Making Sense of Death
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- Опубликовано: 25 май 2023
- In this episode, we explore Sam’s conversations about the phenomenon of death.
We begin with an introduction from Sam as he urges us to use our awareness of death to become more present in our day-to-day lives. We then hear a conversation between Sam and Frank Ostaseski, founder of the Zen Hospice Project, who shares the valuable lessons he has learned through caring for those in their very last days. Next, we move on to a conversation with Scott Barry Kaufman, who explains what it means to pursue a good life by putting a modern spin on Abraham Maslow’s famous hierarchy of needs.
Researcher and professor of neuroscience Roland Griffiths then details his findings on psychedelic therapies. He and Sam discuss the inexplicable powers of psychedelics in easing the anxiety around death, and how these experiences can potentially help us live fuller lives. Shifting perspectives, we move on by hearing NYU professor Scott Galloway explain the social and economic impacts of a society made painfully aware of death by the COVID-19 pandemic.
We then listen in to author Oliver Burkeman as he outlines how the knowledge of our mortality can inform practical time management techniques before addressing an age-old question with physicist Geoffrey West: Theoretically, could we engineer humans to live forever?
Sam closes this episode with a solo talk, explaining that we needn’t be cynical about the fact that all life must come to an end. Instead, it is the transient nature of life that might be the very thing which makes it beautiful in the first place.
About the Series
Filmmaker Jay Shapiro has produced The Essential Sam Harris, a new series of audio documentaries exploring the major topics that Sam has focused on over the course of his career.
Each episode weaves together original analysis, critical perspective, and novel thought experiments with some of the most compelling exchanges from the Making Sense archive. Whether you are new to a particular topic, or think you have your mind made up about it, we think you’ll find this series fascinating.
May 26, 2023
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I've been working in a hospice home the past 6 months. Being in the presence of death regularly is a consistent reminder of the preciousness of each moment we have together. I've not felt more alive and felt so much compassion for my fellow humans as I currently do.
Does it make you fear death more or less?
@@libertyinfinite4785 Jesus got over it. Allegedly.
Sam starts speaking at 8:40
and again at 15:50
Last year, at the end of an unremarkable gym workout, I had a massive (widow-maker) heart attack. The heart attack caused me to go into cardiac arrest 12 times in total. Death was tranquil, peaceful, and painless. Coming back to life, however, was awful; painful, disorienting, and exhausting. (Note: I did not see any sign of an afterlife.) While in the emergency room, I heard a physician say, "He just flatlined again." As such, I knew I was dying. I reviewed my life in my head and reasoned I had a full life. I have no enemies, and I had no one to whom I needed to resolve any issue. My family and friends know I love them, and I know they love me. As such, I had no basis to complain if my life ended then, but I wanted to live more. I fought for my life for four days while on life support and thankfully, I have had a nearly complete recovery. Based on my experience, I do not fear death. I do, however, fear having another heart attack with, or without, complications. Now, I am making the most of my bonus time meaning I try to be fully conscious in every moment and I don't worry nearly as much as I once did. Having a heart attack and a near-death experience made me a better person and enhanced my ability to enjoy life. I accept that as far as we know we have one life to live and there is only so much I can expect from one lifetime.
Congratulations on your rebirth.
Happy that you value the second chance.
Thank you!!!
Why do people thank God,when it’s the Dr’s that save them.?
@@JohnJay1745 after what happened to you. do you belive that concisness earase after dying?
@@yuvalkaplan3074 - I don't concern myself with beliefs. Rather, I focus on things I know. I know that dying was a breeze and coming back to life was terrible. I know I love my friends and family. I know I have had a full life. I do not know whether or not there is any kind of afterlife. If there is an afterlife, I will deal with it then. I focus on enjoying every minute of my bonus time.
This is amazing. Im going through intense grief over losing my boy right now and it’s helping so much ❤️
Feeling guilty about wasting my time is counterproductive
But what if you are? Guilt is not the answer, but not sinking in the realization that you are wasting your life neither
There is no time in experiencing your Beingness. That is where all is revealed. So, now is the time not to overlook.
No, wasting your time is counterproductive. Feeling guilty about it doesn't make it even less productive, in fact feeling guilt about it can be productive because it can push you to stop wasting your time.
How can anything be a waste of time when life itself is a waste of time? Be as productive as you like achieve all your goals and still die and never know you existed or did anything. Embrace futility live and die. Die sooner rather than later instead of dragging it out. Any idea of meaningfulness is just masturbation.
