Does Sam Harris Lack Empathy?

[@johnrainmcmanus6319]

Excellent video, important topic. Feeling and intuition are utterly necessary to live intelligently and meaningfully. To state the obvious, one who invalidates feeling and intuition as legitimate modes of "knowing" cannot know what is only knowable through feeling and intuition. And such a one also will tend to react in a hostile manner to those who develop their capacities for feeling and intuition. My comtemporary psych 101 textbook at Columbia University said that the "left hemisphere of the brain is primary". When I read that, I immediately wondered - which hemisphere of the brain wrote that sentence?!! Sam calls anything "woo-woo" that can be known through feeling and intuition that has not yet been validated through empirical methods (that merely extend and extrapolate from sensory data). The Scientific Method is essentially to doubt whatever can be doubted until it can no longer be doubted. That is a technique - a very good one - for arriving at relative "certainty." But it has become the actual world view of our time and place! Doubt itself has become our dominant approach to anything and everything. But does that make sense? Is it a healthy way for humans to live? (The overwhelming evidence of our inflamed, out-of-balance world is that it is not.) Once upon a time, not so long ago, people doubted the existence of microscopic organisms. Anyone who believed in them would be thought "woo-woo" according to the Scientific Method at that point in time.

[@zenconfidential25]

Really great points, danke!!

[@diegogmejuto]

Thank you for this insightful video (and so many others!). On the topic of war, although I'm more of a Soto Zen person, I always think of Thich Nhat Hanh, who was able to say - coming from the midst of a devastating war - that people are not our enemy, but hatred, anger, ignorance and fear. Anything that involves violence against people, particularly on the scale, intensity and continuity we are seeing, must be rejected, and I wish this wasn't a controversial political statement.

[@zenconfidential25]

Thank you. You summed up perfectly what I was trying to say in the vid. Shouldn't be controversial, is 100% true, and needs to be said.

[@Arahansannihilation]

Only this Hanh guy could convince his people to be less similar with the people of Israel. For those who know what I'm talking about. VN is pretty p-sitic as well, it doesn't do all out war but slowly and surely it creeps over to its neighbors and takeover completely.

[@guido3771]

TNH was actually the advisor of a militant monk during the Vietnam war, as documented by the CIA. I wouldn't trust him.

[@drachenlachen]

I‘m wondering since quite a while, where to draw the line between finding pure scientific world-views unsatisfactory and a bit ignorant and the fact, that I don‘t want to live in a world, where facts are no longer facts. Thanks for your approach you shared with us.

[@zenconfidential25]

Well put, very well put. That line between honoring facts but not fetishizing them or ignoring all else in light of them. Tricky.

[@drachenlachen]

@@zenconfidential25 🌸 🙏🏽

[@n.r.2118]

I’ve read your books and really enjoyed them. I heard your discussion on Guru Viking and discovered this channel. Thank you for all you do (and don’t do).

[@zenconfidential25]

Awesome, thank you!

[@jonwesick2844]

I believe that in going beyond logic, you shouldn't abandon logic. Facts and critical thinking still matter more that superstition and groupthink.

[@JohnConlon-t9t]

Thanks, you voiced a lot of the same thoughts that have been running around in my head. I’m surprised you didn’t reference the standard “Middle Way” notion. A little woo woo never hurt anyone. How does logic deal with the reality of a good heartfelt hug? Keep up the good work.

[@zenconfidential25]

thank you my friend.

[@fhoniemcphonsen8987]

Wooo wooo yes pooo pooo no😊 Left brain ain't never gonna fix left brain problems.☹️

[@TJ-kk5zf]

exactly

[@sekauffmanpa3]

Thank you! Nice description of the distribution of non-dualistic practices middle path. It is sad that the term "god" has so much baggage. Being able to talk - when necessary to talk about such things - without using loaded language is difficult. How does the fish talk about the ocean? How do we talk about, well, everything". One of my first teachers was an elderly Chan priest who left China in 1949 when the Communists took control. We were talking about "it" and while laughing, he pointed upward and said "Christian god is too small". Again, thank you!

[@zenconfidential25]

I would've loved to have met that teacher.

