I’m so happy you are tackling this, I thought this series was one of the most honest takes I’ve ever seen on what it’s like to lose someone you absolutely love
I really loved this interpretation and you might be pleased to know that Ricky Gervais does too! I tweeted him this video link & he replied to say "Amazing" Keep up the good work I really love your channel! 👌🏼
I was in a coservative fundamentalist pocket of Christianity and it was affirming to see someone else wrestle with the the same things I wrestled with in the face of my loss of belief. When you spend your whole life believing in some divine purpose it was very uncomfortably to have that confidence fall away and struggle to see what was left.
@@jollyyeholiver1578 Please do put a reply afterwards you have seen the show. I thought the acting was bad and the whole setup too pretentious. Felt his character as an immature adult with too much tantrum. Tried to be fun philosophical but fell flat.
Of course he did. It's a video about himself from a show all about himself. The only thing atheists truly love beyond themselves is a mirror, regardless of what they might claim otherwise.
"I would rather live missing him than for him to live missing me, that is how much I love him" "A society grows great when an old man plants trees, the shade of which they know they will never sit in" The best lines in the whole season.
What the hell does that even mean? Does Gervais go around leeching off other people's happiness like a psychic vampire? Come to think of it, that would actually explain a lot about him.
'Her absence is like the sky, spread over everything.' Thirteen years already. I wanted to build some great memorial so no one could forget her. A better person than me. I decided to become her memorial and try to reflect the qualities that made her beautiful.
When I watched a documentary about Vincent Van Gogh, it amazed me how much he loved the natural world. The sun in the sky, the stars twinkling in the sky, the wheat swaying in the wind. He loved it so much, he tried to conveyed all that love in his paintings. Maybe happiness is fleeting but when you notice the small things like how the light plays on tree leaves on a windy day, you get to experience the small wonders that exists on this beautiful little planet. I read somewhere that Art is a way of observing, maybe take up art classes or start drawing, painting to observe the small things. That’s how you develop an appreciation for the small things. This is a bit in line with Mindfullness.
It's way better than "Mindfulness", because you don't have to try, it's natural to you. I never read about it, I loathe any book that isn't a novel, I just always felt this way, from childhood to now.
The moment you ground yourself in the present moment, is the moment you see the divine truth that the purpose is the journey. The journey is a passing of moments that we must experience wholly and unapologetically to understand, reality is beautiful if you look close enough.
I agree with the story for except one key detail. The pursuit of happiness. I think people aim for the wrong thing since the problem about happiness is that it’s a fleeting emotion. It’s what makes it valuable and the pursuit of constantly feeling it will only make you feel despair when you’re not at the zenith of satisfaction. Instead you should find something that gives you meaning, that makes life feel full. I’m not saying you shouldn’t accept happiness, but instead you should cherish it when it comes your way.
I think rather seek fulfillment, and to be content. And happiness is bound to show up for you along the way. Most times even when it's not expected. Those are the times i enjoy most.
@@raycasias8144 Agreed, the fact that happiness isn't always with you is the exact reason why it is precious. I think society has forgotten that valuable piece of information in this age of instant gratification. It's a shame really and I hope we rediscover it.
@Nelson Giles death is the ultimate caveat, oblivion the epitome of a get out of jail card and we all have each on the way. We're all in shit storm. I was just thinking might as well look to be content with whatever is in our grasp rather than mope around or make up fairy tales of vindication, exchanging what's palpable for something else we'll never see just to feel better about the struggle. One can be quite fulfilled with what one has if they try. Like an acquired taste for the life in your very hands i guess?
I agree. Happiness is great and if it were possible to be happy at all times it would be amazing, the problem is it's not, so striving for that will only lead to disappointment.
@Nelson Giles Agree but as for definitions and the pursuit of happiness, I think the Greek Eudimonea is more accurate as a pursuit. Eudimonia contains more that just an emotion of happiness that can be fleeting and transient. Eudimonea gives the impression of a journey, purposeful and flourishing along the way. Like a tree that grows whilst occasionally getting pruned and battered by a storm.
Every single video you put out. So good. Your's is the only channel I will purposefully delay watching a video until I have time to devote my undivided attention. Well done.
Best one yet. Feeling disillusioned with life, losing the meaning you assigned to it. Those moments are difficult to overcome. Then you realize that the meaning was assigned by you for you, and you have to find it once again.
yeah, but the whole point is that meaning is bullshit - and suicide is a justified response to the world. perhaps more just than deluding one's self as if they were sisyphus......
Adeimantus Glaucon The reason I decided not to kill myself when I was 9 years old was because I wanted to know how my favorite show would end. If meaning is bullshit, it didn’t matter to me. We invent narratives and attach meaning to them. Perhaps that’s why we keep telling stories at all. We’ll stay alive so we get to experience them.
Adeimantus Glaucon of course it's all illusion. Just like a television show. We know it's all made up and scripted but we project ourselves into it and enjoy the ride. Like a television show off we aren't enjoying it we can always change the channel or switch it of completely. I prefer to change the channel because a blank screen is just so boring.
@@adeimantusglaucon9732 one man's bullshit is another's gold plated ethos. It'd be the same as you discounting becoming a comedian because you see no value in it, while another makes comedy their life's work. Saying one's chosen occupation is wrong is like saying their taste in wine is wrong, as in the act of attempting to validate choices universally is what is truly absurd. Tl;dr Meaninglessness is meaningless
I loved Tony's (Ricky) eventual take on his job, and local newspapers. They're not meant to be read, but to be in. That everyone should be in the local newspaper at least once. It's a little "I was here".
"The pain I feel now is the happiness I had before. That's the deal." - C. S. Lewis, A Grief Observed Thank you for a most timely video, and the sweetly painful tears it brought to my eyes. P. S. I haven't even seen After Life, and that didn't matter.
Feels like the same logic as 'god is so amazing, it doesn't matter to look into if its true or not'. Reading the comments I see a lot of religious text as well :/
Joe, The Sanskrit and Pali word for that kind of happiness is “mudita” (which, if not careful, autocorrect changes to “nudist”, a very different kind of happy). The Buddha suggested that mudita is a very wholesome thing that brings one joy (by definition) and can bring happiness to others as well. It helps to spread one person’s happiness, success, or good fortune to others. JTI
I struggled with ideas like these for years, and for anyone who feels the same I would point you towards Alan Watts and the idea that life can be experiential, rather than existential. That in a way, we're all connected. Even as our consciousness ends, even as the heat death of the universe occurs, we were given a brief moment to experience a life filled with awe, wonder, and curiosities despite the astronomical improbabilities of such an event. Death doesn't have to carry the weighted fear of the unknown, because you've already experienced it but in reverse. Billions of years passed by, and you woke up having never gone to sleep. Life will happen whether you make it or not. But our ability to be aware of the world gives us the chance to listen to music, to dance, to play, none of which are done for the end result. We can live to experience life. "Dance to dance", as Alan Watts puts it.
Beautiful, yes. But this is ultimately optimistic-nihilism. I’m not quite sure if this belief is the final human enlightenment or a reasonable modern fad.
What beauty you put out into the world. Every video of yours has me in tears, of joy, of sadness, of relief and gratitude that I am here now. Your way of presenting these concepts, and others, is so powerful, and I am so very glad that I have found your channel. Thank you for what you do. You inspire me to be a more thoughtful, considerate, and good human being. Thank you for these experiences you create.
I am 64 years old now...and in many ways, have had a wonderful life....filled with wonder, adventure, excitement, fun, laughter, sadness & loss....and until I saw this video...nothing made real sense. For the most recent 3 years I have been grieving the loss of a relationship I had hoped would lead to marriage....it was not meant to be....and made me question if my life was worth continuing. This video has brought everything into perspective and has made me finally realise that only through love & giving to and helping others do we achieve happiness & peace of mind. I wish you all, wherever you may be.......Happiness, Peace, Joy & Contentment.
That not work everyone though because there is different individuals who get meanings and happiness as you call it other means! Which work you not may work others but as socials animals those means can bring feeling of meanings, purpose and enjoy our lives.
