Nietzsche & Kierkegaard on Gaining a STRONG PERSONALITY | Why We Need HISTORY to be EXCELLENT
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- čas přidán 8. 02. 2021
- We live in a pathologically mediocre society-a world of soy boys and snowflakes-a problem, since any society that is constituted of weak personalities is doomed to self-destruction. When people are too easily triggered, bothered by little things, shaken to the core by events that really do not matter all that much, society breaks down and slowly ceases to function. We do not employ ourselves in meaningful tasks. We are reluctant to pass on our genes. We do not craft items that will remain in our families for centuries. We do not live lives of which others are proud. We sing about ourselves, not others, and no one will sing songs of us. We do not leave legacies. Therefore our cultures cannot advance and our individual lives become little more than paltry searches for a thin sense of meaning.
The Danish Philosopher Søren Kierkegaard diagnosed his own age similarly, writing “There are no longer human beings, thinkers, lovers, etc.; the human race is enveloped by the press in a miasma of thoughts, emotions, moods, even conclusions, intentions which are nobody's, which belong to none and yet to all.” (Journal 49 X I A 16)
How do you overcome your weakness? According to Friedrich Nietzsche, we need a sense of history. To gain a strong personality, one must appropriate the past by means of monumental history. In the words of Kierkegaard, the past must be seen as possibility rather than actuality. We have to change the way we see. We have to form a relationship with the great men and women of the past, making them role models for our own lives.
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I like this view of history, the kind where it's not about the worship of ashes, but the preservation of fire
Yes! That’s a great image, I’ll have to remember that.
@@EmpireoftheMind Gustav Mahler..Funny Enough that quote is hanging from a post-it note under this very computer....sad or heartening ? I do not know
@@mizuman1687 I have it in a notebook. Worthy words sustain and energise, or so we come to believe. Quotes such as this impel me along a path that leads me to sites such as this. For which I thank all the stars in the heavens. Choosing sad or heartening? I opt to accept both. Thank you for supplying the source of this quote, I was going to have to trawl through my notebooks to find it.
@@liammurphy2725 Happy to do so and I admire your habit..I hope you are a young man because we are in great need of men who live their lives...purposefully. The SENSUS COMMUNUS is vital to maintaining societal growth and harmony. This is the other quote posted under my screen. " We make men without chests and expect of them virtue and enterprise. We laugh at honour and are shocked to find traitors in our midst. We castrate and bid the geldings be fruitful.” -C.S. Lewis
Good Luck on your Journey
.
“It’s difficult to prove the existence of the soul when no one takes the trouble to make one in himself.” Why is this channel not more popular??
well, cause gen x and co cannot be bothered with questioning their reality.
Not sure how wise this is. When Göring faced his death penalty in the Nuremberg trial, he said "at least I really lived for 12 years."
As a student of history, and also a millenial, this video summed up so much of feelings that I have had in a way that I could never assemble them in my mind. My wife and I have picked roads less traveled and chosen harder paths in the now hoping that they would pay off in the future, and mostly they have. I grew up in a typical suburban setting and always loathed it, we settled into a rural lifestyle, where by necessity, we have learned to be better cooks, mechanics, lumberjack, equipment operator, handyman, preppers, and most recently as our kids enter school, meaningfully involved in our community, we may live hundreds of yards or miles from our neighbors, but we know more people here than we did in our neighborhoods growing up. What modern society has turned into is a mind plague that strips so many of our most human needs away from us, nature, community, self accountability, self reliance, a daily sense of purpose. For those of you trying to find a way to start down a path of finding some purpose, what I found helped the most, is get some basic tools, cheap ones, and change your oil, hang some shelves, build a goofy shoe rack from scrap lumber, make mistakes and learn from them. Most of all, challenge yourself to do more the next time, and never quit learning.
"Change your oil". Yes! I've been wanting to learn to do that for years! We've replaced our 600 ft run of the waterline several years ago. Probably saved ourselves $20,000. Tiring but rewarding. I need to do more.
And by God, I am going to change my oil.
I, an exceedingly average millennial, grew up in a suburb and was exposed to all of that stuff. Modern Society didn’t stop my parents from teaching basic skills. This is not to criticize your choices, but to point out that you don’t have to move to the wilderness to change your oil, learn to cook, or make friends.