[@sekauffmanpa3]

@@zenconfidential25His name was (bad transliteration) Da Chun . He owned a small house in Monteagle TN, near where 3-4 of us youngun's went to college. When his body gave out in the mid-1980's he moved to the City of 10,000 Buddha's and passed I believe in 1988. One of our small college sangha has been working on a book about him. When the book is completed I will make sure you know.

[@urbanslamal4900]

Love your ideas about it. Being extremely sceptic about any Kind of whoowhoo myself, I really dig being reminded about how important compassion and a turning towards any living being finally is on that way around the sun...

[@zenconfidential25]

thanks my friend, good to hear from you

[@urbanslamal4900]

@@zenconfidential25 🙏🏼🙏🏼

[@eiko6171]

I don’t detect empathy there at all. I noticed that about him a few years ago. When he said he would not have cared if Joe Biden’s son had “corpses of children” in his basement. That so horrified me I literally can’t even hear his voice without a wave of nausea overcoming me. I’m grateful to the app for introducing me to people like James Low and a few others but I just cannot listen to the conversations anymore and I sure as hell am not sending a c-note his way.

[@dom69foco]

Logic and secularism are totally compatible with empathy for the people of Gaza

[@danzacjones]

Abso-fucking-lutely... intelligence is like money - it's just an amplifier of defilement. It's powerful, sure, if you have a compass heading in the right direction ... money or intelligence will help you. But both those things also amplify (sorry.... I'm classic theravada) the "kilesas" or "defilements" of mind (( don't like that word because it's more the knowing and causes of them ... facing them compassionately with forgiveness that they dissipate) Anyway... long story short... theres a brightness of mind that is beautiful and pure (sunset or ethical acts anyone?) and then there's "intelligence" and "money" that's just some amplifier. Both of those things are more or less arbitrary and based in causes and conditions, buddhism as a wisdom tradition is independent of those ... he classically redefined what "ariya" was to be not by birth but by the beauty (merit) of ones actions... we all know this compass ... we know a beautiful act when we see it, like truth and light. And we know what direction that is... it's independent of class or caste or situation ...

[@markkeogh2190]

I wonder when the day will come when Harris proposes that the Palestinians have a full right to defend themselves etc…. Paying a little lip service to the people of Gaza does not balance his decades long anti Muslim sentiment. We dont need to read his mind to get his intentions. He did say ‘Islam is the mother load of bad ideas ‘ and he justified torture of Muslims after 9/11. So go figure. Then he always comes back with the old nugget ‘you have taken me out of context ‘. There seems no context he is happy to be seen in except the one he insists upon. He is posturing neutrality but always takes a sneaky side. Like many ‘neutral’ countries actually.

[@SpiderMan-od3kr]

They are also compatible with empathy for people in Israel.

[@ryanbrow]

I deeply appreciate the contribution to meditation and ‘enlightened’ thought made by Sam Harris through his Waking Up app. Also, from listening to a few of his many interview/conversations I think he is the first to admit that he is just a ‘work in progress’ like the rest of us. Thank you Jack, for another 'perfect' video.

[@zenconfidential25]

thank you dear Ryan, great to have you at sitting today!

[@hoogreg]

Whenever I think of American secular meditators, I think of an old Persian writer/sage, who was asked about our journey out of delusion, and he said, "Instead of making the paper black with writing, making the soul white with contemplation".

[@zenconfidential25]

That's pretty good. Thank you.

[@jethrobradley7850]

I think you give Sam Harris too much credit. Yes, he WANTS people to think he is rational and logical. But look past the language used and you'll see he has exactly the same emotionally driven attachments to political positions as anyone else. Richard Dawkins is much the same. Yes, he is a scientist but some of his beef with religious types is clearly personal and very emotionally charged and he isn't above misquoting the bible or using straw man arguments either. Which somewhat undercuts his claim to be a champion of facts and truth. But I hesitate to say that secularism is the cause of any apparent lack of empathy here. I think it's more of an individual personality thing. In other words, Sam Harris is just being a c*nt about Gaza because that's his take.

[@zenconfidential25]

Good points, his arguments are logical or rational but the energy underpinning them as well as many of his basic assumptions are pretty emotional. Thank you.

