Wisdom and The Depth of Life

0:00 - Introduction
0:32 - Our Mostly 2-dimensional World
1:49 - Life's Depth-dimension
2:12 - Spiritual and Religious Experience
3:07 - Self-actualization and Authenticity
5:00 - Our World's Problems: 3 Types
6:28 - Our Lack of 3-Dimensional Wisdom
8:01 - The Power of Distraction
9:13 - The Logic of Seduction & Addiction
10:11 - Evolution & Consummating Our Existence
11:43 - What's Standing in Our Way?
12:12 - #1: Our Prevailing Cultural Practices
13:58 - #2: Institutionalized Power
16:47 - #3: Wisdom's Paradoxical Nature
17:25 - #4: Addiction to Self-importance
19:08 - Summary of Obstacles to Wisdom
19:49 - Cultivating Humility
20:14 - Cultivating Self-awareness
22:18 - Cultivating Courage
23:36 - Summary of Prescriptive Suggestions
24:30 - All apologies

[@McFraggn]

My sincere condolences regarding your loss... I'm still very glad that you found the time and strength for uploading another video. I discovered the channel a few month back and watched through many of your videos, of which its content already triggered changes in my own life. Thank you for that!

[@ericdodson2644]

Well, thanks for those warm words. It really makes me feel good when people take the material in these videos, and use it to improve their actual lives... especially since that's why I make them in the first place. So, thanks for telling me that. Gratitude. Eric D.

[@SASEFacultyMarinaSQuila]

Thanks Prof. My husband and I used to watch your video but I'm alone now, since June 2021. I found strength watching your video.

[@ericdodson2644]

It makes me happy that you found strength through watching this video. It's always my deepest hope that people will use these videos to improve their own lives somehow. So, I'm glad that it happened that way for you. Take care. Gratitude. Eric D.

[@satwikanmol]

Thanks for existing in our life professor

[@ericdodson2644]

You're welcome. And a big thank-you to YOU for existing in mine. Gratitude. Eric D.

[@456quip]

Thank you for finding the strength to keep teaching after what must have been a few very painful months. Your pointers to wisdom are so appreciated and needed. God bless.

[@ericdodson2644]

Well, thanks. I'm glad you appreciate this video so much. Thanks for telling me that. And may God bless you, too. Gratitude. Eric D.

[@DeFi-Macrodosing]

Eric, your work is incredibly important, even for those who have initiated their journey and are in search for self-actualisation. Your thoughts help systematise thinking, consolidate learnings, and provide the strength to press forward in the face of everyday mainstream adversity. Thank you. Finally, I'm very sorry for your loss and your absence is completely understandable - take all the time you need.

[@ericdodson2644]

Well, thanks for saying that. A lot of what you're describing matches the reasons why I make these videos in the first place. So, it's gratifying to hear that it's happening that way for you. Gratitude. Eric D. P.S. And greetings from the U.S.A.

[@harmanveerrandhawa841]

Condolences for your loss Eric. Thank You for taking time out to post this, you were missed

[@ericdodson2644]

Harmanveer Randhawa... there's a name I haven't thought about for a while. I hope you've been well. Anyhow... thanks. I've been missing myself, too. Gratitude. Eric D.

[@silverfoxcondor46]

Becoming self-aware at the ways we are addicted. How society normalizes this behavior. You've given me a new way to think about this. Thank you.

[@ericdodson2644]

You're welcome. It makes me happy that my video has given you a new way to think about addiction, and how (and why) society normalizes it. Thanks for telling me that. Gratitude. Eric D.

[@user-hn9cj6kh9j]

You're a wonderful soul! Thanks for still taking the time to help us! My condolences.

[@ericdodson2644]

Wow, you're going to make me blush. Anyhow... yeah, in making these videos, I'm trying to help everyone -- myself included. And thanks to YOU for taking the time to listen. Gratitude. Eric D.

