1 00:00:00,880 --> 00:00:08,919 We understand the thinking atheist. It's not a person, it's a symbol, 2 00:00:09,480 --> 00:00:13,800 an idea. The population of atheists this country is going through the rule, 3 00:00:14,039 --> 00:00:19,879 rejecting faith, pursuing knowledge, challenging the sacred. If I tell the truth, 4 00:00:20,000 --> 00:00:23,839 it's because I tell the truth, not because I put my hand on 5 00:00:23,920 --> 00:00:28,879 a book and made a wish and working together for a more rational world. 6 00:00:29,120 --> 00:00:32,840 Take the risk of thinking, feels so much more happiness. Truth, Beausian 7 00:00:32,880 --> 00:00:39,679 wisdom will come to you that way. Assume nothing, question everything, and 8 00:00:39,920 --> 00:00:57,320 start thinking. This is the Thinking Atheist podcast hosted by Seth Andrews. Do 9 00:00:57,359 --> 00:01:04,359 you ever wonder how Rich feels about all those memes that talk about Christmas coming? 10 00:01:04,480 --> 00:01:11,200 You know, she sings the I think the most downloaded or popular Christmas 11 00:01:11,200 --> 00:01:15,599 song in the world. Right all I want for Christmas is you, And 12 00:01:15,640 --> 00:01:19,079 so it's become a punchline. And I love the memes myself. You know, 13 00:01:19,120 --> 00:01:23,519 they talk about defrosting Mariah Carey in the month of I think it's October. 14 00:01:25,560 --> 00:01:27,719 There is you know, there's so many of them, and I gotta 15 00:01:27,719 --> 00:01:30,480 wonder, like, if it was me, I would think of it as 16 00:01:30,519 --> 00:01:34,560 a ball. It'd be sort of the Rick role with Rick Astley that I 17 00:01:34,599 --> 00:01:38,920 would think, look at all the free publicity. I get to be the 18 00:01:38,959 --> 00:01:46,079 center of this cultural moment. And so I saw another Mariah Carey Christmas meme 19 00:01:46,239 --> 00:01:49,599 about how you know here she is for another month of December, and always 20 00:01:49,640 --> 00:01:53,319 like, wait not, I wonder how she feels about that. Just a 21 00:01:53,359 --> 00:01:59,079 weird random thought to begin this random show. And if you've got something you 22 00:01:59,159 --> 00:02:02,719 want to talk about, it doesn't have to be about religion or atheism, 23 00:02:04,159 --> 00:02:08,520 politics today, I just let's just whatever. I don't care whatever you want 24 00:02:08,560 --> 00:02:13,439 to talk about. I'm releasing just a few extra ones and a few extra 25 00:02:13,479 --> 00:02:17,879 streams here in the last part of the year, just because, just because 26 00:02:19,520 --> 00:02:25,240 we can. I'm going to see the new Godzilla movie tonight. I asked 27 00:02:25,319 --> 00:02:30,400 Natalie, Hey, you want to go? Not really her bag, but 28 00:02:30,439 --> 00:02:35,599 I mean, she respects the genre and the franchise, but it's not really 29 00:02:35,599 --> 00:02:38,800 her thing. So I, buddy, you might are going to go and 30 00:02:38,840 --> 00:02:46,960 catch a showing of Godzilla minus one. Now I own shin Godzilla on Blu 31 00:02:46,120 --> 00:02:52,000 Ray and it is one of the greatest things in the known universe. It's 32 00:02:52,039 --> 00:02:58,439 weird because it's a Toho production, which is important, but they manage the 33 00:02:58,560 --> 00:03:06,360 balance between sci fi cheese and mind blowing knocked you out of your chair amazing 34 00:03:06,400 --> 00:03:10,240 special effects, because there's both in it, so you're at first you're like, 35 00:03:10,319 --> 00:03:15,439 what in the hell am I looking at? And then it's holy shit, 36 00:03:15,560 --> 00:03:20,840 that's amazing. It's true to the classic Godzilla films of the mid twentieth 37 00:03:20,879 --> 00:03:24,400 century. It's charming in that way. There's a lot of political subtext to 38 00:03:24,479 --> 00:03:29,039 it, you know, about the maneuverings of governments in the wake of a 39 00:03:29,120 --> 00:03:32,919 crisis. So I just thought shin Godzilla was amazing, and here is Godzilla 40 00:03:34,000 --> 00:03:38,120 minus one with one hundred percent on Rotten Tomatoes. They're like, you must 41 00:03:38,159 --> 00:03:42,520 see this film, and I guess they made the whole movie for about sixteen 42 00:03:42,800 --> 00:03:49,240 million dollars. Hello Marvel, right, Hello hello Hollywood. In general, 43 00:03:50,879 --> 00:03:55,719 it can be done for less, and stop bitching about how much money you're 44 00:03:55,800 --> 00:04:02,039 losing on five hundred million dollar films. There's a way. Good storytelling and 45 00:04:02,159 --> 00:04:09,520 creativity can make a way. So I'm going to go see Godzilla. Review 46 00:04:09,759 --> 00:04:15,839 is forthcoming. Not that I won't watch almost anything, and here's a proof. 47 00:04:17,879 --> 00:04:25,040 Last night I watched a Netflix documentary about people in England who chase a 48 00:04:25,120 --> 00:04:32,279 piece of cheese down a hill. I'm just saying I did not know this 49 00:04:32,480 --> 00:04:40,240 existed. The Cooper's Hill Cheese Rolling and Wake, and I don't know what 50 00:04:40,279 --> 00:04:45,600 they mean by wake. It is an annual event held in England at a 51 00:04:45,600 --> 00:04:49,759 place called Cooper's Hill, and I guess the hill is really steep, almost 52 00:04:49,759 --> 00:04:55,639 a fifty degree down angle. The television doesn't do it justice. I hear 53 00:04:55,680 --> 00:04:59,319 that if you stand on the top of the precipice and lean over you'll get 54 00:04:59,439 --> 00:05:06,079 vertigo. It's a steep hill. And apparently the origins are disputed, but 55 00:05:06,199 --> 00:05:15,000 somebody somewhere decided they were going to take a round piece wrapped cheese and roll 56 00:05:15,040 --> 00:05:23,800 it down, roll it down the hill and then people, I think by 57 00:05:23,839 --> 00:05:31,399 the hundreds, would fling themselves after the cheese and this would be a sport 58 00:05:31,560 --> 00:05:39,360 that would happen once a year. People get jacked up, busted limbs, 59 00:05:40,000 --> 00:05:47,319 concussion stitches, the injuries or of people's ankles turned around. It's crazy. 60 00:05:49,160 --> 00:05:53,879 You should see them. Part of the strategy that they know they are not 61 00:05:54,000 --> 00:05:58,600 going to catch the cheese because the cheese is rolling much much faster than even 62 00:05:58,680 --> 00:06:04,120 the falling human can get there. But part of the goal is to be 63 00:06:04,199 --> 00:06:08,639 the first down to the bottom. And there's like a white line of chalk 64 00:06:08,759 --> 00:06:13,160 line, and you don't just run in order to get there, you must 65 00:06:13,319 --> 00:06:17,800 fall. You fall forward, and you tumble and you splat and you slam 66 00:06:17,839 --> 00:06:24,240 and you crush and you just it's like you're in a tumble dryer and you're 67 00:06:24,240 --> 00:06:27,879 getting the hell banged out of you, and then you manage to pop back 68 00:06:27,959 --> 00:06:32,199 up. There's a strategy to how you fall and where you fall so that 69 00:06:32,360 --> 00:06:36,879 you go boom boom, boom boom, you jump up and keep running. 70 00:06:39,240 --> 00:06:45,439 People practice this. First one down to the bottom of the hill gets to 71 00:06:45,480 --> 00:06:53,000 hold up the cheese and claim victory. Who thinks this up? Where did 72 00:06:53,040 --> 00:06:57,480 it come from? But I watched a whole documentary on Netflix. It's called 73 00:06:57,519 --> 00:07:03,600 We Are the Champions, and they do like everything from Champion Hot pepper eating 74 00:07:03,720 --> 00:07:10,240 contests that was insane. Ur In Raw is big into hot foods. He 75 00:07:10,439 --> 00:07:16,160 carries a bottle of this super spicy stuff. I don't even know what it 76 00:07:16,199 --> 00:07:23,279 is. He's got a it's called the Schofield meter for the intensity of how 77 00:07:23,319 --> 00:07:27,079 hot it is. He puts that stuff on everything. We are at a 78 00:07:27,120 --> 00:07:31,079 convention we all go out to dinner, and he will order something that's hot 79 00:07:31,120 --> 00:07:34,720 anyway. He's got his beer that looks like pens oil, right, super 80 00:07:34,839 --> 00:07:39,759 black, dark, thick beer that's probably got a skull on the side, 81 00:07:40,240 --> 00:07:44,240 and you know, includes the sacrifice you know, of a virgin and there's 82 00:07:44,360 --> 00:07:46,079 virgin blood in it. Hell, I don't know. It's very gothic. 83 00:07:47,199 --> 00:07:53,199 And he reaches into his long leather coat and he pulls out his bottle of 84 00:07:53,360 --> 00:07:58,639 hot spice squillion on the Scofield meter? Is it Scofield? Am I saying 85 00:07:58,639 --> 00:08:01,360 it right? And he will just do is just pour that stuff into his 86 00:08:01,439 --> 00:08:05,120 drink, into his beer. He puts in his coffee, puts it everything. 