Sua argumentação vai noutra direção do que a apresentada no vídeo. Neste a crítica é contra a mediocridade do homem moderno, exortando-o pois a imitação dos heróis é grandeza das ações do passado histórico.
Você, pelo que entendi, embora de acordo com a falência da vida moderna nas grandes cidades, propõe um retorno ao contato mais direto com a natureza e comunidade dos homens a exemplo da saga americana na conquista do West?
Você não acha que um enfretamento a altura do desafio presente ( aquecimento global, IA e ameaça de guerra nuclear) está a reclamar decisões mais na linha das evocadas pelo vídeo em questão?
Your last comment, that "It is difficult to prove the existence of a soul when no one takes the trouble to make one in himself," is one worth dwelling on. It reminds me of C.S. Lewis' sentiment in the addendum to "Screwtape Letters" where he notes that (and I paraphrase from memory) "The greatest sinners are made of the same stuff as the greatest saints." I see in myself and my peers such a prevalent fear of repeating the sins of the Great that we struggle to emulate or even acknowledge their virtue.
That was a frighteningly pertinent comment. I thank you for it.
Thanks for these words! Gotta read screwtape again.
Fear is your enemy and pain is your friend.
The fact that these modern weak personalities really makes me think that we should sometimes go back to natural selection is fucking funny lol. It's impressive how we are living the best era to look back on history and improve as a society and yet nobody does. I think one of the reasons may be that everyone thinks that everything has already been discovered and the only entertaining thing that we have to do is just see the next episode of the series that we are watching or watch CZcams videos, that we just exist for no reason. Really makes you think how the future from now could look like. Anyways, I really enjoy your vids cause it's nice thinking/philosophising about things every now and then. Awesome vid man❤️
Reminds me of the meme: “Good times create weak men; tough times create strong men.” I’m hoping society will correct itself, but I’m not holding my breath, as long as life is easy...
Thanks dude!
With each passing decade the qualitative difference between the current age and the past age grows wider. Until there will come a time when history will become meaningless. To live will mean to be drowned in ephemeral immediacy. Men will grow to become nostalgic for their previous step.
Soren Kierkegaard, it must be said, was made of sterner stuff. To give an example of how unflappable he was by the day-to-day affairs of his time (even events that one might consider of seismic significance): "So the King flees, a new republic is born - piffle!".
@@EmpireoftheMind An easy life? Who lives one of those?
@@liammurphy2725 I should clarify: as long as *staying alive* (ie basic survival) is easy, people will be incentivized toward softness and weakness. Of course, this often only makes mental-emotional life more difficult. I suppose there is no life without some suffering.
@@EmpireoftheMind Nor would I wish for a life without suffering. I feel it would be drab and joyless. The easy life might be a life without self examination but that's not the life I lead. As someone brighter than myself once said... examine yourself. Get to know how poorly furnished you are. Which is why I love your site. A full toolbox for me to revel in. ;-)
Very tempted to play this to my students in class tomorrow.
It would be a disservice not to
You almost have a moral imperative to do so. It is that good.
If your school board would allow it then you should. But even if not then just hearing this should help you along your path as an educator. Thank you for Teaching.
Listen to your instinct and do it
Sad that people would probably shout you down for the bit critical of the "liberated modern careerwoman"
Kierkegaard was my first real philosophy crush/obsession. Fear and Loathing Vol 1 was a trial by fire. Then I found Nietzsche, and I wondered how it was possible two such different thinkers to seem so similar. Then I doubled up my major, and got down to it . . . Plato to Schopenhauer, and it finally started to clarify. I feel so fortunate to have met the people I did in the world of philosophy: they became my friends for life, and so much of our personal history is intertwined with those early encounters with these two thinkers. I love your channel: I've been trying to wake the sleeping philosophy student I put to bed a couple of decades back, and this is really helping. Amazing how just visiting with these two guys just make you feel more alive--subscribed! Cheers Xo
It's interesting to me that during the chaos of the last year I have taken tremendous comfortand inspiration in revisiting great historical events. I didn't realize it but I was harnessing Nietzsche. I've been reading biographies of the founding fathers like crazy. Subscribed to the great courses and studied and learned about amazing cultures. It is giving me perspective about my place in the Pantheon and the way forward through the insanity we're living in right now.