[@jethrobradley7850]

Thanks for reading and responding to my comment. I spent way too long rambling on and re-editing! A haiku it was not

[@zenconfidential25]

it gave me food for thought, thank you.

[@jerryalder2878]

I understood that compassion and wisdom were essential in following the Middle Way taught by Buddha. Thanks for this interesting talk. Unfortunately 'crazy wisdom' has become the go to excuse for abusive behaviour within Tibetan Buddhist organisations.

[@zenconfidential25]

Yes, crazy wisdom has definitely become an excuse for bad behavior. Seems like that trend might be passing though.

[@vikidprinciples]

Sam is very very far from Rational. I realized that in 2015. Before that I was enchanted by his tone and pseudo intellectualism also. He is a lost soul at best. A demon more likely.

[@zenconfidential25]

Interesting.

[@EricJohnson-c4z]

Woo woo can be dangerous if one has no clue that it is "empty phenomena rolling on". Some folks who have experienced the "heavenly" sort of woo woo and don't know about emptiness can have a hard time living in the "ordinary" world. I remember reading: "What does a Zen master do when he has a precious pearl in his hand? He smashes it at once!" An exaggeration, but...

[@zenconfidential25]

Thank you my friend.

[@hassanhassan-ed2lq]

Egomaniac narcissists don't have empathy

[@zenconfidential25]

you're right, probably not, not sure if that applies to his case, lotsa different views on this one

[@jahvarino1770]

Thank you for making this video good friend! Once again stressing the importance of balance in ones practice and paradigm. If Sam Harris indeed lacks empathy, maybe a good practice for him would be the Theravada Buddhist practice of cultivating the four "Brahma-Vihara's" or "Divine Abiding's" of-Metta(loving kindness), Karuna(compassion), Mudita(sympathetic joy) and Upekkha(equanimity). For someone very logically based, these can be an excellent practice and path into deeper emotional states of consciousness.

[@zenconfidential25]

Thank you my friend, it's good to get a reminder of these compassion practices.

[@seangreene5769]

Interesting stuff! nice job breaking down the two extremes

[@zenconfidential25]

Thank you for saying so.

[@kevindole1284]

It is possible to have the right to do the wrong thing, but the decision making shouldn't end with your right. At minimum, the consequences for yourself and others should be taken into consideration.

[@zenconfidential25]

Well put, thank you.

[@maxentropy9442]

"Sam Harris is not a poop eating cannibal" sounds like a great blurb for the cover of his next book.

[@zenconfidential25]

Have your people contact his people, let's make this happen MaxEntropy!!!!

[@maxentropy9442]

@@zenconfidential25 Unfortunately, I ate my people, pooped them out, and then ate them again, so they are unable to contact Mr. Harris' people. (Disclaimer: This is a feeble attempt to make a joke and could never be used against me in a court of law.)

[@mattrkelly]

oh yeah... this has always been a thing I think. Thats why zen stresses the heart sutra so much 😮

[@mixedmattaphors]

He's actually the one person I've ever heard, maybe, on the side of ki***ng babies to say that if the babies actually suffered, then it's a holocaust. He did not say that in conflict with his own, continuing side, but rather, he said that just as a statement. And if only he could look at a damn ultrasound for once, then maybe he would honor that.

[@zenconfidential25]

thank you. deep thinking.

[@mixedmattaphors]

Thanks@@zenconfidential25

[@WJSpies]

