How to feel alive

The Gray Area with Sean Illing

Vox Media Podcast Network

Society & Culture, News, Politics, News Commentary, Philosophy

4.6 • 10.8K Ratings

🗓️ 2 December 2024

⏱️ 60 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

The sheer feeling of aliveness. We all know what that is, even though it comes in many different forms. Maybe it’s going for a long run at night. Or free-climbing a mountain. Or an intense meditation practice. Or that sensation you get when you’re on the floor at a great concert. Call it a flow state or a religious experience or whatever you want, but it’s a kind of ecstasy. People have been experiencing this for centuries, and in previous eras, they called it a mystical experience. In the modern world a word like “mystical” feels weird or out of place. Maybe when you hear it, you think of a fringe religious figure. Or a spiritual teacher. Or crystal-peddling influencers on Instagram. But the study of mysticism — that feeling of intense experience — has been the focus of philosophers and theologians for centuries. So what can we learn from the tradition of mystical thought? Might it help us live better and more meaningful lives in the 21st century? Today’s guest is Simon Critchley. He’s a writer and a philosopher at the New School in New York and the author of a new book called Mysticism. In this conversation, he tells host Sean Illing how we can all get outside our own heads and enjoy what it feels like to be alive. Host: Sean Illing (@SeanIlling) Guest: Simon Critchley, philosopher and author of the book Mysticism Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	I'm Ashley C. Ford, and I host Into the Mix, a Ben & Jerry's podcast about joy and justice produced with Vox Creative.
0:09.2	For the past few years, I've seen a lot of hand-wringing about Governor Ron DeSantis' agenda to end what he calls woke indoctrination.
0:19.2	But we wanted to know, what does that mean?
0:22.6	And how does this agenda actually affect the people living and working there?
0:27.3	Especially those who have benefited from the diversity, equity, and inclusion programs that DeSantis' policies would uproot.
0:35.1	Check out the latest mini-series on Into the Mix, a Ben and Jerry's podcast.
0:40.5	Subscribe now.
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0:48.2	We're all making a lot of big plans for the new year, and maybe those plans involve
0:52.3	taking the next step with your special someone.
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1:19.1	Blue nile.com.
1:25.8	The sheer feeling of aliveness. We all know what that is, even though it comes in many different forms.
1:32.7	Maybe it's going for a long run at night, or free climbing a mountain, or an intense meditation practice,
1:40.1	or that sensation you get when you're on the floor by the stage at a great concert.
1:45.0	Call it a flow state or religious experience or whatever you want.
1:50.0	But it's a kind of ecstasy almost all of us have experienced at some point in our lives.
1:56.0	People have been having experiences like this for centuries,
	...

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