That's a bit too myopic ..ooo fancy word
Death might be the scariest thing for everyone... At least for me. But I find letting go and just living is such a cathartic thing. Definitely beats always being scared of it... ☀️
This is so good. Loving this whole series Sam. Pure pleasure while on the road.
I owe so much to Sam Harris. His take on freewill and death always stikes me in a profound way.
Hey sam, i dont know if you read this. It would be really cool if you made the 'making sense of' series freely available. It feels like you touch upon subjects that the general public should know about and not just payint subscribers. Love❤
You dont have to pay to get full access
How much more do we get on the full episodes? I am tempted to subscribe.
The idea of fearing death is odd to me. I think I remember fearing the concept of death when I was a child but I can't remember what that was like. I hear people say they fear death a lot though. Sometimes I even see death as a potential relief.
Why do you see it as a relief? Do you imagine death will be followed by some sort of unending peaceful state?
@@naturalisted1714 No. But oftentimes when I'm doing something stressful or difficult I will think to myself that one day soon I will be dead I will not be feeling these feelings of stress and hardship. So in that sense it is comforting to me.
@@oswinhull4203 I fear death not because I fear that I will die one day but because of the pain and suffering of those who will miss me. If you don’t think that people will miss you imagine your funeral. Go there. Feel it. You would be missed.
@@stelmosfire11 I'm not so sentimental about it. Realistically, not that many people will be disturbed by my dying. I'm not naive or numb to the tragedy of death either. My brother died a few years ago way before he should have as a result of murder. Life continues on as callous as it sounds. That whole experience actually made me see the capricious and uncaring nature of the world in a way I hadn't previously. To be fair, I had kind of a cynical disposition before that. In the end death is also a business. There isn't much sentimental about the disposal of human remains, the documentation of the death by the state, the subsequent taxes and sorting out the inheritance, etc.
@@oswinhull4203 I am sorry to hear about your brother.
This by far was the most insightful, educational, and inspirational chat about that one sweet moment.
Hi everybody in the comment section!!!❤😊❤ I love you guys !!!!!
It would be great if you linked to the podcasts the clips were from.
I wish I could afford to subscribe. Thank you for what you do. This world is a better place with you in it. My son passed away and I am not going to Make it
Oh, gosh. I'm sorry to hear this. I completely hurt for you. I have a son and if he passed I often wonder if I could carry on. 😢
I lost my daughter and my life unravelled. I stuck around and got to car got my mother as she was dying. She needed me and I was still here. Who will need you? Help them more. Your life will fill up as you help and more importantly s you accept help. Keep trying to stay please.
Hi George. I will pay for your subscription if it keeps you going. Life must seem surreal now. So let me know if I can help.
@George, sorry for your loss. Gratitude and Joy they were here at all
So sorry for your loss, George. I believe there's an option for a free subscription for those who can't afford one.
Damn! You made me text my dad to tell him how much I love him
I'm not afraid of death but I am afraid of dying; I know that dying is scary because people have tried to kill me before. As far as death goes, I just remind myself that when I die, I won't be entering some exclusive club. It's not something terrible that's only gonna happen to me.
Thank you, Sam. You keep me sane and willing to learn more.
What is metarationality? I only recently heard about it.
Death is the vast silence of the cosmos. All our chatter comes to nothing before death.
"And all our yesterdays have lighted fools the way to dusty death."
Hi Sam, couldn’t this be available on waking up?
I love you Sam Harris!❤😊❤
Relax..everything is out of control - ajahn bhram
Most live as if we live forever. It’s built in. Rarely do people feel existential shock of that you we will die and it’s real and soon
I now regret why i regretted so much before in my life.
The thought that I will soon die and will never exist, ever, for eternity is terrifying to me.
Relax ,you will know nothing about it.
@@pfcsantiago8852 😫
I love love love LOVE YOU!
Excelente Sam Harris
I think most speakers, sam included, have a big blindspot here. Most arguments come down to: Death gives life meaning. It is clearly visible that death CAN be a source of meaning. As can be everything else if you are good with meditation. I find it admirable to make something as bad as death be a source of happiness under the premise that it is inevitable.
But the big blindspot i was talking about is that death (especially aging) is not inevitable. A lot of people, myself included, are working on it. Because research is doing good progress it is in fact harmful to go around saying death is good.
If the suffering caused by aging and death had any other cause, lets say something clearly visible like a cruel dictator who enjoys to torture people slowly over many years until they are dead, then it would be a really bad idea to go around and teaching people useful methods to basically ignore this gruesome person who is slowly killing my parents. Sure those methods reduce suffering but at the cost of getting rid of the bad dictator. The less people think death is a problem the more lives death will take until humanity has found a cure for aging and eradicated all other means of dying.