I had a similar revelation in 11th grade, when I was at my first peak of depression. I decided, I would live for no other reason than to see what this story would bring.
i was depressed for a long time, and for a long time I despised things that reminded me that I once enjoyed life. Comedy was what I enjoyed most but I grew to despise it. And because of that, I despised comedians. I watched this video. Then I watched After Life. Now, I understand what C.S. Lewis wrote about and why Ricky Gervais isn't a terrible person and why I am wasting my time being unhappy about the people I can't play pranks on anymore because they aren't here anymore. I understand now why I should stop wishing there were no trees in this world while hiding in their shade and why I should start planting as many trees as I possibly can with the time I have left. Thank you, LSOO. Shine on my friend.
I’ve been putting off watching this because of my own suicide idealisation. But with this video, you have made me feel brave & open enough to watch it. Superb content and analysis as always x
I sat on this show for a while. I knew it would be good, but never felt in the right mood. Just watched it my wife yesterday and it really came at the perfect time for both of us. I'm going into rehab for 4 months in 2 days. We have a son. It will be the longest we've been apart in our entire relationship. It's been the hardest thing I've ever done. I don't necessarily expect anyone reading this to understand but if anyone does, I just want to offer a pearl of wisdom. Enjoy life. Accept pain. Don't be afraid. Share your passion. Keep going.
I just want to mention one of my favorite quotes. It's from a japanese manga, called "Vagabond". The protagonist had stated to a buddhist monk that life has no value. So, the monk while remembering that statement thought to himself: "And life has no value. Truly right, it has no value. If you think only of yourself, it has no value..."
The amount of emotions that just flew through me when i unexpected woke up to your newest upload. I'm gonna take the time to watch this film and report back, but thank you for your work with this channel.
I take a practical approach to life and living. As far as I know, this is it -- it's the only chance at this I'll ever have. Why not ride it to the very end and see what happens?
@@martinprochazka3714 imagine you are watching a movie... Everything is so good and happy till it starts becoming sad. Will you stop watching the movie when it gets to it's most saddest point? I think not. You'll watch it till the end just because you just can't give up after watching for so long. Now imagine if the movie has an unexpected twist at the end and everything becomes so so good and happy, wouldn't it be all worth it? You'll feel grateful for not giving up in the middle. That's how you keep going. 💞
@@shrutis You can't really compare the near infinite amount of suffering contained in one's life to a movie that had an unexpected turn in the middle... I'm not a self-suicide appologist but I have and idea how dark it can get and that's why I'm not surpriced some people choose to just end it before they turn completely crazy. -- And yes, it is sad but that's the way it is...
Thank you for this video. I am at a very low point in my life. Like Ricky’s character, considered and attempted that very final action on multiple occasions. Although I didn’t notice it at the time I watched, After Life has helped me tremendously with doing better, with slowly climbing out of that hole. In no way am I where I want to be but your video reminded me of this series and of how far I’ve already come. Thanks again, LSOO!
Lidia Baker try watching the show After Life. My mom passed away by suicide more than 20 years ago and of course the scar is still visible. But watching the show helped to reconcile some of the confusion I faced. When you get back out into the real world, the brain has to function in a way to survive, which is not always the best way to live. So it’s nice to be reminded and maybe comprehend the bigger picture.
This is such a beautiful soliloquy to this soulful TV show. Gervais places a focus on this unshakeable sense of universal pointlessness when death happens.
this is indeed one of the most poignant, and thought-provoking existentialist TV programs I have watched in many years. Very much resonates with many of my own personal experiences in life. There is definitely a serious spiritual message in this series, which I think everybody should watch
I can't even begin to describe how much the videos you make have helped me through life. The last few months have been so difficult not just because of the pandemic. Every video I watch on this channel, gives me hope to make it through one more day, one more hour. Thank you. Thank you not from the consumer of your content to the creator of that content. Thank you as a person who has received hope from the words you have said. Thank you.
Whenever I'm feeling especially depressed, I look at the images of Lyle Stevik. He was a man who committed suicide the week after 9/11 in a motel room in Washington state. He used a fake name, taken from a character in a book. He was discovered only hours after his death, his body was in a recognisable condition, hanging from the wardrobe; his belt used as a noose. He was identified 16 years after his death. There are many images of his room and his body. It gives me some degree of comfort to look at his face, to know that I, too, could escape if I needed to. It was the 10th anniversary of my friends suicide on Tuesday. I went to her grave, laid flowers, left a note. I don't believe in God or the afterlife but leaving the note made me feel better. There we no other flowers and no one else was there. Her facebook contained no messages of remembrance, the last being from 2014. Was I the only one of her friends to remember? I believe that people die twice, once when their heart stops beating and second, when someone utters or thinks their name for the last time. Until my dying breath, I will remember her name. I loved you Ruby, thank you for being my friend.
@@jimmysmith736 Thank you, I'm doing alright (I have chronic pain). I went to her grave on her b'day two months ago. There was a new artificial daisy that hadn't been there before, slightly bleached by the sun. I now know she has not been forgotten by those who cared for her. What strange creatures we are to allow ourselves to love that which dies. Thank you for your thoughtful words.
Your channel is so therapeutic, i often play you videos just to listen to you talk, you have a way of analyzing movies that's so....alive, you break down a movie into its essence, its soul, i don't even know how to describe it, but i get a lot of healing from your work, keep it up.
Thanks a bunch for this video man! It really helps me out. Been looking at life as something absurd and meaningless for a long time now after my divorce and having lost work. Didn't believe there was a single honest person anymore. Until I saw it wasn't about me but about love, friendship, respecting your won dignity and that of others that makes life give a meaning that's worth pursueing, regardless of grief and self pity.
In the endless hand held screens of UA-cam I found this great video and also these quotes. Passion has little to do with euphoria and everything to do with patience. It is not about feeling good. It is about endurance. Like patience, passion comes from the same Latin root: pati. It does not mean to flow with exuberance. It means to suffer. Every soul is like a raindrop that falls from the sky into one vast ocean of consciousness. Most raindrops hit the surface and make a small ripple and fade away...But some ripples become waves. Most of them are lost. All those moments will be lost in time, like… tears in rain. Time to die.
"So much struggle for meaning, for purpose. And in the end, we find it only in each other. Our shared experience of the fantastic and the mundane. The simple human need to find a kindred. To connect. And to know in our hearts... that we are not alone." - Heroes
I just watched this again after a few months and I came away with new realizations...I love your work because every time I watch a previously watched episode I learn something new. Keep up the fantastic work !
I just came across your channel. The way you look at things and present them is amazing. Your voice is very calming almost an entryway to allow anybody to come in.
I haven't seen it yet. But after this I will. Thank you for the clarity in your analysis . I can well identify with a man like Tony. Finding everything and almost everyone pointless and absurd. Burnt ad infinitum by so called friends in my well meant attempts to help them or at least give them some solace. It hurts. And as any human being, I dislike being hurt. I'm just so lucky that there are a hand full of good friends looking out for me. And wallowing in self-pity does really make you bone idle. Thanks again.
Important points that are very useful in this video (that helped me the most): 1) Help each other to struggle a little less. We all have our fights to face, be kind. 2) Everyone has a story... we are all finding meaning and significance in that story. 3) Keep going 4) 17:44 Love. I cant wait for someone to love me as much as you love your wife. This one is for women but for men, she did mention 'I love how much you love your wife'. I do not know the movie but we may find some lessons about Love. Probably this is a lesson on patience. Whenever I watch your videos, I somehow feel the persons situation and start to compare it with my life. I end up experiencing the persons perspective and feelings. Now Im getting the feels, very impressive and at the end of the video it brings hope and strong statements that can be very enlightening. Thanks for this video
You're probably not gonna read this and may not care enough so there's no reason for me to put much effort in trying to explain every single one of my thoughts on this. I respect your work a lot, I think I've only seen 3 videos of yours, but every one is a mental journey, so although I think your work is Amazing it's hard to watch heavy stuff all the time, so important and great content like yours I wait for when I'm ready. But about this video. I thank you from the deepest regions of my heart for it, even if it's just for a few sections of it. I've properly read little of actual philosophy books, so it was gold what you presented by Camus, in addition to CS Lewis. I cried buckets and felt strong love for pretty much every second of the first 3 sections. Ive been crippling suicidal for the last 8 years or so, and what these two authors put in words helps to relate and express my expressionless feelings and thoughts. That's where the crying comes from, the frustration with the absurd. And I couldn't thank you enough for presenting me that. Unfortunately, from my point of view, after about 11:00 you went further and further from tackling the absurd and the real dilemma of why not kill yourself. David Foster Wallace presented ways to live better, and I won't deny it, but these reasonings still put nothing onto explaining philosophically why not suicide. I felt this was more of something you mentioned in the beginning, leaps of faiths and especially, like Camus put it, "like the donkey, feed on the roses of illusion", what I call in my words "fooling yourself because life only can be lived if you distract yourself from crude reality in some degree". So I think you tried to lead this to end in a bright note, but I must put clearly (if you don't already know it yourself) that you didn't face the absurd, you found in David Foster Wallace's work a way to avoid tackling the issue of wether kill yourself or not, instead just trying to answer how to live a better life. Now I must say that I honestly can't expect for you to solve this dilemma, I'd guess no human could ever solve the question philosophically, I can't ask this from you. Besides, it's okay for you to try to end it in a positive message, only rare fuckers like me want to watch content that makes you want to die. And you have all the right to ignore the possibility of suicide. I just want you to make clear to yourself that you didn't solve the dilemma. I still genuinely like you a lot though, and I still loved the video overall. And all this said, I'm sorry for being a jerk, and being absurdly pretentious. I'm no one, just some fuck who started seeking for absolute truths and now I'm suffering for reaching too close to the sun and wanting to keep going. I can't and I don't want to be a dick to everyone about it. Although I kinda did here. Sorry. Have a nice one. Really sorry.
