The problem isn't that people aren't compassionate, it's that sociopaths and psychopaths are more likely to chase power and are overrepresented in leadership roles.
The meek and kind tend to be less aggressive and are less likely to be in charge, as a result.
In the middle ground, at least 1/3 of people are apathetic and trying to keep their heads down. Some people will go with the status quo, no matter how horrific. People normalize things as a coping method.
Anger is not a negative emotion. There are no negative emotions. There are often negative consequences from anger. I think it is not a good idea to demonize emotions. They just are. They are information.
This is the best Sunday sermon for non-believers and believers alike. We want to know how to live, and becoming aware of and unattached to continuous pervasive thought liberates us to be free, to breathe freely and to be open to loving others as well as ourselves.
We have become products of our upbringing and environment(s) by reinforcing the programming that becomes habitual reactions to triggers. And thus viscous cycles become “us”. As he says, Recognising the Emotion (anger) “earlier the better” then giving yourself permission to Stop and Say to Yourself, I Now Choose To Change, My Usual Emotional Reaction, and Replace it with a New Emotional Reaction. ASAP. When this is done often enough Your Chosen Alternative Becomes the New Better Habit. It can take some persistence, but worth it! For You. and those Close to You as well… 😎🤙
Another added powerful effect, is to have a short video of something that really makes you have a good old belly laugh, on your phone and Force yourself to STOP and click on to it. This helps the Wrestle within, to diffuse it much more effectively. But we have to Want To Do It 😉
The whole narrative is incomprehensible since it is totally absent of the necessity of God to provide one's multi-dimensional consciousness total peace-of-mind in an individual endeavor whether government or private enterprise, and/or one's family. By God, I mean the multi-dimensional Holy Trinity, including Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit that is imparted to one when he accepts Jesus Christ as his Personal Savior.
Keep in mind that both the multi-dimensional human-and soul-spirits are both granted by God to every individual at their miraculous conception. And with it, God grants Free Will so that we humans have choices in life in addition to a choice in their immortal soul's eventual destination of Hades or Heaven.
If you're having difficulty with my assertions, consider the fact that we humans are mostly multi-dimensional entities whilst our bodies are only physical vessels for our multi-dimensional spirits. Moreover, astrophysicists are finally coming to terms with their determination that the universe is a living multi-dimensional realm (including Dark Energy and Dark Matter) that is connected directly to our multi-dimensional consciousness that is able to observe and cogitate the universe. Consider the quantum-physics of Particle Entanglement and humans gifted in up to multi-millions-of-miles remote viewing (Earth to Mars) via their multi-dimensional consciousness (human-spirit). Indeed, how can the former be possible without having access to a multi-dimensional realm where the observation is able to reveal the pre-existing correlation of the particles (Michio Kiko, City College of New York, 2025). Dittos for the quantum operation of instantaneous remote viewing. Perhaps in multi-dimensional realms, the speed of a connection, communication or observation is unlimited; you know, the speed by which God created the universe; that is, all elements simultaneously and organized.
I began reading the transcript not knowing much about Sam Harris beyond his reputation as a member of the “Four Horsemen” of New Atheism. The more I read, the more confused I got. He sounds more like a theist than an atheist.
Not that he’s asking, but if he wanted my advice, then I’d tell him to stop criticizing theists and start criticizing THEINOs (theists in name only), and I’d tell him make note of the absence of any discord between the ideas he’s expressing here, and the ideas Jesus expressed in the Sermon on the Mount.
As another one of his horsemen friends, Daniel Dennett, has ably demonstrated, “thought is just this gossamer object in awareness” that certainly might disappear into nowhere, and that certainly appears to come out of nowhere, but the appearance is an illusion. A “thought” emerges because an input signal was recognized and interpreted by the mind below the level of conscious awareness. When the thought arrives in the conscious mind, it only appears to come out of nowhere. Check out the story of Benjamin Libet’s famous experiment.
Thoughts are thoughts and emotions are emotions. However, thoughts and emotions are to intent what direction and velocity are to a journey. Without both direction and velocity, you don’t have a journey, and without thought and emotion you don’t have intent.
I recall reading about Patient E.V.R. who lost his ability to make decisions—without losing his ability to be perfectly rational—when he lost his ability to be emotional.
I agree that the ability to just decide, "Okay, I'm not gonna be angry now, I'm just gonna let it go" is an expression of a superpower, but I’d say that compassion is the superpower, and the ability to let go of anger is just one of the many things one can do with that superpower.
Sam the Man? Another ‘brain-fart’ Rationalist out-of-sync with the earth-turning reality of Being-in-Time. Failing to notice the ‘synchronous’ nature of reality and the synchronous way ‘reality-labeling words can ‘appear’ within our imaginal-mind’s at the mere sight of familiar Objects? And arguably why he fails so miserably to explain his Waking Up promotion of traditional meditation, through a lack of explanation of what sense-of-reality he has awaken to, or what he has awakened from?
Love this, it’s more powerful than people realize to do this.
The entire history of the world disputes this very faulty, utopian, humanistic view of peoples’ motivations.
These motivations are the opposite of what you have described.
Like when Jerry told George Constanza to do the opposite of whatever he thought he should do, and it worked.
The problem isn't that people aren't compassionate, it's that sociopaths and psychopaths are more likely to chase power and are overrepresented in leadership roles.
The meek and kind tend to be less aggressive and are less likely to be in charge, as a result.
In the middle ground, at least 1/3 of people are apathetic and trying to keep their heads down. Some people will go with the status quo, no matter how horrific. People normalize things as a coping method.