I donno really I don't and can't. Fear, ignorance, anger, the generated hate, are all rabbit holes which I refuse to fall into, if at all posible. There's nothing like being in and involved in real true warfare to obscure the rational loving/giving thinking mind. I was involved in a war over several years in my young life. What happens is the enemy (any enemy) will metamorph into an evil, scary, inhuman creature, while you fail to recognize your own and your cadres metamorphosis into an equally inhuman counterpart. It gets pretty ugly except you fail to see it becaue you simply can't - i.e. training etc etc. Coming out of and from a war has weird effects (PTSD for one). So it takes a whole bunch of years to reset - and if you're lucky. Point being if you do 'reset' (correctly) you won't like war or anything at all to do with it. IOW: you're really adverse to it; you can say you actually hate it, because you just know how it works Without sliding down any rabbit holes, I find it hard to line up on either side of that Gaza thing. On one side I feel toward the Israeli concert goers, and I see the perspective of the Israeli government wanting to "cleanse" Gaza of all its f'k'n' terrorists! Part of me says yeah! Go ahead Israel, good show! On another side of my compassion lives the poor poor people of Gaza who are obviously caught up right in the middle of two opposing forces hell-bent on destroying each other. So like you I refuse to do politics. With Israel I put my compassion for Gaza to the side. While with Gaza I also put any compassion for innocent Israeli concert goers aside. Of a consequence I get stuck squarely in the center. Being no stranger to war I see how military minds (from opposing sides) will always work. Both have a seemingly justified and unique perspective. What is forgotten is how this whole us vs. them conceptualization is borne on fear, ignorance, anger, and a generated hatred; all very illusory, but who wants to see that? Its an illusion. Also a bumpy rabbit hole.. so wtf! ..find a foxhole in the middle, keep your powder dry. : ( I'm reminded of the story of Arjuna. Shiva in disguise as Krishna comes to talk to him in the middle of a war: Arjuna's side vs the side of Arjuna's distant relatives. Arjuna is no stanger to war and wants no part of it, killing others (especially his twice/thrice removed cousins, uncles, etc etc. no dice). He simply can't. Krishna unmasks his true form, Shiva, the multi-armed, multi-faced demonic (like) god/creature tells Arjuna he must; "I am Shiva the destroyer of worlds." Ajuna complies, I guess out of fear. We're all at the end of the day only human.

[@fernandoplanelles6443]

Very good and interesting video! I'm living a quite similar experience nowadays. You've put it very clear. Thank you very much, Jack.

[@zenconfidential25]

Glad it was helpful! Thank you

[@pearlyung]

Everybody forgot the MiddleWay

[@zenconfidential25]

Sure seems like it my friend.

[@ninasnow9055]

Thanks for another great video! Very interesting and tricky subject. I think empathy is so crucial especially NOW! I am also against ANY violence anywhere for ever and ever AMEN! As I read somewhere recently, bombing for peace is like f!@#ing for virginity. May peace somehow prevail on this poor, twisted and wonderful world. Oh, I want to learn the help prayer! I need some help, yo! :) I will leave the poo and corpse stuff to the others.

[@tinadeemc8728]

Tantra is interesting (not the new age tantra but VBT). I actually dabbled in it prior to coming to the Zen path. There are so many similarities and basically the same goal, but much too complicated for my brain and level of motivation/discipline. One good source of authentic Tantra info would be Christopher Hareesh Wallis

[@WhoOneIs]

I prefer to call the tradition of the Sri Vijnabhairava Tantra, Kashmir Shaivism. Wallace is good popular source. I recommend that you check out the works of Swami Lakshmanjoo.

[@tinadeemc8728]

@WhoOneIs I have delved a little into the Swami too! Ultimately, I chose the Zen path for its simplicity. Having a very basic practice with little ceremony helps to keep me committed.

[@4kassis]

@@WhoOneIsWallis’ tradition actually IS dondual Shaiva Tantra

[@sakurakinomoto6195]

The Buddha hinself has tought the middle way after having experienced extreme luxuriosoty and extreme ascesis. Any extremism in the one or other direction is no valid way to end suffering.

[@zenconfidential25]

Agreed thank you.

[@turalbakhshaliyev]

What is the ultimate goal of meditation? Finding true nature, detachment, getting rid of anxiety and etc. So, not mentioning the name of Buddha in the meditation is as detachment as mentioning it. So, you can meditative both by mentioning the name of Buddha or not mentioning the name of Buddha. On the one hand meditation is about detachment on the other hand doing it regularly we get attached to it.. P.S: By this video, seems you are also attached to Harris but it is just a comment not an attachment :D Difficult very difficult...

[@Arahansannihilation]

Now do one on Gregg Baden. These tools are the same when it comes to benefiting their tribe.

[@zenconfidential25]

Oh man, that mean I have to consume some of his content. Don't think I have it in me.

