After watching your videos I’m now embarrassed on how base level my take away from Blood Meridian was. I really want to learn about gnostic thought, yoga, all of it. I was raised Mormon and it is so unfulfilling and I’m just looking for something more. Thank you for your channel. It’s been really good.
Oh, I love stories like this! I don't know if Cormac saved my life, but he absolutely changed my life. His books are some of the most profound that I've read, and it's his style that I've shamelessly tried to emulate. XD Literature in general probably saved my life, or at least saved me from being something unsavory. Mary Shelley's Frankenstein was the watershed moment for me. Showed me what books could do. I truly fear what I might be doing now if I didn't read. Like you say, it can be kind of depressing when you look around and so many people don't seem to reflect on things as much as they might. This was very interesting to hear. :)
What a beautiful video, thank you for sharing this Ian. Before I found your channel I was aimless, I always loved reading but I was not passionate about it. After discovering your videos on Cormac McCarthy and some of your older videos I finally began to comprehend the value and the importance and the life altering potential that lies between the covers of so many books. So I began to read, and the more I read the more enthralled with literature I became and then I found myself taking notes and journaling about the books I was reading. I started to seek out scholarship on the books or authors I was interested in and most importantly I started writing. And I am sure if I had this experience with you channel there are others who quietly express the same gratitude towards what you are doing.
Just reading this! Wow. I'm glad to have helped. This is the goal of this channel. I am so happy you're journaling about the books you're reading. I have notes about my thoughts about Cormac from 15+ years ago which is wild. Also, I am glad you're writing. Can't wait to read it one day.
For me, as a woman, McCarthy grabbed me because his work deprograms if read with care. We have to project to read, and it works with our projections in a tug of war. I am an unapologetic atheist. The world is bad due to belief, not testing. I think one has to be able to truly identify issues with humans before one can appreciate the solutions.
Lots of belief has led to prosperity and testing to suffering. I lean materialist in a lot of ways, but science cannot choose our first principles for us.
Omg I’m here for this! I’ve heard you elude to this topic but I can’t wait to listen to you expand on it. Literature has saved my life, too, and that’s why I love your passion. It’s completely infectious!
It doesn't get talked about enough, but the power of having a mentor at a crucial point in your life can make a life changing difference. I'd encourage anyone who is in a position to push themselves and be a mentor because I think it is a simple way to make a big impact
Absolutely cannot thank you enough for your contribution. This video and your story as a dude in general carried so much in the way of odd synchronicities with my life both past and present that it was kinda crazy watching this. I'm eternally grateful to the bookstore employee who randomly turned me on to Blood Meridian and back to Cormac, which of course led me here, which I hope will lead me to the next great thing. What would be the best way to reach out to you re: cormac, youtube, etc?
Loved this! TBI's can be tragic. Instead your zeal is infectious and inspiring! I'm rooting for you. Nil desperandum est! (I'm excited to hear more about this tour of book locations.)
I was very surprised to see you only had 4k subs. Found this due to Cormac in the algorithm, but I was all in on your story. I’m here for more for sure.
Awesome video! I just got out of a rough prelim exam cycle and I'm in a major reading slump. I've tried reading Mrs. Dalloway, The Crying of Lot 49, and Beloved but I can't seem to actually enjoy any of them. What's a book (or books) you'd recommend to pull someone out of a slump?
Do you have a reading list available somewhere? This video pushed me further to realize how much I have to read since I left college in 2018. Do you have a ‘definitive’ list or, at least, a list of recommendations? I’d love to see a video about that.
Couple years. But, I had 10+ in a year or twos time. I was training BJJ hardcore 15+ hours a week for two years right when I really recovered from my first two. In BJJ I got dropped on my head during takedowns and took knees to head on accident a lot. I had to quit because it was compounding really bad!
Great rant, Ian! There's some things you believe in that I can't be sold on (astrology), but other than that you're great contet creator. Share some of your poetry on here sometime
Ernesto, that's your inner Scorpio darkness talking again :p Poetry will be rolled out soon. Have to get more consistent with my videos though. I feel in my bones I can do 20 a day. Sounds crazy, but its the only way I can create a wave in the literature scene!
Similar thing for myself with Steven Erikson. I don’t know if you’re into fantasy, and if you’re not, I’d still suggest it. It’s Literary Fantasy, and Steven Erikson is ingenious and very philosophical in general in his views and a modern day scholar. Recently I have been getting into McCarthy as I’m being drawn away from Fantasy more and more due to awful writers blowing up the genre. What types of genres have you been reading recently? On a side note, you should look into editing services. I’m currently working on a low fantasy series that I know won’t get the views or reads as other books, but it’s whatever. I go for themes and prose opposed to ‘rule of cool’ which is what fantasy readers want now a days, which is just sad. But anyways, loving what you’re doing. Really appreciate the videos you’ve been putting up.
