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The Tim Ferriss Show

#781: David Whyte, Poet — Spacious Ease, Irish Koans, Writing in Delirium, and Revelations from a Yak Manger

The Tim Ferriss Show

Tim Ferriss: Bestselling Author, Human Guinea Pig

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4.617.4K Ratings

🗓️ 5 December 2024

⏱️ 131 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

David Whyte (davidwhyte.com) is the author of twelve books of poetry and five books of prose, including his latest, Consolations II, which further explores what David calls “the conversational nature of reality.”

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Timestamps:

[00:00] Who is David Whyte?

[06:25] Connecting with Henry Shukman.

[10:32] Low times in the High Himalayas and a yak manger awakening.

[15:17] The place from where David writes good poetry.

[17:22] Invitational speech.

[21:55] Catching up with the curve of one's transformation.

[27:58] A revolutionary moment reflecting on parameters and regret.

[37:41] "Everything Is Waiting for You."

[40:54] The secret code to life and the agreed insanity of so-called adults.

[46:47] Being found by the world in greater and greater ways.

[48:52] Asking beautiful questions.

[58:13] "Tan-y-Garth."

[01:02:09] Memorizing poetry.

[01:08:28] "Zen."

[01:22:55] Courage.

[01:24:15] How living in a trailer on the side of a Welsh mountain helped David develop as a writer.

[01:31:14] Irish koans, French doors, and Tibetan bells.

[01:38:30] Poetry as consolation.

[01:42:03] The best place to hold a poem.

[01:43:07] "Time."

[02:00:01] Writing and reading good poetry.

[02:04:52] Parting thoughts.

*

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Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

Hello, boys and girls, ladies and germs. This is Tim Ferriss. Welcome to another episode of the Tim Ferriss show,

0:05.1

where it is my job to interview world-class performers to deconstruct how they do what they do,

0:10.6

to tease out the habits, routines, favorite books, inspirations, and so on that you can apply and test in your own lives.

0:17.0

My guest today I have wanted to have on for years. And in my mind, what he teaches, what he writes,

0:25.6

his means of thinking, his frameworks, the way he tilts the lens, the prism of perception,

0:32.9

ever so slightly, all these things are incredibly practical. That's my perspective. His name is David White.

0:40.1

You can find him at Davidwhite.com. White is spelled at W-H-Y-T-E. David White is the author of 12 books

0:47.3

of poetry and five books of prose, including his latest Consolations 2, which I highly recommend.

0:53.3

You should just get everything that he's written, frankly. But Consolations 2, which I highly recommend. You should just get everything that he's written,

0:55.0

frankly. But Consolations 2 further explores what David calls the conversational nature of reality.

1:01.1

David holds a degree in marine zoology and has traveled extensively, including living and

1:05.9

working as a naturalist guide in the Galabagos Islands and leading anthropological and

1:10.3

natural history expeditions in the Andes, Amazon Islands and leading anthropological and natural history expeditions

1:11.5

in the Andes, Amazon, and Himalayas. We will talk about some of his adventures and how they

1:16.2

informed who he is today. He is the recipient of two honorary degrees from Newman University and

1:22.1

Pennsylvania and Royal Roads University in Victoria, British Columbia. David grew up with a strong

1:27.2

imaginative influence

1:28.6

from his Irish mother among the hills and valleys of his father's Yorkshire and now makes his home

1:33.9

in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. He also has hosted a live online series three

1:38.6

Sundays every other month since 2020. And as I'm recording this, I have pages upon pages of notes that I took

1:46.3

while David and I were having this conversation. It energized me for so many hours after we

1:53.1

finished chatting. I hope it also has that galvanizing, inspiring impact on you. You can find

...

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