensiveness and territoriality13:30 - Humor and playfulness15:10 - Becoming a passionate thinker who doesn't cling too tightly16:36 - The trap of becoming dependent on the idea of independent thinking17:48 - Revisiting the stuff in the beginning of this video18:53 - A message to you viewers
Addiction To Distraction Eric Dodson 2020-06-09 | Table of Contents 1:20 - Why addiction is mostly about distraction 2:22 - Why news is mostly about distraction 5:08 - Why Outrage™ is mostly about distraction 8:15 - Why commodity-culture is mostly about distraction10:31 - Our distracted consciousness12:25 - Why we need vacations from ourselves15:26 - The road to recovery18:53 - Acceptance as a gateway to wisdom
Anti-natalism & Efilism: Is Life Affirmable? Eric Dodson 2020-05-24 | Table of Contents:1:29 - Definitions3:09 - Avoiding the trap of obstinate closed-mindedness4:22 - The disproportionate amount of suffering in life8:09 - Why meaning falls short 12:06 - Why believing in God falls short 13:53 - Why the narcosis of commodity-culture falls short15:29 - Nietzsche and aesthetics17:18 - The immediacy of aesthetic experience18:11 - The transformative power of aesthetic experience20:21 - What anti-natalism and efilism offer us
Finding our Best Path in Life Eric Dodson 2020-05-15 | Table of Contents:0:40 - Individual variability1:58 - The clarity of hindsight4:20 - The urgency of the present moment5:36 - Authentic existence vs. Inauthentic existence8:03 - The price of inauthenticity... from the perspective of death9:21 - Sculpting away the inessential12:33 - Who are we really?15:08 - Knowing who we are... is challenging16:13 - The task of cultivating self-awareness17:27 - Emptying ourselves... and learning what silence is like Here's a quick primer I did on Heidegger:youtube.com/watch?v=A04RhtR0imY&t=19sHere are some longer lecture videos I did on Heidegger:youtube.com/watch?v=EJpFJUe6be0youtube.com/watch?v=u8oULtomILAyoutube.com/watch?v=5EqUTvX2zxAyoutube.com/watch?v=Lw2C1C1CTJgyoutube.com/watch?v=jyazvLR-MpM&t=419s
The Limits of Debate Eric Dodson 2020-05-12 | Table of Contents:0:52 - A qualifier: Why debate is still important1:43 - Debate in politics, academia & everyday life3:37 - Surprise! Debate hardly ever changes anything5:05 - The desire to feel like we're right, and hence superior to others6:49 - Resistance to changing our minds8:15 - Interlude: A rant about Internet Flame Wars10:27 - Summary 11:20 - 3 easy rules for determining if people are actually thinking12:33 - Winning a debate vs. Seeking the truth14:19 - Why our reason is subservient to our desire18:43 - The hidden language of desire: An alternative paradigm21:55 - Opening the wings of our souls: A final exhortation
Burnout Eric Dodson 2020-04-12 | Table of Contents:1:09 - A working definition2:04 - Three primary causes2:42 - 1. Exhaustion3:47 - The role of self-awareness5:24 - Learning to say, "no."7:11 - Recognizing when we need a new type of life8:07 - 2. When the world carries us away from what we love8:42 - An ode to carbon tetra-chloride11:09 - What price are we willing to pay?12:04 - 3. Repetition and boredom13:58 - Burnout: A friend disguised as an enemy15:06 - What meditation has taught me about repetition & boredom17:12 - A crisis of the soul... revolution in our perception & values19:08 - Finale: Developing a helping relationship with ourselves
Respect: What is it? Eric Dodson 2020-03-07 | Table of contents: 0:28 - High regard and esteem 0:57 - The self-referential and transformative side of respect 1:55 - "Respect" that takes the form of hierarchical dominance through fear and obedience 2:56 - Unconditional respect vs. Conditional respect 4:01 - Why unconditional respect isn't realistic 6:38 - Why insisting on unconditional respect is self-defeating 8:38 - Why people insist on unconditional respect10:29 - How earning other people's respect solves a lot of problems12:11 - Respect and authenticity: The problem of pretending15:41 - Respect and happiness: How to consummate our existence
Philosophy and Love of Wisdom: A Defense Eric Dodson 2020-02-26 | Table of Contents: 0:28 - Philosophy's project: Love of Wisdom 1:51 - Wisdom is often born in our shadows 3:16 - When knowledge and intelligence aren't enough 6:22 - There are many paths toward wisdom 8:15 - The big questions of life 9:48 - Our world's imbalance: Fixating on the trivial11:28 - Paradox: It would take wisdom to realize that we lack wisdom12:52 - Why government & politics won't make us wise14:00 - Why education won't make us wise14:53 - Critical thinking... and what's wrong with the world17:01 - Taking responsibility for the quality of our lives18:35 - The art of allowing19:53 - The only way our world changes... is when we ourselves change21:01 - Well... why not?