Thanks for the support! I've been reading mostly contemporary authors lately. Rereading Wallace, McCarthy, and Houellebecq and a bunch of secondary sources for researching McCarthy! I'm also always reading poetry! Just finished rereading Antonio Machado's collection.
Hey man, i got re-obsessed with Cormac this year but ive been reading him for like 15 yrs. I first found your vids on audible then found your channel here. Glad to be here. Any attention Cormac's work gets the better! Speaking of Wendigoon, i dont think his "summary" of BM was that great. It was good but he didnt really dive into the deeper symbolism or philosophical aspects of it. I actually thought his attitude to the novel at times does the work a disservice and might sway people away from the book.
@11:30 the "smartest guy in the room" knows they're not the smartest in the room. Not just because there's probably a woman in the room, but because all your ancestors and all the people you've learned from are in some sense _in the room._
Thanks for the channel! I agree most people are sheep...but a lot of people are out there raising families and working hard. There's a life where knowledge is not important, and quite frankly, some of the wisest people in world havent read a single book....there's also a ton of greedy, selfish pieces of shit in the world too who haven't read a book
100% - I feel like everyone must read some integral classics and grapple with new knowledge that may impact ethical decision-making. A lot of really great family guys I know if put in a position would fall prey to unethical behaviors because they don't have an intellectual framework to understand their place in defying tyranny. But, to your point I know a lot of guys that read too much and became moral relativists and would be the ones giving those orders lol
Very poignant. Thank you for sharing this. You’re journey is similar to my own: intellectual adventures are fun and great but sometimes you have to allow yourself to just be.
Hey buddy there are so many other authors, not only McCarthy and Wallace! they are good but nowhere as near as the modern classics like Mann, Fitzgerald and others. Read The magic Mountain and let me know what you think about it.
@@WriteConscious anyway read Magic mountain by Thomas Mann, and let me know if it’s not going to be one of your best reads. Idk if there is a novel with that much subtext, it feels like universal , it talks about everything with the power of subtext.
You're kind of saying - you can teach an old dog new tricks. In ref to teaching folks who don't contemplate, don't think, are thoughtless, maybe ignorant. That's very positive. I want to believe but a bit cynical.
You ever wonder what you look like at the grocery store? I had a similar path to you, a philosophy major, wannabe writer, and occult enthusiast. Blood Meridian got me questioning my assumption that Gnosticism was a good thing. All of this, strangely and beautifully, resulted in conversion to Catholicism. Did you know Cormac was raised Catholic? I feel like the end of Billy Parham’s life might be a vision of purgatory and heaven. There are many paths up the mountain, but it seems to me maybe one is quicker than the rest. Of course that’s assuming you do want to get up the mountain.
After watching your videos I’m now embarrassed on how base level my take away from Blood Meridian was. I really want to learn about gnostic thought, yoga, all of it. I was raised Mormon and it is so unfulfilling and I’m just looking for something more. Thank you for your channel. It’s been really good.
Wow. I’m an older guy but have to say that was one of the most instructive, interesting and inspirational videos I have seen online. Great stuff.
Thanks brotha!
Oh, I love stories like this! I don't know if Cormac saved my life, but he absolutely changed my life. His books are some of the most profound that I've read, and it's his style that I've shamelessly tried to emulate. XD Literature in general probably saved my life, or at least saved me from being something unsavory. Mary Shelley's Frankenstein was the watershed moment for me. Showed me what books could do. I truly fear what I might be doing now if I didn't read. Like you say, it can be kind of depressing when you look around and so many people don't seem to reflect on things as much as they might. This was very interesting to hear. :)
Thanks brotha!
fantastic stuff, brother. love your page and VERY excited for your upcoming DFW projects. thanks for caring about what matters 🙏
Boom! We are live. A lot of DFW content will be rolled out this month. Got a bunch of it primed to be filmed
What a beautiful video, thank you for sharing this Ian. Before I found your channel I was aimless, I always loved reading but I was not passionate about it. After discovering your videos on Cormac McCarthy and some of your older videos I finally began to comprehend the value and the importance and the life altering potential that lies between the covers of so many books. So I began to read, and the more I read the more enthralled with literature I became and then I found myself taking notes and journaling about the books I was reading. I started to seek out scholarship on the books or authors I was interested in and most importantly I started writing. And I am sure if I had this experience with you channel there are others who quietly express the same gratitude towards what you are doing.