I think he tackled it by saying, find meaning in helping other people, making other people happy, etc, because everyone is searching for something. I hope you're doing ok.
I haven't seen it yet but here is something I wanna tell you, the way you've shown it, I think your words are going to remain with me for a while. Thank you (straight from my heart).
I stumbled on After-life on Netflix while searching for something to watch before going to bed. I had no idea what it was about. I gave it a try because I love Gervais savage sense of humor. I watched the show in one go and ended up sleeping late. I'm glad I watched it. I got way more than I expected from this show. Love it. Thanks for the analysis. You have put into words what it made me feel. Your work is very different than the usual essay. It made me feel just as much as the show did. This one, the one about the fall and the one about Blade Runner are my favorites. Keep it up with your great work and I wish you the best. Thanks.
I had been feeling pretty militant recently, making effort to rewire myself to act, rather than react, to what is happening around me. Adulting with effort, just like everyone else. Watching this reminded me that we don't live as an abstract concept, we live for our loved ones, whoever it is we pick up into our crew on the way. I was focused on some particular part of my life, if not to say peripheral, and this video centered everything in my head. Thank you.
Nihilism is like shooting yourself in the foot; only then do you appreciate how your foot felt before the bullet. But it’s too late, you’ve already been shot.
@@arrietty1619 Once you realise you're down this path, you're usually too late to do anything about it... Try to find joy on the little things life has to offer, that's what keeps me around... personally speaking.
Zhol Goliath I know. I wish I was never introduced to Nihilism. Wish I wasn’t so inquisitive. Now the existential dread is killing me and I feel lost. I’m trying to learn about stoicism though.. maybe it’ll help
God asked me to take a leap of faith...I am Enlightened....Blessings from Jacova....Know that in each day even though you may find it devoid of meaning, the person that you just smiled at was heartened...The old lady you gave directions to is heartened...The crying child you made laugh is heartened....My sons father died of Lou Gehrigs Christmas Eve when he was in 1 st grade...There is always hope...Hope in the beauty of a flower and a cloud a cup of water. A funny looking dog and blade of grass. Blessings...Much love. Jacova 11...
C.S.Lewis: 'If the whole universe has no meaning, we should never have found out that it has no meaning: just as, if there were no light in the universe and therefore no creatures with eyes, we should never know it was dark. Dark would be without meaning.
This is so lovely thank you for making it, we shall continue helping each other, from a humble Mexican in Japan, I do always find meaning in giving my last bit of strength in helping others and I realized it comes back
Thank you for this incredible life-affirming story and this hopefull tune at the end. I just recently realized a dramatic limiting believe (or two), and, consequently, I'm rethinking my career options entirely. I feel so lost.
Thank you so much for this video. I just arrived home and clicked on it. I arrived with a question "Why do humans love to hear other's people stories so much?" I just met a Venezuelan woman who told me her story. I dared to speak with her because my heart was wondering "she, she has a story behind her looks, her posture, her presence" And she did. I've stopped the game "who has suffered more in life me or you", rather I just listened with pure attention. I found beauty in her words, in her feelings, in her story. I love these connections that we all humans feel the need to have. That is indeed my purpose to overcome the dissatisfaction of a dull existence and when I do it this way, it transforms into a hecking awesome existence. Haha.
As we, Buddhist, say, we ought to have compassion for others all the more because, although they wish for happiness, they are ignorant of how to get it. It's another one of these beautiful (touching, meaningful) videos of yours, by the way.
@@Sam-zj6mw In case compassion is associated with attachment, anger, sadness, anxiety, etc. then it's not wholesome. When it is conjoined with wisdom, compassion becomes the wish for others to be free from suffering and the causes of suffering. This entails you have realized for yourself with direct knowledge what the causes of suffering are. From a Buddhist viewpoint, this sort of wisdom is very rare. You kind of have to be an athlete of your mind. Otherwise, chances are compassion will be mixed, like muddy water.
In the show he makes him free from suffering by facilitating his suicide by drug overdose. Are you seriously calling that compassion? I call it a reckless disregard for human life.
I love this program, but it is already a complete story and doesn't need a second season. Also, it really helped me. Thank you Mr. Gervais and thank you "like stories of old".
Your videos are the type of things we need online. They are just perfect and always make me sentimental, my bro. They talk and discuss things that have tormented my soul one way or another. And you always end all your videos on the highest note, the better compliment, the better teaching that there is always some good to learn out of every subject. You explain what it is that can be learned from every topic to make us better individuals. You are mythological, brother. Keep at it. Wish you the best!
You're just changing rooms from existentialism to nihilism to absurdity. It's not until your conscious awareness sees that the conceptual idea of absurdity is just another 'thought room' that you can step back and see the whole house of the mind for what it is. Only then is there a depth of peace beyond words...
True, absurdity implies that you have preconceived beliefs and notions about reality you disagree with and therefore find absurd. But this all stems from being absorb by your thoughts, and not realizing you are not your thoughts, you are the pure consciousness or awareness that feel and thinks of things. Reality is absolutely meaningless, it is humans that give meaning or lack of meaning in life.
@@javier.alvarez764 I think we cannot be absolutely sure that reality is "absolutely meaningless" since that is an objective claim. Humans are not capable of comprehending something beyond reality so everything we say, think, feel or anything is fundamentally subjective. Reality may have a meaning, or maybe not. We probably would never know.
I paused and read all of ‘A Grief Observed’ (probably getting that wrong now), knowing I would relate. And holy fuck I have not stopped crying since I’d begun. I read that in like an hour, I was so impaled on our similar thoughts. Idk if I recommend it, but thanks for showing me this. Great video / channel. Subbed.
crying at my desk at work isn't a fire-able offense right? - so apparently this needed a time stamp to appease some really cool guys - lunch breaks exist guys... lunch break... jesus christ
It's more so that you're not going to get the promotion you were never qualified to get. So, good luck with the awkward stares that will inevitable ensue from now on: "What's wrong, Eric? Watching those "old stories" again? I knew Eric wasn't working and just taking up company resources on company time. Man, I hate, Eric, right now!! He's a semi-good guy, but it's really chafing my bum when he steals from our boss!! I hate that, dude!!!!"
It was an extremely rare experience to have a tv show touching me the way After Life did. I finished the whole series in less than 24 hours, and If I didn't have work I would have watched all episodes back to back. It is such an amazing work of art. As for your video sir, it is an unbelievable philosophical effort that deserves applause for a long, long time! Fantastic video! Immediately added to my list of most favorite videos on YT. Thank you for your deep thoughts.
This deeply reflects Rumi. He would say that the pain that we feel is the hole to our freedom. If we go into our pain, we see that we're not just going into our own pain, but everyone else's as well. Then, we find this interconnectedness that is filled with this painful love that everyone is trying to avoid through all the distractions in this world. In the words of Joesph Campbell, "Love is the burning point of life, and since all life is sorrowful, so is love. The stronger the love, the more the pain. Love itself is pain, you might say- the pain of being truly alive! But, love bears all things."
Like Stories of Old, always find myself coming back to your channel at rough patches. Videos like this one are always wonderful little treasures. God Bless you.
