Correction: Typo during Black Swan clips. It should say Darren Aronofsky and 2010 If you like what I'm doing and want to help the channel financially (to invest in better equipment ie. an actual camera and not my iphone), you can do so here: buymeacoffee.com/thestorieswetell EVERY PENNY GOES BACK INTO THE CHANNEL
No, I don't. & I'll tell you why: this channel is a Married Bachelor. Just because humans can say a thing doesn't mean it exists. You spend so much time worrying about which ism is the Correct Mindset that you don't realize that mindsets don't exist any more than married bachelors do. They're concepts. Every Single Last Federal Politician is openly accepting money from companies. Who on this planet would get paid for not doing the company's bidding? Yet you insist on continuing to imagine that politicians who label themselves 'liberal' or 'conservative' issue policies based on non-existent isms. This is a childish wish-fulfillment fantasy. Get back to me if you ever grow up
Whenever I feel like a failure for not getting the recognition I aim for, I remember my grandma saying "If only the most beautiful birds were allowed to sing, all the forests would be silent." You are a beautiful bird, and the MOST beautiful birds don't exist. Sing.
Birds don't just sing they hunt each other, eat each other and they'll absolutely will kill unprotected eggs and young chicks even from the same species. Birds are very far from the image of peace that Hollywood is telling you
I used to think I was a failure as even though I work hard on my craft every day and submit my work when I can, I've never been published or reached any fame despite being informed many times that my work is good quality. Now that I'm in my 40's, I see people who DID 'succeed' in my craft, they're miserable. I am free to work at my own pace and make what I want. I don't see myself as a failure anymore.
You are me, indeed. I've been making music for 24 years. I never thought about success and failure. I was just happy that I found a way to make music on my own. I am of the mind that success is relative. Who is anyone to really tell anyone else what success is? If you love doing your craft and continue doing it, that is more success to me than being famous and rich. We do what we want with our art because we don't have the boundaries of the industry and gatekeepers to hold us back. We don't have to be afraid to express ourselves authenticity and peacefully. If people see us and vibe with us for what we do, that is the best reward, at least to me. Thank you for what you do, and be proud of your talent. Everybody is a star in their own way. Keep shining your way!
"there's more to life than this arbitrary notion of success. The staircase we're climbing leads to exploitation, guilt and burnout. (...) you are enough as you are and the only one who determines your self worth is yourself". In the constant chaos of the corporate ladder, this is just what I needed to hear and keep in mind. Thank you so much
i wish i was the only one who determined my self worth. but when your culture deemed you perpetually unworthy of any quality of life regardless of how many millions i would make for other people to waste, you physically cant think or feel anything other than the effects of being perpetually starved and looked down on. how can i value myself when the world i live in forces me to never be allowed to receive ANY of the fruits of my labor? why does usa government spend soooo much money subsidizing the lives of violent criminals but wont spend a single penny helping law abiding impoverished people? its almost like they want to make sure no one whos born poor will ever even have the option of good mental health due to being in immediate danger of death every second of your waking life...
As someone with ADHD, I can't wait to watch this video. This conversation is a huge deal given people often try to "remedy" ADHD symptoms through reinforcing productivity and notions of motivation and achievement attached to working hard for an ambition. Despite that being something ADHD inherently inhibits to an extent, as people with ADHD are working with a different sense of achievement and motivation, and different attributes that make it harder to participate in society that way. It reminds me how some mental diagnosis are partially defined by how bad you are at capitalism and socially constructed rules rather than your personal experiences (not saying ADHD doesn't exist, but saying people can only see it as bad if it makes it harder to "meaningfully contribute" despite it involving memory issues, focus issues, mental and emotional strain, and risk taking that exists outside of work or school).
big facts. I am undiagnosed by definitely have ADHD-like symptoms and this led me down the rabbit hole of productivity/motivation tricks until I realized, "wait, what am I even doing this for?" Rather than try and trick ourselves into being more productive, it's important to examine *why* we are unmotivated. In my case, it's nothing wrong with me, it was my work draining the soul out of me. I don't know if I actually have ADHD--it might just be focus issues brought on by all the distractions at our fingertips and the hyperactive compulsion (aka shiny active syndrome) from all the products and hobbies we can so easily get wrapped up in. So I certainly don't want to make any blanket statements, but regardless, the way we treat motivation/productivity makes those with ADHD or attention issues feel like shit.
[It reminds me how some mental diagnosis are partially defined by how bad you are at capitalism and socially constructed rules rather than your personal experiences (not saying ADHD doesn't exist, but saying people can only see it as bad if it makes it harder to "meaningfully contribute" despite it involving memory issues, focus issues, mental and emotional strain, and risk taking that exists outside of work or school).] Now that's really interesting. I think he touched on how we see achievements is toxic in society, in the video. Cool.
I hate "because capitalism" trope that people like you just drop over and over and over again as if anything would be different let alone better in a non capitalist society. Its sooo annoying
A capitalist society is inherently ableist. Its so pervasive that it even teaches some folks that the disabled are a burden to society and opens their opinions up to adopt those of eugenicists. So long as productivity and wealth are seen as "noble traits" by this hellish society we're dealt with, disabled folks will continue to be marginalized.
@@stellviahohenheim The world hates smart people. It loves clever people who can play the smartest and those who own the most. Often times the most clever are the ones who own, so they just have to play the smart right
No, You make yourself feel like shit , You guys think "Smart" or "clever" people get by better but thats because they're not wasting energy and Focus on what doesnt serve them the world Is unfair but fair at the same time we all have disadvantages that are not ideal for out goals but we Also have Hidden talents waiting to be used
I will never get sick of tpab interpretations. An album that is forever repayable, where you get a new meaning, pick a new detail out with every listen, with a brilliant and luscious jazz production. It is the first album and first rap album I listened to, and is still what I consider to be the best piece of art I've ever experienced. This is a great video, and I hope for more.
I really hope Kendrick experiments with jazz/funk sounds more in the future. I love Mr. Morale, but sonically TPAB is head and shoulders above his other work, for me.
We need to remember that we are not inherently exceptional or special. Every other organism on earth lives fruitfully in their mediocrity. Yet we are imprisoned by our need to be the exception, the best, the one. Somehow our culture accepted that our purpose is making as much impact as possible, and in this we have abandoned our peace. I often think of ancient nomadic cultures who refused to settle down and live in one place. Even when they had access and knowledge of infrastructure, they preferred the simple life of traveling with the seasons. They saw that tribes who settled had stable food, more people, and a legacy they could keep forever. They did not care, they were content in the life they had and had no desire for legacy. Because of this, we have very little record of them even existing. Many of them were eventually conquered by dynasties and clans that despised their “primal” lifestyles. But these tribes were free of complex war, classes, and oppression. They just looked out for eachother, living unimpactful lives in peace. I wish there was a way for us to live that way too; simple lives that don’t ask to be special. I envy the bird resting on my windowsill. Content in the shade and shelter given him, content with his single mate and family, content in the most unremarkable life. The only difference between me and that bird is that I cannot be content in just that, I am destined for more. I am destined to look for more and more until I die.
In this culture, if you are not exceptional, you are but a bug. And you know what we do to bugs. This is the reason I strived for "greatness" : the desire to escape being treated like a bug (as I used to be in my childhood)
I think it ultimately comes down to whether you view the State of Nature (what you're describing here) as an idyllic place, or as a hellscape. Locke thought it was awesome, Hobbes thought it was hell. I'd push back on the idea that tribes didn't have war, classes, or oppression. Of course they did. Even chimpanzees have these things. It sucked then too, just a very, very different kind of suck to the suck of modernity. Very different set of problems. We're creatures blessed and cursed with the relentless pursuit of "more", "more" far beyond our ability to actually use the stuff we think we need. Wishing you all the best as you pursue a life of greater freedom/letting go of this stuff that binds us.
This kind of reminds me of Kanye’s career. I think of this all the time … of how he’s a shell of himself … ruined by the fame and the influence. He became one of the greatest and most influential artists of all time … but at what cost ?
Kanye definitely went downhill after the death of his mother. Everything after 808's was a different Kanye to me. Although the album went into a completely different direction, I'd consider this a transition album. Looking back at him now, his lyrics from his first four albums were so real, down-to-earth and thoughtful.
the quote where you said something about 'are they really your dreams, or are they just your dreams because you were told you needed to have one' really struck me to my core. I've been having thoughts like this and what my passion in life may be in relation to going to school right now. And that in combination with one of my classes discussing Aboriginal land management and your reaction and connect to the land that we occupy is leading me toward a path of mindfulness. My class discussing inhabitation on the land as participating in the land and existing within her, and just existing within a relational context and I think this video has really driven home the fact that I don't want to continuous reach for the next best thing for me to be doing. But to existing as an active participant in life ( Life in the indigenous perspective of everything is alive including the rocs, the sky, the water, the soil, the plants etc.) But also I don't think I'm quite ready to break free from that ambition because I want to finish my education.
@@makennamaxwell8856 it’s great that you’re thinking about this already. I didn’t have this realization until i was 25 or 26. Definitely finish your education! The class you mentioned sounds far more interesting than anything I studied in college (I studied marketing lol)
one of my favourite passages in a book and something to think about it's enough to exist in the world and marvel at it. You don't need to justify that or earn it. You are allowed to just live. in saying that I do agree, chase the education if you're not wanting to let go of that.
