lCYxSenyjQg.srt

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For a long time I understood nihilism 
very well.

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I could,
I could understand its rationale 

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associated with the tragedy of life 
associating with suffering and evil 

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associated with the observation of 
finitude and the arbitrary and unjust 

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nature of the world,
but the more I've thought about it,

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the less I've come to believe that 
there's any excuse for it whatsoever,

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and I think the reason for that is that 
it forestalls effort.

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It forestalls the ability to discover 
for yourself maybe there's no reason to 

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be so God damn hopeless except that it's
easier to be useless now,

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and I'm not.
Believe me,

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I'm not making that case.
I'm not saying that that's what's be 

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setting people who are clinically 
depressed,

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for example.
That's not my point.

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Clinical depression is a terrible thing.
There's lots of reasons to be rendered 

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to be,
to be tossed into a catastrophic 

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condition.
That isn't what I mean.

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I mean that kind of cynical,
arrogant,

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rational,
hyper-intelligent nihilism that throws 

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the world away as if it's of little use 
before it's been properly engaged with

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better to engage with it and see what 
happens and better to make the 

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assumption that if the world isn't 
returning to you,

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what it is that you need,
then either you're not doing it right or

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you've conceptualized what you need 
badly.

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Why not at least open yourself up to 
that possibility,

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right?
Because you could be wrong.

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Hopefully if you're suffering,
this is a great thing to know.

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Hopefully if you're suffering,
you're wrong,

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because if you're suffering and you're 
right,

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then there's nowhere to go,
so it's very useful to find out whatever

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errors you might be committing.
Another thing that's really interesting 

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about the Jews in the Old Testament,
it's a remarkable thing.

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Every single time they get flattened by 
God,

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it's always their fault.
They never say,

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the world that God created was corrupt 
and God is evil.

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They never say that no matter what 
happens,

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right,
no matter what catastrophe occurs,

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when they have every reason to at least 
put that hypothesis forward,

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they don't.
They say,

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we aired,
we walked off the path,

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it's our fault,
and that's hard,

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you know,
because it puts all the weight of human 

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catastrophe on the human being.
That's very hard,

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but the upside is

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it gives you the control.
It opens up the door that it opens up 

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the possibility that you could be the 
person that could set it right.

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If you would just let go of what's in 
your way,

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whatever that is.