[powerpress]
Welcome to the matrix.
Our lives are increasingly governed by algorithmic gods — we spend them staring at devices while real-life experiences grow fewer and farther between.
We’ve solved boredom. We’ve optimized connection. We’ve automated the search for love. And in doing so, we’ve deprived ourselves of the opportunity, the space, the bandwidth, the boredom — to reflect on the why and the questions of life.
My guest today is Arthur C. Brooks, a social scientist and professor at the Harvard Kennedy School and Harvard Business School, a columnist at The Free Press, a CBS News contributor, and host of the podcast Office Hours. His bestsellers include Build the Life You Want, co-authored with Oprah Winfrey, and From Strength to Strength. His latest, The Meaning of Your Life, is a blueprint for finding purpose in an age of emptiness.
This is one of those conversations that rearranges how you see yourself. Arthur’s been on the show three previous times (eps. 683, 781, 891) — and every time he peels back another layer. This time, he didn’t let me hide behind my achievements. He sees the striver’s dilemma for what it is — a pathology dressed up as ambition.
“Suffering equals pain multiplied by resistance. If you lower your resistance to pain, you will suffer less.”
– ARTHUR BROOKS
Today, we discuss:
- The Macronutrients of Happiness
- The Crisis of Meaning & Why Strivers Are Most at Risk
- The Doom Loop & Escaping the Matrix
- Complicated vs. Complex Problems
- Giving Your Heart Away
- Don’t Waste Your Suffering
- The Dalai Lama & Lessons from Dharamsala
- Transcendence
Love isn’t an achievement. It’s not a commodity. It’s a grace — and surrendering to that might be the hardest thing a striver ever does. I’m working on it.
For those who prefer a visual experience, the conversation is available on YouTube. As always, the audio version streams wild and free on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Peace + Plants,
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- Connect with Arthur: Website | Facebook | Instagram | X | LinkedIn | YouTube
- LIVE EVENT: The Meaning of Your Life Live Book Launch
- New book: The Meaning of Your Life
- Podcast: The Art of Happiness
- Book: Build the Life You Want: The Art and Science of Getting Happier
- Book: From Strength to Strength: Finding Success, Happiness, and Deep Purpose in the Second Half of Life
- Catalog: Arthur C. Brooks
- The Atlantic: Articles by Arthur C. Brooks
- The Atlantic: To Get Happier, Choose to Read This Column
- Oprah: Oprah and Arthur Brooks Announce a New Book!
- Trinity Forum Conversations: Strength to Strength with Arthur Brooks
- Andy Stanley Leadership Podcast: From Strength to Strength with Arthur Brooks
- CNBC: Harvard professor Arthur Brooks reveals his secret to happiness
- YouTube: How to Be an Optimist: A Conversation with Arthur Brooks
- Wired: Harvard Professor Answers Happiness Questions From Twitter | Tech Support | WIRED
- YouTube: Be Happier: The Science & Art of Livin’ feat. Matthew McConaughey hosted by Arthur Brooks
- YouTube: Arthur C. Brooks on the Secret to a Happy Life | In Pursuit of Happiness
- AP News: Rounding life’s second curve a hard road of self discovery
- Fast Company: This is the downside of being a high-achiever at work
- Washingtonian: Arthur Brooks: The Washingtonian Interview
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