Jeff Rosenthal

we often think of ourselves as what we're into, not what we do.

Like we, we like to judge ourselves by our interests and our actions.

And so I think what you do is a better measure of who you are.

Like, how do you actualize the things that you say that you're into?

And it's so hard, especially when it's like against your, your, your, you know, brain, like not eating sugar, you know, a stirred meal or whatever, when you have the cake in front of you.

And when it comes to community, when it comes to friendship, you need to actually do the thing.

So you said the best way to be invited to the party is to host the party.

Well, that's exactly right.

And every community has someone that makes it their charge to gather and organize that community to bring people together.

Wow.

And so that's the first step.

And then I think that part of the work is on yourself.

If you want to build community in any space, if you want to have friends that have certain traits or expertise or interests, you have to be interesting in that space.

So for you, I think that...

If I had literally just no interest whatsoever in the things that you do and are passionate about, it would probably be an odd friendship and vice versa, right?

It would just be like, okay, nice enough guy, but like, I gotta become friends.

I gotta start spending time together and hanging out.

But if I, you know, like I imagine you talk to people who, who, you know, are huge fans of your work and you've read every one of your books, but they don't, they're not coming up with questions to the, the ideas, the big ideas, right?

If, if, uh, so for me, you know, if you're saying like, how did this start?

Like, how do we begin?