Creating Freedom: Raoul Martinez at TEDxWhitechapel

Much about who we are is determined by the lottery of our birth. We inherit genes we didn't ask for, and are faced with a world we played no part in creating. In short, we are shaped by forces over which we have no control. Raoul Martinez examines the radical implications this has for our personal and political freedom. He challenges the way we think about responsibility, blame, punishment, and, ultimately identity, compelling us to question the forces-religious, cultural, economic and political-that have shaped us.
Raoul is an artist, writer, and award-winning documentarian. His portraits (www.raoulmartinez.com) have been selected for exhibition in London's National Portrait Gallery, and he has painted leading figures in the arts and academia as well as a series of symbolic works. He is currently working on his first documentary series, entitled Creating Freedom with filmmaker Joshua van Praag. In developing the series as writer, director, and producer, he has travelled extensively, interviewing leading intellectuals, journalists and activists, including Noam Chomsky, Tony Benn, Howard Zinn, Vandana Shiva, Amy Goodman, Steven Pinker, Bill Mckibben, and Christopher Hedges. Creating Freedom (www.creatingfreedom.info) explores the subjects of freedom, control and power in modern society. To accompany the series, and based on his many interviews and years of research, Raoul is currently writing a book of the same name. Raoul lives and works in his London studio.
In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)

[@ricardoafonso7884]

Don't think I'm exaggerating when I say this was the best talk I've seen on TED. Exceptional

[@JosephFilm-mv6io]

Those who don't believe in agency will never encourage you to excercise it... Agency is a muscle. The more you excercise agency the more of it you have... How have I related with my social/environmental influences I grew up with??? I became a very unique thinker whom reassess his beliefs, paragdigms, values, standards, whom seeks more and more ways of excercising my agency, reprogramming my self image identity, choosing to avoid bad influences, choosing to seek out positive influences, mix with people out in the world and read from many sources and above all think for myself with literal and common sense thinking devoid of preconceptions as much as possible... Yes environmental influences play a big role, Yes social influences play a big role, and Yes personal RESPONSABILITY plays the biggest of all roles which he says doesn't exist... Craft your life because your life crafts you... He just says, "Your life crafts you." If that where true then why have I deviated so tremendously far from where I cam from? Because I did the work, because I found the ways that work like reinventing your self image, ONLY because I embrace personal responsibility. You are responsible for nothing at age 4. You are responsible for reasonable age appropriate things at age 7. You are responsible for more by age 12, & responsible to form your social place by age 16, You are responsible to learn the good from your upbringing and begin unlearning the bad through honest reflection by age 21 usually including departing from your upbringings religion. You are responsible for the work you choose, the friends you make, the thoughts you entertain and the activities you do in your past time by age 25, You are responsible for resolving how you relate with your family members & your half good half bad friends and your diciplined or undiciplined relationship with yourself and the trajectories you have placed yourself on by age 30. You are responsible for the results of your actions and non actions even if through unaware negligence and you are responsible for taking more responsibility in the needed areas of your life by age 33. You are responsible for forming your own moral code and your own understandings by age 40. You are responsible for who you become, what affect you have on others, what trajectories you have placed yourself on and what value you produce or fail to produce because you are 100% responsible in every way imaginable at age 40. Whatever you do with the rest of your life is yours.. Own it with Integrity... Don't listen to this clown wanting to sympathize with terrorists and child molestors.

[@therobbiethorpe]

I would literally devote my life to promoting this message if I knew where to start. This is so important to communicate. Exceptional wisdom.

[@lovegaillard9880]

I'm sharing it all over FB! And I just bought the DVD! I will be showing it for workshops!!!

[@VeganSemihCyprus33]

You can start by supporting Resource Based Economy and The Venus Project :) Thank you for your contribution for the awakening of future generations, if we don't destroy the world by then.

[@Kruppes_Mule]

I share it as often as I can in a variety of places. The underlying premise of this is what changed my life and it has the power to change our entire world on an individual basis. It's just a matter of getting people to spend the small amount of time really pondering this introspective kind of thought.