Just reading this! Wow. I'm glad to have helped. This is the goal of this channel. I am so happy you're journaling about the books you're reading. I have notes about my thoughts about Cormac from 15+ years ago which is wild. Also, I am glad you're writing. Can't wait to read it one day.
For me, as a woman, McCarthy grabbed me because his work deprograms if read with care. We have to project to read, and it works with our projections in a tug of war. I am an unapologetic atheist. The world is bad due to belief, not testing. I think one has to be able to truly identify issues with humans before one can appreciate the solutions.
Beautiful comment!
Lots of belief has led to prosperity and testing to suffering. I lean materialist in a lot of ways, but science cannot choose our first principles for us.
raw and real. love this channel!
This was the most meaningful video I've seen all year... It's inspired me. Thank you.
Thank you brotha!
Omg I’m here for this! I’ve heard you elude to this topic but I can’t wait to listen to you expand on it. Literature has saved my life, too, and that’s why I love your passion. It’s completely infectious!
Yay! Well, I'm excited for us Nikki. Hope for lots of cozy reading time this winter
I'm very thankful that your channel exists.
You keep on improving, you'll break through one day.
Thank you brotha! I'm GONNA BE A CONTENDA
It doesn't get talked about enough, but the power of having a mentor at a crucial point in your life can make a life changing difference. I'd encourage anyone who is in a position to push themselves and be a mentor because I think it is a simple way to make a big impact
Yes!
Absolutely cannot thank you enough for your contribution. This video and your story as a dude in general carried so much in the way of odd synchronicities with my life both past and present that it was kinda crazy watching this. I'm eternally grateful to the bookstore employee who randomly turned me on to Blood Meridian and back to Cormac, which of course led me here, which I hope will lead me to the next great thing. What would be the best way to reach out to you re: cormac, youtube, etc?
Loved this! TBI's can be tragic. Instead your zeal is infectious and inspiring! I'm rooting for you.
Nil desperandum est!
(I'm excited to hear more about this tour of book locations.)
Will be posting a video on here touring a place in BM this week
I was very surprised to see you only had 4k subs. Found this due to Cormac in the algorithm, but I was all in on your story. I’m here for more for sure.
Thanks brotha!!
Commenting right away: cannot wait to watch this 🔥
lol!
Mr. Stewart, you rock, btw! We need more of you.
He bought a t-shirt from me randomly not too long ago lmao
@@WriteConscious that is so darn cool!
I love what you’re doing and your energy. And I agree with your philosophy of sharing knowledge.
Thanks for the support!
Огромное спасибо тебе 🫂 удачи и добра
Great video man! I can relate to your journey
Thanks Phillip!
Really appreciate what you are doing keep it up.
My man! Thanks!
Just found your channel - great stuff you're doing here!
Thanks brotha!
Awesome video! I just got out of a rough prelim exam cycle and I'm in a major reading slump. I've tried reading Mrs. Dalloway, The Crying of Lot 49, and Beloved but I can't seem to actually enjoy any of them. What's a book (or books) you'd recommend to pull someone out of a slump?
Still Life with Woodpecker by Tom Robbins. Trust me! There is nothing better for the task.
amzn.to/3PWRHoI
Great video!
Thanks brotha!
Do you have a reading list available somewhere? This video pushed me further to realize how much I have to read since I left college in 2018. Do you have a ‘definitive’ list or, at least, a list of recommendations? I’d love to see a video about that.
Here is a random list I made a few years back
ianjamescattanach.com/ians-favorites/
As a 28 year old man with rapidly thinning hair I can safely assure you your not balding lol I’d kill for that hair.
Thanks brotha!
More than love , money or fame give me truth !! Thoreau
Yes!@
How long did your concussion take to fully recover from? They are no joke! Mine took about 8 months.
Couple years. But, I had 10+ in a year or twos time. I was training BJJ hardcore 15+ hours a week for two years right when I really recovered from my first two. In BJJ I got dropped on my head during takedowns and took knees to head on accident a lot. I had to quit because it was compounding really bad!
Great rant, Ian! There's some things you believe in that I can't be sold on (astrology), but other than that you're great contet creator. Share some of your poetry on here sometime
Ernesto, that's your inner Scorpio darkness talking again :p Poetry will be rolled out soon. Have to get more consistent with my videos though. I feel in my bones I can do 20 a day. Sounds crazy, but its the only way I can create a wave in the literature scene!