[@myblackaura]

Your videos are always great touchstones for breaking out of the two-dimensional world of distractions. I thank you for these videos, and your lectures as well. You introduced me to Amor Fati and a lot of amazing philosophy I never got from school. I'm sorry for your loss man, I dread the day I'll have to part with my mom. I pray for your strength and healing. 🙏💜

[@ericdodson2644]

Well, thanks for your prayers, and for telling me how much you're getting out of these videos. I appreciate that. And yeah, it's definitely a rough ordeal to live through the passing of close relatives. But on the other hand, I've come to see it as the price that life exacts for letting us grow older. And as the years pass, the calendar becomes more and more marked with all of the days that important people have left us... each one reminding us that, for whatever reason, we're still enjoying the gift of life... and that it's important to make the best of it. Well, that at least how I see it. Anyhow, thanks for taking the time to listen. Gratitude. Eric D.

[@unusualpond]

So good to have you back Dr D. I was thinking something big must have happened in your life to take you away from us, and I’m sorry it had to be this. Much love and care to you, kind man. I’m sure you are surrounded by people who love you and I’m happy to be able to sprinkle a few pixels of care onto your screen.

[@ericdodson2644]

Well, thanks... and yes, my wife has been taking excellent care of me these days. Anyhow, it's always good to hear your figurative voice... and thanks for listening to my ramblings. And of course, greetings from the good ol' U.S.A. Gratitude. Eric D.

[@dougpalmer4633]

Thank you for posting and sharing your wisdom, you have been missed. Sincere condolences about the loss of your mother.

[@ericdodson2644]

Well, thanks. I've missed me, too. But I feel like I'm starting to come out of the woods a bit these days. We'll see. Anyhow... gratitude. Eric D.

[@Monster_Mover_Stocks]

Sorry about your mom. Thanks for uploading again.

[@ericdodson2644]

Well, thanks TVAC. And thank YOU for taking the time to watch and listen. I appreciate that. Gratitude. Eric D.

[@TheJwolf1101]

I can't fully articulate why, but I shed so many tears when Dr. Dodson finished a very evocative statement with, "You're already an agent of The Infinite, whether you realize it or not." I think this somehow restored some intrinsic hope, and maybe set in motion a chain reaction within me to counteract the learned helplessness that has overcome me in the past decade. Thank you, so much. Since my time at UWG, I find myself returning to your statements in times of need. Edit: Also, sorry for your loss. I lost my mom in 2015 right after graduating UWG. It was a painful experience that still impacts me to this day.

[@LikeRYTP]

So sorry for your loss... Stay strong!

[@ericdodson2644]

Thanks. I'm doing my best. I'm basically trying to get my life back. But it's one day at a time. Gratitude. Eric D.

[@timluna9780]

Great video going to listen twice, I have been waiting for your wisdom and take on life. Take care.

[@ericdodson2644]

Well, thanks for being patient with me. Hopefully I'll get back to posting in some kind of regular way. We'll see, I guess. Anyhow, thanks for taking the time to watch. Gratitude. Eric D.

[@charlizebianchi5364]

I'm deeply and sincerely sorry you experienced the loss of someone close to you professor. Your videos are a comfort and sense of guidance for me. Thank you for being a psychopomp and sharing your wisdom. I aspire to be as wise as you one day.

[@mouwersor]

I think it helps to label that what we're missing most in mass-society: Meaning. The serotonin-related form of happiness (in Emilssons categorization). You could team up with Vervaeke to bring and create wisdom on this 'Meaning-crisis'. We are being sold the idea that dopamine-related happiness ('fun') and endorphin-related happiness ('pleasure') are the only types of phenomenological pull-factors to care about, but this leads to depression and anxiety because (as you point out) another dimension is missed completely. When Meaning is not felt, we cease to want altogether. The other forms of happiness (which we quickly build tolerance for, headonic threadmill, unlike Meaning) are felt as insufficient when weighed against the suffering we feel.

[@ericdodson2644]

Yeah, nice point. And I agree that *meaning* would be another way of talking about the depth-dimension, perhaps along the same lines as Viktor Frankl. And as such, I agree that it would be another way of escaping the confines of a 2-dimensional lived-space (with all of its attendant pathology). Meow!!! Gratitude. Eric D.