Always criticizing yourself will never lead to anything but exactly the opposite of what you are trying to do. Loving yourself is a must if you want to have a great life.Everyone needs to watch this video.Great job man
When I paused I sat there with no thoughts…then cried. I think more than anything the saddest part for me is the time that went by, and within the time, the relationships turned sour by ambition. My insecurity with myself is the main reason I’ve been addicted to working so hard; “you won’t find one that will love you for who you are until I’m financially there”, “I can’t bring a kid into this world without financially and occupationally being there”, “I’ll be considered good at what I do once I can financially live off what I do”. Even broke up with my last girlfriend because I wanted her for who she could be instead of who she was. Time to learn acceptance lol
so much of the time i find myself consumed by a never ending drip feed of media. movies, books, shows, the news, TikTok's, Instagram reels. even watching this video i was like, "damn, i need to watch whiplash". i consume a lot of the media i do under the guise of educating myself, but I'm not actually doing the work, taking the time to chew on what I'm consuming. it's something i need to work on. i went outside this morning and picked up the trash that was all over my neighborhood. i went for a walk with some music, and just enjoyed the fresh air. i think i wanna make something like that a part of my life. taking an hour to clean, go on a walk, and just be with myself. i could apply that method on a smaller scale after watching something, or reading a book.. I'm so prone to finding the next big distraction. thank you for this video. it's opened my eyes to something I've been avoiding for a while now i think.
the reason im so interested in Kendricks next work is Mr Morale, to me, felt like the perfect way to say goodbye. maybe not finally. maybe not forever. but for a while. and we'll see Kendrick explore other expressions like film, creative design or something else with pglang but with his recent battle with Drake, he shook up all my expectations. because no matter how he said "not about who the greatest, its always been love and hate" the battle to me felt like Kendrick finally going and actively seeking the #1 spot that he has always claimed and i'd argue achieved through his work, but never directly pursued through competition he said hes turning away from the culture to follow his heart, but in the battle he very much acted as a champion for his culture. Kendrick is so interesting and his unpredictability only enhances that
Initially I was kinda confused why he even engaged with this beef. But I think there might be something bigger to it that he explores with his next project. Idk we'll see
@@TheStoriesWeTell303 imo he hates Drake because he represents all the fakeness in the rap genre, people talking about murder and money and the street life just to make themselves seem cool while the original rappers were venting to each other about the pain they felt as a result of that lifestyle. Kendrick’s just a natural hater
@@TheStoriesWeTell303 As a rap listener since the late 90s, it was an inevitable course that usually happens in hip hop. Tupac Vs. Biggie (90s generational king battle), Nas vs. Jay-Z (2000s generational king battle), etc. Rap usually has a generational King, and one can argue that Kendrick displayed being heir through his works alone. Yet, he was always missing the actual battle ritual for 2010s generational king(even though it can be questioned whether people actually wanted J.Cole or Drake as a true contender is up for debate).
“Be able to express my creativity, and make money in the process. Something rare in today’s age.” You say this as if it’s not the least rare it’s ever been. We are in the golden age of creativity and the ability to live off it. This is where these critiques largely fall flat for me. But a very well done video
Fair enough. Perhaps I emphasized too much that it is a "today" problem, but my point was more about how once I got a taste of success, my mind immediately went to money. Which is a reflection of the world we live in. Even something as pure as creativity ultimately feeds the capitalist machine.
@@TheStoriesWeTell303 100% & don’t get me wrong i totally agree. Mindchatter has a line that says “tell me the difference between ambition & insecurity”
@@DueceBandithi, just had an off the cuff thought scrolling through comments Ambition is proving to yourself that you are something ideal or desirable Insecurity is proving to others that you arent something undesirable
Pretty sure ambition is wanting to achieve something for the sake of that achievement. Ambition can be influenced by insecurity, which would be the feeling of not being in control of one's environent or self. But ambition by itself is simply the desire to achieve something through effort. There is not necessarily compulsion or negative connotation. One can have the ambition to actualize themself in a healthy way, etc. insecurity also can be neutral, as in feeling insecure in an unsafe environment, but compulsive insecurity and compulsive ambition require the adjective to mean what this video is discussing. Imo @@DueceBandit
The idea that we should have a goal for our life, an end point when life can continue on after achieving it or death can cut it off at any moment feel a bit ridiculous. Working towards things in life is a constant, validation is a moment, a picture. I think our achievement society is shooting us in the foot when it asks us what we want to be when we grow up, as if our entire adulthood will comprise of one thing. One of the reasons i think people will hone in so much on one aspect of life is that they genuinely believe they will never acquire validation through any other means or learn to how to process it.
Great video, I’ve been struggling with my professional career for a long time (I’m a graphic designer). I’ve been thinking what I do wrong, how to be more productive and earn more, however this only brought me to burnout. After keeping a slower life pace for few months I realised that I still love design and I want to express myself in creative field, so I started to make something for myself again, rather than only for money. These soul projects are not even seen by anyone, but they bring me so much joy.
When it comes to job unsatisfaction, you typically think of office jobs or the like. But I think that artistic pursuits (if too much emphasis is placed on the results) can become just as dehumanizing. We often think that pursuits like art or music are exempt of being stressful because it’s something that we want to do, but as an artists myself I find that when you continuously exploit yourself it really just ruins the entire experience and to me it makes me not want to keep drawing. What’s helped is to try to make the experience as enjoyable as possible and to focus on the intention that pushed me to draw rather than the finished pieces I’ll have after I’ve finished.
The last part rlly did something , ive been binge watching constant self help since the pandemic. It’s a vicious cycle and as a visual artist the constant need to be great has been so high ever since the emergence of AI art. For a while I’ve been caught up with the idea of “to be great or nothing” but really all it did was pressure me. Thank you for opening up my eye somehow. I really would love to just take a step back more often. To walk without music and just embrace nature, to eat and just enjoy the food and be grateful. My constant need for a” how-to “ or a concrete tutorial on how to live my life has been so overwhelming. I forgot what’s it’s like to explore life and how I want to approach life. I have this constant need for other people to tell me what to think and how to live for so long that it often keeps me up at night. I’ll try to make small changes to incorporate mindfulness and i know Ive failed so many times but this is a reminder to try again. Thank you for this video !
Love this. Self-help, in my opinion, is often self-defeating. Everyone is different and there's no prescriptive answer that can teach you "how to live". "One can convey knowledge but not wisdom. One can find wisdom, one can live it, one can be borne by it, one can work wonders with it, but one can neither speak it nor teach it." - Siddhartha by Herman Hesse My next video is about self-reliance; hope you enjoy it :)
It's the first time in my life that the algorithm presents me with a piece of content that is this timely. I'm currently in a very unique point in my life. My business that I dropped out of school to build doesn't exist anymore after 7.5 years of pure dedication, neglect at times, blissful ignorance, and ultimately growth. Today, I find myself alone. Not one friend besides my best friend who became my business partner. All because of my ambition. I gave 808s & Heartbreak two listens today, and there's a phrase in 'Street Lights' where Kanye says "Seems like, street lights, glowing happen to be Just like moments, passing, in front of me So I hopped in, the cab and I paid my fare See I know my destination, but I'm just not there" I feel that the destination that Ye reference is the staircase of ambition referenced in this video. This resonated with me to the point that I for the first time in my life opened up my notebook and just wrote. I didn't write for clarity, I didn't write to serve as a reminder, but I wrote to express. I wont share everything that I wrote, but the first lines was "A slave to your own ambition" After I finished writing, I took a walk to clear my mind and get fresh air. I got back home, checked UA-cam and this video popped up as a suggestion. It couldn't be more timely. Thank you for taking the time to create this video and share your thoughts. You have a new subscriber here.
Thank you for sharing; I'm glad to hear that my video affected you like this. In my experience, times of struggle like you're experiencing have ultimately made me a better person. It might take years to realize this, but you'll come out the other side stronger. I talk about this a bit more on my Little Miss Sunshine video, in case you're interested. ❤
From my childhood till now, people have always asked me if I wanted to be an artist, why wasn't I an artist, why wasn't I selling my art? Watching this video finally gave me words for it, adding money to it feels like I'm defiling it. It's the one joy I always had that has nothing to do with work. People sometimes get angry with me because I'd rather make things for free, I realize now because they saw it as me "not reaching my potential". Their ambitions for me essentially.
Same with my writing. Yes, I've written a ton of perfectly-publishable novels. Will I publish? No. Not unless I need to scrape every last penny, then I might consider it. They exist to reflect on my experiences & to be read to close friends. Maybe I'll post a fanfic someday. But I really don't want my internal life & emotions chained to a profession. I did what I wanted: learn to write really well. But I did it for me and now? Eh.
This video was amazing, truly mind boggling. It was so information packed that I have to watch it again. You made me realize that I really don’t give my brain any time to think on its own without anything in the background. From this day I will give my self time everyday to live in stillness and absorb the feelings, energy and thoughts that I’m experiencing. This REALLY helped thanks! 🙏🏽
This video struck a chord in me. I find that the neoliberal ideology dictates an incredible amount of decisions in my life lately. As a Senior in College graduating with a degree that I have absolutely no passion for, I told myself that video editing - something that I found out I love to do - should be what I strive to do for a career. I packed this semester with projects and films so much so that I can barely keep my head afloat, and I've pushed people away from myself to achieve this dream that I told myself I had. While I do still love video editing, and I don't think that this will go away, I've been saying yes to things for the wrong reasons. I look at many things as "an opportunity" to grow my prospecting career, rather than seeing them as things I want to do just because I WANT to. Being recently diagnosed with OCD, I notice that "success" or "purpose" is something that I fixate on and think about constantly, and it can be incredibly destructive. I've lost track of what's important to me lately, and with it being at such an incredibly volatile time in my life (college ending, "the rest of my life" ahead of me) This video guided me into re-recognizing that taking things slow is ok. Actually, it's likely the healthiest thing I can do. Remove expectation, and life becomes so much simpler, so much calmer. So much more real. Thank you for creating such a thought provoking and beautiful video. You've helped me more in 37 minutes than the last 2 months of circular journalling have done for me.
I am 24 years old, and I have spent the past decade writing. I have always tried to be a writer who composes ideas creatively, and not someone who just wants to express himself, and thus I've been heavily focused on my craft. I'd like to point something else about great ambition. It somehow causes you to sacrifice a lot in life. And it's not even intentional. It's not like you know you're sacrificing moments and opportunities because you're like a child who wants to play with his toys. It so happens that the love, the passion, the ambition makes you too self involved. Though looking at all the work that I've done fills me with gratitude. I can be depressed, lonely and miserable at a particular moment, but when I look at the bigger picture, the journey that I've travelled, I can't help but be happy. Great video, man!
I think this is an interesting point. To really master a skill takes hard work and sacrifice. And I believe that’s extremely valuable (I say this a fellow writer). For me it’s all about finding the right balance and making sure I prioritize other important things in life, and constantly checking my intentions. Thanks for sharing ❤
I always felt like Kendrick did what Mac couldn't in order to save himself. Two indisputable greats, but only one that chose himself and managed to save himself from the battles he was fighting. So to see Mac pop on the screen after listening to you dissecting the journey of Kendrick hit me like a ton of bricks. Thank you for this video, thank you for appreciating the artists, those who could save themselves and those who couldn't
Ambition almost had me living a dead life,I was very out of shape and I love working out I went to the hospital for heart murmur not even my family knows this I quit all three jobs in 2015 I was fresh out of highschool, I traveled and now I’m engaged,happy,no more running from gangs ,no more tears or fears from blind ambitions Life is good Money,sex,anything else,will not fill that void ,there is no void to fill ,everything you need is within you friends.