I hope this gets many thousands of views that it deserves, your channel is amazing! I hope you don't mind but I tweeted this to Ricky Gervais suggesting he watches it & he simply replied "Amazing" ☺️
This was so good! Thank you for putting it out there. To be, or not to be, that is the question: Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, Or to take arms against a sea of troubles And by opposing end them. To die-to sleep, no more; And by a sleep to say we end the heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks that flesh is heir to: 'tis a consummation devoutly to be wish'd. To die, to sleep; To sleep, perchance to dream-ay, there's the rub: For in that sleep of death what dreams may come?
So much educative information to digest, so much inspiration to process. Somehow I do not want to see a next video from LSOO, and at the same time, I can't wait for the next. Thank you for these beautiful video essays.
Good show, really touching.It´s an honest view of how grief can be felt by someone who has no hope whatsoever.He does not know if death is final to existence, but he firmly believes in his heart and mind it is so.Then he despairs and lives his life in a sad and neurotic way.A never ending grief,because he feels like a victim of an absolute meaningless journey on earth.That old lady in the bench is a classic and warm atheist who can see things more clearly and also lives a pretty sad life,but manages it better through good materialistic quotations and sheer resignation.For me,the central subject is a puzzling mystery that i do not dare to have an opinion about. I´ve already loss father , mother and older brother and this very deep doubt i have about existence was my best medicine.
Forgot how much I love your work. It's put together with such care that it is almost certain to bring me to tears. My favorite of yours is probably your analysis of the movie Sunlight. I've always been moved by how beautiful the cosmos are, and so it spoke to me in a special way. You deserve every ounce of support you get. Continue your work with similar passion.
Beautiful, thoughtful work, as always. However, C.S. Lewis had much more to say about his own grief, and meaning in general. Seems a pity to include his questioning, but not the answers he ultimately found.
@@9122mike C.S. Lewis was a professor at Oxford and an avowed atheist until he became a Christian. It was after this conversion (in his 60s) that he met his only wife, and love of his life, Joy. But she died after a few short years of marriage. His diary, which his stepson later released as A Grief Observed (the work that is quoted in this video) is highly recommended reading for anyone dealing with grief. But I don't recommend reading it without also reading something else of his. Specifically, I would recommend Surprised By Joy and The Four Loves. His most famous works are Mere Christianity and the Narnia series of children's books. He has a number of wondeful books, in which he articulates his reasons for ultimately believing that the world does have meaning, and why that meaning is centered around the life and work of Jesus Christ.
Hugo Yeah, it appears his greatest shtick is “I don’t believe in your god like you dont believe in zues”... I’ve heard him say it so much that I think he believes he’s making a seriously profound statement when he says it.
@@lifewasgiventous1614 I don't doubt that his conversion was genuine. But the fact that he converted doesn't necessarily mean he believed God is real. People can be very stubborn and swayed by their peers, so they can make themselves stick with all sorts of nonsensical ideas even when all the evidence and even their instincts are telling them not to. For years, I forced myself to defend Christianity despite knowing deep down that it was complete nonsense. If the folks around me had been more devout (as the folks around C.S. Lewis undoubtedly were), I might still be doing it to this day. Let's not forget, smart people aren't immune from attaching themselves to nonsensical beliefs, and the smarter you are, the better you are at defending the nonsense you choose to believe.
Prometheus I disagree I think his beliefs were genuine, just because you find yourself unconvinced doesn’t mean others have also arrived at that conclusion and are merely pretending.
I haven't watched this but seeing some of the interactions is enough for me to see how much I relate to this. After losing ppl through death and losing people through complications in life there was one connection i lost that finally broke the camel's back... I have started feeling nihilistic in my mid 20s. I am between shifting between my old self and seeing things through this nihilistic lens. It sucks but I have to embrace this new view on life until I feel better about it.
I struggle with emptiness myself, my fiancee left me two weeks before our wedding and I'm struggling to balance my grief with the needs of my friends and family. This review genuinely made me think.
Just wanted to say that watching your videos is akin to a deeply spiritual experience for me. Thanks man! Keep doing this. It will be a cold and harsh day if you ever stop posting these videos.
What were your thoughts on Ricky Gervais' After Life? Let me know below!
I’m so happy you are tackling this, I thought this series was one of the most honest takes I’ve ever seen on what it’s like to lose someone you absolutely love
I really loved this interpretation and you might be pleased to know that Ricky Gervais does too! I tweeted him this video link & he replied to say "Amazing"
Keep up the good work I really love your channel! 👌🏼
I've been ignoring this show because it was by Ricky Gervais your review has convinced me to watch it
I was in a coservative fundamentalist pocket of Christianity and it was affirming to see someone else wrestle with the the same things I wrestled with in the face of my loss of belief. When you spend your whole life believing in some divine purpose it was very uncomfortably to have that confidence fall away and struggle to see what was left.
@@jollyyeholiver1578 Please do put a reply afterwards you have seen the show. I thought the acting was bad and the whole setup too pretentious. Felt his character as an immature adult with too much tantrum. Tried to be fun philosophical but fell flat.
Ricky Gervais just tweeted this! And I'm glad he did! It's an extraordinary analysis!!
I'm glad that he did, I sent him this link on Twitter and he replied "Amazing" ☺️
@@fridgeman2008 Aw, that's lovely!
@@fridgeman2008 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏
Simon Walmsley thats fantastic
Of course he did. It's a video about himself from a show all about himself. The only thing atheists truly love beyond themselves is a mirror, regardless of what they might claim otherwise.
"I would rather live missing him than for him to live missing me, that is how much I love him"
"A society grows great when an old man plants trees, the shade of which they know they will never sit in"
The best lines in the whole season.
“Happiness is amazing. It's so amazing it doesn't matter if it's yours or not”
Very well spoken by Harriet Jones former prime minister
@@baggieboydan82 Ha! I knew I recognized her. 😃
I felt that 🤍
who said the second one?
"Happiness is amazing. It's so amazing that it doesn't matter if it's yours or not."
All I can do is smile :)
What the hell does that even mean? Does Gervais go around leeching off other people's happiness like a psychic vampire? Come to think of it, that would actually explain a lot about him.
It's a ridiculous quote. Most if not all people are way too selfish for that.
Reads like a bullshit philosophy for idiots.
Well thats stupid, i see seemingly happy people all the time when i work, i dont envy them, i just obsess over what went wrong with my process.
“Happy ppl make me miserable.” -Louis CK(Louie tv show)
'Her absence is like the sky, spread over everything.' Thirteen years already. I wanted to build some great memorial so no one could forget her. A better person than me. I decided to become her memorial and try to reflect the qualities that made her beautiful.
lol
He's is like me for 17 years. now 3 years in recovery. not easy losing someone. RIP Melissa
I'm sorry for your loss. There is no other pain like it.
Sorry for your lose man.
Rest in peace means you as well, I hope you know that.
U r the brave one.
Congrats on 3 years! I had to overdose and have my heart stop before i finally got clean.
When I watched a documentary about Vincent Van Gogh, it amazed me how much he loved the natural world. The sun in the sky, the stars twinkling in the sky, the wheat swaying in the wind. He loved it so much, he tried to conveyed all that love in his paintings. Maybe happiness is fleeting but when you notice the small things like how the light plays on tree leaves on a windy day, you get to experience the small wonders that exists on this beautiful little planet. I read somewhere that Art is a way of observing, maybe take up art classes or start drawing, painting to observe the small things. That’s how you develop an appreciation for the small things. This is a bit in line with Mindfullness.
It's way better than "Mindfulness", because you don't have to try, it's natural to you.
I never read about it, I loathe any book that isn't a novel, I just always felt this way, from childhood to now.
Art therapy is a wonderful thing.
The moment you ground yourself in the present moment, is the moment you see the divine truth that the purpose is the journey. The journey is a passing of moments that we must experience wholly and unapologetically to understand, reality is beautiful if you look close enough.
If you like Vincent you should listen to starry night by Don McLean. A beautiful song about a beautiful soul.
I agree with the story for except one key detail. The pursuit of happiness. I think people aim for the wrong thing since the problem about happiness is that it’s a fleeting emotion. It’s what makes it valuable and the pursuit of constantly feeling it will only make you feel despair when you’re not at the zenith of satisfaction. Instead you should find something that gives you meaning, that makes life feel full. I’m not saying you shouldn’t accept happiness, but instead you should cherish it when it comes your way.