[@tannerhagen774]

“Being honest with ourselves requires courage because it means dropping our usual egoistic investments and self-importance and stepping beyond our comfort zones and safe spaces. It requires becoming dangerous to ourselves and courting catastrophe as if it were life’s great passions. Basically it means adopting a a fundamentally adventurous posture toward life where any moment might bring us into the hallowing gale of sudden transformation.” Keeping this quote in my phone, well said. Welcome back and sorry for the loss.

[@zackwalker8756]

Profound synthesis! Love & gratitude!

[@propha-c]

The timing is impeccable. I had just rewatched some old vids 1 week before you posted. Glad to have you back!

[@ericdodson2644]

I sometimes think that what we commonly call "coincidence" is really life's way of trying to draw our attention to something... by making it more noticeable. In any case, thanks for the kind words, and for taking the time to listen. Gratitude. Eric D.

[@tunguyen6560]

So sorry for your loss. May your heart find peace soon.

[@ericdodson2644]

Thank-you. Things are getting easier, little by little. Maybe I'll find my way out of the woods one of these days. We'll see. Anyhow, thanks for taking the time to listen. Gratitude. Eric D.

[@mamadi123]

I’m sorry for your loss and I hope you recover from it. I’m also very glad that you have started posting your life changing videos. Thanks doc.

[@mouwersor]

based and McKenna-pilled

[@ericdodson2644]

Wow, I'm blushing a little after being mentioned in the same vein as Terence McKenna. Thanks. Gratitude. Eric D.

[@fatherburning358]

Good sir. Youve just become my go too philosopher. Stay humble now 😂👍 Condolence for your loss. Ive experienced loss during the lockdowns and inability to attend the burial. Different country. Only over 2yrs later have i been able to recognise the depth of my loss. The self awareness you speak of. Thankyou and be well.

[@melissajones5985]

Thank you Professor. I wish you well.

[@ericdodson2644]

Well, thank-you for that. I wish YOU well, too. Take care. Gratitude. Eric D.

[@cam5668]

I love you, Eric. Sending you so much love. Good to see you back and hope to see you soon, brother.

[@ericdodson2644]

Well, thanks... are you the inimitable Camden V. by any chance? Just wondering. Anyhow, thanks for taking the time to listen & watch. Gratitude. Eric D.

[@cam5668]

@@ericdodson2644 You know it! 😀

[@ericdodson2644]

@@cam5668 Ha ha... it's good to catch sight of you in the immense vortex that is cyberspace. I hope you're well and thriving... and getting down with your bad, funky self. Eric D.

[@MrDanielpi]

Thank you for your wisdom Eric it helps us recognize ourselves as agents of the Infinite and the sacred. Sending you all of that back to you in these difficult moments. Take care of your soul. Daniel.

[@ericdodson2644]

Well, thanks for those kind words, Daniel. It makes me happy that these videos are having a positive effect in people's lives. So, thanks for telling me that. Gratitude. Eric D.

[@MrDanielpi]

@@ericdodson2644 many of your insights have been life-reassuring to me, specially in this confused and confusing world. They have been reassuring of my own intuitions and is amazing to listen to it articulated by you in such poetic and humorous way, bravo!

[@gracefitzgerald2227]

I’m so sorry for your loss. Be well and thank you as always for the wisdom

[@ericdodson2644]

Well, you're welcome... and thanks. Yeah, it's definitely one of life's difficult passages. But on the other hand, I'm eager to see how it transforms me with time... we'll see, I guess. Gratitude. Eric D.

[@markcornelius8802]

Just went through that with my dad in November, so, my sincerest condolences and commiseration. Thank you for making and sharing this righteous video.

[@ericdodson2644]

Wow... we seem to be on somewhat parallel tracks in life. I wish you strength in your own passage through that difficult experience. Gratitude. Eric D.

[@storythy8869]

Hello Eric! I was about to check one of your lectures and saw an unfamiliar thumbnail since I come quite often to your channel, which seems to be a new upload from you, this make me happier than ever. I am an highschool student and your approach to philosophy is so understandable yet comprehensive, I can’t thank you enough. Welcome back and condolences… edit: grammar

[@ericdodson2644]

Well, thanks for saying all of that! I'm glad that you're getting so much out of these videos. That makes me happy, especially since that's why I make them in the first place. It also makes me happy to be successfully reaching across the generational divide that too often separates Zoomers from Boomers. So, a big *thank-you* to *YOU* for telling me that that's happening. Coolness. Gratitude. Eric D.