Thanks for this video. Our band is releasing a digital EP in two days and so of course I’m at that point where you feel like you haven’t done enough to promote the release. But then I look at all the things I had wanted to do and it turns out they all cost a bunch of money anyway that I don’t have. I know this full moon will bring realizations to a lot of people where they have been being deluding themselves in life. Just today my coworker was asking how much money we make at our gigs, basically insinuating I’m wasting my time. But I think the other side of the coin to your video which is essentially not striving towards the things we want can be just as damaging to people’s psyches. It’s easy to get caught up in the analytics obsession you were talking about but I think the best path is the middle path where you consistently produce creative work and make a reasonable effort to show it to the world. If it doesn’t take off, switch things up and keep trying in a different way. There’s always so much room for growth when you’re open minded enough to want to truly upskill and improve. We have our whole lives to continue to perfect our craft. Mine may be half over at age 41 but I prefer to look at that glass as half full.
Whenever I take interest in anything creative, I tend to burn out and move on. I fall in love, but fall into a habit of striving for perfection. Creating not because I want to, but because “I should”. I exploit any passion and disregard creativity and process for results and grind. Though some artists make it through ambition or “greed”, such as Kanye who moved to New York to live off his beats. In his song spaceship he talks about making 5 beats a day for 3 summers. This to me is ambition and Kanye trying to “exploit his butterfly”. I honestly don’t know whether ambition or greed is a total good or bad. I hope there is an in between where we can strive to be better and love ourselves.
I love that UA-cam actually pushes smaller channels like yours. I love it, i just remembered that the last days i saw more smaller channels and checked. The Quality of this video is so good, i would have never guessed that your under 100k subscribers. Love it
Amazing video. I recently lost my job. Got a big enough pay out that I don't need to rush into anything new, but watching this has helped me to realise how frantic I have been between jobs. I have been listening to podcasts and watching educational videos while studying for some new qualifications ready for my next career and I think your points on silence and space have really hit home in that context. Time spent thinking is time I'm not improving myself and if I'm not improving myself then I should be looking for a job and being productive. The idea of going for a walk without a podcast or something to listen to feels like agony. How could I ever do something so boring? Thank you. Thank you for letting me be kinder to myself and give myself even just half an hour of space to exist, without needing to justify it. A lot of Kendrick's work looks at these issues reflected from a religious view point. With that in mind I'm reminded of one of the most interesting interpretations of the 1st book in genesis, or the Jewish/Christian creation myth. It was pointed out that if you believe Genesis was written by the Jewish nation after leaving slavery (Historians can debate if or where this took place). Then the narrative is that the nation of Israel left enslavement and came to found their own nation in a holy promised land. For these people the focus of Genesis and the creation of the world could in fact be not the how or the why of creation, but the fact that once the universe was made, God rested. He took the 7th day and did nothing. He just existed with his creation, and importantly mankind should too. In this way the creation myth stands out as the world wasn't born out of conflict or death, or war (like many other creation myths) but by a creator who sees value in just existing, in resting, in being. Anyway, thought it was an interesting counterpoint to some of the other philosophical view points. Just how many of the world's religions and philosophies have this focus on the need for rest and reflection? How have we known the importance of this for thousands of years but also completely forgotten its importance?
thank you for sharing, and best of luck with the next step of your career. I was recently laid off as well, and took the opportunity to do a complete 180 with my career. I would recommend using the time as an opportunity to examine what you really want out of life, and try your best to make that happen.
As a former "gifted kid", this hit home. Oh the many things I have offered at the altar of ambition - connection, authenticity, joy. I still have goals, but now they are closer to directions, to where I want to be - than things I must do to see myself as someone remotely "worthy". Thank you for this.
24:51 that ain’t hyperbole at ALL- I felt and said that after the first listen… I sat, mouth open and tears just flowed… and our community, we are in desperate need of collective therapy and healing- that album -in fact his entire discography is a good start…
I hope I start treating myself better when it comes to following my dreams of making music. In the beginning I fell in love with the expression of myself. It felt more true than any other way I could express how I was feeling. Over this year I've gotten caught up in improving and always pushing to get better at technique and that's caused a bit of a rift in my relationship with the art. But I think the most important thing now is to just be in love and stay in love with the art. I am enough as I am right now.
WHEN I LOOK AT THIS , I THINK TO MYSELF AND I SAY. WOW, KENDRICK LAMAR IS LITERALLY ONE OF THE GREATEST ACTORS EVER, NOT IN A PRETEND WAY BUT IN A WAY THAT I WOULD GIVE MY LAST DRAWING TO SEE HIM PERFORM IN A 90 MINUTE MOVIE
Glad to see Byun Chul-Han mentioned, his writings are remarkable. One of the most influential philosophers of our time in my opinion. His book "The Disapperance of Rituals" expands on this topic and highlights where in our lifes such bastardazation of core principles and "culture" ultimately fuels our suffering. Worth a read if you are into this kind of thought.
Too add to "you are enough", I heard someone mention the concept of "good enough." As in, this project may not be perfect to you, but it's good enough. Of course, with regards to art, you can always go back and add or make tweeks. I have a bit of OCD and use the mantra when cleaning my house and I get tired. "It's good enough 'my name', it's good enough." Also, with my job. I am a nurse and have a ridiculous amount of work to be done in an 8 hour shift. I obviously do the absolute best I can for my patients. But when I sit down to chart when my shift is technically over, I have to tell myself, go as fast as you can to get it done just good enough to get by with even though I have an urge to do it "perfectly" when it absolutely makes no difference either way. 😂
Watching this after having a stretch of days where I was lost in my head and used my phone or thc to get me out. As an avid listener of Mac Miller and dealing with my own insecurities, intrusive thoughts and loss of self love, I needed this reminder that there is more to life than being perfect. Achieving max productivity or accolades will not make me feel complete. It’s love and feeling everything that comes with life, not just reaching a goal. This neoliberal capitalist world has no end goal, we will die trying to reach it because it does not exist. Thank you for this
This channel deserves so much more attention (now you make me realize that my thinking that is an affectation of achievement-defined culture). But in all seriousness, it's clear that you aren't seeking high-quality content, but philosophical discord and appreciation for art. The notes at the end are especially unique and slowed down my day a little bit to acknowledge all of the beauty I typically pass by.
this really resonates with me. especially at the end with the nietzche quote with loving butterflies and how u said are they your dreams just because u were told u needed to have one. over the past 2 years of my life i’ve constantly been chasing recognition and remarkableness and i’ve utterly failed at my goal and even when i did it never made me happy. it only subdued me further. so i’ve basically had a 4 month period of burn out and really an intense one of 2 months. it’s really caused me to realize that i can’t keep going on like this, as u said, sacrificing my humanity in order to be great. I think i still want to be good at the things i do but i don’t really want it to consume me anymore. I want to learn to “love the butterflies” and to be content with being me. not having to justify my existence through external means.
Thank you for sharing; I hope you find the right balance ❤ it’s very unfortunate how hustle culture takes things we love and turns them into objects of pain
I want to be a filmmaker. I want to make science fiction films that require large budgets to be made; like 2001: A Space Odyssey. However the burden of this ambition can put you into a paralysis where you hesitate sometimes to even take the first steps to get you ultimately to this goal, like picking up a camera and filming the world around you because it’s only when you’re doing this that it becomes clear how far away you are from your ultimate goal. Your ambition becomes a burden that robs you of enjoying the process of getting to where you ultimately want to be. The irony of this is that even if you did make it, would you suddenly start loving what you were doing if everything else was a drudgery before? Ambition and pressure to be great does rob you of your enjoyment, I can say this from experience. Thank you for this video, it’s been a reminder because it’s easy to forget these lessons sometimes when you’re confronted with pressure to ‘be someone’ at every turn. Soon I will take out my camera and just see what finds me. Good luck with your channel too.
I know not everyone will validate this comment but BTS very often talk about this in their songs. They make a lot of very good observations and critique about striving for greatness or even ambition, having big dreams or even purpose itself. You should check them out, really
29:54 this is something I needed to hear, I constantly am listening to something at work for hours straight and it doesn’t end there. Definitely need to give myself some quiet time.
Great balanced exploration! It gets especially tricky when people are hustling because they want to genuinely contribute positively to their society. I suspect the best way to do this is to find a way to sustainably do your work, and set an example for what a healthy relationship with your craft can be.
Like this video. It feels like you spoke out something I felt but didn't know much about. After you spoke it out, the shadow or influence from the previously mentioned thing reduced. It's nice to see some thoughtful and deep content on the internet that encourages "happiness (not so sure am I using the right words lol)" instead of "success".
As an avid UA-cam watcher/enjoyer, one of my favorite things to witness on this site is when a creator that I love comes to the revelation that they themselves have "pimped their own butterfly". The story typically goes like this: a small to mid-level creator goes viral for a certain (oftentimes hacky) trend/premise/video idea and they gain a ton of new loyal followers. This increased popularity coupled with an ambition for more and more views leads the creator to continue to replicate that viral video style, much to the admiration of their new fan base who are hungry for more and more. Sometimes though, the creator has enough self-awareness and artistic integrity (much like Kendrick) to realize that they have essentially pimped themselves and that they no longer feel the passion that they once did when making videos that were "less successful". When the creator tries to correct this error and un-pimp their butterfly, they are often met with intense dissatisfaction from their once loyal fans who don't want them to change and would rather see the creator's butterfly remain pimped out. I find this to be incredibly disheartening but at the same time uplifting because it's amazing to see creators change and even stumble to figure out their own unique artistic vision without the need for cheap trends, flashy thumbnails, or viral gimmicks. UA-camr Steezy Kane is a perfect example of this phenomenon with his viral "jumping off the pier" or "singing songs in public" videos. Thank you for addressing this and I hope it inspires more people, as it has with me, to refrain from pimping your butterfly just so you can climb a couple more steps higher on a never-ending staircase.
This video was very well done. I don’t comment on videos, but this one made an impression on me. I hope you continue to do this good work, the World needs it
Man, I’ve been reading a lot of books on mindfulness & spirituality recently and as a creative pursuing success while trying to be more mindful of my mental health, this video was perfect. I’ve also been listening to & analyzing TPAB, as well as Kendrick’s other albums, a ton recently, so the combination of all of these things just made this video super relevant to my life at the moment! I think the more that creatives can learn to balance practice & creating with actual living, rest, mindfulness, & staying healthy, both their craft & lives will benefit from that balance. Ever since I’ve abandoned solely striving for tangible results (like making projects) & getting to the “next level” and instead placed my focus on living in the now, being mindful, and accepting myself for who I am today, the quality of my life has improved ten fold. As someone who greatly relates & understands to what you’re talking about here, thank you for making this video! I also had never heard of Byung-Chul Han before this and I’m definitely gonna check out Vita Contemplativa now 🙏🏼
@@TheStoriesWeTell303 I actually just got a copy of the Tao Te Ching the other day! I’m trying to read a verse a day to absorb each one fully, but man even just the first few contain a lot of power. But a few books that have really changed my life this past year are: Concerning The Spiritual In Art by Wassily Kandinsky Man’s Search For Meaning by Victor Frankl The Power Of Now by Eckhart Tolle The Three Laws Of Performance by Steve Zaffron & Dave Logan The Miracle Of Mindfulness by Thich Nhat Hanh Power vs. Force by David Hawkins And listening to many lectures & interviews by Ram Dass, Dr. William Dyer, & Rick Rubin
@@TheStoriesWeTell303 I actually just got a copy of the Tao Te Ching the other day! I'm trying to read a verse a day to let each one fully sink in, but even the first few have a lot of power in them. But a few books that have changed my life this past year are: Concerning the Spiritual in Art by Wassily Kandinsky Man's Search For Meaning by Viktor Frankl The Power Of Now by Eckhart Tolle The Three Laws of Performance by Steve Zaffron & Dave Logan The Miracle of Mindfulness by Thich Nhat Hanh Power vs. Force by David Hawkins and watching a bunch of lectures & interviews from Ram Dass, Dr. Wayne Dyer, and Rick Rubin!
