Digital Communion #38 – ‘Admiration and Intoxication’

Question: ‘Who do you admire most these days?’

This is an episode about admiration and its limits. What are the things we can or ‘should’ admire in others? Is it possible to admire ‘bad’ people in some way? Nic and Thomas then dig deeper and talk about the nature of success, the influence of technology on our opportunities, and how people can rationalize doing great harm to others and still manage to sleep at night.

NOTES:

The strange phenomenon that when you don’t want to know the answer, usually the first thing that comes to mind is the truth

Nic explains why he admires Barack Obama

Being remembered not for how you start things, but how you finish them

The art of feeling people’s vibe and making snap judgements

Why evil is so intoxicating, even when it seems so against our nature

Making sense of Vladimir Putin

Rick Doblin and using psychedelics for self-development

Thomas explains why he admires Elon Musk

Does success beget success?

What technology has done for our quality of life

Is Big Pharma poisoning people on purpose to keep them hooked?

Cigarette companies and conspiracies

How people can rationalize doing great harm to others

This week’s episode begins in the kitchen, but rapidly moves into the great outdoors and then on to some deep questions about the perils and perks of specialization. Can we be fulfilled as humans if we only master one skill? Or does the old cliché about being a Jack of All Trades hold true? From culinary Jiu Jitsu to powerful ideas on how to reforge the education system, this episode is as wide-ranging as it is thought-provoking.

Question: ‘Do you think it’s important to be able to cook well?’

NOTES:

What does your (in)ability to cook say about you?

The personal rewards of harvesting and hunting your own food

How much more well-rounded and actualized would we be if the education system included classes on how to manage your emotions?

How far does traditional education impact the quality of our life experiences?

Nic brings up quotes from two different ends of a spectrum: Robert Heinlein thought ‘specialization is for insects’, but Tim Ferriss claims that ‘the world rewards specialists’. How can we reconcile these perspectives?

Could we have Renaissance Men if we were designed to be just one thing?

Musashi and the art of mastery

With specialization, do we ever learn to play chords, rather than single notes?

Nic reconnects with videogames after writing them off as a waste of time

When productivity becomes the enemy of personal development… and fun

This is a special episode, featuring Nic and Thomas in a three-way conversation with Leigh Martinuzzi, host of the very cool podcast The Hidden Why. Leigh’s show is all about peace, passion and purpose, with a good dose of humour and straight-talking along the way. All three come together to discuss and discover the game of life in all its beautiful complexity.

SHOW NOTES:

What does your god look like (and why)?

Does following a religion rob you of your true individuality?

How to choose and lose your beliefs

Flow, meditation… and drinking binges

Can we be committed to freedom yet still have vices, material and chemical?

Finding the strength to let yourself off the leash, but not to then go chasing every rabbit that comes your way

Information overload: are we reading and learning too much to be happy in the present moment?

Why we should make the effort to schedule regular time in nature

A powerful way to switch up how we approach our lives: not ‘I have to do this’, but ‘I get to do this’

Finding the Muse – sometimes against your will

Why humans are always searching for meaning – and why we so often get side-tracked from it

 

 

In this episode we talk about the power of music, how it can shape mood, why electronic music is so special, burn out from things experienced over and over, the magic of nature sounds, and much more. What’s the difference between someone who only listens to one type of music and someone who appreciates a broad variety? Find out in this surprising episode.

SHOW NOTES

– When and why electronic music first spoke to Nic

– How different kinds of music connect with your soul rhythm

– The ability of music to alter your mood

– Training and exercising with music

– The power of experiencing live electronic music and how the energy is different than other types of music

– Are you selling yourself short if you only listen to one type of music?

– What song would you have playing in everyone’s head when you walk in a room?

– Burn out caused by having music on all the time in the background without paying attention to it

– Not taking music for granted and consciously focusing and appreciating the track you’re listening to

– Why do humans burn out on things (including food) if they have too much over and and over

– The specialness of nature sounds

Watch or Listen below or get the Podcast free on iTunes

 

The world just can’t look away from the drama that’s defining the 2016 presidential election. And the most obvious factor is Donald Trump. But is he a genius marketing mastermind, making controversial statements on purpose? Or is he merely in the right place at the right time in history, causing many to overlook the otherwise outrageous or controversial?