[@imacg5]

I would suggest believe in yourself, and start from where you are.

[@JosephFilm-mv6io]

Those who don't believe in agency will never encourage you to excercise it... Agency is a muscle. The more you excercise agency the more of it you have... How have I related with my social/environmental influences I grew up with??? I became a very unique thinker whom reassess his beliefs, paragdigms, values, standards, whom seeks more and more ways of excercising my agency, reprogramming my self image identity, choosing to avoid bad influences, choosing to seek out positive influences, mix with people out in the world and read from many sources and above all think for myself with literal and common sense thinking devoid of preconceptions as much as possible... Yes environmental influences play a big role, Yes social influences play a big role, and Yes personal RESPONSABILITY plays the biggest of all roles which he says doesn't exist... Craft your life because your life crafts you... He just says, "Your life crafts you." If that where true then why have I deviated so tremendously far from where I cam from? Because I did the work, because I found the ways that work like reinventing your self image, ONLY because I embrace personal responsibility. You are responsible for nothing at age 4. You are responsible for reasonable age appropriate things at age 7. You are responsible for more by age 12, & responsible to form your social place by age 16, You are responsible to learn the good from your upbringing and begin unlearning the bad through honest reflection by age 21 usually including departing from your upbringings religion. You are responsible for the work you choose, the friends you make, the thoughts you entertain and the activities you do in your past time by age 25, You are responsible for resolving how you relate with your family members & your half good half bad friends and your diciplined or undiciplined relationship with yourself and the trajectories you have placed yourself on by age 30. You are responsible for the results of your actions and non actions even if through unaware negligence and you are responsible for taking more responsibility in the needed areas of your life by age 33. You are responsible for forming your own moral code and your own understandings by age 40. You are responsible for who you become, what affect you have on others, what trajectories you have placed yourself on and what value you produce or fail to produce because you are 100% responsible in every way imaginable at age 40. Whatever you do with the rest of your life is yours.. Own it with Integrity... Don't listen to this clown wanting to sympathize with terrorists and child molestors.

[@Calvbread]

My therapist reccomended me this talk because she said my views of life were so similar to this man, I strongly agree with whay he says - that the concept of free will ultimately does not exist, we don't find ourselves, we create ourselves indirectly through societal influences.

[@JosephFilm-mv6io]

Those who don't believe in agency will never encourage you to excercise it... Agency is a muscle. The more you excercise agency the more of it you have... How have I related with my social/environmental influences I grew up with??? I became a very unique thinker whom reassess his beliefs, paragdigms, values, standards, whom seeks more and more ways of excercising my agency, reprogramming my self image identity, choosing to avoid bad influences, choosing to seek out positive influences, mix with people out in the world and read from many sources and above all think for myself with literal and common sense thinking devoid of preconceptions as much as possible... Yes environmental influences play a big role, Yes social influences play a big role, and Yes personal RESPONSABILITY plays the biggest of all roles which he says doesn't exist... Craft your life because your life crafts you... He just says, "Your life crafts you." If that where true then why have I deviated so tremendously far from where I cam from? Because I did the work, because I found the ways that work like reinventing your self image, ONLY because I embrace personal responsibility. You are responsible for nothing at age 4. You are responsible for reasonable age appropriate things at age 7. You are responsible for more by age 12, & responsible to form your social place by age 16, You are responsible to learn the good from your upbringing and begin unlearning the bad through honest reflection by age 21 usually including departing from your upbringings religion. You are responsible for the work you choose, the friends you make, the thoughts you entertain and the activities you do in your past time by age 25, You are responsible for resolving how you relate with your family members & your half good half bad friends and your diciplined or undiciplined relationship with yourself and the trajectories you have placed yourself on by age 30. You are responsible for the results of your actions and non actions even if through unaware negligence and you are responsible for taking more responsibility in the needed areas of your life by age 33. You are responsible for forming your own moral code and your own understandings by age 40. You are responsible for who you become, what affect you have on others, what trajectories you have placed yourself on and what value you produce or fail to produce because you are 100% responsible in every way imaginable at age 40. Whatever you do with the rest of your life is yours.. Own it with Integrity... Don't listen to this clown wanting to sympathize with terrorists and child molestors.