If, by "working on it," you mean that you're hoping to stop untimely death, then the pursuit is admirable. If, however, you'd hope to eliminate death entirely, then I'm afraid it's you who's suffering from the harmful blind spot.
First, consider that the human psychology is not equipped for handling an unlimited ride. For those of us who have a reasonably strong memory, we already get the idea after three dozen or so times around around the Sun. Given the tedium of repetition that I've already experienced here, three times my life would become a madness of mundanity. Patterns repeat, and novelty is found only in the apparent absence of their existence.
Next, consider the ethical implications of _never_ relinquishing the seat that you occupy on this ride; what does this self-motivated decision mean for the untold number of _other_ potential humans who've now been displaced by your unending existence (due to finite resources)? Even assuming that your life and the summation of theirs would be qualitatively equivalent, would your non-stop experience not be comparatively less precious by definition? After a century or so, what could possibly remain for you to've yet seen?
Just as summer's warmth is only understood by having suffered the cold, life is meaningless without the looming threat of the human condition. We only know precious because we understand loss. Even _trying_ to take the understanding of this limitation away from humanity is pure hubris; in fact, without it, we would be no longer human.
I hope this podcast contain the topic what happens after death ?
For that you'll have to listen to the Making Sense episode "The Paradox Of Death", where Sam discussed Tom Clark's essay "Death, Nothingness and Subjectivity", and what Clark coins "Generic Subjective Continuity". Well worth the read.
@@naturalisted1714
Thanks for this information
@@zulfii982
Yeah no body knows for sure but it's always interesting to listen interesting people on such topics
Death is a concept,not an inherently real thing
But of course being able to enjoy life and "relax" is a luxury many do not share. Try telling a traumatized veteran to sit back and smell the roses of the present moment. Try telling the young woman who has multiple personalities to "chilax" and enjoy life. It is easy to tell others that most of how they have been spending the waking hours of their life as wasting precious moments when your own environmental conditions in development were vastly different. Yes, many do worry about things considered to be unnecessary suffering; but, it is suffering nonetheless and death to them is a relief.
I was an agnostic before knowing Sam. I am now an atheist.
Hi Eddie.
I am a Christian and i have two questions for you :
What is your best evidence against the existance of God ?
What do you think about Sam saying lying, covering dead bodies is all permisible if your goal justifies it?
@@kilervgmmm what is your best evidence against the existence of Santa Clause, the Monkey King, the three supreme gods in Taoism, Poseidon, Dumbledore?
When you are indoctrinated with a religion, of course you will go find evidence to support your belief. What about other beliefs and other gods? What makes your god more superior than the others? Should billion of Muslims go to Hell (which has no evidence of its existence either)?
@@EddieNguyen-bn3lt
Eddie i am trying to engage into a conversation with you. You did not reply to my question and are shifting the burden of proof on me.
Agnosticism is a position stating i do not know if God exist (there is a lack of knowledge or thinking it is impossible to prove or denie it).
Atheism is a position stating God does not exist.
How did you shift from one position to the other and on what argument / proof to you base your claim? What is the best evidence for your position?
On one hand you claim there is no evidence of God existing (beeing an atheist) and in your own statement you say that i will find evidence that God exist (which in itself points to a fact that there are evidence to support my beliefs).
I will gladly discuss with you why i don't believe in Santa or any of the listed creatures but if you don't have an argument and do not want to engage i have no interest into having a disscussion.
Also do you have a problem with Sam saying anything is permited if the end justifies the means?
...I walk side by side with life and death, they're intertwined within my breath... I've learned from sinners, I've learned from beginners, I've learned from the wise old men and kids who roam the streets without a care. I've been a butterfly, I've been a fly in butter, I've screamed out loud, I've been without a word to utter.
Through dark forests and seas of pain I rode the avalanche of frozen thoughts in wish for peace within.
By the time I reached the sea, it was in turmoil, raging in me.
Now my wings are tired, powerless bones that scratch against my skin within. It won't be long until I face the mountain of my sins.
Individuality is inherently just a temporary perspective. Somewhat adequate yet always undoubtedly utterly pointless.Take care and live well, while you can!👻❤
Death is compassion
I wanna see Sam Harris and that intro lady fight at the mgm
💝
I never did understand everyone's fear of death. I understand the fear of dying, but not the fear of what comes after. It doesn't matter to you anymore and you are truly at rest.
I'm the same way. I certainly don't fear death. I think when I'm faced with death I probably won't want to die. At the same time I'd like to think I'd have the mental fortitude to face death without fear.