In this episode we’re discussing this and more, including people’s desperation to be part of a tribe, inherent distrust of authority, and a recent experience that altered Nic’s opinion of government. The answer might surprise you. Listen now.

 

“When you’re born in this world you’re given a ticket to the freak show, and when you are born in America you’re given a front row seat.” – George Carlin

 

Watch or Listen below or get the Podcast free on iTunes

 

SHOW NOTES

– Donald Trump: Genius Mastermind or Lucky Idiot?

– What Trump’s speech patterns say about him

– Social cues that can imply the level of someone’s intelligence

– The possibility that the American political system is rigged

– How did Trump get this far without the full support of Republicans?

– Is polling a sham?

– Is the American election just a giant reality TV show?

– Why does it seem like we just can’t look away from the political drama

– People’s desperation to be part of a tribe

– Inherent distrust in authority and government systems

– A recent experience that changed Nic’s perspective on the need for government regulation

– People are only truly free when they are safe

– The conspiracy of the New World Order: is it really such a bad thing?

– How the perception of safety relates to the heartbreaking race issues that are being exposed day after day

– Emissions standards vs integrity standards

MENTIONS

– The Higherside Chats Podcast

Some people at the top of their game hit a point where they stop growing. This limits their potential – in life, knowledge, and the pursuit of so much more.

Nic and Thomas discuss intelligence and the pitfalls of rigid thinking, how to keep an open mind, and the most important factor in your full potential: awareness. Are you sure you know where the gaps are in your knowledge? Learn ways you become aware and lots more in this week’s episode.

Watch or Listen below or get the Podcast free on iTunes

 

SHOW NOTES

– A definition of intelligence: the ability to recall information that you’ve put in it

– The day you actually need to fear is the day you stop being aware of your own lack of knowledge

– Thomas relates his first awareness of struggling with math at an early age

– The paralyzing effects of not feeling as good at a school subject as your peers

– Thomas’s later realization that he has an innate understanding of the “math” of music and polyrhythms

– Could you be good at a subject if you had just been pushed to be?

– Are some people just not pushed toward certain school subjects because of the way they act or look?

– Why does it seem rare to see extremely attractive world-class scientists?

– Does society push people toward certain things based on their proclivities and how society views them; and in turn the individual’s mind doesn’t develop to its full extent unless you are self aware and break away from the mold

– What Stephen Hawking, Beethoven, and All-Star Chef Grant Achatz all have in common

– Having agility in your thinking vs rigidity

– Why your brain does NOT work like a computer despite the common analogy

– Why your brain does not have to be bound by the limitations of operating like computer software

– The benefits of noticing your thoughts or tendency to immediately think of a counter argument in any discussion you have

– How you can choose to not be rigid in your thinking

– How being open to discussion can give you a good reflection of where you have gaps in your knowledge

– Why some people who are at the top of their game stop growing, and how this can be avoided

MENTIONS

– Must see: Chef’s Table, Season 2, Episode 1 featuring Grant Achatz

 

Need a life change but not sure where to start? check out Thomas’s METAMORPHOSIS PROGRAM now available at: http://www.30minuteadvantage.com/

Nic’s unique Jiu Jitsu philosophy has gained worldwide recognition. Join in at The Jiu Jitsu Brotherhood.

Check out the business success course Nic is using at the moment – ‘Winning the Game of Money‘

We almost didn’t release this one.

We’re fully aware of the sensitive nature of some of the topics. But the whole point of this is the quest for an honest conversation, right? So here’s a mild warning that it’s probably not appropriate for a car ride with the kids. Check it out below.

If you could meet God and ask one question what would it be? What does your God look like? These questions and more lead to a colorful discussion about gods, warriors, and ancient rituals, the limitations of the blunt medium of language when it comes to describing the divine, and whether you have to understand the nuances of a ritual in order to get the benefits.

Plus find out how to avoid malaise after reaching the ceiling of a goal or amount of income you’ve been working towards….