[@virginiafilip]

Thank you! but I think the two comparison you make are not comparable. May be it had been better to compare Sam with a zen teacher. I appreciate Sam and grateful for his work, and I don't think he lacks empty, he is just brave enough to talks about something that nobody wants to touch, the problems and consequences of the islam religion. And about him being hyper rational I am not so sure, he has spoken a lot about hallucinogens like psilocybin and other substances and their importance in opening our conciousness and helping people to be more loving and compassionate. .

[@zenconfidential25]

Good points. I love Sam, I'm grateful for his work, I think he loses the plot sometimes and I think it's cos in certain moments it seems to me he lacks imagination and there are all kinds of (as he would say) knock-on effects as a result.

[@SH3V3K_14]

"blah blah blah" is exactly what I hear when I tryto listen to Sam Harris. Maybe that's just because I'm too dumb to understand what he says? I don't know. All I know is, when he speaks, I loose focus and get bored right away...

[@zenconfidential25]

Thank you may have a superior heart-mind, as the Chinese Zen Buddhists say.

[@SH3V3K_14]

@@zenconfidential25 Thanks. I don't know what that is, but I'll look it up. 😊

[@batonmorina5438]

" not once did he seem to indicate empathy for the people in Gaza that are dying" shame on you for saying this. You clearly have not listened to enough of his thoughts on the topic. He said that it is awful that babies are being killed and he acknowledges that the situation is very tragic.

[@zenconfidential25]

He said that it’s awful that babies are being killed, and he acknowledges that the situation is tragic, and that’s where he stops. That ain’t enough.

[@zenconfidential25]

Maybe so! But for me it's just not enough what he said. It doesn't hit as empathy. It hits as throwing a bone to the other side and then spending many hours subtly making excuses for slaughter.

[@stunugh]

The most important thing is that he does not acknowledge the reason why people are dying in Gaza. There are two possibilities why this is the case and I don't know which is worse: is it because he lacks empathy for the people who are being occupied for more than 70 years? Or is it perhaps because he's being willfully ignorant by ascribing all this suffering to the evil "Jihadists"? Either way, shame on him for spreading hatred and division in the name of "secularism", when at the same time openly supporting a genocidal government that is riddled with religious maniacs.

[@arikkatzenberg4498]

Boring suburban Starbucks dad, shaking with angry criticism, tells us how Sam Harris’ western ideas are corrupting his eastern meditative practices.

[@zenconfidential25]

I see we are in full agreement!

[@Perltaucher]

Very interesting thoughts but what can you expect really from a human who says „we should be willing to torture a certain clan of criminal suspects and military prisoners; if we are unwilling to torture, we should be unwilling to wage modern war.” That´s horrible and sounds like more a modern Sociopath without any compassion than someone who will find the nature of his mind or even the Buddha-nature. 🙏🙏💡

[@angelagladstone8863]

My husband, who finds the Sam Harris app very helpful, says rhat ge finds his take in things to be very male. Without consideration of emotions...

[@zenconfidential25]

Interesting! Would you agreer?

[@BasicBuddhist]

The Aghori sometimes do eat of that flesh, but there are many that meditate at the charnal grounds, even Buddhist practices sometimes go to a charnal ground (which was where bodies were disposed of , not necessarily burned, but left to decay) in Buddhism we have the meditations on death which follow that process. Sadhus are not all Afhori and not all Aghori are Sadhus... it is a n odd practice compared to almost everything we in the West are used to. Great discussion!!! Keep it up brother!

[@zenconfidential25]

thank you my friend!

[@robertlayne8180]

Mark Twain, Letters From The Earth. First published 1962. Also, The War Prayer, a protest to the Spanish American war.

[@zenconfidential25]

I need to check it out, danke.

[@cjelvado]

I think he's just very solipsistic. His approach does nor appeal to me at all. We will get to the same place eventually, though.