[@rdhawke]

So, at what point ARE we responsible for our choices and actions? At what point ARE we to be held accountable for our choices and actions? And who, exactly determines,or even has the right to determine, how much responsibility we have and accountability to which we are held??? Just asking... (I don't necessarily disagree with his conclusions…but it would be nice to know what, as individuals, we can do to help ourselves and therefore humanity.)

[@JosephFilm-mv6io]

Those who don't believe in agency will never encourage you to excercise it... Agency is a muscle. The more you excercise agency the more of it you have... How have I related with my social/environmental influences I grew up with??? I became a very unique thinker whom reassess his beliefs, paragdigms, values, standards, whom seeks more and more ways of excercising my agency, reprogramming my self image identity, choosing to avoid bad influences, choosing to seek out positive influences, mix with people out in the world and read from many sources and above all think for myself with literal and common sense thinking devoid of preconceptions as much as possible... Yes environmental influences play a big role, Yes social influences play a big role, and Yes personal RESPONSABILITY plays the biggest of all roles which he says doesn't exist... Craft your life because your life crafts you... He just says, "Your life crafts you." If that where true then why have I deviated so tremendously far from where I cam from? Because I did the work, because I found the ways that work like reinventing your self image, ONLY because I embrace personal responsibility. You are responsible for nothing at age 4. You are responsible for reasonable age appropriate things at age 7. You are responsible for more by age 12, & responsible to form your social place by age 16, You are responsible to learn the good from your upbringing and begin unlearning the bad through honest reflection by age 21 usually including departing from your upbringings religion. You are responsible for the work you choose, the friends you make, the thoughts you entertain and the activities you do in your past time by age 25, You are responsible for resolving how you relate with your family members & your half good half bad friends and your diciplined or undiciplined relationship with yourself and the trajectories you have placed yourself on by age 30. You are responsible for the results of your actions and non actions even if through unaware negligence and you are responsible for taking more responsibility in the needed areas of your life by age 33. You are responsible for forming your own moral code and your own understandings by age 40. You are responsible for who you become, what affect you have on others, what trajectories you have placed yourself on and what value you produce or fail to produce because you are 100% responsible in every way imaginable at age 40. Whatever you do with the rest of your life is yours.. Own it with Integrity... Don't listen to this clown wanting to sympathize with terrorists and child molestors.

[@TheAloneActivist]

This is how I've though for a long time and people just say Im too empathetic and are dont get the world and whatnot. Thank you Raoul.

[@JosephFilm-mv6io]

Those who don't believe in agency will never encourage you to excercise it... Agency is a muscle. The more you excercise agency the more of it you have... How have I related with my social/environmental influences I grew up with??? I became a very unique thinker whom reassess his beliefs, paragdigms, values, standards, whom seeks more and more ways of excercising my agency, reprogramming my self image identity, choosing to avoid bad influences, choosing to seek out positive influences, mix with people out in the world and read from many sources and above all think for myself with literal and common sense thinking devoid of preconceptions as much as possible... Yes environmental influences play a big role, Yes social influences play a big role, and Yes personal RESPONSABILITY plays the biggest of all roles which he says doesn't exist... Craft your life because your life crafts you... He just says, "Your life crafts you." If that where true then why have I deviated so tremendously far from where I cam from? Because I did the work, because I found the ways that work like reinventing your self image, ONLY because I embrace personal responsibility. You are responsible for nothing at age 4. You are responsible for reasonable age appropriate things at age 7. You are responsible for more by age 12, & responsible to form your social place by age 16, You are responsible to learn the good from your upbringing and begin unlearning the bad through honest reflection by age 21 usually including departing from your upbringings religion. You are responsible for the work you choose, the friends you make, the thoughts you entertain and the activities you do in your past time by age 25, You are responsible for resolving how you relate with your family members & your half good half bad friends and your diciplined or undiciplined relationship with yourself and the trajectories you have placed yourself on by age 30. You are responsible for the results of your actions and non actions even if through unaware negligence and you are responsible for taking more responsibility in the needed areas of your life by age 33. You are responsible for forming your own moral code and your own understandings by age 40. You are responsible for who you become, what affect you have on others, what trajectories you have placed yourself on and what value you produce or fail to produce because you are 100% responsible in every way imaginable at age 40. Whatever you do with the rest of your life is yours.. Own it with Integrity... Don't listen to this clown wanting to sympathize with terrorists and child molestors.