Insanidade no contexto do vídeo aqui comentado, seria provavelmente um sintoma da mediocridade do homem atual incapaz de dominar suas fraquezas e afirmar sua vontade e agir!
Man, this channel is beautiful!! This defenitely should have way more views. I love that you call us to be like the great men of the past. We absolutely need that.
I'm 63 and I remember, from my childhood, the older generation of my grandparents. They definitely had bigger personalities than people do today. They were mostly poor farmers who had lived through the depression and WW2 and it toughened them up. For the last 70 years we have had it easy and expected it to get easier with a right to have all our needs met and politicians to promise us that they could make all our dreams come true. But the pandemic has exposed the rot and corruption that has accumulated in our societies and I think that the coming generations are going to be forced to fight to reclaim their heritage of freedom that has been so eroded since the 60's. I wish I were younger so I could join in but I will do the best I can with what I have.
I have grown up with this view of history as my grandfather reflected this into my mother and so into I... With current culture and struggling to find which self to chase, you have reminded me what's important and realisation of which of that changes a life. Thank you. The new adventure of the ancients begins once again.
My man I came back to this video because I think it's one of the most important you've ever made. You've been missing for a while, are you well brother?
Crushing it, sir. Absolutely driving it to the wall. Go forth and conquer.
Just discovered your channel, and I have to say thank you for your videos. You’re work is inspiring and you deserve far more views and subscribers
I just discovered your channel, and I appreciate what you do here. You really made me reconsider the way I view and study hisotry. I hope we all find the courage to forge greater personalities.
I feel this plays a bit into "great man" idolatry, and the sentiment always struck me as a bit egotistical. What "should" humans today strive to? What is considered "progress"? I feel the fact Kierkegaard was complaining about the same thing highlights his own situation, and his own contempt for the perspective of others, rather than any deep commentary on the age itself. Remember, he's a theologian from a pretty wealthy family in the 1800s.
He died in 1855. Around that time, humanity's collective knowledge was expanding at an exponential pace. Sure we had "big names" like Maxwell, Gauss, etc, but if you were to look into the science at the time, those "big names" we now know are heavily filtered and omit a LOT of people who contributed to knowledge at the time, even in electromagnetism alone.
So what is he complaining about? Times changing? People rapidly learning new things, and finding the past less useful, while he clings to it and his status?
As our population grows, any individual's contribution to our collective knowledge base, and our collective society, will, inevitably, be diluted. If your only "purpose" in life is to have your name passed down for generations, you should fear a "more equitable" society, one without "strongmen" to make their mark by effectively culling large segments to make themselves a bigger figure in society.
But I don't think that's a particularly wise direction for humanity. I'm ok contributing to a bigger pie than fighting over a piece of a smaller one.
Edit: Incidentally, what is it with people hating soy? Seriously, for a video that comments on people being bugged by "small things", why did there get to be so much hate over a bean?
Wikipedia says 'soy boy' comes from the high levels of phyoestrogen in soy products, and thus plausibly having a feminizing influence. At least on non-Asiatics :)
@@davidhawley1132 I mean, if phytoestrogen can "plausibly" have a feminizing influence, why not just go with the name "beefeater"? Or is that too British? Cows are female steers, they have don't produce phytoestrogen, they produce mammalian estrogen. If you're worried about soy consumption having a "feminizing" influence, shouldn't you avoid meat products too? Avoid drinking milk as well?
Most animals we eat are females. So what's with the hate on soy?
@@Killua2001 According to Wikipedia, some have found it plausible enough to have done (get funding for?) some scientific studies on it.
But as I alluded, Asians seem to disprove the claim. And as a long-term resident of Japan, I personally don't find the claim plausible at all.
@@davidhawley1132 I should have picked up on that, given how ubiquitous soy is in Japan.
@@Killua2001 If I were guessing, I'd say that consuming soy products was a social group marker for the people who invented the 'soy boy' epithet. It sure isn't any kind of marker in Japan :)
Related random fact: I had heard that Japanese prefer soy milk over cow's milk because they tend to be lactose intolerant. (Google: 98% percent). Except I've never met a Japanese person who owned up to having this problem, so the intolerance appears to be very very mild.
Eloquent, classy and meaningful as always. Well done!
Watched a couple of your videos but this made me sub right away. Awesome work!
First off, amazing video, love this channel and admire the work you put on it.