[@SpiderMan-od3kr]

One of the hardest thing is to feel compassion towards someone who wishes to do you harm. I can put myself in the horror of a Palestinian whose life work is destroyed or family member killed. It is still more horrifying to put myself in the mind of a Hamas leader wracked with psychopathology. It is easy to imagine how hard it would be for an Israeli to not grow hard that's faced a lifetime of terrorist attacks from a people that regularly express genocidal intentions towards them. Sometimes I get the feeling that liberals (of which I am one) think the world is puppy's and rainbows. There is some utopia awaiting us if we can just get rid of the Wall Street Investors and White Supremacists, but I've come to feel the world is not this way. There are people that want your stuff. There are people who hate you because of their conception of who you are. And we can't change this. How do we care for these people like a mother protecting her only child? How do we extend compassion toward them as they pray for our death?

[@zenconfidential25]

Great questions and great thoughts. Thank you.

[@andystanley4598]

Don’t get too tantric Jack. I won’t be liking any poop eating!!!!😂

[@zenconfidential25]

Then I shant give you any to eat!

[@winwinnington1647]

I was wondering if you have any thoughts or feelings about Michael Singer author of the untethered soul, he has a podcast where he lectures and lays out his techniques, just listening to it can make a listener feel like a mind identified ball of confusion while he gently beckons from a state of freedom I would be curious to know how his claims hold up in the light of a zen practice

[@zenconfidential25]

I have started but not finished his book Untethered Soul, a friend of mine was really into it; so I don't have any thoughts on him, sorry!

[@markkeogh2190]

I’m with the cannibal on this one !

[@zenconfidential25]

Team cannibal!

[@uschurch]

The answer is no.

[@zenconfidential25]

well that was easy

[@4kassis]

Everything you say about Harris fits what most people encounter in zen…

[@zenconfidential25]

hmmm...

[@BarrySometimes]

To my mind, much of what you're observing involves Sam’s compassion, when you're expecting to observe his empathy, & the distinction that separates compassion from empathy. See his conversations with Paul Bloom on empathy vs compassion. Sam has mentioned on many occasions that the vast majority of people who suffer as a result of religious irrationality, which is to say religious derangement, are the adherents to the given religion themselves - that the people who suffer the most from the teachings of islam are muslims, for example. Mutatis mutandis the adherents of other religions. Sam wants to solve the problem by speaking about the problems in an attempt to convince all parties involved, especially muslims, as to the reason why muslims need to reform the islamic religion. Exposing the dysfunction of islam, due to the compassion you/he has towards all the suffering, especially the suffering of those most oppressed by it (muslims/Palestinians), is actually more helpful & productive than a non-analytical, highly empathetic tear stained emotional cry in response to all the bodies on the ground - said empathetic response, in & of itself, changes next to nothing about the dynamics which induce the suffering within said conflict. If you want to see Sam’s empathy in play, watch his TED talk “Science can answer moral questions”, wherein he begins to cry while touching the topic of honour killings. Best.

[@kg356]

What gets me about Sam is that he seems to reduce every conflict in the ME or involving Muslims generally to the irrationality and problems with Islam. I would agree with him that fundamentalism doesn't make things any easier but to act as though religion differences is the core of the problem between Palestinians and Israelis at this point is absurd.

[@BarrySometimes]

@@kg356 He doesn't reduce "every conflict in the ME or involving Muslims generally to the irrationality and problems with Islam", though. He grants other mechanisms too. I would agree with Sam re' religious "differences as the CORE of the problem between Palestinians and Israelis", however that doesn't mean that Sam or I would dismiss elements of nationalism, nonreligious related resentments, & understandable grievances & so forth. Even before the UN drew the borders, the British proposed to the people of palestine that the area be divided in two so Jews (who actually lived in the area before Islam was even invented) could have a home to live after having nearly been exterminated by Nazi Germany, & even at that early stage the Muslins of palestinian said "no", & their argument was "this is muslim land, not jewish land, & non-muslims haven't the right to self determine/govern on muslim lands".

[@kg356]

@@BarrySometimes Your summarization makes it seem as though Palestinians would've been fine ceding 50% of Palestine to the creation of a homeland for Sudanese or Pakistani Muslims, because they were fellow Muslims it would be just fine with them. You also ignore the fact that there were concerted efforts on behalf of Jewish groups to massively increase Jewish immigration and totally change the character of the region. In 1918, one year after Britain declared its commitment to a Jewish state in Palestine in the Balfour Declaration, the Jewish population of Palestine was less than 10%. By the time the UN Partition Plan was submitted in 1947, the Jewish population was over 30%. The population had already increased more than 3x in the course of 30 years and there was constant resettlement of Jewish refugees in Palestine in contravention of British policy over the region. I say all this to say, it's much more complicated than "non-Muslims can't govern on Muslim lands."