[@magicaldivinity]

one of the best presentations i've seen in a long time. never mind the extent to which it is agreeable, it's thought provoking, challenging, and implies compassion and equality. beautiful job!

[@mariettestabel275]

Thanks Raoul. 💯

[@slowwco]

The most urgent and important TED Talk of our time.

[@eakherenow]

Martinez articulates the most important concepts of the 21 st century.

[@vernonosier6610]

creating freedom is one of the greatest books i have read.

[@AnttiJauhiainen]

Brilliant talk, encouraging thought and action. Balanced and well argumented, with exemplary concision and clarity.

[@W4rthogOfWar]

Fantastic talk, I wish everyone could hear it

[@JosephFilm-mv6io]

Those who don't believe in agency will never encourage you to excercise it... Agency is a muscle. The more you excercise agency the more of it you have... How have I related with my social/environmental influences I grew up with??? I became a very unique thinker whom reassess his beliefs, paragdigms, values, standards, whom seeks more and more ways of excercising my agency, reprogramming my self image identity, choosing to avoid bad influences, choosing to seek out positive influences, mix with people out in the world and read from many sources and above all think for myself with literal and common sense thinking devoid of preconceptions as much as possible... Yes environmental influences play a big role, Yes social influences play a big role, and Yes personal RESPONSABILITY plays the biggest of all roles which he says doesn't exist... Craft your life because your life crafts you... He just says, "Your life crafts you." If that where true then why have I deviated so tremendously far from where I cam from? Because I did the work, because I found the ways that work like reinventing your self image, ONLY because I embrace personal responsibility. You are responsible for nothing at age 4. You are responsible for reasonable age appropriate things at age 7. You are responsible for more by age 12, & responsible to form your social place by age 16, You are responsible to learn the good from your upbringing and begin unlearning the bad through honest reflection by age 21 usually including departing from your upbringings religion. You are responsible for the work you choose, the friends you make, the thoughts you entertain and the activities you do in your past time by age 25, You are responsible for resolving how you relate with your family members & your half good half bad friends and your diciplined or undiciplined relationship with yourself and the trajectories you have placed yourself on by age 30. You are responsible for the results of your actions and non actions even if through unaware negligence and you are responsible for taking more responsibility in the needed areas of your life by age 33. You are responsible for forming your own moral code and your own understandings by age 40. You are responsible for who you become, what affect you have on others, what trajectories you have placed yourself on and what value you produce or fail to produce because you are 100% responsible in every way imaginable at age 40. Whatever you do with the rest of your life is yours.. Own it with Integrity... Don't listen to this clown wanting to sympathize with terrorists and child molestors.

[@thespectatorao1483]

Martinez, what a thought... need more of such talk on this issue..

[@JosephFilm-mv6io]