Your comment in the end about our souls really contrasts with the age we're living in. Many younger people don't care about any principles or historical contexts, they just live their lives recklessness and don't admit to be told what to do. There's a mass of people that worship false idols, that worship their shells over their souls, becoming empty vessels and adrift.
I understand when you say that we're weaker than older generations, but I think that we also need to consider that we live in a different realities. We have examples of weak and strong people in both ends.
Only recently discovered your channel and just want to say how much I appreciate your content. This really is one of those hidden gems on CZcams.
It really is a gem isn't it?
Check out "Like Stories of Old" you might like it too
Yea, just like Thinking-Ape and Mental outlaw ( look them up if you are interested ;) )
I loved the video, only one part gave me a bad taste. It was definitely not your point, but when people say things along the lines of: The housewife time was better for women, that alerts me. There is much wrong with this era and with feminism. But it's not a bad thing that women are able to practice other professions, besides being a housewife. Raising children is one of the most BEAUTIFUL things, full of meaning. But studying and teaching for example is also really beautiful and meaningful. That options needs to exist.
I just started to learn, watch, read, study a Shakespeare play every week. There is so much good in this and in what you say. Excellent video.
This is your best video. Such a great channel
Just found your channel. it is amazing! Thank you for your time in making these.
Timely video for me to come across, feeling alone in thinking this. From a Filipina halfway across the world, thank you for echoing and reinforcing what I have been mulling over. There is a lot of weakness in this country. I was always drawn to the stories of the great figures in Europe too.
how did you discover Saint Jadwiga 🤯 wow
We've been slaves for too long under several different masters who dehumanized us that we forgot our own strength as individuals.
I could listen to full lectures on these subjects, keep making them and don't be afraid to make them last even longer
Learning about people, not events, in history, changed completely the way I see the world and myself. The troubles that we face today have been faced in the past. The questions we make today have been asked in the past. The troubles we might face in the future have been faced in the past.
If we honor the unique individuals from the past, their experiences and thoughts reward us in our future.
This video brings to mind a Tolkien quote "They are the lesser sons of greater sires". I think of this quote daily.
Thank you for this
Wow. Amazing video. Very important perspective!
This makes me want to accomplish something. Thank for sharing.
Very well articulated.
I had a bold, strong personality as a boy. By teens I has become tepid, unsure, shamed into doubting myself. Now as a "man", I live in a constant state of abject self pity. I live my torpid life in bitterness, waiting and wishing for it to end already. And I remember the fearless boy I once was, exploring, laughing, joking, and always curious. I wonder what became of him?
there is nothing wrong in doubting, only fools don't doubt
it's lack of will to change, even through small steps is pitiful
and the will is something you cultivate, not get born with
and even small step is more glorious than not trying
The man had such a strong personality that he spend his last 11 years in total madness I see no greatness on him
Great video. I disagree with the fact that it's a "weaker" society today, as compared to the past. I think that that has been a prevailing opinion since humans articulated their self-reflections. My father romanticised his and the generation before him, but my grandfather thought they were a bunch of softies and it was better in the 60s. I remember reading a passage where Plato (I think) said his generation was weak and the people before his time did feats that "actually mattered". Same general sentiment.
What I think is the case is that society in the developed world is a whole lot more cynical than before. I have some idea why that is the case but nothing I could easily sum up here.
Ive lived in both extremely developed, westernised cities and semi-poor, developing cities in the third world. The people in the developing cities are usually a lot less overtly friendly than in the West, but they're also generally a fair bit more optimistic and have a 'stronger' and more distinct personality, if that makes sense.
Nonetheless, we see cycles of death and rebirth in civilizations as well.
Exactly. My ex. is from the developing world, she has a "stronger" character and personality than those in the west, which I was st first drawn to, but I realize this makes people like her function worse in a group, and can be almost abusive in the treatment of others. Don't assume kindness is weakness. The tricky part is, I think, if it is superficial kindness, or long term kindness, kindness for the individual, or for the group as well. If we want to be perceived as kind and stop everyone's short term suffering, we may strip those we care of from reality, to placate to their emotions, which is where I think the perception of weakness comes, as this grows narcissism in people. I think instead that kindness mixed with brutal honesty would be our next logical step to get the best of two worlds.
One life is worth an attempt!
Absolutely brilliant!!!
Just discovered your channel. Fantastic! Thank you.