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS INSIGHT MATE, it was quite an interesting video and needed one of the hour i guess... ❤🍻 KEEP GOING MATE! love from india, puducherry! also, you know what... it was too exciting for me, that i genuinely not much be this hyped to share the things i get to know in here, but almost 3 to 4 times in the middle of the video, i started texting my friends about this video and asked them to do a "must watch" on this... this really was very personal and touching and all!! THANKS ONCE AGAIN ❤
What hit me harder was the simple "learn from others and from yourself" I noticed how lately I haven't been learning even from myself. Repeating ancient mistakes. Felt dumb AF. I still don't know how to fix it. But mindfulness looks a lot like the first step.
THIS VIDEO WAS AMAZINGGGGGGGGGGGG. SO SO GOOD. PERFECT TIMING TOO. ALSO THANKS FOR THE MINDFUL PAUSE. I WAS JUST GOING TO VIEW ANOTHER VIDEO JUST TO GET THAT DOPAMINE RUSH. THANK YOU
I have been procrastinating to start practicing mindfullness for a while now, i often can't stand the weight of my thoughts, especially when i go to sleep, i always feel like i need to do something else, be something more, besides having heard a lot of things about that, positive mostly, it is still hard as fuck to fell free and just do my things, resulting in a even bigger wast of time because of that fear. Life hits hard, and i am not that tough to get hit that many times...
Thank you, I took the time and I feel like I needed it. I took a little time to think and word what I felt and then a little time to draw and express it. I’m not good at drawing but I think it was a good step
The humanity vs greatness section... just everything about that felt important for me to hear. One of my favourite lines of the video was asking whether or not the dreams we have are our own, or if we're told to dream. I've felt shackled by feeling like I'm not "living my life to it's fullest" because I don't have those dreams; I like doing my hobbies, and pursuing my objectively boring but extremely fulfilling career.
This video was like eating a really tasty, nourishing meal; knowing and physically feeling in your body from what your brain is telling you to what your body is telling you: yes, that was exactly what I needed. It further put into context a lot of how I’ve been re-approaching my creative pursuits. I realized that in the love of creating art and realizing that I have the potential to “go far” and “make it” that I began to pimp my butterfly, and it completely eroded my creative output because nothing was ever “good enough” or “measured up” to what my peers were creating. I stopped having fun, and I realized that was the problem. So now I’m deep sixing everything I thought I knew and wanted from creating art, and I’m just going at it from wanting to have fun with it again; wanting to communicate with my art again. Because really, that’s why I started when I was a child. I want to have fun again. If it leads somewhere, that’s cool, but I don’t want to focus on there being a destination like that anymore. The section of the video where you discussed the value of stillness also made me reframe a huge chunk of my life where I had art block. I’m actually still coming out of that block now. Before the block, I’d drawn consistently for the last 10-11 years. Then I just couldn’t anymore. There were definitely a number of factors at play (lockdown, life difficulties, etc) but I viewed it as a huge loss because I just couldn’t create and that’s what I’d been doing since I was 7 years old. I could enjoy, absorb, and engage with art, but I couldn’t create it the way I used to. It was stifling, debilitating. Instead of viewing this period as time lost, because of this video I’m starting to reflect on the possibility that the 4 year long stretch of time when I was artblocked was my brain telling me to just slow down and take things in. And I totally did; I’ve discovered so much provoking and inspiring art since 2020 that I carry with me in my creative core as it mutates and evolves. It gives me a sense of fulfillment to view that chunk of time in that way. I also feel like there’s something to be said here about the shift from “artist” to “content creator” in recent years that’s contributed to this rabbit hole of constant pursuit, disillusion, and unfulfillment I’ve been seeing creators grapple with. I’ve shifted away from calling myself an aspiring “content creator” or “influencer” for that exact reason. Through this self exploitation breeds an alienation to your craft, I believe. Great video, great perspectives, great analysis. I’m looking forward to experiencing the rest of your creative catalogue and carrying your perspectives and analyses (along with others) in my creative core🦋
Ambition which forces you to exploit others will surely consume you.. Ambition which allows you to harness gold within yourself, and which allows the un privileged to benefit from it will never be bad...
Exceptional video. Its hard to chill in this society because greatness/prestige/clout is rewarded most by social media- which is the only means of any type of connection for most of us now. We all hate working a 9-5 so we see productivity and pimping our butterfly as the only way out. Its either exploiting ourself or be exploited by our jobs. What do you think the solution is?
The only solution I know is to treat others with empathy and hope your positive actions ripple out and make a better world. And to have conversations. As far as fixing the broken system, fuck if I know lmao.
I was thinking yesterday about how so many of us in this society are focused on hiding imperfections or what I refer as purity to the point where you’re stuck in this light. You’d try to make even your suffering and mundane life beautiful (materialistically) which destroys our health. It's like impossible to grow all the while never getting dirt on you! It’s okay to bleed out and sweat and look basic. Um, what I mean to say is… It’s important not to perform 24/7. And it also strengthens your relationship to take the time to absorb others and your own wants/needs. I believe that ambition is good, and open and free but also can blow up into something big and greedy and self destructive (I wasn’t that aware of it, but I am now..) I think it’s because it’s so easy to try and chase your dreams when you come from a cold, awful place, A family that’s prone to being alienated. Personal stuff,,,,, I have a favorite album by NIN that explores those themes, I think it’s Broken? He speaks of not knowing who he is anymore, feeling exploited, but also feels like he's done things he promised himself to never do! His music today is much more mindful and slow and he’s focusing on making music on movies for those who are curious. So maybe he grew into someone better relating to that.
What I got reflecting from this video, despite myself having been an avid consumer of these types of content for a while now, is this proverb in my mother tongue. Yang dikejar tak dapat, yang dikendong keciciran. Roughly translated: that which you chased escapes your hands, that which you are carrying was left behind. It finally clicked the type of behaviour that proverb actually tries to warn of
i kinda sat and thought about it before you asked about it, and what struck me was the consuming of media and especially books. I used to be really into books and after reading philosophy i really started to slow down with books, half voluntarily. Seeing my friend get so many books down and continuing the pace kinda made me feel guilt kinda as it caused me to think I was doing something wrong, but I learned that I just need to process them more and really think about it, since philosophical books are non fiction you can kinda take them piece by piece instead of a whole story. And I have so many butterflies that I want to nurture in my garden and so I need so much more time to think but at the same time ive got to slow down more
I’ve always felt his lyrics hold such meaning, but I’m a bit vacuous and was never listening to rap music for wordplay; only the beats. Will go and listen to TPAB again today 🙏🏻
Vita Contemplativa: I started a journal, a while back, so that I could write about the things that I consume. How I felt about them, what I thought about them, why it was a good/bad way to spend my time, etc. I stopped adding to it, but I think this will motivate me to get back to it. And i motivate others to do the same! Originally I started it cause I was in watching UA-cam and Tiktok all day and I'd look back at my day and not even remember what I spent all of my time on. It was an exercise in memory but also an exercise in reminding myself to pick and choose how I spend my day. What do I learn from doomscrolling on TikTok? Or a mindless yt video with nothing important to tell me? It made me stop and think, consider what things were worth writing about.
Correction: Typo during Black Swan clips. It should say Darren Aronofsky and 2010
If you like what I'm doing and want to help the channel financially (to invest in better equipment ie. an actual camera and not my iphone), you can do so here: buymeacoffee.com/thestorieswetell
EVERY PENNY GOES BACK INTO THE CHANNEL
No, I don't. & I'll tell you why: this channel is a Married Bachelor.
Just because humans can say a thing doesn't mean it exists. You spend so much time worrying about which ism is the Correct Mindset that you don't realize that mindsets don't exist any more than married bachelors do. They're concepts.
Every Single Last Federal Politician is openly accepting money from companies. Who on this planet would get paid for not doing the company's bidding? Yet you insist on continuing to imagine that politicians who label themselves 'liberal' or 'conservative' issue policies based on non-existent isms. This is a childish wish-fulfillment fantasy.
Get back to me if you ever grow up
Can you share or redirect me to a playlist with the music from this video?
Whenever I feel like a failure for not getting the recognition I aim for, I remember my grandma saying "If only the most beautiful birds were allowed to sing, all the forests would be silent."
You are a beautiful bird, and the MOST beautiful birds don't exist. Sing.
love this
That’s a bar
Birds don't just sing they hunt each other, eat each other and they'll absolutely will kill unprotected eggs and young chicks even from the same species. Birds are very far from the image of peace that Hollywood is telling you
🔥
Your grandma was a poet!
I used to think I was a failure as even though I work hard on my craft every day and submit my work when I can, I've never been published or reached any fame despite being informed many times that my work is good quality. Now that I'm in my 40's, I see people who DID 'succeed' in my craft, they're miserable. I am free to work at my own pace and make what I want. I don't see myself as a failure anymore.
thank you for sharing. What is your craft if you don't mind me asking?
@@TheStoriesWeTell303 I write and draw comics :)
You are me, indeed. I've been making music for 24 years. I never thought about success and failure. I was just happy that I found a way to make music on my own. I am of the mind that success is relative. Who is anyone to really tell anyone else what success is? If you love doing your craft and continue doing it, that is more success to me than being famous and rich. We do what we want with our art because we don't have the boundaries of the industry and gatekeepers to hold us back. We don't have to be afraid to express ourselves authenticity and peacefully. If people see us and vibe with us for what we do, that is the best reward, at least to me. Thank you for what you do, and be proud of your talent. Everybody is a star in their own way. Keep shining your way!
@@TheMightyPikaWhere can people see your work?