87 00:08:05,560 --> 00:08:11,920 What's wrong with people? At some point, do you stop tasting the 88 00:08:11,920 --> 00:08:16,560 food. All you taste is hot. All you taste is the heat. 89 00:08:16,600 --> 00:08:22,240 There's no actual taste of ingredients. Don't you get to the point where it's 90 00:08:22,279 --> 00:08:26,560 pointless. It's too hot, you don't even taste the food. Can you 91 00:08:26,759 --> 00:08:33,080 damage your taste buds? The people in this contest who were eating the hot 92 00:08:33,120 --> 00:08:37,759 test foods on the planet engineered foods like not even in nature. Somebody went 93 00:08:37,799 --> 00:08:43,879 and they cross pollinated different peppers and added a bunch of stuff and jacked up 94 00:08:43,919 --> 00:08:48,600 the DNA and then prayed to Satan and got the peppers are evil, that's 95 00:08:48,600 --> 00:08:54,639 how hot they are. These professional hot pepper eaters are on stage gushing sweat. 96 00:08:54,679 --> 00:08:58,000 Their eyes are red, they're crying, they're huffing, they're puffing. 97 00:08:58,039 --> 00:09:05,480 They're forbidden to drink any milk or whatever. I guess milk helps forbidden. 98 00:09:07,639 --> 00:09:11,360 Are they damaging their bodies? Can you you can damage? Right? Could 99 00:09:11,360 --> 00:09:15,159 you not burn out your taste butts so that then you won't taste anything for 100 00:09:15,200 --> 00:09:18,799 the rest of your life. Somebody google it for me. Can hot peppers 101 00:09:20,120 --> 00:09:24,000 damage taste butts? I haven't done it. Please do it for me and 102 00:09:24,120 --> 00:09:28,159 include the answer in the comments section. Would you anyway? It? On 103 00:09:28,240 --> 00:09:33,159 Netflix? We are the champions. But I mean, I'll watch almost any 104 00:09:33,200 --> 00:09:39,360 documentary I will. I watched one on a children's group out of Australia that 105 00:09:39,440 --> 00:09:43,360 I had never heard of. Now remember that I don't have any kids of 106 00:09:43,399 --> 00:09:46,559 my own. But Natalie was all over it because her kids grew up with 107 00:09:46,600 --> 00:09:56,080 a group called the Wiggles. I guess the Wiggles is a phenomenon in Australia 108 00:09:56,159 --> 00:10:00,799 and it's branched out into the US and around the world. A group of 109 00:10:00,879 --> 00:10:05,799 people who wear primary colors, who sing songs targeted to very young children, 110 00:10:07,600 --> 00:10:13,200 and it's really sweet, and they seem to they're edgy. It was founded 111 00:10:13,240 --> 00:10:16,720 by a group of educators who wanted to go out and just provide stuff for 112 00:10:16,919 --> 00:10:20,919 young children, you know, wholesome stuff, and so they do these songs. 113 00:10:20,960 --> 00:10:24,440 There's a hot Potato song and drive the car song. I don't know. 114 00:10:24,440 --> 00:10:26,799 There's a bunch of children's song. I don't know anything about it. 115 00:10:26,919 --> 00:10:31,480 I don't have young children, but it's on. Oh look, there's a 116 00:10:31,559 --> 00:10:35,519 documentary. I think it's called Meet the Wiggles, and I watched the whole 117 00:10:35,679 --> 00:10:43,440 damn thing and loved it, so now I'm well versed in Wiggles. Natalie 118 00:10:43,440 --> 00:10:46,360 and I were in the kitchen lag we were humming the Hot Potato song. 119 00:10:48,720 --> 00:10:56,080 I'm just saying we were doing the hot Potato song. I'm reading the comments. 120 00:10:56,720 --> 00:11:03,440 Let's see to bast goat sauce in beer is pretty good, especially when 121 00:11:03,440 --> 00:11:11,240 you get to the bottom spicy finish. Cashel says, your taste buds renew 122 00:11:11,879 --> 00:11:16,919 every two weeks or so. You mean, like shark's teeth. The old 123 00:11:16,960 --> 00:11:22,600 ones rotate out and you get new ones. Is that true? Your Batah 124 00:11:22,039 --> 00:11:30,440 says you can destroy taste buds. They regrow quickly. If you eat salty 125 00:11:30,519 --> 00:11:35,639 food, it damages your taste buds. That's one reason people keep eating more 126 00:11:35,759 --> 00:11:39,679 to get the same effect. I'm just reading the comment. Don't take my 127 00:11:39,799 --> 00:11:46,440 word for it. Okay, don't take my word for it anyway. I'm 128 00:11:46,480 --> 00:11:50,639 setting up twenty twenty four. I know I'm going to be speaking in Canada 129 00:11:50,720 --> 00:11:56,279 late summer. I have been asked tentatively to do a debate with a Christian 130 00:11:56,799 --> 00:12:01,879 at a university in Virginia. I don't want to get too much into detail 131 00:12:01,000 --> 00:12:07,200 until everything is solidified and confirmed. I think they're still going through certain channels. 132 00:12:07,240 --> 00:12:09,960 Maybe they have to vet me. I don't know, but I was 133 00:12:11,240 --> 00:12:15,080 contacted and they said, would you like to come out and do a debate. 134 00:12:15,320 --> 00:12:18,600 My response was, well, I'm not a fan of the format. 135 00:12:18,679 --> 00:12:22,759 And what I mean by that is opening statement, opening statement, rebuttal, 136 00:12:22,799 --> 00:12:26,799 rebuttal, and then you've got three minutes, and you've got three minutes, 137 00:12:26,840 --> 00:12:31,399 and you know that particular format doesn't work for my style. I'm more of 138 00:12:31,440 --> 00:12:39,159 a conversationalist. I'm not interested in reading off of a script and then back 139 00:12:39,200 --> 00:12:41,559 to you, Bob. But I you know, if we were sitting on 140 00:12:41,960 --> 00:12:46,559 the stage together, one on one, in good faith, in a forum 141 00:12:46,600 --> 00:12:52,120 that is structured with respect and goodwill, and we were just talking like real 142 00:12:52,159 --> 00:12:56,480 people in front of a live audience of college students, that's my back. 143 00:12:58,519 --> 00:13:01,399 That would be my thing. I feel like I would have something to bring 144 00:13:01,440 --> 00:13:05,360 to the conversation. You know, I have a little bit imposter of imposter 145 00:13:05,519 --> 00:13:09,919 syndrome when it comes to debate. I'm not trained in debate, and I 146 00:13:09,919 --> 00:13:15,360 know it's a very specific skill. Matt Delahunty does a lot of debate that 147 00:13:15,519 --> 00:13:22,039 kind of thing. But talking, you want me to talk about religion specifically. 148 00:13:22,080 --> 00:13:26,679 You want me to get into Christianity. Okay, all right, have 149 00:13:26,759 --> 00:13:31,720 your people call my people. That's a conversation I have had quite often and 150 00:13:31,879 --> 00:13:37,279 would be happy to have again in an auditorium in Virginia. I will let 151 00:13:37,320 --> 00:13:43,559 you know if that comes to fruition. I'll be at the American Atheist Convention 152 00:13:43,600 --> 00:13:46,840 anyway. All of that's going to come into focus in the next few weeks 153 00:13:46,879 --> 00:13:52,879 as twenty twenty four arrives, and you can always monitor the events page to 154 00:13:52,919 --> 00:13:58,759 see what's up where and when the Thinkingatheist dot com slash events. Nothing is 155 00:13:58,799 --> 00:14:03,639 on that page now, but there will be quite soon. Anyway. I'm 156 00:14:03,720 --> 00:14:07,320 honored to be invited. I'm glad they thought of me. They said. 157 00:14:07,320 --> 00:14:09,200 One of the reasons that they reached out is because they thought I was a 158 00:14:09,240 --> 00:14:13,519 good guy. I don't feel like it was a setup. They said, 159 00:14:13,559 --> 00:14:16,559 you know, you seem like a person of goodwill. You seem like you 160 00:14:16,559 --> 00:14:20,279 would be a good ambassador for the subject, and we would like to have 161 00:14:20,360 --> 00:14:24,039 you out. And I took that as a tremendous compliment, so thank you 162 00:14:24,320 --> 00:14:28,039 for that. If it happens, I am going to try to get video 163 00:14:28,240 --> 00:14:31,759 of it so that all of you can see what happened. And I'll try 164 00:14:31,840 --> 00:14:37,480 not to be an embarrassment to the movement. I just want to go. 165 00:14:37,639 --> 00:14:41,840 I just when I go on stage, just tell me I'm pretty and talented. 