Have you thought about this through the lens of gender?
Here is atheist Sam Harris arguing for making life better for every human being. Why are almost no religious or political leaders talking like this?
excellent. clear , concise and inspiring. thank you.
though I've been told Sam Harris is anti-muslim and should take his own advice. is this true?
This is true except now if we all did this we would be enslaved by the madman in charge. Happy slaves. Gee what a stupid idea to promote right now.
Anger is not a negative emotion. There are no negative emotions. There are often negative consequences from anger. I think it is not a good idea to demonize emotions. They just are. They are information.
I hope to make changes in the world through my 'Building Prototype' project ♡ great video. Thank you for making this.
This is the best Sunday sermon for non-believers and believers alike. We want to know how to live, and becoming aware of and unattached to continuous pervasive thought liberates us to be free, to breathe freely and to be open to loving others as well as ourselves.
This brought out my Buddha smile.
We have become products of our upbringing and environment(s) by reinforcing the programming that becomes habitual reactions to triggers. And thus viscous cycles become “us”. As he says, Recognising the Emotion (anger) “earlier the better” then giving yourself permission to Stop and Say to Yourself, I Now Choose To Change, My Usual Emotional Reaction, and Replace it with a New Emotional Reaction. ASAP. When this is done often enough Your Chosen Alternative Becomes the New Better Habit. It can take some persistence, but worth it! For You. and those Close to You as well… 😎🤙
Another added powerful effect, is to have a short video of something that really makes you have a good old belly laugh, on your phone and Force yourself to STOP and click on to it. This helps the Wrestle within, to diffuse it much more effectively. But we have to Want To Do It 😉
The whole narrative is incomprehensible since it is totally absent of the necessity of God to provide one's multi-dimensional consciousness total peace-of-mind in an individual endeavor whether government or private enterprise, and/or one's family. By God, I mean the multi-dimensional Holy Trinity, including Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit that is imparted to one when he accepts Jesus Christ as his Personal Savior.
Keep in mind that both the multi-dimensional human-and soul-spirits are both granted by God to every individual at their miraculous conception. And with it, God grants Free Will so that we humans have choices in life in addition to a choice in their immortal soul's eventual destination of Hades or Heaven.
If you're having difficulty with my assertions, consider the fact that we humans are mostly multi-dimensional entities whilst our bodies are only physical vessels for our multi-dimensional spirits. Moreover, astrophysicists are finally coming to terms with their determination that the universe is a living multi-dimensional realm (including Dark Energy and Dark Matter) that is connected directly to our multi-dimensional consciousness that is able to observe and cogitate the universe. Consider the quantum-physics of Particle Entanglement and humans gifted in up to multi-millions-of-miles remote viewing (Earth to Mars) via their multi-dimensional consciousness (human-spirit). Indeed, how can the former be possible without having access to a multi-dimensional realm where the observation is able to reveal the pre-existing correlation of the particles (Michio Kiko, City College of New York, 2025). Dittos for the quantum operation of instantaneous remote viewing. Perhaps in multi-dimensional realms, the speed of a connection, communication or observation is unlimited; you know, the speed by which God created the universe; that is, all elements simultaneously and organized.
If that works for you, ok. I do not believe in the supernatural and Mr Harris's discussion is helpful and complete as it is.
I began reading the transcript not knowing much about Sam Harris beyond his reputation as a member of the “Four Horsemen” of New Atheism. The more I read, the more confused I got. He sounds more like a theist than an atheist.
Not that he’s asking, but if he wanted my advice, then I’d tell him to stop criticizing theists and start criticizing THEINOs (theists in name only), and I’d tell him make note of the absence of any discord between the ideas he’s expressing here, and the ideas Jesus expressed in the Sermon on the Mount.
As another one of his horsemen friends, Daniel Dennett, has ably demonstrated, “thought is just this gossamer object in awareness” that certainly might disappear into nowhere, and that certainly appears to come out of nowhere, but the appearance is an illusion. A “thought” emerges because an input signal was recognized and interpreted by the mind below the level of conscious awareness. When the thought arrives in the conscious mind, it only appears to come out of nowhere. Check out the story of Benjamin Libet’s famous experiment.
Thoughts are thoughts and emotions are emotions. However, thoughts and emotions are to intent what direction and velocity are to a journey. Without both direction and velocity, you don’t have a journey, and without thought and emotion you don’t have intent.
I recall reading about Patient E.V.R. who lost his ability to make decisions—without losing his ability to be perfectly rational—when he lost his ability to be emotional.
I agree that the ability to just decide, "Okay, I'm not gonna be angry now, I'm just gonna let it go" is an expression of a superpower, but I’d say that compassion is the superpower, and the ability to let go of anger is just one of the many things one can do with that superpower.
Good points.
Splendid. Shared to the MINDS platform ([Link] below is not that share)
°Cherishº is the new love, be well. *May God nod to ward thee & thine!*
Made this listening to this.
https://www.minds.com/newsfeed/1785815301902950400?referrer=flyingaxblade
Sam the Man? Another ‘brain-fart’ Rationalist out-of-sync with the earth-turning reality of Being-in-Time. Failing to notice the ‘synchronous’ nature of reality and the synchronous way ‘reality-labeling words can ‘appear’ within our imaginal-mind’s at the mere sight of familiar Objects? And arguably why he fails so miserably to explain his Waking Up promotion of traditional meditation, through a lack of explanation of what sense-of-reality he has awaken to, or what he has awakened from?