@@TheMightyPika Dope and always been a dream of mine since a jit. Keep going up 💪🏿
"there's more to life than this arbitrary notion of success. The staircase we're climbing leads to exploitation, guilt and burnout. (...) you are enough as you are and the only one who determines your self worth is yourself". In the constant chaos of the corporate ladder, this is just what I needed to hear and keep in mind. Thank you so much
i wish i was the only one who determined my self worth. but when your culture deemed you perpetually unworthy of any quality of life regardless of how many millions i would make for other people to waste, you physically cant think or feel anything other than the effects of being perpetually starved and looked down on. how can i value myself when the world i live in forces me to never be allowed to receive ANY of the fruits of my labor? why does usa government spend soooo much money subsidizing the lives of violent criminals but wont spend a single penny helping law abiding impoverished people? its almost like they want to make sure no one whos born poor will ever even have the option of good mental health due to being in immediate danger of death every second of your waking life...
As someone with ADHD, I can't wait to watch this video. This conversation is a huge deal given people often try to "remedy" ADHD symptoms through reinforcing productivity and notions of motivation and achievement attached to working hard for an ambition. Despite that being something ADHD inherently inhibits to an extent, as people with ADHD are working with a different sense of achievement and motivation, and different attributes that make it harder to participate in society that way. It reminds me how some mental diagnosis are partially defined by how bad you are at capitalism and socially constructed rules rather than your personal experiences (not saying ADHD doesn't exist, but saying people can only see it as bad if it makes it harder to "meaningfully contribute" despite it involving memory issues, focus issues, mental and emotional strain, and risk taking that exists outside of work or school).
big facts. I am undiagnosed by definitely have ADHD-like symptoms and this led me down the rabbit hole of productivity/motivation tricks until I realized, "wait, what am I even doing this for?" Rather than try and trick ourselves into being more productive, it's important to examine *why* we are unmotivated. In my case, it's nothing wrong with me, it was my work draining the soul out of me.
I don't know if I actually have ADHD--it might just be focus issues brought on by all the distractions at our fingertips and the hyperactive compulsion (aka shiny active syndrome) from all the products and hobbies we can so easily get wrapped up in. So I certainly don't want to make any blanket statements, but regardless, the way we treat motivation/productivity makes those with ADHD or attention issues feel like shit.
[It reminds me how some mental diagnosis are partially defined by how bad you are at capitalism and socially constructed rules rather than your personal experiences (not saying ADHD doesn't exist, but saying people can only see it as bad if it makes it harder to "meaningfully contribute" despite it involving memory issues, focus issues, mental and emotional strain, and risk taking that exists outside of work or school).]
Now that's really interesting. I think he touched on how we see achievements is toxic in society, in the video. Cool.
“I can’t wait to watch this video” is so real. I’m scrolling through comments instead of actually watching
I hate "because capitalism" trope that people like you just drop over and over and over again as if anything would be different let alone better in a non capitalist society. Its sooo annoying
A capitalist society is inherently ableist. Its so pervasive that it even teaches some folks that the disabled are a burden to society and opens their opinions up to adopt those of eugenicists. So long as productivity and wealth are seen as "noble traits" by this hellish society we're dealt with, disabled folks will continue to be marginalized.
This world makes us feel like shit, then we wonder why we feel like shit.
The world is very kind to smart people or the ones with the most resources. So if you're neither one i suggest you give up
@@stellviahohenheim The world hates smart people. It loves clever people who can play the smartest and those who own the most. Often times the most clever are the ones who own, so they just have to play the smart right
@@mikebrueggman6666
True. Smart people are great and important, but sly clever people always seem to get by
The call is coming from inside the house.
No, You make yourself feel like shit , You guys think "Smart" or "clever" people get by better but thats because they're not wasting energy and Focus on what doesnt serve them the world Is unfair but fair at the same time we all have disadvantages that are not ideal for out goals but we Also have Hidden talents waiting to be used
I will never get sick of tpab interpretations. An album that is forever repayable, where you get a new meaning, pick a new detail out with every listen, with a brilliant and luscious jazz production. It is the first album and first rap album I listened to, and is still what I consider to be the best piece of art I've ever experienced. This is a great video, and I hope for more.
I really hope Kendrick experiments with jazz/funk sounds more in the future. I love Mr. Morale, but sonically TPAB is head and shoulders above his other work, for me.
@@TheStoriesWeTell303 100%
Also as you grow and mature, you get more out of it too.
It was my first album too; it’s the best album to start with
Lmao
We need to remember that we are not inherently exceptional or special. Every other organism on earth lives fruitfully in their mediocrity. Yet we are imprisoned by our need to be the exception, the best, the one. Somehow our culture accepted that our purpose is making as much impact as possible, and in this we have abandoned our peace. I often think of ancient nomadic cultures who refused to settle down and live in one place. Even when they had access and knowledge of infrastructure, they preferred the simple life of traveling with the seasons. They saw that tribes who settled had stable food, more people, and a legacy they could keep forever. They did not care, they were content in the life they had and had no desire for legacy. Because of this, we have very little record of them even existing. Many of them were eventually conquered by dynasties and clans that despised their “primal” lifestyles. But these tribes were free of complex war, classes, and oppression. They just looked out for eachother, living unimpactful lives in peace. I wish there was a way for us to live that way too; simple lives that don’t ask to be special. I envy the bird resting on my windowsill. Content in the shade and shelter given him, content with his single mate and family, content in the most unremarkable life. The only difference between me and that bird is that I cannot be content in just that, I am destined for more. I am destined to look for more and more until I die.
This is poetry
Well said bro ...thanks for the knowledge
Well said
In this culture, if you are not exceptional, you are but a bug. And you know what we do to bugs.
This is the reason I strived for "greatness" : the desire to escape being treated like a bug (as I used to be in my childhood)
I think it ultimately comes down to whether you view the State of Nature (what you're describing here) as an idyllic place, or as a hellscape. Locke thought it was awesome, Hobbes thought it was hell.
I'd push back on the idea that tribes didn't have war, classes, or oppression. Of course they did. Even chimpanzees have these things. It sucked then too, just a very, very different kind of suck to the suck of modernity. Very different set of problems.
We're creatures blessed and cursed with the relentless pursuit of "more", "more" far beyond our ability to actually use the stuff we think we need. Wishing you all the best as you pursue a life of greater freedom/letting go of this stuff that binds us.
This kind of reminds me of Kanye’s career. I think of this all the time … of how he’s a shell of himself … ruined by the fame and the influence. He became one of the greatest and most influential artists of all time … but at what cost ?
Kanye definitely went downhill after the death of his mother.
Everything after 808's was a different Kanye to me. Although the album went into a completely different direction, I'd consider this a transition album.
Looking back at him now, his lyrics from his first four albums were so real, down-to-earth and thoughtful.
bro rlly just need to take a fishing trip wit his kids i stg
Today's Kanye is the dude the old Kanye used to talk shit about--and was scared of becoming.
THIS IS ART PERIOD
the quote where you said something about 'are they really your dreams, or are they just your dreams because you were told you needed to have one' really struck me to my core. I've been having thoughts like this and what my passion in life may be in relation to going to school right now. And that in combination with one of my classes discussing Aboriginal land management and your reaction and connect to the land that we occupy is leading me toward a path of mindfulness. My class discussing inhabitation on the land as participating in the land and existing within her, and just existing within a relational context and I think this video has really driven home the fact that I don't want to continuous reach for the next best thing for me to be doing. But to existing as an active participant in life ( Life in the indigenous perspective of everything is alive including the rocs, the sky, the water, the soil, the plants etc.) But also I don't think I'm quite ready to break free from that ambition because I want to finish my education.
@@makennamaxwell8856 it’s great that you’re thinking about this already. I didn’t have this realization until i was 25 or 26. Definitely finish your education! The class you mentioned sounds far more interesting than anything I studied in college (I studied marketing lol)
one of my favourite passages in a book and something to think about
it's enough to exist in the world and marvel at it. You don't need to justify that or earn it. You are allowed to just live.
in saying that I do agree, chase the education if you're not wanting to let go of that.
Always criticizing yourself will never lead to anything but exactly the opposite of what you are trying to do. Loving yourself is a must if you want to have a great life.Everyone needs to watch this video.Great job man
When I paused I sat there with no thoughts…then cried. I think more than anything the saddest part for me is the time that went by, and within the time, the relationships turned sour by ambition. My insecurity with myself is the main reason I’ve been addicted to working so hard; “you won’t find one that will love you for who you are until I’m financially there”, “I can’t bring a kid into this world without financially and occupationally being there”, “I’ll be considered good at what I do once I can financially live off what I do”. Even broke up with my last girlfriend because I wanted her for who she could be instead of who she was. Time to learn acceptance lol
It’s a long journey my friend but you’ll come out the other side a better person ❤
Keep accepting, you'll get there
so much of the time i find myself consumed by a never ending drip feed of media. movies, books, shows, the news, TikTok's, Instagram reels. even watching this video i was like, "damn, i need to watch whiplash". i consume a lot of the media i do under the guise of educating myself, but I'm not actually doing the work, taking the time to chew on what I'm consuming. it's something i need to work on. i went outside this morning and picked up the trash that was all over my neighborhood. i went for a walk with some music, and just enjoyed the fresh air. i think i wanna make something like that a part of my life. taking an hour to clean, go on a walk, and just be with myself. i could apply that method on a smaller scale after watching something, or reading a book.. I'm so prone to finding the next big distraction. thank you for this video. it's opened my eyes to something I've been avoiding for a while now i think.
the reason im so interested in Kendricks next work is Mr Morale, to me, felt like the perfect way to say goodbye. maybe not finally. maybe not forever. but for a while. and we'll see Kendrick explore other expressions like film, creative design or something else with pglang
but with his recent battle with Drake, he shook up all my expectations. because no matter how he said "not about who the greatest, its always been love and hate" the battle to me felt like Kendrick finally going and actively seeking the #1 spot that he has always claimed and i'd argue achieved through his work, but never directly pursued through competition
he said hes turning away from the culture to follow his heart, but in the battle he very much acted as a champion for his culture. Kendrick is so interesting and his unpredictability only enhances that
Initially I was kinda confused why he even engaged with this beef. But I think there might be something bigger to it that he explores with his next project. Idk we'll see
@@TheStoriesWeTell303 imo he hates Drake because he represents all the fakeness in the rap genre, people talking about murder and money and the street life just to make themselves seem cool while the original rappers were venting to each other about the pain they felt as a result of that lifestyle. Kendrick’s just a natural hater
@@TheStoriesWeTell303 As a rap listener since the late 90s, it was an inevitable course that usually happens in hip hop. Tupac Vs. Biggie (90s generational king battle), Nas vs. Jay-Z (2000s generational king battle), etc. Rap usually has a generational King, and one can argue that Kendrick displayed being heir through his works alone. Yet, he was always missing the actual battle ritual for 2010s generational king(even though it can be questioned whether people actually wanted J.Cole or Drake as a true contender is up for debate).