166 00:14:41,559 --> 00:14:46,600 Just validate me. Let's see. Oh look there's some people who want 167 00:14:46,600 --> 00:14:50,919 to talk on the switchboard. And again today's no rules. I don't care, 168 00:14:52,720 --> 00:14:58,039 you know, just nothing grotesque or you know, not safe for work. 169 00:14:58,440 --> 00:15:00,679 You know, I think i'd won the other day. I just edit 170 00:15:00,759 --> 00:15:05,279 that edited that call right out. No, I don't know. I'm not 171 00:15:05,320 --> 00:15:07,320 here to shock, but you know whatever, if there's something else, something 172 00:15:07,360 --> 00:15:11,200 real, let's just chit chat. Seven eight zero. I think it says 173 00:15:11,320 --> 00:15:16,120 Peter. Do I have that right? Yes? You do. What do 174 00:15:16,120 --> 00:15:18,080 you want to talk about, Peter? What's happening? Brother? I want 175 00:15:18,120 --> 00:15:20,799 to know, Like, I listened to you and our in law, and 176 00:15:22,039 --> 00:15:30,080 I'm trying to remember the other guys. Matt delahunty, round guy, bald 177 00:15:30,320 --> 00:15:35,240 with a kind of a white go tea, and I know you know him. 178 00:15:35,240 --> 00:15:39,759 I've seen you on programs together, but I della hunt. Yes, 179 00:15:41,399 --> 00:15:48,000 yes, I don't know. He's not very round anymore. But I am 180 00:15:48,039 --> 00:15:50,519 going to bring that up at a party. I'm going to bring that up 181 00:15:50,519 --> 00:15:52,720 at a party. I'm sorry, I just go ahead, go ahead, 182 00:15:52,799 --> 00:15:58,960 Yes, Matt Delaunty. It's OK's odd times I see you guys. Gets 183 00:16:00,120 --> 00:16:03,720 like older videos that I haven't discovered until elsively to pop up on my feet 184 00:16:03,759 --> 00:16:08,039 on YouTube. Yeah, all you guys, Okay, I got to tell 185 00:16:08,039 --> 00:16:11,919 you I'm as dumb as a stump. Okay, all you guys are way 186 00:16:11,960 --> 00:16:17,960 smarter than me, way more educated than me, and it shows you have 187 00:16:18,039 --> 00:16:23,799 so much command of the Bible and science and reality and stuff. But you 188 00:16:23,840 --> 00:16:29,399 know, I was pretty much an atheist by the time I got to junior 189 00:16:29,480 --> 00:16:33,879 high school, and I hated church. I always founded a creepy place right 190 00:16:33,960 --> 00:16:37,799 from when I was a little young kid, I thought it was a creepy 191 00:16:37,840 --> 00:16:41,600 place. I hated going to church, and my dad used to drag us 192 00:16:41,600 --> 00:16:45,200 all off. So, and like I said, by junior high school, 193 00:16:45,240 --> 00:16:48,279 I was pretty much sure this whole God thing was sort of like Sandy Claus, 194 00:16:48,320 --> 00:16:53,200 another old guy with a big, big beard that wasn't true. So 195 00:16:53,240 --> 00:16:57,840 how is a smart guy do you justify taking all that time? Well, 196 00:16:57,879 --> 00:17:03,080 it's a great question. First of all, I may not be that smart. 197 00:17:03,360 --> 00:17:06,559 I'm smooth, I can, you know, talk a pretty good game. 198 00:17:06,599 --> 00:17:08,359 But I am not a great thinker, and I'll be the first to 199 00:17:08,440 --> 00:17:15,039 admit it. But when we understand the power of indoctrination, programming, cultural 200 00:17:15,119 --> 00:17:21,279 reinforcement, threats of hell, we see all the reinforcers that religions use. 201 00:17:21,680 --> 00:17:26,160 They bring you up in an alternate normal. So when I was being raised, 202 00:17:26,720 --> 00:17:30,200 I thought everything else was abnormal. The same people who taught me to 203 00:17:30,240 --> 00:17:34,400 look both ways before I crossed the street never get in a car with strangers 204 00:17:36,200 --> 00:17:40,599 that told me don't put your hand on the stove that fed my mouth and 205 00:17:40,759 --> 00:17:45,720 put the shelter over my head that I gave absolute trust to for my survival. 206 00:17:45,759 --> 00:17:48,799 Those were the same people who told me that the Bible is true and 207 00:17:48,920 --> 00:17:52,200 Jesus was real, and I would one day go to heaven if I said 208 00:17:52,200 --> 00:17:56,640 the salvation prayer. Once you get a kid early, and churches like to 209 00:17:56,640 --> 00:18:02,519 call this the four to fourteen windows. Many of us raised in a devoutly 210 00:18:02,680 --> 00:18:08,279 fundamentalist religious backgrounds, we just didn't know the difference. I said it this 211 00:18:08,319 --> 00:18:17,000 way in my autobiography. Deconverted parents will install a program onto a child's mental 212 00:18:17,079 --> 00:18:21,960 hard drive, and then they make sure that that program runs twenty four to 213 00:18:21,960 --> 00:18:27,200 seven. There is an alternate, There is an uninstalled option, but they 214 00:18:27,200 --> 00:18:30,920 don't tell you that. They say, no, no, this is the 215 00:18:30,960 --> 00:18:34,359 only program that works. And so, you know, many of us grow 216 00:18:34,480 --> 00:18:40,160 up and realize much later, or some never find out at all that actually, 217 00:18:40,240 --> 00:18:44,839 no, you can uninstall the program, and there are much better programs 218 00:18:44,920 --> 00:18:51,240 to do the job in this world. And so I really am convinced that 219 00:18:51,519 --> 00:18:57,119 people, young children are victims of often even the best intentions of religious families. 220 00:18:57,200 --> 00:19:00,799 But if everything you see and do who says God, Jesus, Bible, 221 00:19:00,920 --> 00:19:04,839 Heaven, Hell, you know, it's you're in a cocoon, You're 222 00:19:04,839 --> 00:19:07,920 in a bubble, You're in an alternate world, and that's hard to break 223 00:19:07,960 --> 00:19:11,000 out of. It doesn't really have anything to do with intelligence. I think 224 00:19:12,119 --> 00:19:17,160 some of the most intelligent people in the world can have bad ideas. We've 225 00:19:17,200 --> 00:19:21,480 seen examples of that across the spectrum. Right, Yes, yes, indeed, 226 00:19:21,920 --> 00:19:25,880 I've long thought that a lot of this religious indoctrination was child abuse. 227 00:19:26,720 --> 00:19:30,559 It bothers me deeply. One of the things though, that set me on 228 00:19:30,599 --> 00:19:34,359 the path to atheism was in grade four and I went to a Catholic school 229 00:19:36,039 --> 00:19:38,000 and we had nuns. Not all the teachers were nuns, but some of 230 00:19:38,039 --> 00:19:44,319 the teachers were nuns. And in religion class in grade four, sister Leona 231 00:19:44,880 --> 00:19:48,720 was telling us that, you know, well, heaven isn't a place you're 232 00:19:48,759 --> 00:19:51,680 not going to see. You'll hang out with your family and you know your 233 00:19:51,759 --> 00:19:56,559 dead pets or anything like that. It's just a piece. You're at peace, 234 00:19:56,640 --> 00:20:00,279 you have no thoughts or whatever. And that started to sound to me 235 00:20:00,319 --> 00:20:03,839 a lot like well, not existing anymore. You cann't. Wait a minute, 236 00:20:04,000 --> 00:20:08,880 Wait, you're at peace, but you have no thoughts. Well, 237 00:20:10,039 --> 00:20:14,799 I guess that would be peace. I guess that would be laying in a 238 00:20:14,839 --> 00:20:18,160 box and holding your breath forever. It's like that Twain quote, I had 239 00:20:18,200 --> 00:20:23,720 not existed for billions of years before now and had not suffered the slightest inconvenience 240 00:20:23,839 --> 00:20:27,400 from it. I think the same would be after I die. Right, 241 00:20:27,559 --> 00:20:33,079 if I don't exist, I guess that's peace, maybe in some context. 242 00:20:33,240 --> 00:20:36,880 But you know, cut some slack to those of us who took a long 243 00:20:36,920 --> 00:20:41,079 time busting out of the faith. It's people like to say ridiculous things like 244 00:20:41,160 --> 00:20:45,680 you need to grow up, or religion is a mental illness, that kind 245 00:20:45,680 --> 00:20:51,200 of stuff. Those are horribly wrong, tremendously misguided, and often damaging points 246 00:20:51,200 --> 00:20:53,720 of view. You know, a smart people can have and often do have 247 00:20:53,839 --> 00:20:57,359 bad ideas. And smart people are very good at out smarting themselves. They 248 00:20:57,559 --> 00:21:03,039 know how the two connect that may not even need to be connected. You 249 00:21:03,079 --> 00:21:07,720 know, they are too clever sometimes, and so we have to you know, 250 00:21:07,759 --> 00:21:11,839 we have to be vigilant regardless of IQ. Okay, yes, well, 251 00:21:11,880 --> 00:21:15,480 I often get into discussions with believers and I always get hit with the 252 00:21:15,519 --> 00:21:19,559 thing about how it's written here in our books, it must be true. 253 00:21:19,559 --> 00:21:22,960 And I always tell them, well, you know, I have a book 254 00:21:22,960 --> 00:21:26,559 that said Horton Herd of who, and I'm not sure that's true. And 255 00:21:26,599 --> 00:21:32,160 they only have one book really, unless you count the apologetics books that explain 256 00:21:32,240 --> 00:21:36,359 the book, and all the books that explain the book disagree, so they 257 00:21:36,400 --> 00:21:38,640 have to have other books to explain the books which explain the books. Just 258 00:21:38,680 --> 00:21:42,240 bizarre, Peter. But all my best up there in Canada. And I 259 00:21:42,279 --> 00:21:45,680 hope the new year is very good to you, my friend, need to 260 00:21:47,359 --> 00:21:49,839 I hope I get some cooperation with that, all right, hang in there, 261 00:21:49,880 --> 00:21:55,359 brother, bye bye. I had somebody in the chat ask me about 262 00:21:55,400 --> 00:22:00,680 talk about a topic switch, ask me about the big how's the bidet? 