[@HAllegraLansing]

Very grateful for your perspective and insights. Glad to see you back!

[@ericdodson2644]

Well, thanks, Allie. It's good to be in the process of reclaiming my life. Anyhow, it might interest you to know that I'm now reading Dianne Lake's book, which I'm really enjoying. She seems to have a really balanced and forthright perspective on things -- tempered by time, no doubt. Hmm... maybe I'll do a video on why I'm so interested in Mansonology... at least to try to figure it out for myself, ha ha. Anyhow, thanks for taking the time to listen to my ramblings. Gratitude. Eric D.

[@HAllegraLansing]

@@ericdodson2644 Her book really helps one understand the sex trafficking angle, and the vulnerability so many experienced in that era.

[@ilhamn3430]

Welcome back

[@ericdodson2644]

Thanks. It's good to start reclaiming my life again. And thanks for taking the time to watch. Gratitude. Eric D.

[@erincsuh]

I am so late, but I've missed you. I'm sorry for the circumstances of your departure, but I am so very glad that you are back.

[@TheAlien41]

Thank you, Eric, for sharing why you've been absent. I've missed your words of inspiration. I imagine you've reflected quite a lot as you cared for your mom. Be well....

[@ericdodson2644]

Well, thanks, Alien. Actually, when I was dealing with her situation, it was mostly a matter of facing a long sequence of immediate, daily crises -- without much room for reflection. The last couple of months have been the more reflective time. Anyhow... thanks for taking the time to listen. Gratitude. Eric D.

[@TheAlien41]

@@ericdodson2644 I share your videos with my 21 yo son. He said this was his favorite video and an important topic. Thank you, again, for your inspiring words. All the best, Anne

[@isadorabittencourt1337]

Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you. ❤

[@ChocolateMilkMage]

Thanks for posting again. As usual, your insights usually make me feel a lot less insane. I'm sorry about your loss, it sounds like it was very difficult.

[@ericdodson2644]

Cool! Yeah, it's a wonderful thing to find kindred spirits as we move through life. When that happens, it can make us feel a lot less alone and a lot less crazy. Anyhow... yeah, it's been a difficult rite of passage for me. And I feel like I still have a ways to go. Gratitude. Eric D.

[@docjohnson2874]

So glad to see you back on board.....these are tough times for you especially....your well structured talks are always enlightening and thought provoking...whenever I need a dose of humility, I think about the Maine coast during a storm or Mt. Washington in the winter....now THAT"S a way to feel small......see you around.

[@ericdodson2644]

Well, thanks, DJ. Ha ha... Mt. Washington... my brother, my dad and I climbed that when I was a kid. It was the first time I ever saw snow in the Summer. Good times. Anyhow... thanks for taking the time to listen. It's always good to hear your figurative voice. Gratitude. Eric D.

[@BrentDavis75]

Great video. Best wishes.

[@ericdodson2644]

Thanks. And thanks to YOU for taking the time to watch. Gratitude. Eric D.

[@said_0mar]

so sorry for your loss Eric

[@konstantinosstavropoulos3605]

good

[@LuzCavadia]

I just wanted to say thank you. So thank you for sharing your wisdom with us.

[@bto6721]

Sorry for your loss Eric

[@ericdodson2644]

Well, thanks. And thanks for taking the time to listen. Gratitude. Eric D.

[@Ayesha_F]

So very sorry for your loss and thank you for the video. Missed you presence here. P.S: I don't know if you remember but a few weeks back, i wrote a comment about not being able to show up for my grandmother as she lay dying, and you wrote back a long and compassionate reply back. Wanted to tell you that your words really helped me find the courage to show up however i could and move beyond my fears in significant ways. I would not have been able to use that opportunity otherwise. I'm incredibly grateful. (She passed away last week).

[@ericdodson2644]

Yes, I remember.... Anyhow, I'm sorry to hear about your loss, especially since it's so recent. My mother passed away on the last day of 2022, and it's still pretty painful. But, as they say, time heals all wounds. The real trick is to keep putting one foot in front of the other in the meantime -- to keep "showing up," as you say. Anyhow, good luck to you on your journey, and even on the painful parts of it. Gratitude. Eric D.