Even 'rest' is the wrong word. It implies a thing to be resting *from*.
One that no longer exists isn't resting.
I think the one thing that bothers me about death is possibly never seeing my kids again. Saying goodbye to them forever or never getting to say good bye at all.
@@stewartmoore5158 Life is the thing you are resting from.
Only people given the gift of breath get to experience losing it.
❤️🧡💛💚💙💜💙💚💛🧡❤️🧡💛
We are ALL the SAME PERSON experiencing life in a BUNCH
OF DIFFERENT BODIES!!! which
means that EVERY PERSON
that you meet, is really just YOU...
LIVING IN ANOTHER BODY!!
you see..you are INTERACTING with YOURSELF at ALL TIMES!!! & once you understand this,you can achieve unity!
💜💙💚💛🧡❤️🧡💛💚💙💜💙💚
You mean just conscience or reincarnation?
@@S7VENNNNo he means by singularity
Did I die and wake up listening to npr?
if no Self who dies
On the conversation with Frank Ostaseski, all I can say is that is was the most trivial banal pile of platitudinous waffly tripe that I have ever heard. Except maybe from some newbie hippies singing Kumbaya for the first time.
Do you remember what your life was like before you were born?
Why should death be any different?
Hello Hello dear fellow mortal humanimals! "I walk side by side with life and death, we are intertwined within my breath ". Take care and live well and enjoy the view, while you can!👻❤
Sam is obsessed with death. 8:42 that's all he thinks about and talks about.
If you care enough to go back and look, you can find where Sam admitted that when the covid vaccine first came out, and wasn't available to everyone yet, that he and others went and waited hours in line hoping for an "overflow" vaccine to become available. This happens if one of the shots doesn't get used for whatever reason, and is about to expire for example. So they would vaccinate any extras who were waiting around.
This shows not only Sam's trust in our broken and corrupt establishment institutions, but yes indeed also his fear of death. That kind of behavior is extremely irrational - and don't anyone dare say that "well back in the beginning we didn't know the risks" - yes we did, it's just anyone who went against the establishment was systematically shut down, which we all now know.
Not to mention that for an atheist, not being sure about what happens after death is a rational fear to have.
It's sad what Sam has become or perhaps what he was revealed to actually be.
What's all this fuss about death, I don't get it. Every single one of us was dead before we were born and once our pathetic existence comes to its end, we merely return to death. Hahaha, what a beautiful cycle within an extraordinarily impressive equilibrium!?👻❤
Who saw ReasonTV attack Sam?
I'll never die.
Because you're already dead.
Since Hell is so hot; I'll like to live in cold climates as much as I can before I die.
Depends what dimension of hell your in, it can be freezing to😂 dantes inferno
Me too I sin every chance I get as well.
The devil is gonna earn his pay on me!
Death is nothing. The end.
My thoughts as well.
Maybe were already dead thinking were alive ?
Why would ANYONE wish to associate with another Human who *pretends* to be a "good citizen" and whose "good motivations" are simply a ruse and whose motivations are only based upon their OWN personal benefit in a perceived AFTERLIFE?
If someone wants to imagine a carrot (incentive) to guide them to do good things, that's fine with me. While they think "would God want me to do this?", they're really asking the same question and getting the same answer as any other person asking "what is the _right_ thing to do." God becomes the icon of their moral conscious, whereas the rest us just recognize the virtue for what it is. It can be dangerous (twisted into a way to delude yourself with justifications for evil), but it can be totally fine too.
well, you dont know how you feel about things when you are 90.
maybe staying around indefinitly wont seem to tempting.
Painfully long introduction.
Ffs can you label episodes that are actually new!
This channel died a while back
the intro needs be cut down
c
Dying sux
Call me sensitive but I can’t even listen to the episodes where Megan gives preambles before each and every clip. I come here for Sam and his thoughts, not someone else giving longwinded summations of Sam and his thoughts.
@AD87, resisting what is leads to needless psychological suffering. May you be at peace.
Hey Sam look it's Trump..... psyche!!! 😂😅😂😅
Sammy The Pseudo Harris
This podcast just keeps going downhill. What is with the depressing topics man,
Sam has talked about death since his first book.
How rich does Sam wanna get. He is so filthy rich already
It's strange hearing someone talk about death as if they think they are knowledgeable on the subject. True death is a one-way door - once you pass through it, you don't exist in the same way as before. Unless reincarnation exists with recollection of past life is an actuality, no one knows what happens at the moment of and after death.