263 00:22:00,799 --> 00:22:04,880 What's the update on the bidet? If you miss this conversation, I'll make 264 00:22:04,920 --> 00:22:11,480 it fast. Natalie went to stay with a cousin. Cousin lives near the 265 00:22:11,519 --> 00:22:18,079 beach in California, much prettier than where we live, so I'm thinking she's 266 00:22:18,119 --> 00:22:21,640 out there having a good time, catching some rays, enjoying the waves, 267 00:22:21,720 --> 00:22:25,400 drinking a mytie. I don't know, so i'd get her on the phone 268 00:22:25,400 --> 00:22:27,480 because I'm still at the house here. Hey, Annie, how's your trip? 269 00:22:29,079 --> 00:22:30,400 What's the best part. What's the best thing you've done? And she 270 00:22:30,480 --> 00:22:38,000 said, the best thing I have done is to sit on Shanna's toilet because 271 00:22:38,039 --> 00:22:45,599 she has a heated seat and a bidet, and I just I went blank, 272 00:22:45,799 --> 00:22:49,440 like what. Before I know it, Natalie is shopping online and she 273 00:22:49,519 --> 00:22:56,240 finds this attachment that you attached to the top of your toilet. You take 274 00:22:56,279 --> 00:23:02,200 the actual the old seat off the pad seed or whatever, and you put 275 00:23:02,200 --> 00:23:10,680 this bidet thing and it is heated, nice and warm. And then when 276 00:23:10,720 --> 00:23:14,359 you want the bideta work, you have a remote control and you hit It's 277 00:23:14,359 --> 00:23:18,519 got a picture of an ass with water spraying on it on the remote and 278 00:23:18,640 --> 00:23:23,759 I Am not kidding. So you hit the ass water button and this little 279 00:23:23,880 --> 00:23:34,400 rod comes out and then water sprays up into your rectal area, warm water. 280 00:23:38,119 --> 00:23:45,839 And then whenever you think you are clean, there's a dryer. There's 281 00:23:45,839 --> 00:23:53,000 a sensation. What do I think? I can't describe the sensation. I 282 00:23:53,079 --> 00:24:00,759 feel like this is not something that I'm there should not be that since in 283 00:24:00,799 --> 00:24:04,519 that part of the body. Does that make any sense? But I will 284 00:24:04,559 --> 00:24:11,599 say I will say that the warm toilet seat is bliss. Three o'clock in 285 00:24:11,640 --> 00:24:15,519 the morning, I wake up, you know, I have to go to 286 00:24:15,559 --> 00:24:19,599 the bathroom and if I have to sit down and I hit that warm seat. 287 00:24:19,759 --> 00:24:27,400 Oh man, that's nice. So I mean, what review can I 288 00:24:27,440 --> 00:24:33,119 possibly give it? It's warm and it's comfortable, and it's weird. But 289 00:24:33,279 --> 00:24:41,319 day update December twenty twenty three, we continue with our little bonus broadcast here 290 00:24:41,359 --> 00:24:45,960 as we kick off the month of December. Your calls and who knows what 291 00:24:45,160 --> 00:24:57,720 else coming up next. If you would like to give a Christmas gift or 292 00:24:57,960 --> 00:25:04,319 holiday gift to this broadcast, become a patron. It makes a big difference 293 00:25:04,519 --> 00:25:11,640 Patreon dot com slash Seth Andrews and you can choose how much and for how 294 00:25:11,720 --> 00:25:19,480 long and whatever Patreon dot com slash Seth Andrews. Thanks so much, David 295 00:25:19,559 --> 00:25:23,839 at eight zero three, let's chat. What do you want to talk about? 296 00:25:25,319 --> 00:25:27,000 Well, since you brought up Godzilla, I thought I would bring a 297 00:25:27,039 --> 00:25:30,440 little bit of trivia that I learned from a friend of mine who is a 298 00:25:32,000 --> 00:25:37,640 huge Godzilla enthusiast, and even those like Godzilla based artwork. But something that 299 00:25:37,680 --> 00:25:41,559 a lot of people may not realize that the early models of Godzilla. What 300 00:25:41,720 --> 00:25:45,119 a lot of people think are scales was never scales. The pattern of skin 301 00:25:45,240 --> 00:25:52,519 is actually modeled after the burn victims from Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The original Godzilla 302 00:25:52,839 --> 00:25:56,799 was a political piece more than it was a monster movie. Yeah, Godzilla 303 00:25:56,880 --> 00:26:02,720 was always symbolic. He was always a what's the word I'm looking for. 304 00:26:02,759 --> 00:26:07,440 It was always a commentary on the nuclear age, on the recklessness of man, 305 00:26:07,960 --> 00:26:12,119 very much so. But I thought that little tibot might be interesting to 306 00:26:12,200 --> 00:26:17,279 you and the viewers. So we're talking about the old classics right where he's 307 00:26:17,319 --> 00:26:22,799 wearing the rubber suit and running around destroying Tokyo. Those aren't scales you're saying 308 00:26:22,839 --> 00:26:29,319 that was. They're emulating the skin burns of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. I'm going 309 00:26:29,400 --> 00:26:33,200 to go and after this live stream look up some classic Toho Godzilla and I'm 310 00:26:33,200 --> 00:26:37,240 gonna go check out the skin and because now I'm all curious. But that's 311 00:26:37,440 --> 00:26:42,240 great trivia. Thanks for sharing. No well, and if I can do 312 00:26:42,359 --> 00:26:47,839 a minor little plug for my friend, check out his his site. It's 313 00:26:47,960 --> 00:26:52,440 neomonsteriland dot com. Those Godzilla based artwork he's got up there. I think 314 00:26:52,440 --> 00:26:56,359 he might have a little bit of that early trivia on there as well. 315 00:26:56,359 --> 00:27:00,119 But there's some interesting work on there. If you like God's you might find 316 00:27:00,119 --> 00:27:03,279 it of interest. I appreciate you, man, thanks so much for calling. 317 00:27:03,319 --> 00:27:06,720 You're welcome. You have a great day. Yeah, see you later. 318 00:27:07,640 --> 00:27:12,599 Neomonsteriland dot com. Yeah, send some clicks and maybe some love their 319 00:27:12,640 --> 00:27:18,160 way. Yeah. I like to find out more about that hated, hated 320 00:27:18,200 --> 00:27:22,880 the film God's Illa Versus Kong. Like, I realize people say, well, 321 00:27:22,920 --> 00:27:26,680 it's a dumb monster movie, and so if it does something stupid, 322 00:27:26,720 --> 00:27:30,839 you're supposed to just shut your brain off and go with it. Yeah, 323 00:27:30,960 --> 00:27:36,960 no, like you got to at least try. God's Illa Versus Kong starts 324 00:27:37,160 --> 00:27:41,440 so strongly with the story about Kong and the little girl and the connection that 325 00:27:41,480 --> 00:27:48,240 they have, and then they go off into oblivion and talk about what this 326 00:27:48,440 --> 00:27:53,319 jungle home hidden under the Earth's crust where Kong lives. What the what? 327 00:27:56,400 --> 00:28:00,839 I'm sorry, So if you drill down into the Earth's core you'll find Kongville. 328 00:28:03,759 --> 00:28:11,599 Go. I almost I almost left. I was so disappointed. Let's 329 00:28:11,599 --> 00:28:15,039 take a look here. Oh, I've got Jeff calling in. He is 330 00:28:15,400 --> 00:28:19,799 almost cued on the switchboard. I did like the Gareth Edwards Godzilla film, 331 00:28:19,880 --> 00:28:25,920 the first one that they wasted Brian Cranston, but it was actually pretty good 332 00:28:26,000 --> 00:28:29,359 movie. And then what was the next one? Was it King of the 333 00:28:29,400 --> 00:28:36,160 Monsters? The one with Rodin. I need someone to guide me into the 334 00:28:36,240 --> 00:28:41,039 correct films. Jeff from south West Washington? Are you with me? My 335 00:28:41,119 --> 00:28:44,200 friend? Yeah? Here? How are you? I'm well, what's on 336 00:28:44,240 --> 00:28:47,160 your mind? You know, it's something I wanted to ask you about for 337 00:28:47,200 --> 00:28:49,440 a while now, and I really like to get r Ns and Matts and 338 00:28:51,119 --> 00:28:56,920 Noah's take on it too. Is when I was still a practicing pagan, 339 00:28:56,160 --> 00:29:00,920 I heard some of the horsemen talking about religion, you Dokins and Echins and 340 00:29:00,960 --> 00:29:07,400 whatnot, and they always focused on the absurdity of Christianity, the absurdity of 341 00:29:08,000 --> 00:29:12,920 Islam. Not a whole lot of people touch on the belief systems that are 342 00:29:14,000 --> 00:29:17,960 sort of a part of the neopagan movement. And you know, first of 343 00:29:17,960 --> 00:29:22,960 all, the neopagans aren't the ones in power trying to change laws to you 344 00:29:22,000 --> 00:29:26,200 know, affect other people, so perhaps they don't need as much attention. 