Those who don't believe in agency will never encourage you to excercise it... Agency is a muscle. The more you excercise agency the more of it you have... How have I related with my social/environmental influences I grew up with??? I became a very unique thinker whom reassess his beliefs, paragdigms, values, standards, whom seeks more and more ways of excercising my agency, reprogramming my self image identity, choosing to avoid bad influences, choosing to seek out positive influences, mix with people out in the world and read from many sources and above all think for myself with literal and common sense thinking devoid of preconceptions as much as possible... Yes environmental influences play a big role, Yes social influences play a big role, and Yes personal RESPONSABILITY plays the biggest of all roles which he says doesn't exist... Craft your life because your life crafts you... He just says, "Your life crafts you." If that where true then why have I deviated so tremendously far from where I cam from? Because I did the work, because I found the ways that work like reinventing your self image, ONLY because I embrace personal responsibility. You are responsible for nothing at age 4. You are responsible for reasonable age appropriate things at age 7. You are responsible for more by age 12, & responsible to form your social place by age 16, You are responsible to learn the good from your upbringing and begin unlearning the bad through honest reflection by age 21 usually including departing from your upbringings religion. You are responsible for the work you choose, the friends you make, the thoughts you entertain and the activities you do in your past time by age 25, You are responsible for resolving how you relate with your family members & your half good half bad friends and your diciplined or undiciplined relationship with yourself and the trajectories you have placed yourself on by age 30. You are responsible for the results of your actions and non actions even if through unaware negligence and you are responsible for taking more responsibility in the needed areas of your life by age 33. You are responsible for forming your own moral code and your own understandings by age 40. You are responsible for who you become, what affect you have on others, what trajectories you have placed yourself on and what value you produce or fail to produce because you are 100% responsible in every way imaginable at age 40. Whatever you do with the rest of your life is yours.. Own it with Integrity... Don't listen to this clown wanting to sympathize with terrorists and child molestors.

[@heaveninyoureyesx]

One of the best TED talks I've ever heard. I can't believe it has so little views.

[@JosephFilm-mv6io]

Those who don't believe in agency will never encourage you to excercise it... Agency is a muscle. The more you excercise agency the more of it you have... How have I related with my social/environmental influences I grew up with??? I became a very unique thinker whom reassess his beliefs, paragdigms, values, standards, whom seeks more and more ways of excercising my agency, reprogramming my self image identity, choosing to avoid bad influences, choosing to seek out positive influences, mix with people out in the world and read from many sources and above all think for myself with literal and common sense thinking devoid of preconceptions as much as possible... Yes environmental influences play a big role, Yes social influences play a big role, and Yes personal RESPONSABILITY plays the biggest of all roles which he says doesn't exist... Craft your life because your life crafts you... He just says, "Your life crafts you." If that where true then why have I deviated so tremendously far from where I cam from? Because I did the work, because I found the ways that work like reinventing your self image, ONLY because I embrace personal responsibility. You are responsible for nothing at age 4. You are responsible for reasonable age appropriate things at age 7. You are responsible for more by age 12, & responsible to form your social place by age 16, You are responsible to learn the good from your upbringing and begin unlearning the bad through honest reflection by age 21 usually including departing from your upbringings religion. You are responsible for the work you choose, the friends you make, the thoughts you entertain and the activities you do in your past time by age 25, You are responsible for resolving how you relate with your family members & your half good half bad friends and your diciplined or undiciplined relationship with yourself and the trajectories you have placed yourself on by age 30. You are responsible for the results of your actions and non actions even if through unaware negligence and you are responsible for taking more responsibility in the needed areas of your life by age 33. You are responsible for forming your own moral code and your own understandings by age 40. You are responsible for who you become, what affect you have on others, what trajectories you have placed yourself on and what value you produce or fail to produce because you are 100% responsible in every way imaginable at age 40. Whatever you do with the rest of your life is yours.. Own it with Integrity... Don't listen to this clown wanting to sympathize with terrorists and child molestors.

[@easylife6077]

great talk ..thanks🌸

[@robertjsmith]

i like the way you have explained this, great video thanks

[@NunoMarques1000]

I like so much this conversation and i thinked so much over it.. the main problem i think is that to change the environment that leads to consumis and thirst for power.. many people dont want to understand scientically things.. they are just attached to what they were teached and shaped..just think, we could live in a world where all of us have acess to food, scienticic education and specially education over populational development, we could colaborate so much more with each others..but the thi

[@Manuel220]

Top! verry good talk!

[@RiittaVeijalainen]

What a great speech!

