[Script Info]
Title: 
[Events]
Format: Layer, Start, End, Style, Name, MarginL, MarginR, MarginV, Effect, Text
Dialogue: 0,0:00:00.90,0:00:02.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I used to think
Dialogue: 0,0:00:02.21,0:00:05.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the whole purpose of life\Nwas pursuing happiness.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:06.68,0:00:10.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Everyone said the path\Nto happiness was success,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:10.09,0:00:12.59,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,so I searched for that ideal job,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:12.61,0:00:15.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that perfect boyfriend,\Nthat beautiful apartment.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:16.100,0:00:19.100,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But instead of ever feeling fulfilled,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:20.02,0:00:22.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I felt anxious and adrift.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:23.20,0:00:27.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And I wasn't alone; my friends --\Nthey struggled with this, too.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:28.72,0:00:32.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Eventually, I decided to go\Nto graduate school for positive psychology
Dialogue: 0,0:00:33.01,0:00:36.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to learn what truly makes people happy.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:36.97,0:00:39.63,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But what I discovered there\Nchanged my life.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:40.45,0:00:45.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The data showed that chasing happiness\Ncan make people unhappy.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:45.97,0:00:48.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And what really struck me was this:
Dialogue: 0,0:00:49.06,0:00:51.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the suicide rate has been rising\Naround the world,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:51.87,0:00:54.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and it recently reached\Na 30-year high in America.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:55.75,0:00:58.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Even though life is getting\Nobjectively better
Dialogue: 0,0:00:58.54,0:01:01.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,by nearly every conceivable standard,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:01.25,0:01:03.45,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,more people feel hopeless,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:03.48,0:01:05.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,depressed and alone.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:06.21,0:01:09.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,There's an emptiness\Ngnawing away at people,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:09.05,0:01:12.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and you don't have to be\Nclinically depressed to feel it.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:12.34,0:01:15.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Sooner or later, I think we all wonder:
Dialogue: 0,0:01:15.78,0:01:18.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Is this all there is?
Dialogue: 0,0:01:19.17,0:01:22.37,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And according to the research,\Nwhat predicts this despair
Dialogue: 0,0:01:22.40,0:01:24.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is not a lack of happiness.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:24.25,0:01:26.09,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's a lack of something else,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:26.82,0:01:29.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a lack of having meaning in life.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:30.96,0:01:33.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But that raised some questions for me.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:33.86,0:01:36.45,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Is there more to life than being happy?
Dialogue: 0,0:01:37.22,0:01:39.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And what's the difference\Nbetween being happy
Dialogue: 0,0:01:39.66,0:01:41.55,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and having meaning in life?
Dialogue: 0,0:01:42.88,0:01:47.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Many psychologists define happiness\Nas a state of comfort and ease,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:47.50,0:01:49.39,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,feeling good in the moment.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:50.10,0:01:51.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Meaning, though, is deeper.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:52.28,0:01:54.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The renowned psychologist\NMartin Seligman says
Dialogue: 0,0:01:54.87,0:01:59.51,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,meaning comes from belonging to\Nand serving something beyond yourself
Dialogue: 0,0:01:59.54,0:02:02.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and from developing the best within you.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:03.62,0:02:06.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Our culture is obsessed with happiness,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:06.24,0:02:10.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but I came to see that seeking meaning\Nis the more fulfilling path.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:10.37,0:02:13.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And the studies show that people\Nwho have meaning in life,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:13.32,0:02:14.73,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,they're more resilient,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:14.75,0:02:17.31,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,they do better in school and at work,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:17.34,0:02:18.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and they even live longer.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:19.98,0:02:22.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So this all made me wonder:
Dialogue: 0,0:02:22.03,0:02:24.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,How can we each live more meaningfully?