[@BarrySometimes]

@@kg356 I don't think it is. Hence the reason why Jews who did live in the area prior to the UN drawing new borders lived as dhimmis, while Muslims from, for example, Sudan or Pakistan who did the same didn't - because they were fellow muslims.

[@kg356]

@@BarrySometimes So do you think if Britain had decided that Palestine would be a new homeland for Pakistanis and then the Pakistani population there started doubling every decade, the Palestinians would be fine with it because they were fellow Muslims? I'm not saying that Palestinians had no specific prejudice or hatred of Jews, i'm saying that the context around the creation of Israel is much more important to understanding why the hatred of it as a state is so deep and widespread.

[@HardcoreZen]

I lack empathy for Sam Harris.

[@zenconfidential25]

Sam Roshi forgiveth you.

[@markencell5422]

How well do you know him? Ever met him?

[@HardcoreZen]

@@markencell5422 I'm happy to say I have never met Sam Harris, nor am I likely to.

[@alst4817]

Sam Harris is a good guy, but like us all, with feet of clay. It’s remarkable to me how egoistic he is, despite his meditative practices. I wonder what he was like before he started?

[@jethrobradley7850]

That's an interesting thought. Two main possibilities 1) meditation isn't doing / hasn't done as much for him as he would like 2) It's totally transformed him for the better but his starting point was somewhere closer to Jeffrey Dahmer or Hitler

[@alst4817]

⁠​⁠@@jethrobradley7850😂 my assumption would be that, like us all, meditation has helped immensely, but it hasn’t fundamentally changed his personality/mind into something different. I think that assumption makes sense, and helps to keep us all grounded! We are unlikely to become angelic beings who levitate over the peasants 😂

[@jethrobradley7850]

@@alst4817 You're right. Which is a damn shame. I was looking forward to some pious floating

[@macdougdoug]

In mundane or political affairs who would you trust more to make the decisions? A rational thinker with a humanist bent, or someone capable of believing and doing anything? Also, no mention of poop or woo in the 4 noble truths, or in Siddharta's awakening story (other than as hindrances or embellishments). But yes - resistance or closed hearts and minds are a sign of fear.

[@zenconfidential25]

I think it would depend on the options, who I would trust more to make the decisions.

[@macdougdoug]

@@zenconfidential25 Unfortunately (or fortunately) we aren't being offered full control to place our pawns. But out of interest : in which situation would we deploy the woo-master?

[@zenconfidential25]

I don’t know, I think I might’ve voted for Marianne Williamson if she had made it to the final round!

[@frederickburke9944]

did you ever see Monty Python and the Holy Grail? you know that part where a historian is speaking to the camera and suddenly a mounted knight rides by and kills him with a sword stroke to the neck? That's what I kept hoping would happen as i watched this.

[@paulsagerman5111]

Equating secularism with lack of empathy seems a bit of a stretch, and rather judgemental. Putting out a meditation app is a far cry from passing oneself off as a spiritual teacher. I don't think Sam does that.

[@zenconfidential25]

Happy we're in agreement!

[@paulsagerman5111]

Ok, maybe you didn't mean to say what I heard you say.

[@johnrainmcmanus6319]

Actually, you're making that equation. Saying that SH is secular and lacks empathy is not an equation; it's just the speaker's take on SH. I share it. Feeling and intuition are just as necessary as discrimination to realize anything of value. By the way - are you ever aware of the Mystery?

[@paulsagerman5111]

Ok, you take issue with the word Equating, so replace it with something softer, like Associating. Either way, it's there for you to see and hear, so I'm not sure what mystery you're referring to.@@johnrainmcmanus6319

[@ramblingthoughtsandideas]

You're just simply factually a 100% wrong.

[@zenconfidential25]

wouldn't be the first time

[@ramblingthoughtsandideas]

@@zenconfidential25 kzbin.info/www/bejne/o5Ool2Crgc16nsUsi=AgvQHeOefnAJ1C2A I have never listened to him and he didn't start the way he did at the beginning of that short clip in talking about the Palestine-Isreal war.

