The Forever Empty.

"Anxiety, heartbreak, and tenderness mark the in-between state. It's the kind of place we usually want to avoid. The challenge is to stay in the middle rather than buy into struggle and complaint. The challenge is to let it soften us rather than make us more rigid and afraid."

~ Pema Chödrön




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HbYScltf1c

Why Louis CK is a genius and the amazing points he makes: 

1. Why should your kid "get" something because everyone else has it, yet the thing that everyone else has isn't necessarily good for them to have. Why blindly follow every societal rule? Don't we have too many really STUPID ones to follow? ie: doing things society tells us, because that's normal, ie: 9-5 jobs, marriage, house, kids when you don't want those things (different story when you truly want them). By giving your child the idea they should FOLLOW every stupid trend you're already setting them up to be sheep. 
2. Cell phones take away your ability for empathy. Especially if you are a kid, learning what empathy feels like.
3. Cell phones numb you from your reality.
4. Knowing how to "just be" is an amazing life skill. Sometimes - believe it or not - you will not have any technology around you. You will be alone or in nature (if you're lucky and/or so inclined). You will have no one to talk to and just the quiet of your mind to be with. As Louis says, "that is what being a human being is."
5. Goes back to #3 but, i TRULY believe people have become less comfortable w/ their emotions, thus wanting to dull those emotions with other drugs/technology/sex/medications and instead of feeling feelings, just take away any feeling. I feel like Americans in particular have this absurd idea that you are meant to have a default emotion of HAPPY at all times. Which is insane. Again, i think this is a COMPLETELY different story if you know you need medication for your well being.  Our bodies' chemistry are not all made the same and i realize medication is a needed component for helping people in order to live a full, healthy, happy life  who may otherwise not be able to w/out those meds. 
6. THE FOREVER EMPTY. This is something that no one talks about enough! It's like we are supposed to numb this feeling and not acknowledge having it- when really emotions like this - happy, sad, confused, angry make us all equal and make us able to relate to and respect each other better. 
7. Crying feels really really good. 
8. i love Louis CK. He says stuff that no one else is saying. And he makes me feel like America isn't THAT stupid/too far gone into complete cerebral decline. 
9. Also - did anyone else notice how nervous the audience sounds? Fascinating how his points are so true. People are uncomfortable with this subject matter. And i don't know if that's a good thing.