002: How To Seek Meaning In A Meaningless World - Leo Tolstoy

Lessons from reading Confession, a spiritual-philosophical reflection by Leo Tolstoy (Sep 9, 1828 - Nov 20, 1910) as he struggles with existential despair and the meaning of life. Leo Tolstoy attained the kind of success only a few reached. He had enormous wealth, an estate that stretched for 16,200 acres, a mansion, 300 horses, two of his books (War & Peace and Anna Karenina) were considered masterpieces, and he was already regarded as one of the greatest novelists. And it’s here that we pick up 'Confession'. Not a memoir nor a novel, but Tolstoy’s personal spiritual-philosophical reflection as he struggles with existential despair and the question of the meaning of life. - 00:00:00 - The question of life 00:01:48 - The success of Tolstoy 00:02:30 - Living without meaning 00:05:18 - Keeping up appearances 00:06:15 - All is vanity 00:07:20 - Why we’re reading these books 00:08:20 - The 80-year-old version of you 00:08:35 - The Fable 00:12:50 - Is life meaningless? 00:13:50 - Importance of having skin in the game 00:16:40 - Cultivate a strong reputation with yourself 00:20:00 - Tolstoy undermining his ethics 00:23:23 - The breakthrough 00:29:00 - Gaining the world, losing your soul 00:31:18 - Can science and philosophy provide the answer to the question of life 00:37:45 - The people who live with meaning 00:41:30 - Living in community 00:44:00 - Who is more successful: Khabib vs. Conor? 00:46:22 - Face your mortality 00:48:00 - Wealth and craftsmanship - IJ Makan is a philosopher, designer, and martial artist. - Social & Website Instagram ⁠https://www.instagram.com/ijmakan⁠ Twitter ⁠https://twitter.com/ijmakan⁠ Website ⁠https://becomingantifragile.com⁠ Newsletter ⁠https://ijmakan.substack.com

There are no comments yet.

Please log in to write the first comment.