345 00:29:26,720 --> 00:29:30,960 And I just wondered if you have any kind of send up for neopaganism at 346 00:29:30,960 --> 00:29:34,200 all. I think the reason that the primary focus is on the Big two 347 00:29:36,079 --> 00:29:40,079 is because these are the wildfires that require our immediate attention. I mean, 348 00:29:40,119 --> 00:29:44,400 even on this show, we've gotten into some other stuff, more of the 349 00:29:44,519 --> 00:29:48,119 culty stuff, from time to time. But I think most of the reason 350 00:29:48,200 --> 00:29:52,680 you hear Christianity Islam over and over and over is because that's where the main 351 00:29:52,880 --> 00:29:57,920 threats are. I myself don't know much about neopaganism, and I would welcome 352 00:29:59,000 --> 00:30:03,440 experts to guide me through those conversations and maybe even do an entire broadcast on 353 00:30:03,480 --> 00:30:08,160 them. Is this your wheelhouse? Uh? Well, I mean as somebody 354 00:30:08,200 --> 00:30:12,200 who practiced for a long time, and as somebody with a degree in psychology, 355 00:30:12,680 --> 00:30:15,359 you know, I can kind of break it down a little bit, 356 00:30:15,400 --> 00:30:18,920 but I wouldn't call myself an expert. Well, I mean, give me 357 00:30:18,960 --> 00:30:23,519 the premer, give me the reader's digest version of neo paganism. Okay, 358 00:30:23,559 --> 00:30:30,519 So for me, it's a focus on the cycle of the year in life 359 00:30:30,559 --> 00:30:33,680 and death and rebirth. So at October thirty first is the new year. 360 00:30:33,799 --> 00:30:37,839 That's what we would call the blood feast in ancient Europe before the Romans came 361 00:30:37,839 --> 00:30:41,559 and mucked things up, and what happened during the blood feast is that you 362 00:30:41,559 --> 00:30:45,000 would slaughter the animals who weren't expected to make it through the winter. You're 363 00:30:45,039 --> 00:30:48,200 bringing the rest of the crops that you were going to store, and then 364 00:30:48,240 --> 00:30:52,480 you throw a big party and invite everybody in town and you celebrate the bountiful 365 00:30:52,519 --> 00:30:56,359 harvest that you have and that we're you know, we're going to be able 366 00:30:56,440 --> 00:31:00,200 to get through these cold, dark times together. And then there's different points 367 00:31:00,200 --> 00:31:03,319 throughout the year, the softsses, the equinoxes, they call them quarters and 368 00:31:03,359 --> 00:31:07,119 cross quarters. But at different times of the year there are different things to 369 00:31:07,160 --> 00:31:11,559 do, such as you know, October is obviously harvest. In February we 370 00:31:11,680 --> 00:31:17,480 have mol which is the first of the planting season, right, And to 371 00:31:18,400 --> 00:31:22,720 take it to a metaphorical place, you know, I think about harvest the 372 00:31:22,839 --> 00:31:27,720 lessons that I've learned throughout the year, and when I'm planting, I'm planting 373 00:31:27,960 --> 00:31:34,200 ideas and thoughts and desires and goals I want to see throughout the coming year 374 00:31:34,720 --> 00:31:40,759 and hopefully harvest off of again. So in a nutshell, that's kind of 375 00:31:40,799 --> 00:31:44,319 a primer. I guess, yeah, what I have liked about and we 376 00:31:44,440 --> 00:31:49,440 talk about Pagan traditions as precursors to many of our Christian traditions. I have 377 00:31:49,559 --> 00:31:55,880 always liked the gratitude, you know, the connection with the earth, the 378 00:31:56,000 --> 00:32:00,680 preparing for the future, and the honoring of the past. Those elements of 379 00:32:00,759 --> 00:32:04,640 paganism always kind of struve I always thought they were kind of romantic and actually 380 00:32:04,720 --> 00:32:07,759 quite human in that way. I don't know if I'm overreading it or overthinking 381 00:32:07,799 --> 00:32:10,400 it. Would you agree, I mean it's sort of an earthy connection, 382 00:32:10,480 --> 00:32:14,559 a connection to life, kind of a vibe, right, yeah, and 383 00:32:15,119 --> 00:32:19,079 yeah, exactly. And the quote that comes to mind is be noble for 384 00:32:19,200 --> 00:32:22,160 you are made of stars, Be humble, for you are made of earth. 385 00:32:22,359 --> 00:32:27,880 Right, I'm writing that down. I'm writing that down. That's so 386 00:32:28,079 --> 00:32:32,920 good. So my connection with the Earth is important because every molecule that's in 387 00:32:32,960 --> 00:32:37,200 my body right now was already here on Earth, and then some chemical reaction 388 00:32:37,319 --> 00:32:42,720 came along and stacked it up into me. And so understanding and appreciating the 389 00:32:42,720 --> 00:32:45,720 cycles that the Earth goes through and how life evolved here and why we have 390 00:32:45,839 --> 00:32:51,720 the practices that we do around you know, finding agriculture and whatnot. I 391 00:32:51,759 --> 00:32:55,839 mean, obviously industrial agricultures found ways around you know, like having to leave 392 00:32:55,880 --> 00:33:00,359 a field sallow in order to replenish the soil, and you know that kind 393 00:33:00,720 --> 00:33:04,960 But you know, I think taking that connection to the earth and then metaphorically 394 00:33:05,000 --> 00:33:07,839 transferring it my connection to other human beings. Yeah, you know, it's 395 00:33:07,880 --> 00:33:12,359 kind of romantic. So maybe maybe there's not much to send up here. 396 00:33:13,000 --> 00:33:15,960 I mean, I'll ask the listeners if they would be interested in a show 397 00:33:16,359 --> 00:33:21,119 on paganism, neo paganism, et cetera. But I would have to lean 398 00:33:21,160 --> 00:33:24,200 on shoulders much bigger and taller than my own. So yeah, let's let's 399 00:33:24,279 --> 00:33:29,480 kind of let me float a trial balloon on that one to do because you're 400 00:33:29,599 --> 00:33:32,559 like six' five, right, six one, But you're very kind. 401 00:33:32,799 --> 00:33:37,119 Now you want to see somebody tall and looming, just look at ur and 402 00:33:37,240 --> 00:33:40,720 Raw. You know, he's he doesn't need lifts like Ron DeSantis does. 403 00:33:40,759 --> 00:33:45,240 He just walks and looms and then he pulls out the hot powder. He's 404 00:33:45,240 --> 00:33:47,240 such a teddy beer. I just want to sit on his lap and tell 405 00:33:47,279 --> 00:33:52,359 him what I want for Halloween. Yeah, that's a whole other party right 406 00:33:52,359 --> 00:33:57,480 there. All right, my friend, be safe, Jeff, thanks for 407 00:33:57,480 --> 00:34:01,920 calling. Talking to see you later. I think it's romantic to think that, 408 00:34:02,240 --> 00:34:06,200 and when I say it, it sounds like a freaking Hallmark movie. 409 00:34:06,200 --> 00:34:08,800 But we are all star dust, right. The elements that came from the 410 00:34:08,840 --> 00:34:15,079 stars constitute everything that we see around us and constitute too, and what we 411 00:34:15,119 --> 00:34:21,000 are. And from stars we came, and to stars we will one day 412 00:34:21,159 --> 00:34:25,519 return. I think that's magical. It's a kind of I guess what I 413 00:34:25,639 --> 00:34:30,280 call it? Eternal life? As we pass away, right, my day 414 00:34:30,440 --> 00:34:37,159 comes and the elements of my body are reconstituted into the earth, and then 415 00:34:37,239 --> 00:34:42,519 over the course of time into other things, and then the earth finally goes 416 00:34:42,559 --> 00:34:45,519 away and the sun burns up, and I don't know what the universe is 417 00:34:45,559 --> 00:34:51,000 going to do, what it's but we continue on in that way. We're 418 00:34:51,039 --> 00:34:54,559 not conscious of it, but it is a kind of eternal life. I 419 00:34:54,599 --> 00:34:59,199 don't know. I mean, do you see it as romantic in that way? 420 00:35:00,039 --> 00:35:02,239 I kind of do, But maybe I'm just a big sap. Paul 421 00:35:02,840 --> 00:35:07,880 at six one two, Thanks for your patience. Are you with me? 422 00:35:07,159 --> 00:35:09,920 Hey? How you doing, Seth? I'm great, my friend. Let's 423 00:35:09,960 --> 00:35:13,400 talk what's on your mind? Well, first of all, I wanted to 424 00:35:13,440 --> 00:35:15,760 say quickly, it was really nice to meet you. When you're out in 425 00:35:15,800 --> 00:35:20,239 Minneapolis last time. That was a really good talk, really fun time, 426 00:35:20,320 --> 00:35:22,400 so I really appreciate that. Thank you. So I was going through some 427 00:35:22,480 --> 00:35:29,360 of your old episodes and you talked about really liking Spanish guitar and you always 428 00:35:29,360 --> 00:35:31,679 wanted to learn, and you wrote a pretty neat little composition as well. 429 00:35:31,719 --> 00:35:35,599 But I thought was pretty cool. Tell me a little bit about that. 430 00:35:35,679 --> 00:35:39,039 I'm curious. Flamenco is actually one of my specialities, and I'm curious as 431 00:35:39,079 --> 00:35:44,639 to what is it about Spanish guitar that really kind of speaks to you When 432 00:35:45,039 --> 00:35:47,440 you say I did an arrangement, I did it on a keyboard with the 433 00:35:47,480 --> 00:35:52,400 Spanish guitar kind of a program. So I totally cheated. I am not 434 00:35:52,519 --> 00:35:57,440 a great pianist. I play only by ear. I was a nightmare for 435 00:35:57,480 --> 00:36:00,960 all my music teachers because as they were trying to teach me scales and all 436 00:36:01,000 --> 00:36:05,199 of those clefts and everything else, I just wanted to go play my own 437 00:36:05,360 --> 00:36:09,519 thing. But I took guitar lessons for a few months. I just couldn't 438 00:36:09,519 --> 00:36:13,480 get my fingers around the fret. I couldn't get them to connect with the 439 00:36:13,519 --> 00:36:16,679 strings. I wasn't and I became so frustrated. And everybody I've spoken almost 440 00:36:16,679 --> 00:36:22,559 everybody I've spoken to who plays guitar and even teaches guitar, they say, 441 00:36:22,599 --> 00:36:25,559 that's normal. You will feel like it is never going to happen, You're 442 00:36:25,599 --> 00:36:30,400 going to be terrible, and then suddenly you will connect with the instruments. 