Watch or Listen below or get the Podcast free on iTunes

In this episode Nic talks jiu jitsu, masters vs beginners, and how his workout approach has transformed in the last year. Find out what the Japanese idea of “Gen-jutsu” is, what it has to do with training and mindset, and how to pass Level 1.

Check out this episode and explore with us: what are you not doing in your life regularly, that you KNOW would make your life better? When was the last time you did something to get out into nature for 5 days in a row? Today is day 1 for Thomas. Find out what happened here.

“You need to internalize the structure or the framework before you can supersede it. Like if you’re a beginner in jiu jitsu, we were work with positional hierarchy, in which some positions are better to be in than others. But at the highest level, the elite guys can thwart that, they don’t have to adhere to that… But you have to EARN the right to be able to thwart the framework.” – Nic

 

Watch or Listen below or get the Podcast free on iTunes

 

SHOW NOTES

– The workout routine Nic used to do consistently and wants to start consistently again

– Nic talks jiu jitsu routine and the difference between the beginner and the master

– Why Nic doesn’t keep track of PR’s (personal record numbers) when he trains

– The metric Nic uses to keep track of his training

– “Gen-jutsu” within a “Gen-jutsu” (illusion techniques and abilities) regarding training

– What’s the motivation within that first level of Gen-jutsu

– What it feels like at the second level of Gen-jutsu

– Why it is important to “know thyself”

– Building mental strength in order to achieve balance

– Why Thomas trains his clients through a 30 minute workout instead of an hour

– Bodybuilding

– We talk about some of the conversation we had about weightlifters in the “long-lost episode” never-released

– Day 1 of Thomas’s challenge to surf for 5 days in a row (no matter what)

– How the connection with nature feels golden and has phenomenal effects for free

– Nature as the free “drug”

– Thomas talks about his new Metamorphisis Program for the first time

MENTIONS & LINKS

– Naruto (Japanese anime cartoon about ancient ninjas in Japan)

– Oracle at Delphi: “Know thyself”

– The Metamorphosis Program (learn to change your life in just 30 minutes a day)

– Dissolve the Problem: by Shifting Physical Reality, by Richard Dotts

“Why would the desert reveal such things to a stranger, when it knows that we have been here for generations?” said another of the chieftains.

“Because my eyes are not yet accustomed to the desert,” the boy said. “I can see things that eyes habituated to the desert might not see.” 

-Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

 

Curious what outside (un-habituated) eyes see while they’re in America? How aware are you of the parts of your consciousness that are shaped as a result of your unique culture? Terence McKenna speaks of “cultural operating systems” and says travel (among other things) can open your eyes to it.

 

But what if you can’t travel to see other cultures, or you’re curious what your own cultural operating system looks like… you can catch a glimpse through a stranger’s eyes. Find out how America fares during a midnight drive as our favorite outsider gives you insights about the uniquely American “operating system”. The conversation this week will make you think about the parts of your culture that you can’t see (anymore).

 

Watch or Listen below or get the Podcast free on iTunes

SHOW NOTES

– The scale of things in America

– Taking things for granted

– Hyper-nationalistic sentiment or patriotism turned toxic?

– Knowing how good you have it

– Thoughts on entitlement

– Riff on american stereotypes

– Using the technology of modernity to enhance your own growth vs. mindless lazy uses of your car or iPhone

– Value of the United States

– Getting caught up in the dream that Hollywood sells you

– The biodiversity and geographical natural wonders of the U.S.

– It’s fashionable to talk about L.A. as a vapid sewer, but in all honesty people are breaking their necks to get there

MENTIONS & LINKS

– Dan Carlan’s Wrath of the Khans Series (Hardcore History Podcast)

– George Carlan standup routine about putting up a strip mall in the most picturesque natural place

This special episode of the show is a throwback to the first time the guys met.

Before Digital Communion, Thomas and Nic were co-hosts of two different podcasts.

During a trip to LA, Nic was invited by Thomas to be a guest on his show at the time, LA Real.

An interesting conversation ensued, covering a diverse range of topics yoga, working out, losing your mind on drugs, being choked unconscious, male-modeling and much, much more.

“…at that moment when I saw the flat-line I just passed out…”

Watch or Listen below or get the Podcast free on iTunes