Parts 0 1 2 3 Time was a blur in the immigration centre. Perhaps it was still the first day when I was called in to speak to the consulate. My contact there was Sylvia, a Mexican woman who had never been to Australia, but spoke fluent English. “Hello Kurt. Take a seat. How are you?” -Hello. I’m a little… Read more →
Value is everywhere – Episode 170
The Story: How to pay for your dreams
Many people have seen “The Secret” and are familiar with its claim that people can manifest their desires simply by imagining them. Others think this view is a fantasy – how can your thoughts really affect reality?
In fact, there is already scientific data to support the claim on some level – data that shows your attitude affects your health. If your attitude can have subtle effects on your own body, it may have subtle effects on your surroundings, the interactions you have with other people. I know this to be true from my own experience attempting to charm women. If you expect that the woman won’t be interested in you, you will falter, and she will see your lack of faith. If you believe that the woman will be attracted to you or want to date you, that prophecy will fulfill itself.
Projecting those points, we can guess that it goes even deeper than that. Feeling the emotions of a scene you imagine from the future brings that scene into reality.
Some will respond, “You can’t get something for nothing!” and this seems sensible. To get something good, you must give something good. What they might not realise is, value goes far beyond the hours you put in at work, the unpaid overtime, or the money you invest. You are in a position to provide value to those around you in every waking moment – by giving them a smile, a compliment, encouraging them, even just by being vulnerable and showing your humanity.
In this episode, Kurt encourages you to be valuable, dream a better future and find contentment in the present. Join us on a secret-revealing episode of … The Paradise Paradox!
The Cash:
If you enjoy our posts, please become a patron on Patreon, or have a look at The Paradise Paradox’s page on Steemit where you can join, earn money, and upvote our posts to help support the show! You can also find a lot of additional content which is not posted on this site, with Kurt’s posts on Steemit and Aaron’s posts on Steemit.
We really appreciate all of your contributions! Every cent and satoshi we receive lets us know that we’re doing something worthwhile, that you are entertained by our program, and that you’re starting to question what you know more and more. Please be generous. Donate to The Paradise Paradox. Or buy some stuff on Amazon using this link. Or buy some of our great T-shirts here.
The Episode:
To download the audio, right click and press “save as”.
Remember to subscribe on iTunes or subscribe on Pocket Casts.
If you enjoyed the episode, don’t keep it a secret! Feel free to share it on Twitter, Tumblr, Facebook, Reddit, or your office bathroom wall.
Deported! Leaving Mexico the hard way: Part 3
Kurt explains his passion for Mexico, and why it was meaningless in the face of a bureaucrat. Read more →
Authority is unlawful
Authority is not law. Reason and empathy are Law. Read more →
Deported! Leaving Mexico the hard way: Part 2
Kurt is processed by the immigration authorities in Mexico Read more →
Deported! Leaving Mexico the hard way: Part 1
Kurt maintains a positive attitude while getting arrested by immigration agents Read more →
Deported: Getting kicked out of Mexico
Kurt explains a little about getting deported from Mexico Read more →
Everything is Meaningless – Episode 169
The Story: Life has the meaning that you put into it
When you’re a child, life can seem simple. Perhaps the adults around you even give you a simple framework with which to view the world – something like, God loves you, Jesus died for your sins, and as long as you love God and do good, it will be alright. You accept this as a valid interpretation of events – and perhaps you even believe it is the only valid interpretation. Many people live their lives in this way. Perhaps occasionally they have a niggling doubt, but in some way they make it work and feel happy.
Others won’t be so satisfied with a belief system like that. When they start to see the holes, it’s the beginning of the end. Sooner or later, it’s going to click with them that the interpretation of the world that was given to you, was a lie. You plunge into existential despair, not really knowing what to believe. You become a nihilist. “Everything is meaningless,” you say. But then you go a little too far. “Therefore, life is pointless.” You might even believe that you’re special for having discovered this secret, and for the deep-seated dread that you feel in reaction to it. And in a way, you’d be right.