443 00:36:30,440 --> 00:36:34,880 After three months. I never got there, and I think I put the 444 00:36:34,920 --> 00:36:38,679 guitar on eBay and went to go do other things. But do you play, 445 00:36:38,800 --> 00:36:44,079 do you teach? What's your story? Yeah? Yeah, so again, 446 00:36:44,119 --> 00:36:46,079 I don't know if you remember me so many people, but I'm actually 447 00:36:46,079 --> 00:36:51,000 a music professor and I own a little guitar and music school out here, 448 00:36:51,159 --> 00:36:52,960 and yeah, I've been teaching for a long time. And one thing I 449 00:36:52,960 --> 00:36:57,639 told all my students is I say, you gotta be okay with sounding like 450 00:36:57,679 --> 00:37:00,800 shit, and that's normal. You're gonna be fine, right, And I 451 00:37:00,840 --> 00:37:04,719 think that kind of allows them to relax a little bit, because a lot 452 00:37:04,719 --> 00:37:07,360 of people come into lessons with this idea that, oh my gosh, I 453 00:37:07,400 --> 00:37:09,559 gotta sound perfect, I can't make any mistakes. And I tell everyone you've 454 00:37:09,559 --> 00:37:13,719 got to make mistakes, you got to you have to suck before you're good. 455 00:37:14,000 --> 00:37:15,840 And I find that generally speaking, that kind of puts a lot of 456 00:37:15,840 --> 00:37:21,599 people at ease, and it's just fun to see people kind of grow with 457 00:37:21,639 --> 00:37:25,039 the instruments, whether they want to be a really great guitar player or they 458 00:37:25,079 --> 00:37:29,039 just want to pick up a couple of giant cash tunes. Hey, if 459 00:37:29,079 --> 00:37:30,639 they're having a great time and they're picking up the instrument because they love it, 460 00:37:30,719 --> 00:37:35,440 that makes me happy as a teacher. Well, I'm not saying it's 461 00:37:35,480 --> 00:37:38,159 impossible. It's it's out of the cards that I will let never pick up. 462 00:37:38,239 --> 00:37:43,519 I may one day try again. It's probably like anything that you do. 463 00:37:44,079 --> 00:37:46,519 You know, if you're going to be a singer or a writer or 464 00:37:46,519 --> 00:37:50,960 some sort of painter, you know you're probably going to be horrible for a 465 00:37:51,000 --> 00:37:53,599 while until you are not. But you know, are there some people, 466 00:37:54,159 --> 00:37:57,880 Paul, that just will never get there? Come on, I know you've 467 00:37:57,920 --> 00:38:00,760 had some students and you're like, you need to do something else with your 468 00:38:00,800 --> 00:38:05,039 life. Do you ever just write somebody off, Because you'd probably write me 469 00:38:05,119 --> 00:38:07,920 off if I showed up in your classroom. Paul. I'm just saying, 470 00:38:07,280 --> 00:38:09,719 well, you'll have to show up some time, and then you know, 471 00:38:10,400 --> 00:38:15,800 I've the students that I mean, I've never like so much kicked somebody out. 472 00:38:15,840 --> 00:38:17,760 But you know, I can usually tell if someone if it's in their 473 00:38:17,760 --> 00:38:21,519 heart or not, you know, and they're just like maybe too afraid to 474 00:38:21,519 --> 00:38:24,079 say, hey, this just isn't my thing, and I'll just sit them 475 00:38:24,079 --> 00:38:27,320 down and just have a nice frank talk with it, and I'll tell them, 476 00:38:27,360 --> 00:38:30,519 hey, I tried some instruments too that I thought it like and I 477 00:38:30,559 --> 00:38:32,320 and I've didn't, but you gave it a shot and that's perfectly fine, 478 00:38:32,360 --> 00:38:35,599 and that's perfectly okay. If you ever want to come back, you're welcome. 479 00:38:35,760 --> 00:38:38,159 So I've never you know, I've never sat down and told someone, 480 00:38:38,320 --> 00:38:40,880 you know, you can't do this in no way. I work with a 481 00:38:40,920 --> 00:38:45,519 lot of kids who are autistic, and usually with those kids is they have 482 00:38:45,760 --> 00:38:47,840 sort of an inn. They have a thing that they're really good at, 483 00:38:47,920 --> 00:38:52,360 and that can be Like example, I have a student who is really into 484 00:38:52,800 --> 00:38:57,639 training, especially injurines, and you can you can tell this kid any year, 485 00:38:58,280 --> 00:39:00,480 any year, any date, and he can tell you everything about that 486 00:39:00,559 --> 00:39:04,039 steam engine and how it was built and what it takes. So what we 487 00:39:04,119 --> 00:39:07,199 do is rewrite songs together that sound like those engines. So I'll say, 488 00:39:07,239 --> 00:39:10,079 nineteen forty two, what does the engine sound like? And he'll write a 489 00:39:10,119 --> 00:39:15,360 song making sounds with his guitar that sounds like that engine toom And so that's 490 00:39:15,400 --> 00:39:19,599 a super gratifying thing to see. And also it's neat to allow him in 491 00:39:19,599 --> 00:39:22,440 introduction and experience with music via something he understands. I don't know if that 492 00:39:22,519 --> 00:39:25,880 makes sense or not. It does. It's ingenious. What a great way 493 00:39:25,960 --> 00:39:30,480 to sort of go into their wheelhouse and make it personal and unique to them. 494 00:39:30,559 --> 00:39:35,559 That's fantastic. Well, thanks for the encouragement. And you know, 495 00:39:35,599 --> 00:39:38,320 for me, I just love the way it sounds acoustic guitar in general. 496 00:39:38,719 --> 00:39:43,880 One of my favorite songs is a song that released I want to say in 497 00:39:43,960 --> 00:39:49,199 the late eighties by staying it's called Fragile and it's mostly just him on the 498 00:39:49,239 --> 00:39:52,559 acoustic guitar and I could listen to that tune and songs like it all day 499 00:39:53,119 --> 00:39:57,000 long. It's funny you mentioned that I was actually just teaching that to a 500 00:39:57,000 --> 00:40:00,679 student yesterday. So that's a nice ole coincidence. Powerful message, really really 501 00:40:00,679 --> 00:40:04,800 good stuff. Yeah, absolutely, one more thing before I go. And 502 00:40:05,159 --> 00:40:07,280 I know you get tons of emails, but a while ago I tried to 503 00:40:07,280 --> 00:40:12,679 send you a link to a free copy of my Flamenco album. I don't 504 00:40:12,719 --> 00:40:15,360 know if you've got that or not. I would have brought you a copy 505 00:40:15,519 --> 00:40:17,719 when you were here in Minneapolis, but I sold out of all my copies, 506 00:40:17,719 --> 00:40:21,519 which is a good problem to have. But can I go ahead and 507 00:40:21,559 --> 00:40:22,920 read send that to you and give you just a link for a free DOWB 508 00:40:23,440 --> 00:40:28,039 Just kind of my way of saying thanks for everything you've given us as a 509 00:40:28,039 --> 00:40:30,920 community. Yeah, I'd be honored forgive my inbox it is now. I 510 00:40:31,079 --> 00:40:36,519 have not seen it, but I think I've got ten thousand emails in the 511 00:40:37,000 --> 00:40:39,920 box. I've read a bunch, but I can't keep up because that plus 512 00:40:39,960 --> 00:40:44,519 the Facebook messages, plus all of the comments that are coming on, plus 513 00:40:45,199 --> 00:40:47,920 everything else that's in the pipeline. And I'm just one guy. So if 514 00:40:47,960 --> 00:40:51,880 I missed it, it is not personal. Send it to me again. 515 00:40:51,960 --> 00:40:53,920 Would it be under your name? Well, I see Paul, Yes, 516 00:40:54,320 --> 00:40:58,119 Okay, I'll look for Paul. Just send it to me tonight. I'll 517 00:40:58,119 --> 00:41:00,320 go take a peek before we call a day. All right, And again, 518 00:41:00,320 --> 00:41:02,960 a big thanks for your show, a big thanks for everything you do. 519 00:41:04,400 --> 00:41:06,840 You know, I know you've questioned before whether you're making a difference. 520 00:41:06,840 --> 00:41:09,360 You are. I just want you to know that and keep doing what you 521 00:41:09,440 --> 00:41:13,719 do. And I hope to see you in Minneapolis Saint Paul again. Sometimes 522 00:41:13,719 --> 00:41:15,960 all right, all right, my friend, take care of yourself. We'll 523 00:41:15,960 --> 00:41:20,400 see you later. Hey, you too. Thanks that. I find myself 524 00:41:20,440 --> 00:41:25,760 apologizing a lot for having a difficult time keeping up. But you know, 525 00:41:25,880 --> 00:41:30,760 I like being busy. I'd rather have too much than not enough, although 526 00:41:30,760 --> 00:41:37,519 occasionally it is a little bit overwhelming. So and I probably and Natalie says, 527 00:41:37,559 --> 00:41:43,119 I do it to myself. She's like, you started a second podcast, 528 00:41:43,320 --> 00:41:49,199 Yes, honey. She's totally supportive. She's like, with all that, 529 00:41:49,280 --> 00:41:52,199 wait, with all that you're doing, you have a set yes? 530 00:41:52,519 --> 00:41:55,639 How often does it release? Three times a week? How much research does 531 00:41:55,679 --> 00:42:01,519 it require? You do not want to know, but you know people are 532 00:42:01,559 --> 00:42:07,599 noticing the true stories with Seth Andrews podcast. If you haven't heard it, 533 00:42:07,679 --> 00:42:10,519 I would encourage you to check it out. I should do one for you 534 00:42:10,639 --> 00:42:15,039 here, just since we have a second I'll get to Dave on the switchboard 535 00:42:15,039 --> 00:42:21,119 in just a moment. This was I think one of the first stories that 536 00:42:21,239 --> 00:42:27,400 I released in August. I think of twenty twenty two. If you've heard 537 00:42:27,400 --> 00:42:30,079 this one, forgive me. And if I screw up a couple of the 538 00:42:30,119 --> 00:42:34,760 details, it's because I'm doing it for memory. I don't have the script 539 00:42:34,760 --> 00:42:37,280 in front of me, but this is the kind of thing that I'm doing. 