[@AnotherDante]

Hey Eric I missed you. I always learn a lot from your videos. I'm so sorry for your loss. Thank you for taking the time to make these. I need to rewatch everything.

[@ericdodson2644]

Well, thanks. I've been missing me, too. And thanks for taking the time to listen. Gratitude. Eric D.

[@robertvenditti2368]

Thank you for your videos! Very insightful!

[@ericdodson2644]

Well, thank-you for saying that. I appreciate your taking the time to listen to them. Gratitude. Eric D.

[@ecelsozanato5603]

16:55 paradox: Baltazar Gracián, a Spanish 17th Century writer told something like this: there’s much to know and living is short, and one doesn’t live if he doesn’t know .” Hay mucho que saber, y es poco el vivir, y no se vive si no se sabe. Baltasar Gracián

[@XenosbioZ]

So glad to hear from you, I wish you the best during these catastrophic times

[@ericdodson2644]

Well, thanks, XenosbioZ. It's always good to hear from you. Anyhow... ha ha... "catastrophic..." yeah... thanks for hearing that! Gratitude. Eric D.

[@jdzentrist8711]

My most recent hobby horse has been watching CGTN, and using it as a hammer to beat up on our "sick and twisted" American way of life. Hopefully, I'm not projecting too much here, "sick and twisted." At present I'm also reading Gregory Claeys on Marx and his philosophy. All the while, I'm trying to more or less practice these principles Eric is pointing up, virtues rather (to resurrect a dead word). When it comes to "living dangerously," a la Nietzsche, I'm tempted to say, "You go first." Those of us who have "recovered" from alchohol or food or sex or whatever the addiction, feel that we have "made it," even though it is all ONE DAY AT A TIME. Addicts like me are prone to yet another addiction, the one Dr. D mentions here, SELF IMPORTANCE. These days I'm not going to any meetings or lectures or classes--but this one was just super. Tomorrow I'm taking my ninety-two year old mother to Mass, and am glad to be able to do this for her--and me. As I glance to my right, I see more such videos. It's good to meet you , and I'm looking forward to "going back to school" in the best way possible for an oldtimer. Thank you, Dr. Dodson.

[@ericdodson2644]

Well, it's good to meet you too, on the road of life. Okay... since you called me "Dr. D..." I have to ask: Are you one of my former students (they often used called me that)? Anyhow, about "sick and twisted" societies... It seems to me that *every* society possesses both strengths and weaknesses, both robust health and crippling pathology. So, it's not saying much to call any society "sick & twisted," because they all are, in one way or another. True, perhaps some are more obviously that way than others, or maybe that way more often. But they all have their problems & pathologies... China's, our own, ancient Rome's, etc. I also wouldn't worry too much about whether you're projecting your own "sick & twisted" nature, because the same logic applies to *individuals*. We're all somewhere caught in the middle... at the confluence of success and disaster... of birth and death. And anyhow, the people you should really worry about are the people who are in the business of denying it as much as possible. About living dangerously... yeah, no one wants to go first. That's pretty natural. But on the other hand, someone always does. And perhaps more's the power on that score. Anyhow, thanks for taking the time to listen and respond. Gratitude. Eric D.

[@DG-gq6gm]

Thanks for this video! A truly great piece of original content and sorry for your loss.

[@ericdodson2644]

Well, thanks -- on both scores. And thanks for taking the time to watch it. Gratitude. Eric D.

[@adolfosilva3883]

Welcome back professor!

[@ericdodson2644]

Thanks. And thanks to YOU for taking the time to watch. Gratitude. Eric D.

[@cloudhopper21]

❤

[@ericdodson2644]

Thanks. And thanks for taking the time to listen. Gratitude. Eric D.

[@Bazzo61]

So good to see you back making videos Eric although so sorry to hear the reasons why we haven't seen you for so long. I've gained so much inspiration and "wisdom" from your talks. This one in particular I think is going to be one of those that fundamentally changes the way `I view life and my approach to it. Having retired a few years ago I feel I'm at a cross roads in my life and have to decide to focus less on those two dimensional aspects and explore much more the depth that life can offer. Thank you for such thought provoking content.