“Be able to express my creativity, and make money in the process. Something rare in today’s age.”
You say this as if it’s not the least rare it’s ever been. We are in the golden age of creativity and the ability to live off it. This is where these critiques largely fall flat for me. But a very well done video
Fair enough. Perhaps I emphasized too much that it is a "today" problem, but my point was more about how once I got a taste of success, my mind immediately went to money. Which is a reflection of the world we live in. Even something as pure as creativity ultimately feeds the capitalist machine.
@@TheStoriesWeTell303 100% & don’t get me wrong i totally agree. Mindchatter has a line that says “tell me the difference between ambition & insecurity”
@@DueceBandithi, just had an off the cuff thought scrolling through comments
Ambition is proving to yourself that you are something ideal or desirable
Insecurity is proving to others that you arent something undesirable
@@Swichmech well put, but both come from a feeling that your current state isn’t good enough
Pretty sure ambition is wanting to achieve something for the sake of that achievement. Ambition can be influenced by insecurity, which would be the feeling of not being in control of one's environent or self. But ambition by itself is simply the desire to achieve something through effort. There is not necessarily compulsion or negative connotation. One can have the ambition to actualize themself in a healthy way, etc. insecurity also can be neutral, as in feeling insecure in an unsafe environment, but compulsive insecurity and compulsive ambition require the adjective to mean what this video is discussing. Imo @@DueceBandit
The idea that we should have a goal for our life, an end point when life can continue on after achieving it or death can cut it off at any moment feel a bit ridiculous. Working towards things in life is a constant, validation is a moment, a picture. I think our achievement society is shooting us in the foot when it asks us what we want to be when we grow up, as if our entire adulthood will comprise of one thing. One of the reasons i think people will hone in so much on one aspect of life is that they genuinely believe they will never acquire validation through any other means or learn to how to process it.
LOUDER FOR THE PEOPLE IN THE BACK 📣🔊
Great video, I’ve been struggling with my professional career for a long time (I’m a graphic designer). I’ve been thinking what I do wrong, how to be more productive and earn more, however this only brought me to burnout.
After keeping a slower life pace for few months I realised that I still love design and I want to express myself in creative field, so I started to make something for myself again, rather than only for money. These soul projects are not even seen by anyone, but they bring me so much joy.
When it comes to job unsatisfaction, you typically think of office jobs or the like. But I think that artistic pursuits (if too much emphasis is placed on the results) can become just as dehumanizing. We often think that pursuits like art or music are exempt of being stressful because it’s something that we want to do, but as an artists myself I find that when you continuously exploit yourself it really just ruins the entire experience and to me it makes me not want to keep drawing. What’s helped is to try to make the experience as enjoyable as possible and to focus on the intention that pushed me to draw rather than the finished pieces I’ll have after I’ve finished.
The last part rlly did something , ive been binge watching constant self help since the pandemic. It’s a vicious cycle and as a visual artist the constant need to be great has been so high ever since the emergence of AI art. For a while I’ve been caught up with the idea of “to be great or nothing” but really all it did was pressure me. Thank you for opening up my eye somehow. I really would love to just take a step back more often. To walk without music and just embrace nature, to eat and just enjoy the food and be grateful. My constant need for a” how-to “ or a concrete tutorial on how to live my life has been so overwhelming. I forgot what’s it’s like to explore life and how I want to approach life. I have this constant need for other people to tell me what to think and how to live for so long that it often keeps me up at night. I’ll try to make small changes to incorporate mindfulness and i know Ive failed so many times but this is a reminder to try again. Thank you for this video !
Love this. Self-help, in my opinion, is often self-defeating. Everyone is different and there's no prescriptive answer that can teach you "how to live".
"One can convey knowledge but not wisdom. One can find wisdom, one can live it, one can be borne by it, one can work wonders with it, but one can neither speak it nor teach it."
- Siddhartha by Herman Hesse
My next video is about self-reliance; hope you enjoy it :)
It's the first time in my life that the algorithm presents me with a piece of content that is this timely.
I'm currently in a very unique point in my life. My business that I dropped out of school to build doesn't exist anymore after 7.5 years of pure dedication, neglect at times, blissful ignorance, and ultimately growth.
Today, I find myself alone. Not one friend besides my best friend who became my business partner. All because of my ambition.
I gave 808s & Heartbreak two listens today, and there's a phrase in 'Street Lights' where Kanye says
"Seems like, street lights, glowing happen to be
Just like moments, passing, in front of me
So I hopped in, the cab and I paid my fare
See I know my destination, but I'm just not there"
I feel that the destination that Ye reference is the staircase of ambition referenced in this video.
This resonated with me to the point that I for the first time in my life opened up my notebook and just wrote. I didn't write for clarity, I didn't write to serve as a reminder, but I wrote to express. I wont share everything that I wrote, but the first lines was "A slave to your own ambition"
After I finished writing, I took a walk to clear my mind and get fresh air.
I got back home, checked UA-cam and this video popped up as a suggestion. It couldn't be more timely.
Thank you for taking the time to create this video and share your thoughts. You have a new subscriber here.
Love that song!!!! My favorite on 808s- Oanye created a perfect mood ( again 🙄) with that track
Thank you for sharing; I'm glad to hear that my video affected you like this. In my experience, times of struggle like you're experiencing have ultimately made me a better person. It might take years to realize this, but you'll come out the other side stronger. I talk about this a bit more on my Little Miss Sunshine video, in case you're interested. ❤
@@TheStoriesWeTell303 Thank you, I'll check it out.
From my childhood till now, people have always asked me if I wanted to be an artist, why wasn't I an artist, why wasn't I selling my art? Watching this video finally gave me words for it, adding money to it feels like I'm defiling it. It's the one joy I always had that has nothing to do with work. People sometimes get angry with me because I'd rather make things for free, I realize now because they saw it as me "not reaching my potential". Their ambitions for me essentially.
Same with my writing. Yes, I've written a ton of perfectly-publishable novels. Will I publish? No. Not unless I need to scrape every last penny, then I might consider it. They exist to reflect on my experiences & to be read to close friends. Maybe I'll post a fanfic someday. But I really don't want my internal life & emotions chained to a profession. I did what I wanted: learn to write really well. But I did it for me and now? Eh.
This video was amazing, truly mind boggling. It was so information packed that I have to watch it again. You made me realize that I really don’t give my brain any time to think on its own without anything in the background. From this day I will give my self time everyday to live in stillness and absorb the feelings, energy and thoughts that I’m experiencing. This REALLY helped thanks! 🙏🏽
0:34 Bravo my man that intro was 🔥
This video struck a chord in me. I find that the neoliberal ideology dictates an incredible amount of decisions in my life lately. As a Senior in College graduating with a degree that I have absolutely no passion for, I told myself that video editing - something that I found out I love to do - should be what I strive to do for a career. I packed this semester with projects and films so much so that I can barely keep my head afloat, and I've pushed people away from myself to achieve this dream that I told myself I had. While I do still love video editing, and I don't think that this will go away, I've been saying yes to things for the wrong reasons. I look at many things as "an opportunity" to grow my prospecting career, rather than seeing them as things I want to do just because I WANT to. Being recently diagnosed with OCD, I notice that "success" or "purpose" is something that I fixate on and think about constantly, and it can be incredibly destructive. I've lost track of what's important to me lately, and with it being at such an incredibly volatile time in my life (college ending, "the rest of my life" ahead of me) This video guided me into re-recognizing that taking things slow is ok. Actually, it's likely the healthiest thing I can do. Remove expectation, and life becomes so much simpler, so much calmer. So much more real. Thank you for creating such a thought provoking and beautiful video. You've helped me more in 37 minutes than the last 2 months of circular journalling have done for me.
I am 24 years old, and I have spent the past decade writing. I have always tried to be a writer who composes ideas creatively, and not someone who just wants to express himself, and thus I've been heavily focused on my craft. I'd like to point something else about great ambition. It somehow causes you to sacrifice a lot in life. And it's not even intentional. It's not like you know you're sacrificing moments and opportunities because you're like a child who wants to play with his toys. It so happens that the love, the passion, the ambition makes you too self involved. Though looking at all the work that I've done fills me with gratitude. I can be depressed, lonely and miserable at a particular moment, but when I look at the bigger picture, the journey that I've travelled, I can't help but be happy. Great video, man!
I think this is an interesting point. To really master a skill takes hard work and sacrifice. And I believe that’s extremely valuable (I say this a fellow writer). For me it’s all about finding the right balance and making sure I prioritize other important things in life, and constantly checking my intentions. Thanks for sharing ❤
I always felt like Kendrick did what Mac couldn't in order to save himself. Two indisputable greats, but only one that chose himself and managed to save himself from the battles he was fighting. So to see Mac pop on the screen after listening to you dissecting the journey of Kendrick hit me like a ton of bricks. Thank you for this video, thank you for appreciating the artists, those who could save themselves and those who couldn't
I am considering a video on Mac. Not for a while and don't even know what I want to say, but his story is so powerful and tragic.
@@TheStoriesWeTell303I absolutely love Mac. His Balloonerism album is set to officially release soon. I just discovered the channel. Great stuff!
Ambition almost had me living a dead life,I was very out of shape and I love working out
I went to the hospital for heart murmur not even my family knows this
I quit all three jobs in 2015 I was fresh out of highschool,
I traveled and now I’m engaged,happy,no more running from gangs ,no more tears or fears from blind ambitions
Life is good
Money,sex,anything else,will not fill that void ,there is no void to fill ,everything you need is within you friends.
I took notes in a journal on this one. Excellent work! ❤
THAT WAS A FUCKIN EDIT AT THE BEGINNING 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
the moment I had that idea was when I knew this video would slap
Concur!
So glad UA-cam randomly recommended me this video! Excited to go through your prior videos and see what you make next!
I had this thought yesterday, but your ability to humanize and conceptualize this very important idea, is outstanding. Thank you.
Thanks for this video. Our band is releasing a digital EP in two days and so of course I’m at that point where you feel like you haven’t done enough to promote the release. But then I look at all the things I had wanted to do and it turns out they all cost a bunch of money anyway that I don’t have. I know this full moon will bring realizations to a lot of people where they have been being deluding themselves in life. Just today my coworker was asking how much money we make at our gigs, basically insinuating I’m wasting my time. But I think the other side of the coin to your video which is essentially not striving towards the things we want can be just as damaging to people’s psyches. It’s easy to get caught up in the analytics obsession you were talking about but I think the best path is the middle path where you consistently produce creative work and make a reasonable effort to show it to the world. If it doesn’t take off, switch things up and keep trying in a different way. There’s always so much room for growth when you’re open minded enough to want to truly upskill and improve. We have our whole lives to continue to perfect our craft. Mine may be half over at age 41 but I prefer to look at that glass as half full.