"no one knows" ...
next sentence: "you don't exist"...
everything is recycled
@@robertjsmithBut not plastic😅
Please stop using this weird lady in the intro
I believe that is his wife
The intro voice is of megan phelps-roper of former Westboro baptist Church fame. She has an excellent voice and was a great guest on her episode of sams podcast. Why would you call her weird?
@@tracemagace8434 wrong
Many of us have voiced our dissatisfaction about the MPR intros before each clip. Mustn’t be enough.
@@AD-dw6cb what wrong with them? I like them
Just subbed and now unsubbing. Put out the full episode greedy you will make plenty
🤡
Sam in 2018: orange man is so bad I have two dedicated 12 podcasts in a year discussing how bad he is
Sam in 2023: everything is fine now. Let's talk about drugs and death
Wow what a knockout punch.
When topical things happen- Sam talks about them. When those are done, Sam talks about something else.
This guy- cant believe it.
@@BMTroubleUwell said
Sam, this new format of having a 10+ minute intro from some woman that burns a sizable percentage of the video is incredibly self indulgent and obnoxious.
Atheism is not an anwer at all, because; what is atheism? The answer is given in the word, someone says: A-Theism = NO-God-belief. - I am thinking of a number, but the number is not 986357, what number am I thinking of? My name is not Snrrp, what is my name? I don't live in Gudvangen, where do I live? None of these questions can be answered with even microscopic probable certainty. Nor, what is atheism. Only well-defined pairs of 2 opposites can be answered with, NOT; like this: I am not she = I am he, not night=day etc. What about the word; believe? Originally it means to be quite sure of something, but not absolutely sure, because absolutely sure is called; To Know. So, not believe therefore becomes the opposite; great uncertainty about something, but not completely uncertain, i.e. belief in something opposite. The concept of God is only implied as something higher and more powerful than us, to define or describe it more accurately is impossible. So what does NON-God belief become in this clarification: Great uncertainty but not completely uncertain whether something higher and more powerful than me, but not more precisely defined, exists, in this case God.
The answer to whether one believes in or the outlook on life one has can, because the word ´belief´ is fluid, and the term God is only implied as something elevated over us, cannot therefore be answered with: I do not believe in God, I am an Atheist. The question must be clarified like this: I didn't ask what you don't believe, I asked what your outlook on life IS, what IS being an atheist? Someone will then try to rewrite NOT with other words: Rejection of, refutation of, lacking, dismiss etc... It doesn't help much. What IS atheism? The question has a NOT-free answer(I am a non´3+7=9´-believer exactly only because I know am a ´3+7=10´-believer). I want an answer from an atheist about what atheism IS. Not what they do not believe, are not convinced of, what they reject, what they dismiss etc. Yes, atheism is defined as what they do not believe, are not convinced of, what they reject, what they dismiss etc. I am not satisfied with that definition; I not their not´s, so 2 not´s cancel, and we are back to what is left: What is left of the atheist when all the NOTs have done their job? Science? I also believe in science, but I am not an atheist. No-one of them comes forth with an answer, only: "We don't believe in God", they shout a bit louder, as if that helps. Describe what you don't believe in? I ask then. And the atheist cannot answer, and even tells me to ask those who believe in God about it! So the atheist depends on what the believers say to have the slightest idea of what they don't believe in! But the believers cannot define or describe God, noone can. And round and round it goes, . . so I will give my answer:
When one does not want to look up to something higher and more powerful than oneself, then it is only oneself and that which is lower than oneself that can be seen. When you think yourself are at the mountaintop, all further movement will lead downward. If you have no higher idea about life and existence, the road only goes downhill for you. And downhill in this context means destruction, breakdown, dissolution, disaster, desperation, aimless flight downwards and downwards to death and unconsciousness. And in time it will spread to everything, both personal, cultural, scientific, artistic, moral - EVERYTHING That is WHAT Atheism is. Don't go that way!
If, on the other hand, one has something higher which is not just a word or an abstract, theoretical and very vaguely defined concept, but a supreme concrete example - God's Son Christ Jesus - which we can visualize through concrete sources, then we always have something to reach for and we are securely anchored in the highest.
Your post suggests that you haven't had a relationship with many atheists. Since breaking free from the intellectual shackles of Christianity, I have found greater mental clarity, feel more empathy and compassion, am far more tolerant than ever before.
@@gordonmoore3203 OK. So give me a Not-Free(and:rejection of, refutation of, lacking, dismiss etc. - Free) definition of atheism.
Atheism is simply the lack of belief in any gods. Those negative attributes you ascribe to atheists represent your own opinion, and clearly doesn't apply to me or most other atheists I know.