Remember, there is no pressure. No one will force you to evolve. You can stay at any one of these levels as long as you wish.
But, in your own time, you do evolve. You’re not content with the empty cup of meaninglessness. You decide to set your own rules, play your own game. You decide who you are and what you accept from yourself. Some people might call that “self-actualisation”. You know that life is meaningless, you embrace it as true, and you see it as a blank canvas on which to create your own masterpiece, designing a form of living which delights your soul. Because, why not?
Join me in a reality-confronting episode of … The Paradise Paradox!
The Cash:
If you enjoy our posts, please become a patron on Patreon, or have a look at The Paradise Paradox’s page on Steemit where you can join, earn money, and upvote our posts to help support the show! You can also find a lot of additional content which is not posted on this site, with Kurt’s posts on Steemit and Aaron’s posts on Steemit.
We really appreciate all of your contributions! Every cent and satoshi we receive lets us know that we’re doing something worthwhile, that you are entertained by our program, and that you’re starting to question what you know more and more. Please be generous. Donate to The Paradise Paradox. Or buy some stuff on Amazon using this link. Or buy some of our great T-shirts here.
The Episode:
To download the audio, right click and press “save as”.
Remember to subscribe on iTunes or subscribe on Pocket Casts.
If you enjoyed the episode, don’t keep it a secret! Feel free to share it on Twitter, Tumblr, Facebook, Reddit, or your office bathroom wall.
The Amazing Randi’s million dollar skeptical spectacle
Skeptics claim JREF’s million dollar prize disproves psychic phenomena. Is that the case? Read more →
It’s hard to predict the future – Episode 168
The Story: It takes more than a couple of trends to see past tomorrow
If you’ve never attempted to predict the future, and someone comes to you with a graph showing a clear trend, you might be tempted into thinking that that person knows what’s going to happen. The numbers don’t lie, and all we have to do is see where they go, to know what’s going to happen. Right? Wrong.
If you have tried to look into the future, and spent more than a few hours pondering about what the world will look like in five or ten years, you will know that it takes more than one graph or one trend line. Futurism requires looking at many trends, projecting how they might continue, and then imagining how they might interact – how one trend will accelerate another, and cause others to reverse.
Intelligent people, even be experts in their field, may recognise current trends, but that doesn’t mean that they have the skills to see where things will go in coming years. The problem is compounded when experts don’t recognise that futurism is actually outside their area of expertise.
In 1894, horse manure was such a problem in large cities that the New York Times predicted that in 50 years, the city would be covered by 9 feet of horse manure. It made perfect sense – that’s where the trend line lead. Likewise, people might tell you today that less and less jobs are being created, and when the new wave of automation arrives, young people will be permanently unemployed. Or they will tell you that the high birth rates of middle eastern countries compared to western countries mean that western culture will simply be bred out of existence.
What are the other factors at play? How can these simplified assessments be used to manipulate us, when they come from someone with an agenda? Find out in this trend-defying episode of … The Paradise Paradox!
The Eps:
Future-proofing your career – Episode 151
The Links:
Lauren Southern – Why we’ll forget about London
In A Nutshell – Why automation is different this time
Steven Pinker – The surprising decline in violence
The Cash:
If you enjoy our posts, please become a patron on Patreon, or have a look at The Paradise Paradox’s page on Steemit where you can join, earn money, and upvote our posts to help support the show! You can also find a lot of additional content which is not posted on this site, with Kurt’s posts on Steemit and Aaron’s posts on Steemit.
We really appreciate all of your contributions! Every cent and satoshi we receive lets us know that we’re doing something worthwhile, that you are entertained by our program, and that you’re starting to question what you know more and more. Please be generous. Donate to The Paradise Paradox. Or buy some stuff on Amazon using this link. Or buy some of our great T-shirts here.
The Episode:
To download the audio, right click and press “save as”.
Remember to subscribe on iTunes or subscribe on Pocket Casts.
If you enjoyed the episode, don’t keep it a secret! Feel free to share it on Twitter, Tumblr, Facebook, Reddit, or your office bathroom wall.