Dialogue: 0,0:02:25.98,0:02:29.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,To find out, I spent five years\Ninterviewing hundreds of people
Dialogue: 0,0:02:29.68,0:02:32.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and reading through thousands\Nof pages of psychology,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:32.61,0:02:34.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,neuroscience and philosophy.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:35.37,0:02:37.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Bringing it all together,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:37.18,0:02:42.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I found that there are what I call\Nfour pillars of a meaningful life.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:42.54,0:02:44.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And we can each create lives of meaning
Dialogue: 0,0:02:45.00,0:02:48.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,by building some or all\Nof these pillars in our lives.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:49.43,0:02:51.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The first pillar is belonging.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:52.38,0:02:54.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Belonging comes\Nfrom being in relationships
Dialogue: 0,0:02:54.71,0:02:57.41,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,where you're valued\Nfor who you are intrinsically
Dialogue: 0,0:02:57.44,0:02:59.55,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and where you value others as well.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:00.22,0:03:04.91,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But some groups and relationships\Ndeliver a cheap form of belonging;
Dialogue: 0,0:03:04.93,0:03:06.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you're valued for what you believe,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:06.85,0:03:08.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,for who you hate,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:08.12,0:03:09.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,not for who you are.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:10.42,0:03:13.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,True belonging springs from love.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:13.23,0:03:16.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It lives in moments among individuals,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:16.24,0:03:20.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and it's a choice -- you can choose\Nto cultivate belonging with others.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:20.66,0:03:22.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Here's an example.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:22.29,0:03:25.85,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Each morning, my friend Jonathan\Nbuys a newspaper
Dialogue: 0,0:03:25.87,0:03:28.09,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,from the same street vendor in New York.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:28.50,0:03:30.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They don't just conduct\Na transaction, though.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:30.81,0:03:33.49,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They take a moment to slow down, talk,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:33.51,0:03:35.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and treat each other like humans.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:36.04,0:03:39.43,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But one time, Jonathan\Ndidn't have the right change,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:39.46,0:03:40.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and the vendor said,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:40.70,0:03:42.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"Don't worry about it."
Dialogue: 0,0:03:42.24,0:03:44.73,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But Jonathan insisted on paying,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:44.76,0:03:47.77,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,so he went to the store\Nand bought something he didn't need
Dialogue: 0,0:03:47.79,0:03:49.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to make change.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:49.99,0:03:52.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But when he gave the money to the vendor,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:52.64,0:03:54.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the vendor drew back.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:54.82,0:03:56.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,He was hurt.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:56.72,0:03:58.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,He was trying to do something kind,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:58.59,0:04:00.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but Jonathan had rejected him.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:02.11,0:04:06.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I think we all reject people in small ways\Nlike this without realizing it.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:06.29,0:04:07.49,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I do.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:07.51,0:04:10.57,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I'll walk by someone I know\Nand barely acknowledge them.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:10.60,0:04:13.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I'll check my phone\Nwhen someone's talking to me.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:13.68,0:04:15.61,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,These acts devalue others.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:15.63,0:04:18.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They make them feel\Ninvisible and unworthy.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:19.13,0:04:21.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But when you lead with love,\Nyou create a bond
Dialogue: 0,0:04:21.91,0:04:23.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that lifts each of you up.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:25.03,0:04:28.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,For many people, belonging\Nis the most essential source of meaning,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:28.68,0:04:30.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,those bonds to family and friends.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:31.18,0:04:35.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,For others, the key to meaning\Nis the second pillar: purpose.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:35.84,0:04:38.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Now, finding your purpose\Nis not the same thing
Dialogue: 0,0:04:38.78,0:04:41.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,as finding that job that makes you happy.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:41.52,0:04:44.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Purpose is less about what you want\Nthan about what you give.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:45.00,0:04:49.49,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,A hospital custodian told me\Nher purpose is healing sick people.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:49.52,0:04:51.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Many parents tell me,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:51.25,0:04:53.19,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"My purpose is raising my children."
Dialogue: 0,0:04:53.53,0:04:57.57,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The key to purpose\Nis using your strengths to serve others.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:58.38,0:05:01.89,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Of course, for many of us,\Nthat happens through work.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:01.91,0:05:04.89,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,That's how we contribute and feel needed.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:04.92,0:05:08.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But that also means\Nthat issues like disengagement at work,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:08.80,0:05:10.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,unemployment,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:10.24,0:05:12.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,low labor force participation --