Great stuff, this is truly stuff to live by!
We are weak, because we are not allowed to have flaws on our resumes. But following the greats in history does mean to marry your work, which is in it's own way an empty life. And in the end history might still forget you.
Oh history will DEFINITELY forget everyone.
Thanks a bunch! This is great
Great stuff. Keep up the good work.
I really have been enjoying your videos, keep up the good work!
Thank u Empire. im really diggin ur channel.... also The Wanderer by Friedrich is one of my favorite paintings!
And have you watched EoTM's piece on 'The Wanderer'? Poem that Tolkein had very much in mind when creating Lord of The Rings.
This was incredibly insightful. Thank you. I agree, we are "weaker souls" and need to instill within ourselves greater souls to regain our human potential and create a future existence.
Personally I think the current problem with today is not a lack of great thinkers, but the overwhelming amount of people that just automatically agree with what a person says or with what aligns with the political party the individual associates with. Too often I encounter people that just regurgitate what they have heard on the social media and the news, which, to me, indicates a severe lack of individual thought. What do you think?
power of global exposure
you get only one Steven king overshadowing everyone else
that's why we need to build own gardens and only limited highways in between main idea trading points
otherwise we become the same global mud
So inspiring! Thank you 🙏
Excellent vid. 👍
I will be sharing this.
bravo 🎉 very well put together
Yes, without question. And the world is no longer a place where passions, bold characters and bold personalities are forged. Very good subject. Thank you. Looking forward to more.
This is why I believe it is important to read (auto)biographies of great people. When you realise the vast collection of recorded life experiences that are available to you, it becomes quite inexcusable not to read them and learn from them. With this thought, I decided to read Gandhi's autobiography and it was quite inspiring to me, even though difficult to understand at times. We should all make the effort to learn from past lived experiences and use them to enrich our own existences
Thank you!
Well spoken.
My friend you make me feel 'glad to be alive'
I am indeed a history buff, and I have found a new favorite channel.
My husband is a little older then me he come out with answer fast, but me at 32 years old, it does take me time to think about things and understand most of the time. But I do this because it gives me time to really think about my options, and chooses and what to say and how others will respond and act.
My husband's quote makes a lot of sense now.
"A tree without roots, is like a man without knowing his past"
I'm not sure where he got that, but it hits me hard !
In my opinion, if I were to try and add to the (at least for me) truth that you spoke, one of the major fails right now for history as a collective memory is that - how to say- recent history moves way too quickly compared to the past. I know it's merely a sensation, but just look at the difference with those same models you pointed out: a person of just a century "of distance" could still find something in common with these famous figures. But for us trying to do the same in these times? Even just a decade seems too much of a jump, with all these changes in between that make them seem obsolete.
Still, much food for thought to be had, and I greatly thank you for voicing it.
You are criminally undersubbed, doing my part now.
I just discovered your channel. Keep up the good work
This is brilliant
Oh my ... thank you for helping me find the words for an idea that I could never quite articulate accurately.
even if it cant be defined - the soul - you can certainly tell when someone doesn't have one or like very well expressed in the video, " didn't get into the trouble to make one"
The saying "those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it" carries more than a foreboding tone to me. I have always carried the belief that any one person can do anything. This is proven in our history. Just as you have so eloquently pointed out here, our current generations have accepted that it is ok to say "I can't". This belief, in conjunction with the "everyone's a winner" and "it is not your fault" phrases thrown at the feet of our children, have bred this weakness and lack of humanism.
This is not to say I am much better off. I struggle with this every day as mediocrity pours over me. So I empathize with you and appreciate your work here. I hope it opens or rekindles minds to think critically about their place in the world. If you have any other media, let me know as you have piqued my interest in your perspectives.
" I have always carried the belief that any one person can do anything. This is proven in our history. "
Mind telling me the last King of England who started life as a peasant?
@@Killua2001 right! Some people literally thinking the past was some fair playground where people could just educate themselves freely. no... education was tightly controlled and there was frequent social failures that resulted in riots, civil wars and outright empire collapses. History is littered with the imperfections and flaws of man.
Thank you for sharing this inspiring video! It has motivated me to draw inspiration from history to enhance my own creativity and strive for excellence.
When I come home from work I plan to build my own hall of patheon to draw inspiraton from.