I think rather seek fulfillment, and to be content. And happiness is bound to show up for you along the way. Most times even when it's not expected. Those are the times i enjoy most.
@@raycasias8144 Agreed, the fact that happiness isn't always with you is the exact reason why it is precious. I think society has forgotten that valuable piece of information in this age of instant gratification. It's a shame really and I hope we rediscover it.
@Nelson Giles death is the ultimate caveat, oblivion the epitome of a get out of jail card and we all have each on the way. We're all in shit storm. I was just thinking might as well look to be content with whatever is in our grasp rather than mope around or make up fairy tales of vindication, exchanging what's palpable for something else we'll never see just to feel better about the struggle. One can be quite fulfilled with what one has if they try. Like an acquired taste for the life in your very hands i guess?
I agree. Happiness is great and if it were possible to be happy at all times it would be amazing, the problem is it's not, so striving for that will only lead to disappointment.
@Nelson Giles Agree but as for definitions and the pursuit of happiness, I think the Greek Eudimonea is more accurate as a pursuit.
Eudimonia contains more that just an emotion of happiness that can be fleeting and transient. Eudimonea gives the impression of a journey, purposeful and flourishing along the way. Like a tree that grows whilst occasionally getting pruned and battered by a storm.
Something in my chest just expanded. You've done it again. I can't wait for the next one.
See a cardiologist.
A sailboat
The End.
Every single video you put out. So good. Your's is the only channel I will purposefully delay watching a video until I have time to devote my undivided attention. Well done.
im a recent viewer and the videos ive seen have rarely not drawn well fought tears.
I will also purposefully delay watching your channel -
until I am dead and buried.
Best one yet. Feeling disillusioned with life, losing the meaning you assigned to it. Those moments are difficult to overcome. Then you realize that the meaning was assigned by you for you, and you have to find it once again.
yeah, but the whole point is that meaning is bullshit - and suicide is a justified response to the world. perhaps more just than deluding one's self as if they were sisyphus......
Adeimantus Glaucon The reason I decided not to kill myself when I was 9 years old was because I wanted to know how my favorite show would end. If meaning is bullshit, it didn’t matter to me. We invent narratives and attach meaning to them. Perhaps that’s why we keep telling stories at all. We’ll stay alive so we get to experience them.
Adeimantus Glaucon of course it's all illusion. Just like a television show. We know it's all made up and scripted but we project ourselves into it and enjoy the ride. Like a television show off we aren't enjoying it we can always change the channel or switch it of completely. I prefer to change the channel because a blank screen is just so boring.
UltimateKyuubiFox what was the show you wanted to know the end of?
@@adeimantusglaucon9732 one man's bullshit is another's gold plated ethos. It'd be the same as you discounting becoming a comedian because you see no value in it, while another makes comedy their life's work. Saying one's chosen occupation is wrong is like saying their taste in wine is wrong, as in the act of attempting to validate choices universally is what is truly absurd. Tl;dr Meaninglessness is meaningless
There's a certain feeling of awe I get every time I watch your videos. They make me a better person. Thank you!
It's the New Age background music that's pulling you in.
@@Nope_Datt i was about to say the same damn thing lol, music can really make or break a video
@@barnacleboi2595 I guess our great minds think alike. Welcome to the party, Manuel.
@@Nope_Datt Masha'Allah❤
@@TheBoss-mo4nu + What has God willed?
The local free newspaper is indeed a nice metaphor for life. It has its banal stories of day-to-day people, just trying to be special.
I loved Tony's (Ricky) eventual take on his job, and local newspapers.
They're not meant to be read, but to be in. That everyone should be in the local newspaper at least once. It's a little "I was here".
cringe mediocrity idolization
this series is a a great metaphor for life, because it's insipidly insincere, and best enjoyed by morons
:)
tf are you doing here ? 😂😂
🧲
ay man never thought id see u here
@@Junkb666 Face it
@@ea4935 wtf are u talking about bro
“It's only after we've lost everything that we're free to do anything.”
― Chuck Palahniuk, Fight Club
Just watching this video for the second time. I love it.
Dich findet man aber auch echt überall :D
@@eatcrispycornflakes2608 Dutch land über alley
You gotta pump those numbers up, those are rookie numbers.
Alter, du bist überall!
Ok random verfied man.
"The pain I feel now is the happiness I had before. That's the deal." - C. S. Lewis, A Grief Observed
Thank you for a most timely video, and the sweetly painful tears it brought to my eyes.
P. S. I haven't even seen After Life, and that didn't matter.
Agreed. This vid perfectly stands on its own
„Happiness is so amazing, it doesnt matter if its yours or not“
I had to stop the video to write that one down. powerful stuff
Kinda does though
It certainly does
Feels like the same logic as 'god is so amazing, it doesn't matter to look into if its true or not'. Reading the comments I see a lot of religious text as well :/
Joe,
The Sanskrit and Pali word for that kind of happiness is “mudita” (which, if not careful, autocorrect changes to “nudist”, a very different kind of happy).
The Buddha suggested that mudita is a very wholesome thing that brings one joy (by definition) and can bring happiness to others as well. It helps to spread one person’s happiness, success, or good fortune to others.
JTI
I struggled with ideas like these for years, and for anyone who feels the same I would point you towards Alan Watts and the idea that life can be experiential, rather than existential. That in a way, we're all connected. Even as our consciousness ends, even as the heat death of the universe occurs, we were given a brief moment to experience a life filled with awe, wonder, and curiosities despite the astronomical improbabilities of such an event. Death doesn't have to carry the weighted fear of the unknown, because you've already experienced it but in reverse. Billions of years passed by, and you woke up having never gone to sleep. Life will happen whether you make it or not. But our ability to be aware of the world gives us the chance to listen to music, to dance, to play, none of which are done for the end result. We can live to experience life. "Dance to dance", as Alan Watts puts it.
Thanks for the insight.
Well said!
Damn, this is fucking beautiful
Beautiful, yes. But this is ultimately optimistic-nihilism. I’m not quite sure if this belief is the final human enlightenment or a reasonable modern fad.
Doesn't help, returning to the void doesn't make life meaningless, but it still sounds pretty freakin scary.
What beauty you put out into the world. Every video of yours has me in tears, of joy, of sadness, of relief and gratitude that I am here now. Your way of presenting these concepts, and others, is so powerful, and I am so very glad that I have found your channel. Thank you for what you do. You inspire me to be a more thoughtful, considerate, and good human being. Thank you for these experiences you create.
boooring
I am 64 years old now...and in many ways, have had a wonderful life....filled with wonder, adventure, excitement, fun, laughter, sadness & loss....and until I saw this video...nothing made real sense. For the most recent 3 years I have been grieving the loss of a relationship I had hoped would lead to marriage....it was not meant to be....and made me question if my life was worth continuing. This video has brought everything into perspective and has made me finally realise that only through love & giving to and helping others do we achieve happiness & peace of mind. I wish you all, wherever you may be.......Happiness, Peace, Joy & Contentment.
That not work everyone though because there is different individuals who get meanings and happiness as you call it other means! Which work you not may work others but as socials animals those means can bring feeling of meanings, purpose and enjoy our lives.
In the end, you dont look for happiness in life, you look for meaning. Thank you for this video!!
I had a similar revelation in 11th grade, when I was at my first peak of depression. I decided, I would live for no other reason than to see what this story would bring.
Similarly, I decided as a teenager that I would never kill myself and that whatever life had to bring I would endure it. It was liberating.
i was depressed for a long time, and for a long time I despised things that reminded me that I once enjoyed life. Comedy was what I enjoyed most but I grew to despise it. And because of that, I despised comedians. I watched this video. Then I watched After Life. Now, I understand what C.S. Lewis wrote about and why Ricky Gervais isn't a terrible person and why I am wasting my time being unhappy about the people I can't play pranks on anymore because they aren't here anymore. I understand now why I should stop wishing there were no trees in this world while hiding in their shade and why I should start planting as many trees as I possibly can with the time I have left. Thank you, LSOO. Shine on my friend.
I’ve been putting off watching this because of my own suicide idealisation. But with this video, you have made me feel brave & open enough to watch it. Superb content and analysis as always x
Hope this gets a lot of coverage now that Gervais shared it! This video and your channel deserves it!