[@ericdodson2644]

Well, thanks for those kind words, Barry. It seems like we're on somewhat parallel tracks in life. I retired in 2020, and am using the extra time to extend myself along life's depth dimension as much as I can. In my view, that's what retirement is really for in the first place. So, I applaud your decision to follow a similar path. I wish more people thought that way. But on the other hand, I feel like we have to take the world as it is. Anyhow... gratitude. Eric D.

[@vivekjha1185]

Thanks prof for uploading this video. I am learning so much from you.

[@ericdodson2644]

Well, thanks. I'm learning a lot from all of you who comment, too. So, thanks for that. Gratitude. Eric D.

[@Noise-Conductor]

👍🏾

[@antib_reader]

Amazing love is antinatalism💞💓💗💖❤

[@charmedprince]

College dropout here. Now a self-employed fashion designer. Wannabe novelist. Rock on, anti institutional power fellows! Life is short. Explore your life, consummate your fuhking existence!

[@ericdodson2644]

Dude... wow, thanks for hearing that. I appreciate it, and I appreciate your telling me, too. Gratitude. Eric D.

[@charmedprince]

@@ericdodson2644 yes no thanks to you Eric. You have some profound ideas. I commented before hearing about your loss. So belated condolences.. Looking forward to more lectures! 👑

[@amanbhardwaj8172]

please make videos more frequently 😊

[@ericdodson2644]

Well, that's the plan. We'll see if I've healed enough for that. And thanks for taking the time to listen. Gratitude. Eric D.

[@czarquetzal8344]

Prof. what happened to you? Welcome back

[@ericdodson2644]

Well, thanks. In addition to dealing with my mother's deterioration and death, I also had a nasty sickness, followed by an injury -- definitely not the easiest of years. But I'm back (I think). At any rate, I'm going to try to engage with YT a bit more often. Anyhow... thanks for taking the time to listen & watch. Gratitude. Eric D.

[@Bobotv1000]

Eric I feel like you're getting buff bro! Keep working for those gaiiiiiins!

[@ericdodson2644]

Well, thanks... but the truth is that I just put on around 12-15 lbs. of fat, mostly because I was eating too much comfort foot. Plus I was sick for around 6 weeks, and then had an injury for around 4 more. So... no working out for around 10 weeks. So, basically, if my muscles look bigger, it's just because there's more blubber on the surface.

[@Bobotv1000]

@@ericdodson2644 haha, that's alright Eric, I've been neglecting the gym too in recent weeks

[@dlloydy5356]

Hey great to see you are ok good sir. 👍 My hope is that you have some idea how valuable your teaching is. I’d like to say thanks very much. Some of today’s episode reminded me of Alan Watts words. Take care of yourself as well as your soul too. Self first without being selfish, as I was once told. We have to remember to do this once in a while when needed, because if we aren’t ‘right’ we can’t be for others anyway.

[@ericdodson2644]

Hi Danny. It's always good to hear your figurative voice. Anyhow, yeah... I always feel like self-care happens in tandem with caring for others. Basically, it seems to me like they usually feed off of each other. So, I appreciate your sounding that note. And... I might be blushing a bit, after being compared to Alan Watts... ha ha! Anyhow, I hope that you're well and thriving. And greetings from the good ol' U.S.A. Gratitude. Eric D.

[@dlloydy5356]

@@ericdodson2644 fantastic to hear directly from the man himself. Glad you are doing ok 👍

[@sanketdas5711]

Sir. Please make a video on ,simone de beauvoir as an existential feminist.... Thank you professor.. Lots of Love nd respect from kolkata (India) 🇮🇳.. Wish you good health professor 🥰

[@ericdodson2644]

Well, thanks. I talked about her a little bit in one of my earlier videos, but it was mostly about _The Ethics of Ambiguity._ Maybe that'll be a topic in a future video, although I think the next one will be on: Why is Life so Hard? Anyhow, thanks for taking the time to watch. Gratitude. Eric D.

[@nononouh]

Were you or colleagues practicing as or working with clinical workers, as professional or personal?