As for whether our generation is weaker compared to the past, I believe greatness is personal and not defined by a whole generation. Personally, I acknowledge there's still a long way to go in building the character and virtues I aspire to possess.
This might be the best video I have ever seen
I think it'd better to reclassify Nietzsche's distinction between 'monumental history' and 'critical history' into 'mythos' and 'modern objective history'. The latter helps reconstructs the past accurately and an excellent analytical tool but psychologically humans needs something inspiring from the past and traditionally 'myths' use to play that role (especially for pre and post initiation ceremonies - e.g. note how many world myths deal with a boy/prince transitioning into becoming men/king) which modern society now looks to and expects from a Hollywood 'super hero' movie. The need for 'mythos' would probably also explain why tv series like 'Ertugul' is so popular with Turks and sections of the muslim world (i.e. it's not actual history, it's a romance) and why stories like LoTR has portent emotional resonance in ways a Marvel film doesn't.
I discovered your channel recently through your Barry Lyndon video, and I have been watching your videos almost religiously since then. I came across this video today, and even though you've put out a disclaimer that it might not be useful or suitable for someone like me who devoutly believes that our recent generations are inherently great, I couldn't resist the urge to comment from a different perspective.
Let's begin.
Firstly,
Greatness resides in every generation. It differs and is shaped by the realities of the respective time frame. Every age has its distinct and specific requirements and prerequisites that enable a different and unique interpretation of greatness. The Renaissance, for example, was destined to rediscover the ancient and long-forgotten antiquity, while industrialization was destined to enhance our material wealth and advance scientific and mechanical knowledge. As long as humans exist on this planet, greatness will not solely reside within exceptional individuals, but also in the opportunities provided to them. These opportunities are influenced not only by the advances and toil of past generations but also by accidents, chances, and fortune. Being at the right place, at the right time, with the right conditions begets greatness. Many remarkable individuals throughout history never witnessed their time to shine because the necessary preconditions were not met during their birth, prime, or decline. They withered away like seedlings due to insufficient water or remained dormant like seeds trapped in tough shells.
Secondly,
Our current generation will undoubtedly accomplish great things, albeit different from those achieved by previous generations. Just because it may not be the greatness you long to see does not mean that we are devoid of it. We embody a specific type of greatness that corresponds to the unique reality we face. Although the Iron Age never ended, and technically we are still in that age that spans millennia, we have no need for an Alexander the Great conqueror, just as Alexander himself would have had no need for someone like Stephen Hawking. By implying that we lack the greatness of ancient times, you have turned a blind eye to the many different facets of greatness present here and now. These facets of greatness may not satisfy your personal criteria or match your own perception of greatness, yet they are real and significant. They will shape the future to an extent that rivals the impact of any past greatness.
Thirdly,
As Gandalf once said in the Mines of Moria, "Many that live deserve death. And some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them? Then do not be too eager to deal out death in judgment." Many people are too eager to pass judgment on a perceived failed experiment or generation. When Stephen Hawking was born, few could imagine his capabilities. When he was 18, few could fathom his significant impact on their lives. Our generation is still young and in its prime. Barely 20 years have passed since the new millennium, and yet some already claim that greatness cannot be found within our generation. However, as history has taught us, those who judge a generation and evaluate it as incapable of achieving significant greatness have always been proven wrong by time.
Fourthly,
Currently, we are in a great struggle between totalitarianism and liberalism. People like Putin cannot cope with the brutal reality that severely contradicts their own idealism. This struggle itself serves as a metaphor for how expectation and reality are fundamentally at odds. Putin desires past greatness, past glory, and tries to transplant it into the modern world where there is no space, no time, and no prerequisites to allow for such greatness. It is not the Second World War, it is not the First World War, and it is not even the French Revolution. Yet, it will impact our lives for decades, if not centuries, to come. Eventually, these incidents will be recounted with flowery words and heroic tales. This also brings us back to the mundane reality of greatness. Greatness in progress is rarely glorious or heroic. It often manifests as simple, seemingly insignificant actions at the time. Few people possess the foresight to understand the consequences yet to be revealed.
Define digging this view of things. Stagnancy and analysis paralysis is very major on the digitized world we have today. I love learning and has to check myself to not fall into this stuff. Ive had moments where I have and it’s not a good place. Even to the credit of the Catholic Church, they even have a thing to where you cannot keep attending masses all day as the idea is to go out into the world and act what you’ve learned in that faith. I dig that as in order to get from point A to B one has to mobilize and move in order for it to come about. Sitting around all day thinking of how to get there will not get you there. It gives you an idea of how to get there.
