EPISODE 84

How We See the World

We didn’t set out to have this conversation, but it’s clearly a conversation we both wanted to have. Talking through our respective world views, sharing and investigating what we believe, debating and reconsidering our own and others’ thoughts — this is the fodder for greater meaning and understanding. And it’s something we don’t do enough. Listen in, and then reflect on how YOU see the world.

This week on The Living Experiment, we’re talking about How We See the World.

This episode started out as an answer to a listener question — and then morphed, evolving into a big rambling conversation about hope and doubt, energy and attention, agency and activism, and more.

It became one of those conversations where you discover what you think and feel as you are saying it, and you have no idea what is going to come out of your own or the other person’s mouth until it does.

It’s worth noting that within weeks of recording this episode, Dallas had what he described as a “mind-melting experience” that caused him to question virtually everything he thinks, so by the time this podcast goes live, he may or may not be willing to stand by all of his statements here.

The point is, conversations about how we see the world are worth having, and having, again, and again, and again. So, here, we invite you into ours, and we leave you with experiments to help you start some conversations and explorations of your own.

“How We See the World” Episode Highlights

  • The worldwide suffering caused by unwillingness to see the larger consequences of our actions
  • How artificial boundaries like national and cultural borders create a “us vs. them” lack of empathy
  • Recognizing systems that are dehumanizing, unhealthy, socially unjust, or otherwise broken and looking for ways to change them locally
  • Dallas’s parallels between the predatory capitalism of our world and the governmental control tactics in dystopian novels and movies
  • Choosing how and when to expose yourself to the non-stop stream of disturbing images on the news and in social media
  • Being willing to try to make a difference even if you never know what effect your actions may have
  • The value of traveling to other cultures and witnessing the good work that humans are doing everywhere

Spend a moment contemplating the tension you feel between “what is” and what you think “should be.” Rather than getting angry or hopeless about something you find bad, wrong, or unjust, see if you can shift toward acknowledging the situation as “the way things are right now” — while also acknowledging that you’d like things to be different. See if you can find a way to feel empowered and focused by that viewpoint, rather than held hostage by anger, grief, or hopelessness. 

Explore some different viewpoints and philosophies of life to see how they help clarify or inform your own. Start by reading Charles Eisenstein’s The More Beautiful World Our Hearts Know is Possible or watching a few clips of the interview with him (via Oprah Winfrey) linked in the Resources below. 

Big Thanks to Our Friends at Optimize!

Thanks to our sponsor, Optimize by Heroic, for supporting The Living Experiment. Now you can get Optimize membership (formerly $250) for FREE just by signing up here. And check out the Heroic social training platform, with a goal of creating a world in which 51% of the world’s population is flourishing by 2051 — starting with YOU!

Optimize with Brian Johnson

Share the Love!

Have you told your friends and family about The Living Experiment? If you dig the podcast, please share it! Every recommendation from you means a lot!

We’d also love to have you connect with us on Facebook. Tell us about your experiments, and share your thoughts, stories and reflections there.

Resources

PLUS …