I sat on this show for a while. I knew it would be good, but never felt in the right mood. Just watched it my wife yesterday and it really came at the perfect time for both of us. I'm going into rehab for 4 months in 2 days. We have a son. It will be the longest we've been apart in our entire relationship. It's been the hardest thing I've ever done. I don't necessarily expect anyone reading this to understand but if anyone does, I just want to offer a pearl of wisdom. Enjoy life. Accept pain. Don't be afraid. Share your passion. Keep going.
I just want to mention one of my favorite quotes. It's from a japanese manga, called "Vagabond". The protagonist had stated to a buddhist monk that life has no value. So, the monk while remembering that statement thought to himself:
"And life has no value. Truly right, it has no value. If you think only of yourself, it has no value..."
Vagabond is excellent. I’m glad to see people talking about it
Masterpiece
I still come back to this video a few times a year. Your videos have been there for me for a long time now.
“Happiness is the greatest hiding place for despair.”
― Søren Kierkegaard
The amount of emotions that just flew through me when i unexpected woke up to your newest upload.
I'm gonna take the time to watch this film and report back, but thank you for your work with this channel.
ZambonieDude It's well worth your time. Beautiful story.
Yeah, I paused the video and binged the whole first series.
@@smaakjeks started 10 second of the vid, paused it and binged it. I cried for both the show and this video.
I take a practical approach to life and living.
As far as I know, this is it -- it's the only chance at this I'll ever have. Why not ride it to the very end and see what happens?
Because times will come when seeing what's happening might get too painful to watch.
@@martinprochazka3714 imagine you are watching a movie... Everything is so good and happy till it starts becoming sad. Will you stop watching the movie when it gets to it's most saddest point? I think not. You'll watch it till the end just because you just can't give up after watching for so long.
Now imagine if the movie has an unexpected twist at the end and everything becomes so so good and happy, wouldn't it be all worth it? You'll feel grateful for not giving up in the middle. That's how you keep going. 💞
@@shrutis You can't really compare the near infinite amount of suffering contained in one's life to a movie that had an unexpected turn in the middle... I'm not a self-suicide appologist but I have and idea how dark it can get and that's why I'm not surpriced some people choose to just end it before they turn completely crazy. -- And yes, it is sad but that's the way it is...
Not to mention the time we are currently living in is great, there is so much here
@@shrutis I hope you don't mind but I just used this as one of the best Quotes I have ever heard. Thank you.
Thank you for this video.
I am at a very low point in my life. Like Ricky’s character, considered and attempted that very final action on multiple occasions. Although I didn’t notice it at the time I watched, After Life has helped me tremendously with doing better, with slowly climbing out of that hole. In no way am I where I want to be but your video reminded me of this series and of how far I’ve already come.
Thanks again, LSOO!
I have huge respect for you carrying on.
How much it takes I know quite well.
I wish you all the best.
Lidia Baker try watching the show After Life. My mom passed away by suicide more than 20 years ago and of course the scar is still visible. But watching the show helped to reconcile some of the confusion I faced. When you get back out into the real world, the brain has to function in a way to survive, which is not always the best way to live. So it’s nice to be reminded and maybe comprehend the bigger picture.
How are you doing?
very thought-provoking. Wonderful video :)
This is such a beautiful soliloquy to this soulful TV show. Gervais places a focus on this unshakeable sense of universal pointlessness when death happens.
this is indeed one of the most poignant, and thought-provoking existentialist TV programs I have watched in many years. Very much resonates with many of my own personal experiences in life. There is definitely a serious spiritual message in this series, which I think everybody should watch
Have you watched the good place? Give that show a go.
yikes
Your voice is very soothing... like audio lavender. This is a subject I grapple with/ponder daily. the seeming inanity of it ALL.
"Everyone finds their own reasons, however silly or small they might seem on the serface, to make their life worth living"
- -LSOO 2019
I can't even begin to describe how much the videos you make have helped me through life. The last few months have been so difficult not just because of the pandemic. Every video I watch on this channel, gives me hope to make it through one more day, one more hour. Thank you. Thank you not from the consumer of your content to the creator of that content. Thank you as a person who has received hope from the words you have said. Thank you.
I hope you made it through the pandemic ok my friend ❤
Whenever I'm feeling especially depressed, I look at the images of Lyle Stevik. He was a man who committed suicide the week after 9/11 in a motel room in Washington state. He used a fake name, taken from a character in a book. He was discovered only hours after his death, his body was in a recognisable condition, hanging from the wardrobe; his belt used as a noose. He was identified 16 years after his death. There are many images of his room and his body. It gives me some degree of comfort to look at his face, to know that I, too, could escape if I needed to.
It was the 10th anniversary of my friends suicide on Tuesday. I went to her grave, laid flowers, left a note. I don't believe in God or the afterlife but leaving the note made me feel better. There we no other flowers and no one else was there. Her facebook contained no messages of remembrance, the last being from 2014. Was I the only one of her friends to remember? I believe that people die twice, once when their heart stops beating and second, when someone utters or thinks their name for the last time. Until my dying breath, I will remember her name. I loved you Ruby, thank you for being my friend.
Thankyou for this lovely message
Hope you are well
@@jimmysmith736 Thank you, I'm doing alright (I have chronic pain). I went to her grave on her b'day two months ago. There was a new artificial daisy that hadn't been there before, slightly bleached by the sun. I now know she has not been forgotten by those who cared for her. What strange creatures we are to allow ourselves to love that which dies. Thank you for your thoughtful words.
Your channel is so therapeutic, i often play you videos just to listen to you talk, you have a way of analyzing movies that's so....alive, you break down a movie into its essence, its soul, i don't even know how to describe it, but i get a lot of healing from your work, keep it up.
Thanks a bunch for this video man! It really helps me out. Been looking at life as something absurd and meaningless for a long time now after my divorce and having lost work. Didn't believe there was a single honest person anymore. Until I saw it wasn't about me but about love, friendship, respecting your won dignity and that of others that makes life give a meaning that's worth pursueing, regardless of grief and self pity.
In the endless hand held screens of UA-cam I found this great video and also these quotes.
Passion has little to do with euphoria and everything to do with patience. It is not about feeling good. It is about endurance. Like patience, passion comes from the same Latin root: pati. It does not mean to flow with exuberance. It means to suffer.
Every soul is like a raindrop that falls from the sky into one vast ocean of consciousness. Most raindrops hit the surface and make a small ripple and fade away...But some ripples become waves.
Most of them are lost.
All those moments will be lost in time, like… tears in rain. Time to die.
"So much struggle for meaning, for purpose. And in the end, we find it only in each other. Our shared experience of the fantastic and the mundane. The simple human need to find a kindred. To connect. And to know in our hearts... that we are not alone." - Heroes
I just watched this again after a few months and I came away with new realizations...I love your work because every time I watch a previously watched episode I learn something new. Keep up the fantastic work !
the seemless transition into an ad at the end almost detracts from the gravity of this video
I just came across your channel. The way you look at things and present them is amazing. Your voice is very calming almost an entryway to allow anybody to come in.
I haven't seen it yet. But after this I will. Thank you for the clarity in your analysis . I can well identify with a man like Tony. Finding everything and almost everyone pointless and absurd. Burnt ad infinitum by so called friends in my well meant attempts to help them or at least give them some solace. It hurts. And as any human being, I dislike being hurt. I'm just so lucky that there are a hand full of good friends looking out for me.
And wallowing in self-pity does really make you bone idle.
Thanks again.
Important points that are very useful in this video (that helped me the most):
1) Help each other to struggle a little less. We all have our fights to face, be kind.
2) Everyone has a story... we are all finding meaning and significance in that story.
3) Keep going
4) 17:44 Love. I cant wait for someone to love me as much as you love your wife. This one is for women but for men, she did mention 'I love how much you love your wife'. I do not know the movie but we may find some lessons about Love. Probably this is a lesson on patience.
Whenever I watch your videos, I somehow feel the persons situation and start to compare it with my life. I end up experiencing the persons perspective and feelings. Now Im getting the feels, very impressive and at the end of the video it brings hope and strong statements that can be very enlightening. Thanks for this video
This video spoke to me, so effectively, I cried. I can't help but thank you for your incessant effort. Your work means the world to people
I’m still watching, reading the comments, with the same effect....