With that, I think the important thing too is to understand that m seeing the past examples and not merely observing, we have the possibilities to be innovators too and piggy back off of some of those ideas or to simply make up new ones in exploring life’s possibilities.
@@watitdufulgood take brother
Love this one.
Another brilliant essay. I have believed for some time that our current social divisions are truly not political or ideological but rather stem from widespread intellectual impoverishment that has many contributors. The dulling of critical thinking and ignorance of history has actually elevated mediocrity to an acceptable norm as true excellence can only give offense. The ignorance of history is often betrayed by any modern event being called “unprecedented”. A more cultivated intellect knows better. The book your essay brought to mind was Alan Bloom’s 1990s Closing of the American Mind. Quite prophetic as it turns out. Keep up the thought provoking and well researched work!
I am in love with that Kierkegaard quote at the beginning now.
Kierkegaard was the greatest and deepest philosopher ever to exist , he wrote extensively about anxiety. He was on a level even above that of Nietzsche.
The events and people we read about in books are the most amazing and inspiring things even to this modern day hence why people are so drawn to the theme of the past. With all the technology we have today, evolving getting smarter, faster and stronger we seam to lose character and passion. If only we could walk around with a sense of morality and respect like we once had, our modern grey times would be filled with grace and great deeds. This was a pleasant reminder and a great watch. Thank you.
Very well said. Thanks for watching!
excellent!
I like the way you talk.
Of course not the entire scope but this video and its message is very much on the topic of one of the many reasons as a person who was raised despising Catholics I've recently been brought into the Church. I'd suggest St Josemaría Escrivá to read up in relation to this topic. His main message is about as an average person to simply do small things with great love!
For the most part Society has abandoned religion. To be replaced by what? If you don't know where you're going, any road will take you there.
Epictetus, Marcus Aurelius, the Bible and Shakespeare are certainly good starting points for a timeless world class education.
human can't abandon spirituality, he can only replace it with another synthetic crap as he does with anything natural in him
I disagree with the religious argument but I definitely agree that knowledge of history empowers its adherents
This is the best version of 'reject modernity, embrace masculinity'
it's just: stop eating crap ruining yourself, eat human food, grow into human fixing your hormones as a natural side effect
hard to be masculine being chemically castrated by air, water and "food" pollution daily
We should be summoning young people to inherit the most glorious tradition, to inherit the stories of the past. Who knows, if we inspire an acquaintance to this journey tomorrow (perhaps by sharing one of these videos), we may not be able to achieve a big movement against this mediocre culture tomorrow?
i consider myself weak because i require a standard to be always stronger wich mean i have to overcome myself constantly "i prefer a short peace to a long one, what warrior wants to leave his sword rust?" but i see around me that many have a weak mind, even some people like 50 years old and their reactions are for me those of children and im 27. the thing that depress me the most i that we dont educate people to think about this but to be satisfied of their situation as long as they have things to entertain theirself and forget, forget their problems but most important i think, forget to think about the inevitability of death, that life is unique and you should try to not waste it, found a meaning a purpose and fight for it.
system is made to create workers not individualists using brain
Wow!
The first quote by Kierkegaard reminds me of Bronze Age Mindset. Today's man is the "yeast man", living only for the sake of living, like yeast.
With each passing decade the qualitative difference between the current age and the past age grows wider. Until there will come a time when history will become meaningless. To live will mean to be drowned in ephemeral immediacy. Men will grow to become nostalgic for their previous step.
Soren Kierkegaard, it must be said, was made of sterner stuff. To give an example of how unflappable he was by the day-to-day affairs of his time (even events that one might consider of seismic significance): "So the King flees, a new republic is born - piffle!".
You’re absolutely right. If only we had more Kierkegaards...
Great last comment! Yes, if I had to jump into my grandparents life right now, I'd die. Kudos!😎👍👍🙏🙏
Definitely, it is
My own vast potential is one of my greatest fears, simply because I prove myself unworthy of it every day that I do not realise it
my ambition of being a good father is the reason I have docked much of my other ambitions that would not serve that end.
it is no small thing to be a good father.