Whenever I take interest in anything creative, I tend to burn out and move on. I fall in love, but fall into a habit of striving for perfection. Creating not because I want to, but because “I should”. I exploit any passion and disregard creativity and process for results and grind. Though some artists make it through ambition or “greed”, such as Kanye who moved to New York to live off his beats. In his song spaceship he talks about making 5 beats a day for 3 summers. This to me is ambition and Kanye trying to “exploit his butterfly”. I honestly don’t know whether ambition or greed is a total good or bad. I hope there is an in between where we can strive to be better and love ourselves.
I love that UA-cam actually pushes smaller channels like yours. I love it, i just remembered that the last days i saw more smaller channels and checked. The Quality of this video is so good, i would have never guessed that your under 100k subscribers. Love it
Great video! Can’t wait for your channel to blow up; excellent quality.
Amazing video. I recently lost my job. Got a big enough pay out that I don't need to rush into anything new, but watching this has helped me to realise how frantic I have been between jobs. I have been listening to podcasts and watching educational videos while studying for some new qualifications ready for my next career and I think your points on silence and space have really hit home in that context. Time spent thinking is time I'm not improving myself and if I'm not improving myself then I should be looking for a job and being productive. The idea of going for a walk without a podcast or something to listen to feels like agony. How could I ever do something so boring?
Thank you. Thank you for letting me be kinder to myself and give myself even just half an hour of space to exist, without needing to justify it.
A lot of Kendrick's work looks at these issues reflected from a religious view point. With that in mind I'm reminded of one of the most interesting interpretations of the 1st book in genesis, or the Jewish/Christian creation myth. It was pointed out that if you believe Genesis was written by the Jewish nation after leaving slavery (Historians can debate if or where this took place). Then the narrative is that the nation of Israel left enslavement and came to found their own nation in a holy promised land. For these people the focus of Genesis and the creation of the world could in fact be not the how or the why of creation, but the fact that once the universe was made, God rested. He took the 7th day and did nothing. He just existed with his creation, and importantly mankind should too. In this way the creation myth stands out as the world wasn't born out of conflict or death, or war (like many other creation myths) but by a creator who sees value in just existing, in resting, in being.
Anyway, thought it was an interesting counterpoint to some of the other philosophical view points. Just how many of the world's religions and philosophies have this focus on the need for rest and reflection? How have we known the importance of this for thousands of years but also completely forgotten its importance?
thank you for sharing, and best of luck with the next step of your career. I was recently laid off as well, and took the opportunity to do a complete 180 with my career. I would recommend using the time as an opportunity to examine what you really want out of life, and try your best to make that happen.
As a former "gifted kid", this hit home. Oh the many things I have offered at the altar of ambition - connection, authenticity, joy. I still have goals, but now they are closer to directions, to where I want to be - than things I must do to see myself as someone remotely "worthy". Thank you for this.
One of the best written videos in this style I’ve ever seen. And I watch a lot of videos.
24:51 that ain’t hyperbole at ALL- I felt and said that after the first listen… I sat, mouth open and tears just flowed… and our community, we are in desperate need of collective therapy and healing- that album -in fact his entire discography is a good start…
it's like you made a video on my two favorite things ever and wrapped it up in the exact topic i've been thinking about recently.
thanks for this.
i’ve been watching your videos for years, hope you’re doing good fr man love your passion🩷
I hope I start treating myself better when it comes to following my dreams of making music. In the beginning I fell in love with the expression of myself. It felt more true than any other way I could express how I was feeling. Over this year I've gotten caught up in improving and always pushing to get better at technique and that's caused a bit of a rift in my relationship with the art. But I think the most important thing now is to just be in love and stay in love with the art. I am enough as I am right now.
Incredible mashup in the intro. I really loved this video, thanks for making it.
WHEN I LOOK AT THIS , I THINK TO MYSELF AND I SAY. WOW, KENDRICK LAMAR IS LITERALLY ONE OF THE GREATEST ACTORS EVER, NOT IN A PRETEND WAY BUT IN A WAY THAT I WOULD GIVE MY LAST DRAWING TO SEE HIM PERFORM IN A 90 MINUTE MOVIE
i just wanna say, the video all by itself has great design, effects, font types, cuts, .. - its an experience you have created. great! +thank you
absolutely nuts quality, keep going man you’re gonna pop off in popularity
Glad to see Byun Chul-Han mentioned, his writings are remarkable. One of the most influential philosophers of our time in my opinion. His book "The Disapperance of Rituals" expands on this topic and highlights where in our lifes such bastardazation of core principles and "culture" ultimately fuels our suffering. Worth a read if you are into this kind of thought.
I'm devouring his books currently, but don't have a copy of that. I am familiar with the premise though and sounds interesting. Amazing writer
Too add to "you are enough", I heard someone mention the concept of "good enough." As in, this project may not be perfect to you, but it's good enough. Of course, with regards to art, you can always go back and add or make tweeks. I have a bit of OCD and use the mantra when cleaning my house and I get tired. "It's good enough 'my name', it's good enough." Also, with my job. I am a nurse and have a ridiculous amount of work to be done in an 8 hour shift. I obviously do the absolute best I can for my patients. But when I sit down to chart when my shift is technically over, I have to tell myself, go as fast as you can to get it done just good enough to get by with even though I have an urge to do it "perfectly" when it absolutely makes no difference either way. 😂
Watching this after having a stretch of days where I was lost in my head and used my phone or thc to get me out. As an avid listener of Mac Miller and dealing with my own insecurities, intrusive thoughts and loss of self love, I needed this reminder that there is more to life than being perfect. Achieving max productivity or accolades will not make me feel complete. It’s love and feeling everything that comes with life, not just reaching a goal. This neoliberal capitalist world has no end goal, we will die trying to reach it because it does not exist. Thank you for this
A mark fisher bit, guy debord, this is 🎉🎉🎉
A VIDEO ESSAY THAT’S ACTUALLY AN ESSAY. And it’s a great one.
Honestly hard to come by these days.
This channel deserves so much more attention (now you make me realize that my thinking that is an affectation of achievement-defined culture). But in all seriousness, it's clear that you aren't seeking high-quality content, but philosophical discord and appreciation for art. The notes at the end are especially unique and slowed down my day a little bit to acknowledge all of the beauty I typically pass by.
this really resonates with me. especially at the end with the nietzche quote with loving butterflies and how u said are they your dreams just because u were told u needed to have one. over the past 2 years of my life i’ve constantly been chasing recognition and remarkableness and i’ve utterly failed at my goal and even when i did it never made me happy. it only subdued me further. so i’ve basically had a 4 month period of burn out and really an intense one of 2 months. it’s really caused me to realize that i can’t keep going on like this, as u said, sacrificing my humanity in order to be great. I think i still want to be good at the things i do but i don’t really want it to consume me anymore. I want to learn to “love the butterflies” and to be content with being me. not having to justify my existence through external means.
Thank you for sharing; I hope you find the right balance ❤ it’s very unfortunate how hustle culture takes things we love and turns them into objects of pain
I want to be a filmmaker. I want to make science fiction films that require large budgets to be made; like 2001: A Space Odyssey. However the burden of this ambition can put you into a paralysis where you hesitate sometimes to even take the first steps to get you ultimately to this goal, like picking up a camera and filming the world around you because it’s only when you’re doing this that it becomes clear how far away you are from your ultimate goal. Your ambition becomes a burden that robs you of enjoying the process of getting to where you ultimately want to be. The irony of this is that even if you did make it, would you suddenly start loving what you were doing if everything else was a drudgery before?
Ambition and pressure to be great does rob you of your enjoyment, I can say this from experience.
Thank you for this video, it’s been a reminder because it’s easy to forget these lessons sometimes when you’re confronted with pressure to ‘be someone’ at every turn. Soon I will take out my camera and just see what finds me. Good luck with your channel too.
I know not everyone will validate this comment but BTS very often talk about this in their songs. They make a lot of very good observations and critique about striving for greatness or even ambition, having big dreams or even purpose itself. You should check them out, really
the irony
This was amazing! Been thinking abt these ideas a lot
29:54 this is something I needed to hear, I constantly am listening to something at work for hours straight and it doesn’t end there. Definitely need to give myself some quiet time.
You have given me a lot to think about and I am enriched by this wonderful essay. I am a better person for watching it. You are a blessing. Thank you.
You're a real G for giving credits to other creators!
Great balanced exploration!
It gets especially tricky when people are hustling because they want to genuinely contribute positively to their society.
I suspect the best way to do this is to find a way to sustainably do your work, and set an example for what a healthy relationship with your craft can be.
Like this video. It feels like you spoke out something I felt but didn't know much about. After you spoke it out, the shadow or influence from the previously mentioned thing reduced. It's nice to see some thoughtful and deep content on the internet that encourages "happiness (not so sure am I using the right words lol)" instead of "success".
As an avid UA-cam watcher/enjoyer, one of my favorite things to witness on this site is when a creator that I love comes to the revelation that they themselves have "pimped their own butterfly". The story typically goes like this: a small to mid-level creator goes viral for a certain (oftentimes hacky) trend/premise/video idea and they gain a ton of new loyal followers. This increased popularity coupled with an ambition for more and more views leads the creator to continue to replicate that viral video style, much to the admiration of their new fan base who are hungry for more and more. Sometimes though, the creator has enough self-awareness and artistic integrity (much like Kendrick) to realize that they have essentially pimped themselves and that they no longer feel the passion that they once did when making videos that were "less successful". When the creator tries to correct this error and un-pimp their butterfly, they are often met with intense dissatisfaction from their once loyal fans who don't want them to change and would rather see the creator's butterfly remain pimped out. I find this to be incredibly disheartening but at the same time uplifting because it's amazing to see creators change and even stumble to figure out their own unique artistic vision without the need for cheap trends, flashy thumbnails, or viral gimmicks. UA-camr Steezy Kane is a perfect example of this phenomenon with his viral "jumping off the pier" or "singing songs in public" videos. Thank you for addressing this and I hope it inspires more people, as it has with me, to refrain from pimping your butterfly just so you can climb a couple more steps higher on a never-ending staircase.
This video was very well done. I don’t comment on videos, but this one made an impression on me. I hope you continue to do this good work, the World needs it
This was a very insightful video!! Glad to have happened upon it!
Hey man. Hope you read this message as I’d just like to say that this is genuinely the best video essay I have ever seen in my old ass life.