[@weefyman]

Its great to know, and very comforting, that there are others willing to question the Status Quo, i know of people that live in fear day in day out, they are good souls, but are caged by fear, friends have been murdered, the police harass them, for no good reason, gangs attack them for 'wrong postcode'. I cant imagine the pressures in these peoples lives. Thats why i am now looking to change...........EVERYTHING!

[@marvinedwards737]

Ironically, his message is that we are ultimately responsible for what we choose to believe, because we are free to examine the various influences we've been exposed to, to question them, and to discover new answers to old problems. Unfortunately, he goes a little overboard when suggesting that criminals should not be held responsible for their deliberate actions. The fact that it was causally inevitable that a person would deliberately choose to commit a crime does not change the fact that it will also be causally inevitable that others will hold him responsible for that choice, and will insist that he change his behavior (with rehabilitative assistance, of course) or else spend the rest of his life in prison. Rehabilitation requires a belief in responsibility for ones own behavior and a belief that one is free to make different choices in the future.

[@almaighty360]

Amazing!!

[@MysteryDoorStudio]

the best!

[@cinsolidarity]

MysteryDoorStudio It really is the best.

[@YannisFyssas]

Howard Zinn salutes you Raoul !

[@bcoolfool1014]

Yeah, birthright is a thing, it goes without saying, but from the second we are born, more influence can be placed upon our environment as everything is socially, and culturally constructed. We invent, categorize and construct everything from gender, sexuality, identity - to beliefs, politics and power. The proof of which can be found in their changing, fluid history; and in the fact that we have different cultures existing on our planet. Michel Foucault was a phenomenal writer of social control. On a side note, there are those that believe we chose our own parents before we are born, which is an interesting theory. Actually, "testimony of light" by Helen Greaves is a bit of a life changer. Not really on topic, but gives an incredible insight into life after death and can't remember whether it says that we chose our parents before our birth, but nevertheless, a must read.

[@SageWords2027]

In regard to whether or not our soul chooses our parents before we are born, once we are born, we can choose again. I was barely past the age of reason, maybe eight, when I made a conscious choice to change my life and leave the toxic environment I was being raised in. By age Nine I began to create my own identity and by age 12 I left home. I write about this in a forthcoming book, FREEDOM, where I site this brilliant man who I agree with to a great deal, and yet I still believe in the power of tapping into an identity that actually exists as our soul that can override our social identity, if we are taught to listen to the voice within and learn to see the oneness with all.

[@Matty88301]

I often get the same kind of response from people but they also try and tell me i think this way because i'm not happy with my life.

[@Matty88301]

@HOWARD BOYD I'm a Swan in training at best.

[@ChristopherHultgren]

Very interesting! :)

[@AcidProphet]

such brilliant so enlight wow

[@bernadette2146]

Mind-blowing ideas. I'd love to hear more from him!

[@michaeldillon1562]

This makes sense and has a clarity that is welcome

[@CharlesVeitch]

epic truth

[@charlheynike9619]

People just playing out their conditioning unconsciously. Genius!

[@paneko1]

First got to think about lottery in high school while reading Tolstoy. It is philosophy of determinism. It is nothing new as well as existentialism, proclaiming absurdity of your 'going on", even if your existence is ef up. For me the question is lying in identification of those, who put the lottery in place and while created this gaming environment, slowly killed the natural compass of good and bad, which was known in pre-colonized societies, thus not absurd societies. It seems like we, after all those emphasis we put to create western rationalism: philosophy and science, finding out we don't make any sense.

[@tomaslarsson409]

You have your own will

[@wharton92]

Poignant

[@ENOC772]

“Si tomamos dos niños recién nacidos, uno palestino y otro israelí, y los intercambiamos de familia, cada uno crecerá creyendo, luchando y defendiendo una distinta religión, visión del mundo, postura política, y amando u odiando una distinta bandera y grupo humano… debido en gran parte al lugar en dónde creció, las cosas que oyó, y las personas con las que convivió. La lotería de nuestro nacimiento implica que antes de que tengamos edad para incidir en el mundo, el mundo ha incidido en nuestro modo de ver, pensar y actuar ante el entorno natural y social”.