Dialogue: 0,0:05:12.49,0:05:16.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,these aren't just economic problems,\Nthey're existential ones, too.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:16.82,0:05:19.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Without something worthwhile to do,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:19.06,0:05:20.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,people flounder.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:21.49,0:05:24.11,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Of course, you don't have to find\Npurpose at work,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:24.13,0:05:26.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but purpose gives you\Nsomething to live for,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:26.89,0:05:28.97,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,some "why" that drives you forward.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:31.15,0:05:34.45,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The third pillar of meaning\Nis also about stepping beyond yourself,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:34.47,0:05:36.31,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but in a completely different way:
Dialogue: 0,0:05:36.34,0:05:37.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,transcendence.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:37.95,0:05:40.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Transcendent states are those rare moments
Dialogue: 0,0:05:40.35,0:05:43.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,when you're lifted above\Nthe hustle and bustle of daily life,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:43.78,0:05:45.49,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,your sense of self fades away,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:45.51,0:05:48.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and you feel connected\Nto a higher reality.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:49.21,0:05:52.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,For one person I talked to,\Ntranscendence came from seeing art.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:52.93,0:05:55.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,For another person, it was at church.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:55.48,0:05:59.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,For me, I'm a writer,\Nand it happens through writing.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:59.06,0:06:04.13,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Sometimes I get so in the zone\Nthat I lose all sense of time and place.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:04.76,0:06:07.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,These transcendent\Nexperiences can change you.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:07.93,0:06:12.45,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,One study had students look up\Nat 200-feet-tall eucalyptus trees
Dialogue: 0,0:06:12.48,0:06:13.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,for one minute.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:14.26,0:06:16.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But afterwards\Nthey felt less self-centered,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:16.44,0:06:18.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and they even behaved more generously
Dialogue: 0,0:06:18.41,0:06:20.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,when given the chance to help someone.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:21.58,0:06:25.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Belonging, purpose, transcendence.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:26.37,0:06:29.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Now, the fourth pillar\Nof meaning, I've found,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:29.12,0:06:30.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,tends to surprise people.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:31.37,0:06:34.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The fourth pillar is storytelling,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:34.12,0:06:36.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the story you tell yourself\Nabout yourself.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:37.62,0:06:41.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Creating a narrative from the events\Nof your life brings clarity.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:41.78,0:06:44.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It helps you understand\Nhow you became you.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:45.67,0:06:48.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But we don't always realize\Nthat we're the authors of our stories
Dialogue: 0,0:06:48.79,0:06:50.95,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and can change the way we're telling them.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:50.98,0:06:53.47,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Your life isn't just a list of events.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:53.49,0:06:56.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You can edit, interpret\Nand retell your story,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:56.73,0:06:58.95,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,even as you're constrained by the facts.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:59.68,0:07:04.31,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I met a young man named Emeka,\Nwho'd been paralyzed playing football.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:04.92,0:07:07.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,After his injury, Emeka told himself,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:07.40,0:07:10.11,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"My life was great playing football,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:10.13,0:07:12.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but now look at me."
Dialogue: 0,0:07:14.00,0:07:16.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,People who tell stories like this --
Dialogue: 0,0:07:16.32,0:07:18.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"My life was good. Now it's bad." --
Dialogue: 0,0:07:18.87,0:07:21.69,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,tend to be more anxious and depressed.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:21.71,0:07:24.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And that was Emeka for a while.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:24.57,0:07:27.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But with time, he started\Nto weave a different story.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:28.42,0:07:30.15,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,His new story was,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:30.17,0:07:33.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"Before my injury,\Nmy life was purposeless.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:33.46,0:07:36.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I partied a lot and was\Na pretty selfish guy.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:36.74,0:07:40.45,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But my injury made me realize\NI could be a better man."
Dialogue: 0,0:07:41.49,0:07:45.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,That edit to his story\Nchanged Emeka's life.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:45.05,0:07:47.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,After telling the new story to himself,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:47.51,0:07:49.43,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Emeka started mentoring kids,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:49.45,0:07:51.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and he discovered what his purpose was:
Dialogue: 0,0:07:51.84,0:07:53.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,serving others.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:54.10,0:07:57.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The psychologist Dan McAdams\Ncalls this a "redemptive story,"
Dialogue: 0,0:07:57.50,0:07:59.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,where the bad is redeemed by the good.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:00.63,0:08:02.81,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,People leading meaningful\Nlives, he's found,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:02.83,0:08:04.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,tend to tell stories about their lives
Dialogue: 0,0:08:04.79,0:08:07.81,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,defined by redemption, growth and love.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:08.72,0:08:11.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But what makes people\Nchange their stories?