540 00:42:37,920 --> 00:42:45,719 On the second show. The year is nineteen fifty three. If I 541 00:42:45,840 --> 00:42:53,000 recall man named John, he's a codebreaker for the United States Air Force. 542 00:42:54,119 --> 00:42:58,920 This is roughly eight years after the ending of the Second World War, but 543 00:42:59,000 --> 00:43:05,480 the Cold War between the superpowers is in full swing, specifically the United States 544 00:43:05,519 --> 00:43:12,679 and Soviet Russia with their spies in our midst our spies in their midst John 545 00:43:12,840 --> 00:43:16,519 was a codebreaker in the Air Force. His job was to intercept and translate 546 00:43:17,239 --> 00:43:24,840 coded Soviet transmissions, and then he would report those messages to his superiors and 547 00:43:24,960 --> 00:43:30,239 they would go up the chain of command. And one day there was a 548 00:43:30,239 --> 00:43:35,760 lot of traffic, a lot of chatter about Joseph Stalin, the dictator. 549 00:43:35,840 --> 00:43:43,119 Now. Stalin had been the totalitarian dictator of Russia since the nineteen thirties, 550 00:43:43,280 --> 00:43:49,599 brutal tyrants. In fact, historians would say Stalin was responsible for the deaths 551 00:43:49,639 --> 00:43:54,639 of around twenty million of his own citizens. Many by starvation. But what 552 00:43:54,800 --> 00:44:00,760 happened to Stalin would affect the balance of power in the rest to the world. 553 00:44:00,760 --> 00:44:06,000 And so whenever John was sitting in the codebreaker's chair he heard these messages, 554 00:44:06,079 --> 00:44:09,000 he decoded them and they said, Joseph Stalin is in failing health. 555 00:44:09,039 --> 00:44:15,000 He is very ill. It doesn't look good. Doctors have been summoned. 556 00:44:15,079 --> 00:44:17,199 I mean, this was big news, and this was news that Russia wanted 557 00:44:17,239 --> 00:44:23,800 to protect. John caught it and he sent those messages translated up the chain 558 00:44:23,840 --> 00:44:31,960 of command until finally the message came in, Joseph Stalin has died. John 559 00:44:32,000 --> 00:44:37,199 the codebreaker translated that. He gave it to his superior and immediately it rushed 560 00:44:37,280 --> 00:44:44,119 up the chain of command to reach President Dwight Eisenhower. Now what's interesting about 561 00:44:44,119 --> 00:44:52,880 this true story is not about Stalin. It's about John. Because John, 562 00:44:52,719 --> 00:44:57,840 John, whose message went up to reach the ear of a president's would in 563 00:44:57,960 --> 00:45:04,639 his life go on to meet and shake ends with presidents. John in his 564 00:45:04,719 --> 00:45:08,719 off hours, was a musician. He wrote songs, played guitar. He 565 00:45:08,840 --> 00:45:14,960 was honorably discharged, and he started to pursue music more seriously. Before he 566 00:45:15,039 --> 00:45:17,920 knew it, he was writing and recording and performing in front of hundreds, 567 00:45:17,960 --> 00:45:23,639 than thousands, and then tens of thousands of people. John would eventually go 568 00:45:23,679 --> 00:45:29,559 on to be inducted into both the Rock and Roll and the Country Music Hall 569 00:45:29,800 --> 00:45:37,280 of Fame. That same John who sat in the Codebreaker's chair. That was 570 00:45:37,320 --> 00:45:45,119 the John who walked the line, who went down to that burning ring of 571 00:45:45,199 --> 00:45:58,559 fire and sang the fulsome prison blues, Johnny Cash. And that's the kind 572 00:45:58,599 --> 00:46:04,280 of fun stuff I get to release for you three times a week, True 573 00:46:04,320 --> 00:46:09,119 Stories with Seth Andrews streaming on all major podcast apps. This is still my 574 00:46:09,159 --> 00:46:15,519 first love. That is, it's becoming a close second. We got more 575 00:46:15,559 --> 00:46:24,679 to talk about and more calls next. Hard to believe it is the month 576 00:46:24,719 --> 00:46:31,119 of December already on Time flies, and I think time flies more quickly as 577 00:46:31,159 --> 00:46:37,559 we get older. When we were kids and somebody said, oh, you 578 00:46:37,679 --> 00:46:43,760 can do this in a week, we'd be like, I don't want to 579 00:46:43,840 --> 00:46:46,320 wait a week. A week is forever. I can't believe it's going to 580 00:46:46,360 --> 00:46:50,719 be a whole week. We would whine and moan and carry on because a 581 00:46:50,760 --> 00:46:57,519 week was eternity. Now I blink and it's next week, Like all of 582 00:46:57,519 --> 00:47:00,360 a sudden, it's December twenty twenty three, The new year reproaches. Twenty 583 00:47:00,400 --> 00:47:07,480 twenty four is around the corner. It's weird. Time goes faster as I 584 00:47:07,639 --> 00:47:14,119 get older, and I'm kind of freaked out about it when I'm sixty five. 585 00:47:14,360 --> 00:47:17,079 What am I just going to like? We'll look around in January turns 586 00:47:17,119 --> 00:47:23,760 into August like that. I don't know. I'm I'm just saying, Dave 587 00:47:24,000 --> 00:47:28,280 fits seven to one nine. Thanks for waiting on me. What do you 588 00:47:28,360 --> 00:47:31,199 want to talk about? Hey, well, thanks for taking my call real 589 00:47:31,280 --> 00:47:35,000 quick. I guess in the same vein, I didn't know that story about 590 00:47:35,079 --> 00:47:38,800 Johnny Cash. It's really cool, but with the music and the guitar speak 591 00:47:38,840 --> 00:47:42,920 and everything like that, it got me thinking for a moment, I really 592 00:47:42,960 --> 00:47:46,599 wish that within our education, I really wish there was more of an emphasis 593 00:47:46,599 --> 00:47:53,360 putting on the acceptance of failure and trying and not succeeding. But that's okay, 594 00:47:54,079 --> 00:47:59,320 because it feels like the way the mark is set, it's either you 595 00:48:00,639 --> 00:48:04,840 or you don't, and if you don't, it's bad across the board. 596 00:48:05,880 --> 00:48:09,880 And I mean, nobody wakes up able to play guitar. You know, 597 00:48:10,079 --> 00:48:13,360 it's something you kind of got to work out a little bit, But I'm 598 00:48:13,360 --> 00:48:15,719 sorry, that's a little bit of a tangent. No, I like it. 599 00:48:15,880 --> 00:48:17,760 I like the sentiment of it. You know, does it bring you 600 00:48:17,920 --> 00:48:22,880 joy, does it fulfill you? Does it feed something in you? Is 601 00:48:22,920 --> 00:48:27,760 a hell of a lot more important than are you a master of it? 602 00:48:28,039 --> 00:48:30,039 I think that's valid. Sure, sure, I would say that if you 603 00:48:30,079 --> 00:48:34,480 had the same passion for playing guitar as you do for your podcast, you'd 604 00:48:34,519 --> 00:48:37,480 probably be a rock star. I don't know you if you haven't seen me 605 00:48:37,559 --> 00:48:40,440 with a guitar, but you know, I get it. It's like, 606 00:48:40,519 --> 00:48:44,960 I'm not a great pianist at all, but it does feel good to go 607 00:48:45,039 --> 00:48:46,760 and just kind of peck away at the keys, and who cares if I'm 608 00:48:46,760 --> 00:48:51,440 never going to be on stage at Carnegie Hall. It's a great release and 609 00:48:51,480 --> 00:48:54,000 it's you know, it's something that feeds something in me. So yeah, 610 00:48:54,000 --> 00:48:58,000 that's a great point. I appreciate you making a day. What else. 611 00:48:58,480 --> 00:49:00,679 Yeah, it's more important to love than it is to succeed. It's the 612 00:49:00,760 --> 00:49:05,960 love for it will help you succeed. But I wanted to talk a little 613 00:49:06,000 --> 00:49:08,679 bit about you know, the holidays are coming up for people of us non 614 00:49:08,719 --> 00:49:13,920 belief and skeptical persuasion. It can be a difficult time, especially if we 615 00:49:14,039 --> 00:49:17,239 have, you know, some ostracization from families and things like that, and 616 00:49:17,559 --> 00:49:22,400 going into that. It's a little bit of a struggle for me as I've 617 00:49:22,440 --> 00:49:25,159 come into my own here and started breaking away from a lot of the things 618 00:49:25,159 --> 00:49:29,719 that I used to think and how I've developed as an adult on account of 619 00:49:29,719 --> 00:49:32,119 religion. It's men me realize a lot of the subtle evils that kind of 620 00:49:32,119 --> 00:49:37,880 come along with growing up in a faith based institution. You have a lot 621 00:49:37,920 --> 00:49:43,039 of people who kind of express those sentiments towards you or I hear a lot 622 00:49:43,079 --> 00:49:49,320 from people stressed about the holidays. I myself had a whole conversation about how 623 00:49:49,360 --> 00:49:53,599 much do you engage over at the Thanksgiving holiday? Is it worth it? 624 00:49:54,719 --> 00:49:59,480 Why do it? What's the cost benefits? What do you want to get 625 00:49:59,519 --> 00:50:02,840 out of it? And I understand, you know, it's some people just 626 00:50:04,079 --> 00:50:07,920 light up in the months of November and December in the United States, and 627 00:50:08,000 --> 00:50:13,599 there are other people who have the opposite feeling. It's hard. They've lost 628 00:50:13,760 --> 00:50:17,880 people, maybe the death of a family member becomes much more forefront in their 629 00:50:17,920 --> 00:50:22,920 mind. You know, there's an empty chair at the family gathering. Maybe 630 00:50:22,159 --> 00:50:28,440 the season causes them to feel depressed as the weather has gotten colder and darker. 