Similar thing for myself with Steven Erikson. I don’t know if you’re into fantasy, and if you’re not, I’d still suggest it. It’s Literary Fantasy, and Steven Erikson is ingenious and very philosophical in general in his views and a modern day scholar. Recently I have been getting into McCarthy as I’m being drawn away from Fantasy more and more due to awful writers blowing up the genre.
What types of genres have you been reading recently?
On a side note, you should look into editing services. I’m currently working on a low fantasy series that I know won’t get the views or reads as other books, but it’s whatever. I go for themes and prose opposed to ‘rule of cool’ which is what fantasy readers want now a days, which is just sad.
But anyways, loving what you’re doing. Really appreciate the videos you’ve been putting up.
Thanks for the support! I've been reading mostly contemporary authors lately. Rereading Wallace, McCarthy, and Houellebecq and a bunch of secondary sources for researching McCarthy! I'm also always reading poetry! Just finished rereading Antonio Machado's collection.
Hey man, i got re-obsessed with Cormac this year but ive been reading him for like 15 yrs. I first found your vids on audible then found your channel here. Glad to be here. Any attention Cormac's work gets the better! Speaking of Wendigoon, i dont think his "summary" of BM was that great. It was good but he didnt really dive into the deeper symbolism or philosophical aspects of it. I actually thought his attitude to the novel at times does the work a disservice and might sway people away from the book.
It brought tens of thousands of people to Cormac's work is a good thing in the long run!
cool, I love David Abram
You may like this 5.5 hour review I did one of Abram's books!
ua-cam.com/video/WJghcDsStMc/v-deo.html
@9:50 I am so glad for the people close to you, whom I do not at all know, (and you too) that you managed to move on from nihilism.
@11:30 the "smartest guy in the room" knows they're not the smartest in the room. Not just because there's probably a woman in the room, but because all your ancestors and all the people you've learned from are in some sense _in the room._
Yes!
Floorbuffer? Long board?
You’re on point.
lol
Have you ever read the books by ERNEST BECKER?
Thanks for the channel! I agree most people are sheep...but a lot of people are out there raising families and working hard. There's a life where knowledge is not important, and quite frankly, some of the wisest people in world havent read a single book....there's also a ton of greedy, selfish pieces of shit in the world too who haven't read a book
100% - I feel like everyone must read some integral classics and grapple with new knowledge that may impact ethical decision-making. A lot of really great family guys I know if put in a position would fall prey to unethical behaviors because they don't have an intellectual framework to understand their place in defying tyranny. But, to your point I know a lot of guys that read too much and became moral relativists and would be the ones giving those orders lol
@@WriteConscious thanks again for your videos and the reply and what you are accomplishing using youtube!
“Hardcore long boarding” is a contradiction in terms. But I’m sorry about your brain bleeding. Glad you soldiered through it, King.
lol...
Very poignant. Thank you for sharing this. You’re journey is similar to my own: intellectual adventures are fun and great but sometimes you have to allow yourself to just be.
Exactly! Reading isn't a competition or game. But, all of us who went to public school think it is.
Hey buddy there are so many other authors, not only McCarthy and Wallace! they are good but nowhere as near as the modern classics like Mann, Fitzgerald and others. Read The magic Mountain and let me know what you think about it.
I have 200+ videos on authors other than McCarthy and Wallace.
@@WriteConscious anyway read Magic mountain by Thomas Mann, and let me know if it’s not going to be one of your best reads. Idk if there is a novel with that much subtext, it feels like universal , it talks about everything with the power of subtext.
24:33
You’re not balding. Lol.
Thank you good doctor! My self esteem is now restored 😂
You're kind of saying - you can teach an old dog new tricks. In ref to teaching folks who don't contemplate, don't think, are thoughtless, maybe ignorant. That's very positive. I want to believe but a bit cynical.
Al Gore rhythm
lol
Pretty harsh ake on people who need to get their groceries.
You ever wonder what you look like at the grocery store? I had a similar path to you, a philosophy major, wannabe writer, and occult enthusiast. Blood Meridian got me questioning my assumption that Gnosticism was a good thing. All of this, strangely and beautifully, resulted in conversion to Catholicism. Did you know Cormac was raised Catholic? I feel like the end of Billy Parham’s life might be a vision of purgatory and heaven. There are many paths up the mountain, but it seems to me maybe one is quicker than the rest. Of course that’s assuming you do want to get up the mountain.
I know brotha, I just converted too. I am the new Jim Jones! ua-cam.com/video/T4RB41Dn9Vg/v-deo.html
Try reading SAPIENS
*Anomity* .
yes