Creativity: Facing our fears Eric Dodson 2020-01-18 | Table of Contents0:00 - Summary of previous video & introduction2:31 - Assuming responsibility for our existence4:15 - The seduction of conformity & obedience6:16 - Growing sick of enslavement8:02 - Addiction, bottoming-out... and learning to live our own lives10:50 - Making friends with failure... and the sensation of danger13:25 - Swimming in the seas of chaos14:43 - On being a destroyer17:24 - Becoming intimate with death19:28 - Opening ourselves to change22:35 - Summary: Seven recommendations23:50 - A final exhortationHere's a link to the previous video in this series:youtube.com/watch?v=70n_8wpcOU0&t=73s
Creativity: Where does it come from? Eric Dodson 2020-01-15 | Table of Contents:0:51 - The idea that creativity comes from God1:53 - The idea that creativity comes from the principles that govern the universe3:03 - Problem: Confirmation bias4:43 - Problem: The assumption that creativity has to come from somewhere5:52 - An alternative: Creativity as an manifestation of impermanence7:04 - An illustrative example: "You can't step in the same river twice"9:58 - The Jonah Complex: Why life doesn't seem creative11:57 - The ghosts that haunt us: Facing our fearsHere's a link to the next video in this series on creativity:youtube.com/watch?v=1fTAO7_2k5A&t=55s
Searching for the Profane Eric Dodson 2019-12-15 | Table of Contents:0:48 – Why should we explore the Profane?2:23 – Everyday profanity: Cussing and swearing 4:13 – The triviality of everyday profanity 6:31 – Intentional rebellion against the sacred 8:04 – Moby Dick: Hating what's behind “the unreasoning mask” 9:19 – Rebelling against the suffering side of life 12:15 – Satan's motivation: Pride, envy, ambition and hubris 14:57 – Satan's motivation: Freedom and enslavement 17:47 – The Profane... and the ecstasy of liberation 19:07 – Summary 20:19 – Understanding the Profane... and the value of compassion Here's a link to my earlier video on The Sacred:youtube.com/watch?v=cvE2KjyJsEY
Success in Love-relationships Eric Dodson 2019-10-28 | Table of Contents:0:47 - Disclaimer1:32 - Trust & trustworthiness2:38 - Earning trust: Words are cheap4:00 - Understanding7:50 - Acceptance9:54 - Honesty11:08 - Kindness12:58 - Compromise & communication14:29 - Sharing experience15:45 - Expressing appreciation & gratitude17:03 - Bringing out the best in each other18:17 - Summary19:17 - Cultivating the personal qualities that breed successHere's a link to my video on why love-relationships fail:youtube.com/watch?v=4Mfql9rtbnk&t=300s
Why Love-relationships Fail Eric Dodson 2019-10-13 | Table of Contents:0:45 - Why the question is important2:34 - Discovering our partner's faults and foibles4:42 - The changing nature of our real selves5:27 - Our desires: Carnality, companionship and spiritual transcendence7:10 - When our desires change over time8:44 - Boredom and our unfulfilled “what if's”11:30 - Boredom and our fundamental discomfort with ourselves12:52 – Impermanence and the illusion of failure15:00 – Gratitude for what we've gained along the way17:15 – Our attraction to darkness19:43 – Loving each other requires the best and bravest parts of usSix reasons why our love-relationships fail:1. We start to discover who our partners really are, and we don't like it2. Our partners change, and we don't like who they've become3. Our desires shift over time, and become incompatible with our partner's 4. We become bored because we're wondering what else is out there that we haven't experienced yet5. We become bored because we're fundamentally uncomfortable with our lives and ourselves6. We're secretly attracted to the kind of darkness that will undo our relationships
On Becoming a Teacher Eric Dodson 2019-09-14 | Table of Contents:0:35 - The mechanics of teaching1:28 - Passion and commitment3:23 - Cultivating humility4:49 - We teach best what we most need to learn6:09 - Remembering what it's like to be young6:59 - Beckoning our students toward the beyond7:41 - Participating in the raging magnificence of life8:43 - Teaching as a spiritual, sacred calling10:41 - The evanescence of information11:44 - What endures???.... the lessons that burn