Much love to you
Ricky gervais is brilliant. This series was funny, sweet, sad and just about every emotion there is. I loved it.
nah he lost his touch decades ago, now he's just a sad sap narcissist, especially in this series
After Life is one of the best things I've ever watched and this UA-cam posting has been a thought provoking and an interesting follow-up.
This is honestly one of favorite UA-cam videos. Thank you for this LikeStoriesOfOld!
You're probably not gonna read this and may not care enough so there's no reason for me to put much effort in trying to explain every single one of my thoughts on this.
I respect your work a lot, I think I've only seen 3 videos of yours, but every one is a mental journey, so although I think your work is Amazing it's hard to watch heavy stuff all the time, so important and great content like yours I wait for when I'm ready.
But about this video. I thank you from the deepest regions of my heart for it, even if it's just for a few sections of it. I've properly read little of actual philosophy books, so it was gold what you presented by Camus, in addition to CS Lewis. I cried buckets and felt strong love for pretty much every second of the first 3 sections. Ive been crippling suicidal for the last 8 years or so, and what these two authors put in words helps to relate and express my expressionless feelings and thoughts. That's where the crying comes from, the frustration with the absurd. And I couldn't thank you enough for presenting me that.
Unfortunately, from my point of view, after about 11:00 you went further and further from tackling the absurd and the real dilemma of why not kill yourself. David Foster Wallace presented ways to live better, and I won't deny it, but these reasonings still put nothing onto explaining philosophically why not suicide. I felt this was more of something you mentioned in the beginning, leaps of faiths and especially, like Camus put it, "like the donkey, feed on the roses of illusion", what I call in my words "fooling yourself because life only can be lived if you distract yourself from crude reality in some degree".
So I think you tried to lead this to end in a bright note, but I must put clearly (if you don't already know it yourself) that you didn't face the absurd, you found in David Foster Wallace's work a way to avoid tackling the issue of wether kill yourself or not, instead just trying to answer how to live a better life. Now I must say that I honestly can't expect for you to solve this dilemma, I'd guess no human could ever solve the question philosophically, I can't ask this from you. Besides, it's okay for you to try to end it in a positive message, only rare fuckers like me want to watch content that makes you want to die. And you have all the right to ignore the possibility of suicide. I just want you to make clear to yourself that you didn't solve the dilemma.
I still genuinely like you a lot though, and I still loved the video overall.
And all this said, I'm sorry for being a jerk, and being absurdly pretentious. I'm no one, just some fuck who started seeking for absolute truths and now I'm suffering for reaching too close to the sun and wanting to keep going. I can't and I don't want to be a dick to everyone about it. Although I kinda did here. Sorry. Have a nice one. Really sorry.
I will like to say: keep going.
I think he tackled it by saying, find meaning in helping other people, making other people happy, etc, because everyone is searching for something. I hope you're doing ok.
I haven't seen it yet but here is something I wanna tell you, the way you've shown it, I think your words are going to remain with me for a while. Thank you (straight from my heart).
I stumbled on After-life on Netflix while searching for something to watch before going to bed. I had no idea what it was about. I gave it a try because I love Gervais savage sense of humor. I watched the show in one go and ended up sleeping late.
I'm glad I watched it. I got way more than I expected from this show. Love it.
Thanks for the analysis.
You have put into words what it made me feel.
Your work is very different than the usual essay. It made me feel just as much as the show did.
This one, the one about the fall and the one about Blade Runner are my favorites. Keep it up with your great work and I wish you the best.
Thanks.
I had been feeling pretty militant recently, making effort to rewire myself to act, rather than react, to what is happening around me. Adulting with effort, just like everyone else. Watching this reminded me that we don't live as an abstract concept, we live for our loved ones, whoever it is we pick up into our crew on the way. I was focused on some particular part of my life, if not to say peripheral, and this video centered everything in my head. Thank you.
Once you've entered the Valley of Nihilism, it's very very difficult to leave it.
Nihilism is like shooting yourself in the foot; only then do you appreciate how your foot felt before the bullet. But it’s too late, you’ve already been shot.
Me entered at 13,now am 25.…. Jordan Peterson,and vicktor frankl helped me .
oh shit. should I stop myself before it’s too late
@@arrietty1619 Once you realise you're down this path, you're usually too late to do anything about it... Try to find joy on the little things life has to offer, that's what keeps me around... personally speaking.
Zhol Goliath
I know. I wish I was never introduced to Nihilism. Wish I wasn’t so inquisitive. Now the existential dread is killing me and I feel lost.
I’m trying to learn about stoicism though.. maybe it’ll help
God asked me to take a leap of faith...I am Enlightened....Blessings from Jacova....Know that in each day even though you may find it devoid of meaning, the person that you just smiled at was heartened...The old lady you gave directions to is heartened...The crying child you made laugh is heartened....My sons father died of Lou Gehrigs Christmas Eve when he was in 1 st grade...There is always hope...Hope in the beauty of a flower and a cloud a cup of water. A funny looking dog and blade of grass.
Blessings...Much love. Jacova 11...
"For having consciousness in a universe without ultimate meaning really means having the freedom to create your own."
What makes u so sure?
C.S.Lewis: 'If the whole universe has no meaning, we should never have found out that it has no meaning: just as, if there were no light in the universe and therefore no creatures with eyes, we should never know it was dark. Dark would be without meaning.
“life is suffering, to live is to find meaning in that suffering”
forgot who said that
@@arrietty1619 it's Nietzeche
@@wilsondelmas3934 r u for real bro?
This is so lovely thank you for making it, we shall continue helping each other, from a humble Mexican in Japan, I do always find meaning in giving my last bit of strength in helping others and I realized it comes back
Thank you for this incredible life-affirming story and this hopefull tune at the end. I just recently realized a dramatic limiting believe (or two), and, consequently, I'm rethinking my career options entirely. I feel so lost.
You don't sound lost to me.
You sound more like you've found something.
Be happy .
Thank you so much for this video. I just arrived home and clicked on it. I arrived with a question "Why do humans love to hear other's people stories so much?" I just met a Venezuelan woman who told me her story. I dared to speak with her because my heart was wondering "she, she has a story behind her looks, her posture, her presence" And she did. I've stopped the game "who has suffered more in life me or you", rather I just listened with pure attention. I found beauty in her words, in her feelings, in her story. I love these connections that we all humans feel the need to have. That is indeed my purpose to overcome the dissatisfaction of a dull existence and when I do it this way, it transforms into a hecking awesome existence. Haha.
As we, Buddhist, say, we ought to have compassion for others all the more because, although they wish for happiness, they are ignorant of how to get it.
It's another one of these beautiful (touching, meaningful) videos of yours, by the way.
Where does euthanising drug addicts fit in with compassion?
@@Sam-zj6mw Could you be more specific?
The part where he Harold Shipmans the heroin user.
@@Sam-zj6mw In case compassion is associated with attachment, anger, sadness, anxiety, etc. then it's not wholesome. When it is conjoined with wisdom, compassion becomes the wish for others to be free from suffering and the causes of suffering. This entails you have realized for yourself with direct knowledge what the causes of suffering are. From a Buddhist viewpoint, this sort of wisdom is very rare. You kind of have to be an athlete of your mind. Otherwise, chances are compassion will be mixed, like muddy water.
In the show he makes him free from suffering by facilitating his suicide by drug overdose. Are you seriously calling that compassion? I call it a reckless disregard for human life.
I love this program, but it is already a complete story and doesn't need a second season. Also, it really helped me. Thank you Mr. Gervais and thank you "like stories of old".
You are one of those " Good People " and I am grateful for what you have said through this essay. I needed this 🙏🙏
Your videos are the type of things we need online. They are just perfect and always make me sentimental, my bro. They talk and discuss things that have tormented my soul one way or another. And you always end all your videos on the highest note, the better compliment, the better teaching that there is always some good to learn out of every subject. You explain what it is that can be learned from every topic to make us better individuals. You are mythological, brother. Keep at it. Wish you the best!
Once you have given up on existentialism, and grown out of nihilism, all that is left is to embrace the absurdity..
You're just changing rooms from existentialism to nihilism to absurdity. It's not until your conscious awareness sees that the conceptual idea of absurdity is just another 'thought room' that you can step back and see the whole house of the mind for what it is. Only then is there a depth of peace beyond words...
True, absurdity implies that you have preconceived beliefs and notions about reality you disagree with and therefore find absurd. But this all stems from being absorb by your thoughts, and not realizing you are not your thoughts, you are the pure consciousness or awareness that feel and thinks of things. Reality is absolutely meaningless, it is humans that give meaning or lack of meaning in life.