Dialogue: 0,0:08:11.72,0:08:13.65,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Some people get help from a therapist,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:13.68,0:08:15.49,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but you can do it on your own, too,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:15.51,0:08:18.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,just by reflecting\Non your life thoughtfully,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:18.30,0:08:20.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,how your defining experiences shaped you,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:20.41,0:08:22.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,what you lost, what you gained.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:22.59,0:08:24.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,That's what Emeka did.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:25.01,0:08:27.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You won't change your story overnight;
Dialogue: 0,0:08:27.08,0:08:29.43,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,it could take years and be painful.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:29.45,0:08:32.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,After all, we've all suffered,\Nand we all struggle.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:32.96,0:08:37.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But embracing those painful memories\Ncan lead to new insights and wisdom,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:37.32,0:08:40.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to finding that good that sustains you.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:42.58,0:08:47.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Belonging, purpose,\Ntranscendence, storytelling:
Dialogue: 0,0:08:47.86,0:08:50.59,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,those are the four pillars of meaning.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:51.63,0:08:53.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,When I was younger,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:53.26,0:08:56.89,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I was lucky enough to be surrounded\Nby all of the pillars.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:57.38,0:09:01.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,My parents ran a Sufi meetinghouse\Nfrom our home in Montreal.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:02.69,0:09:07.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Sufism is a spiritual practice\Nassociated with the whirling dervishes
Dialogue: 0,0:09:07.19,0:09:08.59,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and the poet Rumi.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:09.43,0:09:12.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Twice a week, Sufis would come to our home
Dialogue: 0,0:09:12.03,0:09:15.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to meditate, drink Persian tea,\Nand share stories.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:16.21,0:09:19.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Their practice also involved\Nserving all of creation
Dialogue: 0,0:09:19.19,0:09:21.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,through small acts of love,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:21.02,0:09:24.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which meant being kind\Neven when people wronged you.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:24.39,0:09:27.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But it gave them a purpose:\Nto rein in the ego.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:28.91,0:09:31.53,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Eventually, I left home for college
Dialogue: 0,0:09:31.55,0:09:35.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and without the daily grounding\Nof Sufism in my life,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:35.28,0:09:36.87,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I felt unmoored.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:36.89,0:09:40.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And I started searching for those things\Nthat make life worth living.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:40.50,0:09:42.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,That's what set me on this journey.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:43.01,0:09:44.77,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Looking back, I now realize
Dialogue: 0,0:09:44.79,0:09:48.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that the Sufi house\Nhad a real culture of meaning.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:48.06,0:09:50.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The pillars were part of the architecture,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:50.59,0:09:53.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and the presence of the pillars\Nhelped us all live more deeply.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:54.41,0:09:56.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Of course, the same principle applies
Dialogue: 0,0:09:56.76,0:09:58.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in other strong communities as well --
Dialogue: 0,0:09:58.98,0:10:01.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,good ones and bad ones.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:01.56,0:10:03.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Gangs, cults:
Dialogue: 0,0:10:03.61,0:10:06.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,these are cultures of meaning\Nthat use the pillars
Dialogue: 0,0:10:06.65,0:10:10.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and give people\Nsomething to live and die for.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:10.05,0:10:12.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But that's exactly why we as a society
Dialogue: 0,0:10:12.94,0:10:15.05,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,must offer better alternatives.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:15.07,0:10:18.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We need to build these pillars\Nwithin our families and our institutions
Dialogue: 0,0:10:18.85,0:10:21.43,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to help people become their best selves.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:22.52,0:10:25.11,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But living a meaningful life takes work.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:25.13,0:10:27.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's an ongoing process.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:27.03,0:10:30.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,As each day goes by,\Nwe're constantly creating our lives,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:30.79,0:10:32.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,adding to our story.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:32.83,0:10:35.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And sometimes we can get off track.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:36.36,0:10:38.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Whenever that happens to me,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:38.30,0:10:41.69,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I remember a powerful experience\NI had with my father.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:43.82,0:10:46.47,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Several months after\NI graduated from college,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:46.49,0:10:50.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,my dad had a massive heart attack\Nthat should have killed him.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:51.03,0:10:54.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,He survived, and when I asked him\Nwhat was going through his mind
Dialogue: 0,0:10:54.27,0:10:55.89,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,as he faced death,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:55.92,0:10:58.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,he said all he could think about\Nwas needing to live
Dialogue: 0,0:10:58.62,0:11:00.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,so he could be there\Nfor my brother and me,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:00.79,0:11:03.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and this gave him the will\Nto fight for life.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:04.06,0:11:07.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,When he went under anesthesia\Nfor emergency surgery,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:07.38,0:11:09.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,instead of counting backwards from 10,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:09.74,0:11:12.91,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,he repeated our names like a mantra.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:13.79,0:11:17.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,He wanted our names to be\Nthe last words he spoke on earth
Dialogue: 0,0:11:17.62,0:11:18.85,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,if he died.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:21.03,0:11:24.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,My dad is a carpenter and a Sufi.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:25.18,0:11:26.73,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's a humble life,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:26.76,0:11:28.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but a good life.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:28.56,0:11:32.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Lying there facing death,\Nhe had a reason to live:
Dialogue: 0,0:11:32.50,0:11:33.91,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,love.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:33.93,0:11:36.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,His sense of belonging within his family,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:36.41,0:11:38.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,his purpose as a dad,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:38.16,0:11:41.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,his transcendent meditation,\Nrepeating our names --
Dialogue: 0,0:11:41.20,0:11:43.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,these, he says, are the reasons\Nwhy he survived.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:44.00,0:11:46.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,That's the story he tells himself.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:47.75,0:11:49.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,That's the power of meaning.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:50.64,0:11:53.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Happiness comes and goes.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:53.46,0:11:55.31,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But when life is really good
Dialogue: 0,0:11:55.33,0:11:57.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and when things are really bad,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:57.24,0:12:00.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,having meaning gives you\Nsomething to hold on to.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:00.32,0:12:01.55,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Thank you.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:01.57,0:12:05.15,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Applause)