[@ruairi_]

great video. summed up my feelings on Sam

[@zenconfidential25]

Thanks! I'm not even sure it summed up mine, come to think of it, but it summed them up for that day anyway. ;)

[@arikkatzenberg4498]

Nope. U were just assigned an opinion and then retroactively assumed it was your original. You seem like u hvent had an original thought in your life

[@ruairi_]

@@arikkatzenberg4498 someone should assign you the ability to spell.

[@zenconfidential25]

Original thoughts are overrated.

[@paulburgess5111]

I listen to Sam Harris quite often and your description of him and his stances are very confusing. You should probably listen to more of him

[@zenconfidential25]

I listen to nearly every podcast he puts out. I think his blind spot is logic and that he lacks imagination. But I greatly admire him. Simple.

[@semiotik]

I think in part Sam Harris got drunk on his own KoolAid.

[@markencell5422]

Gosh accusing someone of lacking empathy for dying children, mothers, elderly is a pretty vicious attack. And doing so to your audience on the internet is even worse. I see the video has 2.3 K views. I’d encourage you to give Sam the benefit of the doubt on this one but it appears you KNOW Sam lacks empathy. I loved your book Zen Confidential and I follow you on Twitter and I’ve always enjoyed your viewpoints and sense of humor and attitude on life. This judgment on Sam’s character was really surprising to me and disappointing. Maybe you’re right but still…

[@billycrows]

Sam Harris has lost my esteem. I haven’t read his books, but I was a listener to his podcast in it’s first few years. I appreciated his conversations about difficult topics; his presentation of viewpoints I hadn’t considered. Over time, I noticed his biases distorting his logic. Then his hawking of the meditation app rubbed me the wrong way. Later the second half of his interviews were put behind a paywall ( I get it, no one wants to work for free. It was the execution that I found objectionable.), which was fine. I was not really interested in what he had to say anymore. Though I don’t follow his work, he turned up on my radar through other media. What he said about certain medical procedures was illogical. The thing he said about kids in basements was vile. Am I surprised he would lack empathy toward civilians in the strip? No, not at all.

[@zenconfidential25]

Good points, thank you. I still listen to him etc just disappointed with him on this one. That paywall thing bugs me too. Not sure what he said about kids in basements tho, I can imagine.

[@KingOfTheJoints]

Get to the point, mr interesting

[@zenconfidential25]

I prefer to ramble

[@KingOfTheJoints]

@@zenconfidential25 I got your point, but you delivered it in the strangest way possible. But yes, Harris lacks a bit ritualistic eating of shit and human flesh. Actually, I am being an asshole now. Sorry. Okay, Harris is trying to deliver a very clean and sober lifestyle. A lifestyle where order and logic rules. Like he forgot about Dionysus in the Nietzschean dichotomy of Apollo vs Dionysus. I get that, and it frustrates me too. That is why I play games, listen to rock, watches horror, etc, etc when I need my fill. And I manage to meditate on the agori (or what’s it called) perspective and even anti-metta, at times. I just don’t expect to find that shit eating cannibal side of myself in Harris meditations, you know. But the man is great and have helped a lot of people to access better “nows”, but yeah, he is a bit goody two- shoes and can be blunt in a boring way, and always seem to want to shut the chaos out in a way that feels unnatural and wrong. Bet he has empathy though.

[@danzacjones]

It is fine to make a political point. Bhikkhu Bodhi is straight and narrow Theravada old vinaya as written as they come… he has made a point on this. Secular Buddhism is basically just Asian cultural erasure… it is an ideology… it’s not particularly rational… they dismiss for instance rebirth…. Somehow all of nature is subject to conservation laws except consciousness in their opinion… it just ends and begins with the brain… yet it’s the biggest question in science the so called hard problem of consciousness… yet dependent origination gives an account of the causes and conditions consciousness arises and ceases… yet it’s too Asian for them I guess. Like “woo woo” was used to dismiss Native American beliefs.

[@alankuntz6494]

Zen Gossip.. Ain't this just dandy..