@@javier.alvarez764
Agreed
Alas.
@@javier.alvarez764 I think we cannot be absolutely sure that reality is "absolutely meaningless" since that is an objective claim. Humans are not capable of comprehending something beyond reality so everything we say, think, feel or anything is fundamentally subjective.
Reality may have a meaning, or maybe not. We probably would never know.
I paused and read all of ‘A Grief Observed’ (probably getting that wrong now), knowing I would relate.
And holy fuck I have not stopped crying since I’d begun.
I read that in like an hour, I was so impaled on our similar thoughts.
Idk if I recommend it, but thanks for showing me this. Great video / channel. Subbed.
"when the shell of my heart breaks open tears will flow. And they will be called pearls of God"...thank you.
where is that quote from?
If I could, I would give you all the unconditional love, compassion, kindness in the universe, Tom. I extend this to all humanity! Peace and love.
crying at my desk at work isn't a fire-able offense right?
- so apparently this needed a time stamp to appease some really cool guys - lunch breaks exist guys... lunch break... jesus christ
No, but watching UA-cam at work might be... :3
You must be a line manager
I (sorta) wish I could just watch YT all day long at my job. Must be nice.
It's more so that you're not going to get the promotion you were never qualified to get. So, good luck with the awkward stares that will inevitable ensue from now on:
"What's wrong, Eric? Watching those "old stories" again? I knew Eric wasn't working and just taking up company resources on company time. Man, I hate, Eric, right now!! He's a semi-good guy, but it's really chafing my bum when he steals from our boss!! I hate that, dude!!!!"
It was an extremely rare experience to have a tv show touching me the way After Life did. I finished the whole series in less than 24 hours, and If I didn't have work I would have watched all episodes back to back. It is such an amazing work of art. As for your video sir, it is an unbelievable philosophical effort that deserves applause for a long, long time! Fantastic video! Immediately added to my list of most favorite videos on YT. Thank you for your deep thoughts.
This deeply reflects Rumi. He would say that the pain that we feel is the hole to our freedom. If we go into our pain, we see that we're not just going into our own pain, but everyone else's as well. Then, we find this interconnectedness that is filled with this painful love that everyone is trying to avoid through all the distractions in this world.
In the words of Joesph Campbell, "Love is the burning point of life, and since all life is sorrowful, so is love. The stronger the love, the more the pain. Love itself is pain, you might say- the pain of being truly alive! But, love bears all things."
Like Stories of Old, always find myself coming back to your channel at rough patches. Videos like this one are always wonderful little treasures. God Bless you.
I'm at a loss for words how amazing this was set, well done sir.
'Happiness is amazing, so amazing it doesn't matter if it's yours or not'. One of the best things I've ever heard.
This is one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen.
You have the most buttery voice for advertisements I have ever heard.Mubi should be grateful to have you.
Dammit, you’re making me cry right in the cafeteria. 😥😭
Thank you.
I dont know man, but your videos reach into my heart. Thank you.
I hope this gets many thousands of views that it deserves, your channel is amazing! I hope you don't mind but I tweeted this to Ricky Gervais suggesting he watches it & he simply replied "Amazing" ☺️
This was so good! Thank you for putting it out there.
To be, or not to be, that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles
And by opposing end them.
To die-to sleep, no more;
And by a sleep to say we end the heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks that flesh is heir to:
'tis a consummation devoutly to be wish'd.
To die, to sleep;
To sleep, perchance to dream-ay, there's the rub:
For in that sleep of death what dreams may come?
"It is hard work, and great art, to make life not so serious." -John Irving. (the hotel new hampshire)
So much educative information to digest, so much inspiration to process. Somehow I do not want to see a next video from LSOO, and at the same time, I can't wait for the next. Thank you for these beautiful video essays.
This is the best video you've made yet. Thank you so much for all of the content!
Good show, really touching.It´s an honest view of how grief can be felt by someone who has no hope whatsoever.He does not know if death is final to existence, but he firmly believes in his heart and mind it is so.Then he despairs and lives his life in a sad and neurotic way.A never ending grief,because he feels like a victim of an absolute meaningless journey on earth.That old lady in the bench is a classic and warm atheist who can see things more clearly and also lives a pretty sad life,but manages it better through good materialistic quotations and sheer resignation.For me,the central subject is a puzzling mystery that i do not dare to have an opinion about. I´ve already loss father , mother and older brother and this very deep doubt i have about existence was my best medicine.
"happiness is so amazing, it doesn't even matter if its yours"
Forgot how much I love your work. It's put together with such care that it is almost certain to bring me to tears. My favorite of yours is probably your analysis of the movie Sunlight. I've always been moved by how beautiful the cosmos are, and so it spoke to me in a special way. You deserve every ounce of support you get. Continue your work with similar passion.
Beautiful, thoughtful work, as always. However, C.S. Lewis had much more to say about his own grief, and meaning in general. Seems a pity to include his questioning, but not the answers he ultimately found.
Hey I'd like to read more of his answers. What do you recommend
@@9122mike C.S. Lewis was a professor at Oxford and an avowed atheist until he became a Christian. It was after this conversion (in his 60s) that he met his only wife, and love of his life, Joy. But she died after a few short years of marriage. His diary, which his stepson later released as A Grief Observed (the work that is quoted in this video) is highly recommended reading for anyone dealing with grief. But I don't recommend reading it without also reading something else of his. Specifically, I would recommend Surprised By Joy and The Four Loves. His most famous works are Mere Christianity and the Narnia series of children's books. He has a number of wondeful books, in which he articulates his reasons for ultimately believing that the world does have meaning, and why that meaning is centered around the life and work of Jesus Christ.
Micah Alex
A great break down for Lewis can be found on UA-cam under C.S Lewis doodle, or C.S Lewis essays.
Not to mention that Lewis’ answers are way more well thought out that anything Ricky Gervais has ever said.
Hugo
Yeah, it appears his greatest shtick is “I don’t believe in your god like you dont believe in zues”... I’ve heard him say it so much that I think he believes he’s making a seriously profound statement when he says it.
4 years after this video was posted you’re making my cry on my lunch break lol. Amazing analysis
Keep up the good work, man! I love what you do!
The whole video was so BEAUTIFUL and so thought out, thanks a lot for making this.
Ricky Gervais and CS Lewis talking on the same theme? That's like chalk and cheese having a civil conversation. Imagine that.
Chalk and cheese this line is a work of art hahaha
I have always suspected that C.S. Lewis chose to believe in God despite the fact that he knew there was no such thing.
Prometheus
What would make you think his belief and conversion wasn’t genuine?
@@lifewasgiventous1614 I don't doubt that his conversion was genuine. But the fact that he converted doesn't necessarily mean he believed God is real. People can be very stubborn and swayed by their peers, so they can make themselves stick with all sorts of nonsensical ideas even when all the evidence and even their instincts are telling them not to. For years, I forced myself to defend Christianity despite knowing deep down that it was complete nonsense. If the folks around me had been more devout (as the folks around C.S. Lewis undoubtedly were), I might still be doing it to this day. Let's not forget, smart people aren't immune from attaching themselves to nonsensical beliefs, and the smarter you are, the better you are at defending the nonsense you choose to believe.
Prometheus
I disagree I think his beliefs were genuine, just because you find yourself unconvinced doesn’t mean others have also arrived at that conclusion and are merely pretending.
Being human is oh-so-painful, but it is absolutely worth it.
I've sat through this video 7 times, and cried, deeply, each time. Relating really sucks.
After watching this, I'm more convinced that nihilism is just zen except with depression.
Good one
I haven't watched this but seeing some of the interactions is enough for me to see how much I relate to this. After losing ppl through death and losing people through complications in life there was one connection i lost that finally broke the camel's back... I have started feeling nihilistic in my mid 20s. I am between shifting between my old self and seeing things through this nihilistic lens. It sucks but I have to embrace this new view on life until I feel better about it.
I struggle with emptiness myself, my fiancee left me two weeks before our wedding and I'm struggling to balance my grief with the needs of my friends and family. This review genuinely made me think.
Just wanted to say that watching your videos is akin to a deeply spiritual experience for me. Thanks man! Keep doing this. It will be a cold and harsh day if you ever stop posting these videos.
This was like looking into myself.