“Ambition is a staircase” and Chaos is a ladder. 😮
Man, I’ve been reading a lot of books on mindfulness & spirituality recently and as a creative pursuing success while trying to be more mindful of my mental health, this video was perfect. I’ve also been listening to & analyzing TPAB, as well as Kendrick’s other albums, a ton recently, so the combination of all of these things just made this video super relevant to my life at the moment! I think the more that creatives can learn to balance practice & creating with actual living, rest, mindfulness, & staying healthy, both their craft & lives will benefit from that balance. Ever since I’ve abandoned solely striving for tangible results (like making projects) & getting to the “next level” and instead placed my focus on living in the now, being mindful, and accepting myself for who I am today, the quality of my life has improved ten fold. As someone who greatly relates & understands to what you’re talking about here, thank you for making this video! I also had never heard of Byung-Chul Han before this and I’m definitely gonna check out Vita Contemplativa now 🙏🏼
Love this and completely agree. What are some of your favorites in this category? I would also recommend the Tao Te Ching if you haven’t read it
@@TheStoriesWeTell303 I actually just got a copy of the Tao Te Ching the other day! I’m trying to read a verse a day to absorb each one fully, but man even just the first few contain a lot of power.
But a few books that have really changed my life this past year are:
Concerning The Spiritual In Art by Wassily Kandinsky
Man’s Search For Meaning by Victor Frankl
The Power Of Now by Eckhart Tolle
The Three Laws Of Performance by Steve Zaffron & Dave Logan
The Miracle Of Mindfulness by Thich Nhat Hanh
Power vs. Force by David Hawkins
And listening to many lectures & interviews by Ram Dass, Dr. William Dyer, & Rick Rubin
@@TheStoriesWeTell303 I actually just got a copy of the Tao Te Ching the other day! I'm trying to read a verse a day to let each one fully sink in, but even the first few have a lot of power in them.
But a few books that have changed my life this past year are:
Concerning the Spiritual in Art by Wassily Kandinsky
Man's Search For Meaning by Viktor Frankl
The Power Of Now by Eckhart Tolle
The Three Laws of Performance by Steve Zaffron & Dave Logan
The Miracle of Mindfulness by Thich Nhat Hanh
Power vs. Force by David Hawkins
and watching a bunch of lectures & interviews from Ram Dass, Dr. Wayne Dyer, and Rick Rubin!
this is a beautiful video, from planning to writing to production to clips. awesome. great idea
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS INSIGHT MATE,
it was quite an interesting video and needed one of the hour i guess...
❤🍻
KEEP GOING MATE!
love from india, puducherry!
also, you know what... it was too exciting for me, that i genuinely not much be this hyped to share the things i get to know in here, but almost 3 to 4 times in the middle of the video, i started texting my friends about this video and asked them to do a "must watch" on this...
this really was very personal and touching and all!!
THANKS ONCE AGAIN ❤
What hit me harder was the simple "learn from others and from yourself" I noticed how lately I haven't been learning even from myself. Repeating ancient mistakes. Felt dumb AF. I still don't know how to fix it. But mindfulness looks a lot like the first step.
Honestly, this was a bit life changing. Thank you. I’ll try to be kinder to myself
Dude ive had the exact same thought-line from these stories as well. Thanks for articulating and sharing.
Ironic that this would be one of your most viewed videos. Excellent work.
Two of my favorite medias to ever be created in one video? Absolutely amazing
THIS VIDEO WAS AMAZINGGGGGGGGGGGG. SO SO GOOD. PERFECT TIMING TOO. ALSO THANKS FOR THE MINDFUL PAUSE. I WAS JUST GOING TO VIEW ANOTHER VIDEO JUST TO GET THAT DOPAMINE RUSH. THANK YOU
Kendrick is my fav rapper. And whiplash is my fav movie. So is this heaven?
I have been procrastinating to start practicing mindfullness for a while now, i often can't stand the weight of my thoughts, especially when i go to sleep, i always feel like i need to do something else, be something more, besides having heard a lot of things about that, positive mostly, it is still hard as fuck to fell free and just do my things, resulting in a even bigger wast of time because of that fear. Life hits hard, and i am not that tough to get hit that many times...
Is that not mindful?
Thank you, I took the time and I feel like I needed it. I took a little time to think and word what I felt and then a little time to draw and express it. I’m not good at drawing but I think it was a good step
Hey, this was really cool and inspiring. Thank you so much for putting art out there
30:20 I love this. No time to breathe, reflect. Like a sedation we're about to recover from, only to be dosed again as we fall back into the stupor.
The humanity vs greatness section... just everything about that felt important for me to hear. One of my favourite lines of the video was asking whether or not the dreams we have are our own, or if we're told to dream. I've felt shackled by feeling like I'm not "living my life to it's fullest" because I don't have those dreams; I like doing my hobbies, and pursuing my objectively boring but extremely fulfilling career.
Excellent essay. I really appreciate the additional resources, too.
This video was like eating a really tasty, nourishing meal; knowing and physically feeling in your body from what your brain is telling you to what your body is telling you: yes, that was exactly what I needed. It further put into context a lot of how I’ve been re-approaching my creative pursuits. I realized that in the love of creating art and realizing that I have the potential to “go far” and “make it” that I began to pimp my butterfly, and it completely eroded my creative output because nothing was ever “good enough” or “measured up” to what my peers were creating. I stopped having fun, and I realized that was the problem. So now I’m deep sixing everything I thought I knew and wanted from creating art, and I’m just going at it from wanting to have fun with it again; wanting to communicate with my art again. Because really, that’s why I started when I was a child. I want to have fun again. If it leads somewhere, that’s cool, but I don’t want to focus on there being a destination like that anymore.
The section of the video where you discussed the value of stillness also made me reframe a huge chunk of my life where I had art block. I’m actually still coming out of that block now. Before the block, I’d drawn consistently for the last 10-11 years. Then I just couldn’t anymore. There were definitely a number of factors at play (lockdown, life difficulties, etc) but I viewed it as a huge loss because I just couldn’t create and that’s what I’d been doing since I was 7 years old. I could enjoy, absorb, and engage with art, but I couldn’t create it the way I used to. It was stifling, debilitating. Instead of viewing this period as time lost, because of this video I’m starting to reflect on the possibility that the 4 year long stretch of time when I was artblocked was my brain telling me to just slow down and take things in. And I totally did; I’ve discovered so much provoking and inspiring art since 2020 that I carry with me in my creative core as it mutates and evolves. It gives me a sense of fulfillment to view that chunk of time in that way.
I also feel like there’s something to be said here about the shift from “artist” to “content creator” in recent years that’s contributed to this rabbit hole of constant pursuit, disillusion, and unfulfillment I’ve been seeing creators grapple with. I’ve shifted away from calling myself an aspiring “content creator” or “influencer” for that exact reason. Through this self exploitation breeds an alienation to your craft, I believe.
Great video, great perspectives, great analysis. I’m looking forward to experiencing the rest of your creative catalogue and carrying your perspectives and analyses (along with others) in my creative core🦋
Ambition which forces you to exploit others will surely consume you.. Ambition which allows you to harness gold within yourself, and which allows the un privileged to benefit from it will never be bad...
Exceptional video. Its hard to chill in this society because greatness/prestige/clout is rewarded most by social media- which is the only means of any type of connection for most of us now.
We all hate working a 9-5 so we see productivity and pimping our butterfly as the only way out. Its either exploiting ourself or be exploited by our jobs. What do you think the solution is?
The only solution I know is to treat others with empathy and hope your positive actions ripple out and make a better world. And to have conversations. As far as fixing the broken system, fuck if I know lmao.
I found this video touching. I will now turn off youtube , leave my phone in my room and contemplating. You just earned a sub.
great video. especially liked the section on the power of stillness and the intensity of inactivity
Amazinggg video. The mention of this pressure being especially high amongst minorities was spot on
This is exactly what I needed today.
I was thinking yesterday about how so many of us in this society are focused on hiding imperfections or what I refer as purity to the point where you’re stuck in this light. You’d try to make even your suffering and mundane life beautiful (materialistically) which destroys our health. It's like impossible to grow all the while never getting dirt on you!
It’s okay to bleed out and sweat and look basic. Um, what I mean to say is… It’s important not to perform 24/7. And it also strengthens your relationship to take the time to absorb others and your own wants/needs.
I believe that ambition is good, and open and free but also can blow up into something big and greedy and self destructive (I wasn’t that aware of it, but I am now..) I think it’s because it’s so easy to try and chase your dreams when you come from a cold, awful place, A family that’s prone to being alienated.
Personal stuff,,,,, I have a favorite album by NIN that explores those themes, I think it’s Broken? He speaks of not knowing who he is anymore, feeling exploited, but also feels like he's done things he promised himself to never do! His music today is much more mindful and slow and he’s focusing on making music on movies for those who are curious. So maybe he grew into someone better relating to that.
Such a fantastic essay, excellently edited, wonderfully paced.
I really appreciate how much effort you put into this! Even the description has effort put into it.
What I got reflecting from this video, despite myself having been an avid consumer of these types of content for a while now, is this proverb in my mother tongue. Yang dikejar tak dapat, yang dikendong keciciran. Roughly translated: that which you chased escapes your hands, that which you are carrying was left behind. It finally clicked the type of behaviour that proverb actually tries to warn of
I love Kendrick Lamar so much. His music & art help me transcend the dark realizations & implications of this chilling anti-human post covid world.
i kinda sat and thought about it before you asked about it, and what struck me was the consuming of media and especially books. I used to be really into books and after reading philosophy i really started to slow down with books, half voluntarily. Seeing my friend get so many books down and continuing the pace kinda made me feel guilt kinda as it caused me to think I was doing something wrong, but I learned that I just need to process them more and really think about it, since philosophical books are non fiction you can kinda take them piece by piece instead of a whole story. And I have so many butterflies that I want to nurture in my garden and so I need so much more time to think but at the same time ive got to slow down more
I’ve always felt his lyrics hold such meaning, but I’m a bit vacuous and was never listening to rap music for wordplay; only the beats.
Will go and listen to TPAB again today 🙏🏻
Thanks for giving me that 1 to 5 minute break. I spent an hour staring off and slowly tidying my room.
Still can’t give up that ambition. But at least this time around I’ll know what to expect.
Vita Contemplativa: I started a journal, a while back, so that I could write about the things that I consume. How I felt about them, what I thought about them, why it was a good/bad way to spend my time, etc. I stopped adding to it, but I think this will motivate me to get back to it. And i motivate others to do the same!
Originally I started it cause I was in watching UA-cam and Tiktok all day and I'd look back at my day and not even remember what I spent all of my time on. It was an exercise in memory but also an exercise in reminding myself to pick and choose how I spend my day. What do I learn from doomscrolling on TikTok? Or a mindless yt video with nothing important to tell me? It made me stop and think, consider what things were worth writing about.
Thank you very much for making this video and your message. It resonates deeply ...