[@wyattluoma]

This is good

[@Kingaxel1]

What philosophy/school of thought can I read to learn more about these types of ideas?

[@TheDazler69]

Axel Maldonado epistemology

[@razvanon]

Check out jacque fresco's lifetime work on social stuff or many other things and the venus project. peter joseph is also one of the best i've seen so far in understandings of how sick society is

[@amyadmirer]

Daniel Dennett

[@amyadmirer]

Noam Chomsky

[@NunoMarques1000]

the great force of human universe today is the money

[@JosephFilm-mv6io]

Those who don't believe in agency will never encourage you to excercise it... Agency is a muscle. The more you excercise agency the more of it you have... How have I related with my social/environmental influences I grew up with??? I became a very unique thinker whom reassess his beliefs, paragdigms, values, standards, whom seeks more and more ways of excercising my agency, reprogramming my self image identity, choosing to avoid bad influences, choosing to seek out positive influences, mix with people out in the world and read from many sources and above all think for myself with literal and common sense thinking devoid of preconceptions as much as possible... Yes environmental influences play a big role, Yes social influences play a big role, and Yes personal RESPONSABILITY plays the biggest of all roles which he says doesn't exist... Craft your life because your life crafts you... He just says, "Your life crafts you." If that where true then why have I deviated so tremendously far from where I cam from? Because I did the work, because I found the ways that work like reinventing your self image, ONLY because I embrace personal responsibility. You are responsible for nothing at age 4. You are responsible for reasonable age appropriate things at age 7. You are responsible for more by age 12, & responsible to form your social place by age 16, You are responsible to learn the good from your upbringing and begin unlearning the bad through honest reflection by age 21 usually including departing from your upbringings religion. You are responsible for the work you choose, the friends you make, the thoughts you entertain and the activities you do in your past time by age 25, You are responsible for resolving how you relate with your family members & your half good half bad friends and your diciplined or undiciplined relationship with yourself and the trajectories you have placed yourself on by age 30. You are responsible for the results of your actions and non actions even if through unaware negligence and you are responsible for taking more responsibility in the needed areas of your life by age 33. You are responsible for forming your own moral code and your own understandings by age 40. You are responsible for who you become, what affect you have on others, what trajectories you have placed yourself on and what value you produce or fail to produce because you are 100% responsible in every way imaginable at age 40. Whatever you do with the rest of your life is yours.. Own it with Integrity... Don't listen to this clown wanting to sympathize with terrorists and child molestors.

[@JosephFilm-mv6io]

And, I would be further along if someone like me told this to me earlier on instead of clowns saying responsibility doesn't exist...

[@maui4794]

Anyone here from the quiz?

[@NunoMarques1000]

its the major shaper... and the major shaper should be scientific knowledge,,

[@VeganSemihCyprus33]

Perfect :) Please learn about Resource Based Economy if you still don't know! Catch up the wave :)

[@fivestarsmusic_]

But please not without Social Threefolding

[@karlo177]

Wow, give this man his Nobel prize right now

[@NunoMarques1000]

plus i think the humans need the negative things,as the universe need, we need to have an equilibrium, but nowadays we dont have equilibrium anymore, we just see negative and more negative things

[@asahdo]

soo many christmas treeeees

[@macinbacon]

Our Birth isn't a lottery though. We are who we are because our ancestors worked to get us to where we are today and we fight to improve the lives of our children etc. Our characteristics are determined by selfish genes, epigenetics and the society that our ancestors created. And whether or not free will is an illusion we still need to take individual responsibility to make the world a better place and make a contribution to the progression of human kind and collective intelligence/consciousness.

[@macinbacon]

Even if that responsibility we shoulder is an illusion - its is vital that we still view it as a responsibility for the sake of human progress.

[@marvinedwards737]

Sarah, we require free will to choose to "take individual responsibility to make the world a better place". And we also require reliable cause and effect in order to implement our chosen intent. When a person decides for themselves what they will do, according to their own purpose and their own reasons, then it is both authentic free will and authentically deterministic. The two concepts are not incompatible.