[@pleasedontdestroythiseither]

Thx n im sorry How do you figure this related to profs or professional / people identifying as knowledgers ? I hear profs are the good bits in some colleges, but the purell percentage have eggheaded to me, and i think admitted me because i eggheaded ish, or liked listening and was close talking. Are profs eggheaded would you say, maybe john or ivy leagers / prestige havers and ambitioners? I seek help but I wonder if most can't, or could between larger monologs of eggheading that i wonder why pleasures them. I thought after teenage consciousness changes allowing egghead talk, that pleasure is recognized, after more changes where you can recognize that, or get hit in emotional groin, or see that mind from a meta mind , not meditative but maybe like a movie or psy observatorium or something , if maturing was layers, and matured to mind able to release itself sometimes, when not obsessive i guess. Is this the psy development most profs are at, regress to, or are environmentally culturally forced to? Sorry for the words. This felt like the effects of ac on my self, like i could think about it and hate it, but was possessed stronger than other presences where i could chafe. This felt most total, and why i couldnt go back. Not just from environmental undermining or short moments, but does the 'great/emerging ideas' have no profound effect? beside short beginning like materials? Or after it's used a few times on deaf ears?

[@ericdodson2644]

Hmm... well, I'm not exactly sure what you're asking. But here's my best guess: I think you're asking about the origins and limitations of the professorial mindset, especially with respect to the theme of wisdom. Well, it seems to me that people become professors first because they have innate intellectual talent, especially in combination with a bookish disposition. And as they grow up, that combination of attributes is continually reinforced by way of the educational system, especially by way of tests, grades, awards, etc. And as some young professors enter their careers, they find that that whole way of being is enough for them, and so they don't feel much desire to pass beyond the outer threshold of the "egghead" world. For others (like myself), it's really nothing more than another phase of life... a stretch of road to be traveled to some more distant destination. As a consequence, for me one of the of the best uses of a refined intellect... is to question the limitations of having a refined intellect. And then, of course, the challenge is to pass beyond those limitations, and to enter into the wider plenum of life. In my view, part of that has to do with not merely becoming smart or intellectually adroit, but also becoming wise. But becoming wise also means developing the broad range of our human capacities, and not merely remaining content with an "egghead" posture toward life. So, it means developing emotionally, socially, spiritually, physically... basically in every way possible. Well, I hope I answered your question... or at least generated some interesting confusion. In any case, thanks for taking the time to listen. Gratitude. Eric D.

[@pleasedontdestroythiseither]

@@ericdodson2644 thanks, my reply comments keep deleting, is there nother way to reply?

[@ericdodson2644]

@@pleasedontdestroythiseither ... I'm not sure why your last comment was deleted. I didn't do it, so I thought that either you deleted it yourself, or YT's censorship mechanism was in "zealotry" mode. Anyhow, the only word that I thought was even marginally problematic in your comment was "rebmahcohce" (spelled backward). In any case... yes, I'd say that the professorial class does suffer from the effects of groupthink, especially along the ideological axis. And that tendency does compromise the deeper elements of the intellectual project -- where it becomes less about encountering and understanding reality, and more about promoting a very specific ideological agenda. As for other ways of replying... well, I don't do any sort of social media other than YT (which barely qualifies). The reason is that I find them far too toxic & pathological for my taste.

[@pleasedontdestroythiseither]

@@ericdodson2644 ha. I guess I meant literally or for imagining, not medialy like the toxic example. Hm, i dont want this media to end the conversation but i agree with you, so is an absurd or tragic dance or sound all that's left?

[@pleasedontdestroythiseither]

@@ericdodson2644 sorry. My other question was how you apply what you say? Worried to learn you were mostly theorizing or not walking the talks, though it felt like you had experience, but i guess bursting the bubble of wow of your videos is a disappointment risk i could take.

[@mayyiiieeets]

Can someone explains to me what's with the Kardashian? Professor always mentions them in his videos like I'm not a fan, I find it funny. HAHAHAHHAHAHAHA. I just want to know if there is some past or something between the professor and Kardashians HAHHAHAHAHAHA

[@joseandrada264]

You talk with no self importance, as if those words were not yours, almost as if you are reading a book of tales for children...love your videos...sorry for your loss