I rarely comment on any form of social media as I find it all contributing to this mass displacement of information but I just have a question about you think of fantasy? Going back to the point of “having loved multiple lives,” could one not live through King Arthur and Aragon? I do understand these both have hugely unrealistic Fantasia added to the stories but could they not be as essential as Jefferson, Franklin, and Washington?
I also believe fantasy and fictional stories are generally easier to digest and read which may point to my general better knowledge in faraway, I digress however.
I would love to know your point of view if you ever find the chance to respond to this comment.
Thank you
"All things excellent are as difficult as they are rare."
When I was a kid, I was moved by lotr and later what I could do in d&d(I wanted to be the greatest hero in our party). When I was in highschool, I saw Henry the V's st crispian's day speech. Recently, I've been trying to live in the greatness of what I read in the bible. I don't care of I'm seen, as long as I fulfill this feeling I have inside- I believe just from my actions alone I could possibly inspire others.
100% agree but it's not just the lack of historical knowledge. It's also the lack of intact families giving boys and young men fathers and uncles to look up.
Agreed. Also theres a disconnect.. A lack of understanding now for how these men in the past arent just detatched figures but living people who affected the world and passed on a legacy geberstion to generstion and we have a duty..be it either familial, religious, racial, cultural, to honor them and carry on that torch and see ourselves as their legacy. The fact that weve lost our understanding of history in this capacity is part of why we have become essentially an ahistorical society.
can you do a video on alexander the great and the lessons of his life please
Love this channel and video. But is our reaction to the lack of meaning just as meaningless? Are we in a loop?
My book recommendation is the Dao De Jing. Have peace. One love.
Please read Suddenly we didn't want to to die by Elton Makin and In Storms of Steel by Ernst Junger,Hidden gems of the kind of men that were but seldom now.
I think we need to define what 'previous generations' are, but also there would need to be an analysis of whether those in previous generations were genuinely connected with higher ideals or just following like sheep, albeit that some of them had better leaders. Interestingly Adam Curtis, who one might reasonably describe as a 'progressive commentator' noted that current society has thrown off the notion of discipline to the extent of finding itself lost, formless and lacking in purpose, but there is the challenge, find disciplines which work for today and can develop for tomorrow. We can certainly benefit from finding ways of thinking and being which were healthy for society in the past. Certain ills and toxicities of the past can be acknowledged without invalidating the virtues of the past, and there is a great deal of virtue in which we can immerse ourselves.
There are some aspects of this video that I agree with, and your overall message about the importance of historical role models is great, but.... regarding the "supposed patriarchal oppression of women," I present this primary source: clay tablets excavated from the Assyrian city of Assur. After listing numerous harsh penalties for petty offenses by married women, it ends by saying, "...a man may flog his wife, he may pull out her hair, he may damage and split her ears. There is nothing wrong in this." Ahh, the good old days! There are about a million and one examples of laws from many societies throughout history which indicate that life for women, historically, was pretty awful. I'll leave you to do that research yourself.
P.S. I understand that ancient laws were pretty harsh all around and that life was pretty awful for most people throughout history (men and women), what with all the poverty and violence and death. However, men pretty consistently had more rights and opportunities than women. If nothing else, a man was typically the king of his household and his wife was expected to be totally submissive and obedient to him. Doesn't sound like a very meaningful life to me.
Wow. Yeah, this really appeals to me. (This whole channel has been magnificent.) I've thought about what you've said on many occasions, and I believe it often both inspires me and depresses me. It inspires me because it's truly living, it's lungs full of crisp, invigorating air. Yet, it depresses me because in my head I believe it to be fiction. This palace of comfort and entertainment that I've enjoyed and rejoiced in for my whole life now feels like a prison to which I've been damned to. A prison where you're kept fat and pampered bodily, but left starving and disillusioned in the mind. Then there is also another angle that applies to me specifically, though not to all, and that's my Christianity. To marvel and imitate men such as Napoleon, Julius Caesar, or any other historical figure you can think of ultimately falls short of the goal of greatness. So is this emulation of great men in vain? I believe I could argue both ways, but perhaps the most compelling point is that perhaps in the pursuit of greatness the original goal is surpassed by the emulation of true greatness, St. Paul as you said, and all the saints, and therefor ultimately, God. Thank you for making this channel and these videos, I enjoy them greatly and they uplift my spirit.