[@jonathanparis2594]

Dude low-key sounds like a grown-up Linus off the Peanuts cartoons.

[@user-df3gf6wh1x]

Not to be attached to anything.

[@77Official]

Don’t judge.

[@javi723]

postmodernism and materialism embrace these tenets

[@Necron00b]

So essentially this person is saying their is no such thing as responsibility, because your genes and environment may not be conducive to it?

[@Kruppes_Mule]

@Lake Natron Prove it. And by it I mean prove that we have free will.

[@Kruppes_Mule]

@Lake Natron So throw out the last 40 years of neuroscience then... it's been declared otherwise on the interweb. Good to know.

[@NunoMarques1000]

thing is that in universe, are allways good and bad, creator and destroyer, black holes and stars, ying and yang..if you think we are an universe, some humans have more shine than other, are the stars, others orbitate outside that stars that are the planets, some are destroyers, the black holes..and some of them can control the forces of the universe..like gods,, and sadly they must be the ones who have more money

[@dmihaesi]

The only uncomfortable truth is that postmodernism has only questions but no answers.

[@quaredunt]

i'm about 2/3 through his 'creating freedom' book it's a wordy expansion of what sam harris said in a much shorter book 'free will' and what's with the plastic water bottle in his hand? what a thoughtless prop considering his views on climate change and the fossil fuel fascism we are subject to

[@heythere160]

quaredunt But Sam Harris makes one point and tries to convince you about his thesis statement. This man takes that idea further and makes many, many, many other claims throughout the book. His intentions might be honest, but his grounds are shaky. I could not have written this book because he delves into questions which are still being asked and which are definitely not settled. While there are clear disagreements among psychologists and neuroscientists on whether we have free will, among economists on which are the best and most reliable systems that we can choose, etc. ... Raoul seems to go past these debates and position himself in a way that fits his ultimate goal and his narrative. I don't know. Like Gladwell, he writes well and you might be taken in by his arguments at first. But if you are somewhat rigurous... you can easily start spotting all kinds of problems with the foundations of the house that he has built... and with the very house itself. BUT it's a nice way of starting the conversation. Many of the points he makes are legitimate too.

[@Monica90877]

What make you think that you not chose to be born how you are now ? If I was a horse in my pass life and for the face be dominated by man I decided be born a man ... In that life time I was dominated by my mom and women when I was 0 to 17 years old ... My mind what to be a women ...EVOLUTION as a human that I looking yes are a women I want to be but I born a male ... I wast a better world for my next life _/\_

[@razvanon]

who shaped you so bad !

[@jonathanbiggins6448]

There certainly are! What a pointless comment.

[@jonathanbiggins6448]

You thought wrong.

[@terristyles5342]

He starts off by saying we have no choice in where we are born who our parents are and our genetic make-up as if it was fact but is only an assumption just like the assumption that we are spiritual beings having a human experience each choosing certain experiences in order to evolve our soul.

[@Doriesep6622]

That is why we are also endowed with forgetfulness.

[@Survivethejive]

the talk does not encourage objective understanding, it is rhetoric using terms like "human happiness" interspersed with pseudo history explained in the style of a nursery teacher. it is an anti-Western rant from a non threatening voice. it sets up the stage for new methods of social conditioning.

[@BB-xm6hy]

thank you tom.

[@nathanielfabian1056]

ah he's just too annoying to watch this all the way through even though the points are valid and interesting, oh well can't blame him

[@emilyprice2958]

He suggests that identity is something we are born into..but is it? read the work of feminist geographers like gillian rose that considers it in terms of gender. Identity is a socially constructed notion determined by the bourgeoisie...if it is socially constructed then society can also change it - society is driven by people and we therefore have choice over what identity we create for ourselves

[@TheRsdfdf]

Identity is shaped by socialisation, including gender norms, as agreed in his text.

[@razvanon]

you can only choose within the limited options of your surroundings,environment,culture etc. My available choices may be very different than yoursbe cause of different country ,political environment etc. Check out jacque fresco's lifetime work on social stuff or many other things