631 00:50:28,559 --> 00:50:31,679 It's so many factors, and you know, you make a great point 632 00:50:31,880 --> 00:50:36,760 that despite the fact that we are surrounded by all of those happy, clappy, 633 00:50:36,880 --> 00:50:42,840 nauseatingly cheery, bell filled holiday songs playing on the you know, on 634 00:50:42,920 --> 00:50:46,639 the loud speakers at the department stores, it's not really that reality for a 635 00:50:46,679 --> 00:50:51,960 great many people. So it's a good point. I've always been really appreciative 636 00:50:52,000 --> 00:50:55,440 of the sense of you know, giving and camaraderie with people, and you 637 00:50:55,440 --> 00:50:59,599 know, for me, the season is very much so about that, just 638 00:50:59,719 --> 00:51:01,760 you know, basic humanity, the people that you don't get to see all 639 00:51:01,800 --> 00:51:05,440 the time, and you want to let them know that you're thinking about them, 640 00:51:05,639 --> 00:51:08,840 and you want to enjoy those sorts of things with them. But I've 641 00:51:08,960 --> 00:51:15,000 suffered with depression for a very long time, and unfortunately, I come from 642 00:51:15,199 --> 00:51:21,639 a very religious family, and by that I mean Pentecostal evangelist, So it's 643 00:51:21,679 --> 00:51:25,280 a really hard thing for me. Who's somebody who's skeptically minded, who's you 644 00:51:25,280 --> 00:51:29,960 know, I want to consider myself a rationalist, But that's one of those 645 00:51:30,000 --> 00:51:31,480 things, you know, can't put a title on yourself to be Oh, 646 00:51:31,519 --> 00:51:37,039 I'm a rationalist, you know, just like I'm so humble and so caring 647 00:51:37,079 --> 00:51:40,000 and giving. But no, well, I don't think that's necessarily egotistical, 648 00:51:40,119 --> 00:51:44,079 Dave, to say that. You know, I am a person who is 649 00:51:44,159 --> 00:51:49,559 a promoter of rationality, and that's a focus for me. I understand that 650 00:51:49,559 --> 00:51:54,280 you don't want to come off as haughty and presumptuous and egotistical. But I 651 00:51:54,360 --> 00:51:58,800 you know, if you're a rationalist, you sound like a rationalist to me. 652 00:51:59,039 --> 00:52:01,079 So yeah, i'd call you that, Dave. I'd call you that. 653 00:52:01,639 --> 00:52:07,039 But it's a difficult thing to call out for help when you have these 654 00:52:07,079 --> 00:52:10,159 mental issues that are going on in the background, and I've had to kind 655 00:52:10,199 --> 00:52:14,800 of lean on outside sources. Talking with the family members the other day, 656 00:52:14,800 --> 00:52:17,760 they actually suggested that I go and see a therapist that Focus on the Family, 657 00:52:19,840 --> 00:52:23,480 and I didn't quite know how to tell them no, other than you 658 00:52:23,519 --> 00:52:30,239 know, I won't be a part of that evil and it's hard if I 659 00:52:30,320 --> 00:52:32,679 may. For those who don't know what Dave's talking about, Focus on the 660 00:52:32,719 --> 00:52:39,880 Family is a religious organization that was founded and run by James Dobson, who 661 00:52:39,960 --> 00:52:45,679 is a fundamentalist Christian apologist. He's a hardliner, and he's just a freaking 662 00:52:45,840 --> 00:52:51,559 human rights nightmare. He's a science nightmare, he's a history nightmare. He's 663 00:52:51,599 --> 00:52:55,840 a propaganda nightmare. And so the idea that's focus on the family would be 664 00:52:55,920 --> 00:53:01,920 guiding any counseling is terrified because they would likely be rooting it in notions of 665 00:53:02,000 --> 00:53:07,760 obedience and disobedience and divine destiny and Jesus is watching you and pray more and 666 00:53:07,840 --> 00:53:12,480 all that craziness. So I'm glad you escape that when that would have been 667 00:53:12,519 --> 00:53:15,840 a nightmare. Whenever I need to remind myself that I'm a good person, 668 00:53:15,920 --> 00:53:21,159 I remember one time I was called to deliver a pizza to their offices, 669 00:53:21,280 --> 00:53:25,679 and I resisted the temptation to do anything to it. So I said, 670 00:53:25,719 --> 00:53:30,559 yeah, I think I'm a decent person in that respectively. You did your 671 00:53:30,639 --> 00:53:34,280 job with honor, Dave, you know, and I appreciate that you didn't 672 00:53:34,280 --> 00:53:38,239 bring your own agenda into the pizza delivery, and I appreciate that. I 673 00:53:38,280 --> 00:53:42,199 know it's hard for a lot of people. I don't think there's any wrong 674 00:53:42,280 --> 00:53:47,199 way to spend the holiday unless you are in denial of yourself, your authentic 675 00:53:47,280 --> 00:53:52,159 self. I think that's wrong, But don't beat yourself up too much, 676 00:53:52,199 --> 00:53:54,679 you know, I think struggles are part of the human experience, and I'm 677 00:53:54,719 --> 00:53:59,239 glad that you are pursuing options. Just know you've got support and family, 678 00:53:59,360 --> 00:54:02,760 unconditional support here. And I hope the holiday and I hope the new year 679 00:54:02,800 --> 00:54:07,639 brings really good things for you. Okay, indeed, And thank you all 680 00:54:07,960 --> 00:54:13,280 very much. The likes of yourself, Matt Dillahunty the round one. As 681 00:54:13,320 --> 00:54:17,599 far as I'm concerned going forward, he's not round an. I know he's 682 00:54:17,639 --> 00:54:21,880 not. But now that's going to be stuck in my head forever. That's 683 00:54:21,920 --> 00:54:24,639 going to get back. But the likes of you, Bennett Docum and the 684 00:54:24,719 --> 00:54:29,119 people like that who I got to lose and talk and reassuring me that I 685 00:54:29,280 --> 00:54:32,719 was not alone. You are among that, and I thank you very much. 686 00:54:32,760 --> 00:54:37,239 I look at you as an uncle that is saying I get to be 687 00:54:37,320 --> 00:54:40,400 the same uncle during the holidays. Well, I'll take that seat at the 688 00:54:40,480 --> 00:54:44,679 table, and I hope the holidays are good for you. Thanks for calling, 689 00:54:44,960 --> 00:54:46,800 Thank you very much. Have a good season. Matt will be the 690 00:54:46,880 --> 00:54:51,519 first to tell you that he lost He lost a lot of weight, since 691 00:54:51,599 --> 00:54:55,320 the first time we met back in twenty eleven, and so I think there's 692 00:54:55,440 --> 00:55:00,920 still a publicity photo or three of him floating around from back then. So 693 00:55:01,079 --> 00:55:05,599 when somebody said he's the round one, I think they're either referring to the 694 00:55:06,159 --> 00:55:09,840 bald head which makes them think round, but mad. I mean, he's 695 00:55:09,880 --> 00:55:14,480 pretty lean these days, so I don't know, but that is going to 696 00:55:14,559 --> 00:55:17,679 get back to him. It's just whatever I did, whatever, I'm just 697 00:55:17,800 --> 00:55:22,639 going to leave that out there. I appreciate you watching and listening. I 698 00:55:22,719 --> 00:55:27,800 appreciate you being a part of my life over the year twenty twenty three and 699 00:55:28,320 --> 00:55:32,519 again, there's no wrong way to spend the holidays. I call it Christmas. 700 00:55:32,840 --> 00:55:36,320 That's the name of the holiday. You can call it whatever you want. 701 00:55:36,840 --> 00:55:39,039 Some people love to do the whole thing, tree, presence, music, 702 00:55:39,239 --> 00:55:43,320 everything else. Some people say, screw it, I'm not going to 703 00:55:43,400 --> 00:55:47,440 do a damn thing. Absolutely fine. Maybe you want to decorate with your 704 00:55:47,480 --> 00:55:53,079 own flavor of Christmas, traditions, your own color, scheme, different foods, 705 00:55:53,320 --> 00:55:58,639 different different stuff. The aesthetic I think doesn't have to be any one 706 00:55:58,719 --> 00:56:02,400 thing. There's no wrong to do the holiday season. Just make it right, 707 00:56:02,559 --> 00:56:07,800 make it yours and enjoy yourself, and that's my hope for you, 708 00:56:07,519 --> 00:56:12,360 and I will see you back here next time. Follow the Thinking Atheist on 709 00:56:12,519 --> 00:56:16,599 Facebook and Twitter for a complete archive of podcasts and videos, products like mugs 710 00:56:16,639 --> 00:56:22,559 and t shirts featuring the Thinking Atheist logo, links to atheist pages and resources, 711 00:56:22,920 --> 00:56:27,639 and details on upcoming free thought events and conventions. Log onto our website, 712 00:56:28,039 --> 00:56:29,880 The Thinkingatheist dot com.