[Script Info]
Title: 
[Events]
Format: Layer, Start, End, Style, Name, MarginL, MarginR, MarginV, Effect, Text
Dialogue: 0,0:00:00.00,0:00:04.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I thought I'd tell you a little about what I like to write.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:04.00,0:00:08.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And I like to immerse myself in my topics.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:08.00,0:00:13.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I just like to dive right in and become sort of a human guinea pig.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:13.00,0:00:18.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And I see my life as a series of experiments.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:18.00,0:00:22.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So, I work for Esquire magazine, and a couple of years ago,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:22.00,0:00:25.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I wrote an article called "My Outsourced Life,"
Dialogue: 0,0:00:25.00,0:00:29.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,where I hired a team of people in Bangalore, India,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:29.00,0:00:31.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to live my life for me.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:31.00,0:00:33.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So, they answered my emails.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:33.00,0:00:35.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They answered my phone.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:35.00,0:00:42.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They argued with my wife for me, and they read my son bedtime stories.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:42.00,0:00:44.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It was the best month of my life,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:44.00,0:00:49.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,because I just sat back and I read books and watched movies.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:49.00,0:00:51.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It was a wonderful experience.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:51.00,0:00:54.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,More recently, I wrote an article for Esquire called --
Dialogue: 0,0:00:54.00,0:00:57.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,about radical honesty.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:57.00,0:00:59.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And this is a movement where --
Dialogue: 0,0:00:59.00,0:01:03.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,this is started by a psychologist in Virginia,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:03.00,0:01:06.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,who says that you should never, ever lie,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:06.00,0:01:11.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,except maybe during poker and golf, his only exceptions.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:11.00,0:01:13.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And, more than that, whatever is on your brain
Dialogue: 0,0:01:13.00,0:01:15.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,should come out of your mouth.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:15.00,0:01:18.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So, I decided I would try this for a month.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:18.00,0:01:21.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This was the worst month of my life.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:21.00,0:01:22.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:01:22.00,0:01:24.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I do not recommend this at all.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:24.00,0:01:26.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,To give you a sense of the experience,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:26.00,0:01:30.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the article was called, "I Think You're Fat."
Dialogue: 0,0:01:30.00,0:01:32.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:01:32.00,0:01:33.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So, that was hard.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:34.00,0:01:38.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,My most recent book -- my previous book was called "The Know-It-All,"
Dialogue: 0,0:01:39.00,0:01:43.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and it was about the year I spent reading the Encyclopedia Britannica
Dialogue: 0,0:01:43.00,0:01:46.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,from A to Z in my quest to learn everything in the world,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:47.00,0:01:52.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or more precisely from Aak, which is a type of East Asian music,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:52.00,0:01:56.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,all the way to Zwyiec, which is -- well, I don't want to ruin the ending.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:56.00,0:01:57.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:01:57.00,0:02:01.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's a very exciting twist ending, like an O. Henry novel, so I won't ruin it.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:01.00,0:02:03.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But I love that one,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:03.00,0:02:07.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,because that was an experiment about how much information
Dialogue: 0,0:02:07.00,0:02:09.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,one human brain could absorb.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:09.00,0:02:13.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Although, listening to Kevin Kelly, you don't have to remember anything.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:13.00,0:02:15.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You can just Google it.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:15.00,0:02:17.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So, I wasted some time there.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:17.00,0:02:20.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I love those experiments,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:20.00,0:02:22.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but I think that the most profound
Dialogue: 0,0:02:22.00,0:02:26.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and life-changing experiment that I've done
Dialogue: 0,0:02:26.00,0:02:30.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is my most recent experiment, where I spent a year
Dialogue: 0,0:02:30.00,0:02:33.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,trying to follow all of the rules of the Bible,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:33.00,0:02:35.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"The Year of Living Biblically."
Dialogue: 0,0:02:36.00,0:02:39.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And I undertook this for two reasons.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:39.00,0:02:43.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The first was that I grew up with no religion at all.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:43.00,0:02:47.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,As I say in my book, I'm Jewish in the same way
Dialogue: 0,0:02:47.00,0:02:49.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the Olive Garden is Italian.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:49.00,0:02:51.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:02:51.00,0:02:53.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So, not very.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:53.00,0:02:56.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But I've become increasingly interested in religion.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:56.00,0:02:58.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I do think it's the defining issue of our time,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:58.00,0:03:00.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or one of the main ones.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:00.00,0:03:03.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And I have a son. I want to know what to teach him.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:03.00,0:03:07.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So, I decided to dive in head first, and try to live the Bible.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:08.00,0:03:11.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The second reason I undertook this is because
Dialogue: 0,0:03:11.00,0:03:14.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I'm concerned about the rise of fundamentalism,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:14.00,0:03:17.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,religious fundamentalism, and people who say
Dialogue: 0,0:03:17.00,0:03:20.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,they take the Bible literally, which is, according to some polls,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:20.00,0:03:23.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,as high as 45 or 50 percent of America.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:24.00,0:03:28.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So I decided, what if you really did take the Bible literally?
Dialogue: 0,0:03:28.00,0:03:32.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I decided to take it to its logical conclusion
Dialogue: 0,0:03:32.00,0:03:34.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and take everything in the Bible literally,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:34.00,0:03:37.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,without picking and choosing.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:37.00,0:03:40.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The first thing I did was I got a stack of bibles.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:40.00,0:03:42.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I had Christian bibles.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:42.00,0:03:44.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I had Jewish bibles.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:44.00,0:03:47.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,A friend of mine sent me something called a hip-hop bible,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:47.00,0:03:51.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,where the twenty-third Psalm is rendered as, "The Lord is all that,"
Dialogue: 0,0:03:51.00,0:03:55.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,as opposed to what I knew it as, "The Lord is my shepherd."
Dialogue: 0,0:03:55.00,0:03:59.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Then I went down and I read several versions,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:59.00,0:04:02.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and I wrote down every single law that I could find.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:02.00,0:04:06.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And this was a very long list -- over 700 rules.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:07.00,0:04:10.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And they range from the famous ones that I had heard of --
Dialogue: 0,0:04:10.00,0:04:13.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The Ten Commandments, love your neighbor, be fruitful and multiply.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:13.00,0:04:15.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So I wanted to follow those.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:15.00,0:04:18.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And actually, I take my projects very seriously,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:18.00,0:04:20.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,because I had twins during my year,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:20.00,0:04:23.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,so I definitely take my projects seriously.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:23.00,0:04:26.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But I also wanted to follow the hundreds
Dialogue: 0,0:04:26.00,0:04:29.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of arcane and obscure laws that are in the Bible.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:29.00,0:04:31.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,There is the law in Leviticus,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:31.00,0:04:33.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"You cannot shave the corners of your beard."
Dialogue: 0,0:04:33.00,0:04:35.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I didn't know where my corners were,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:35.00,0:04:38.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,so I decided to let the whole thing grow,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:38.00,0:04:40.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and this is what I looked like by the end.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:41.00,0:04:45.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,As you can imagine, I spent a lot of time at airport security.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:45.00,0:04:47.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:04:47.00,0:04:50.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,My wife wouldn't kiss me for the last two months.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:50.00,0:04:52.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So, certainly the challenge was there.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:52.00,0:04:57.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The Bible says you cannot wear clothes made of mixed fibers,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:57.00,0:04:59.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,so I thought, "Sounds strange, but I'll try it."
Dialogue: 0,0:04:59.00,0:05:01.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You only know if you try it.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:01.00,0:05:04.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I got rid of all my poly-cotton T-shirts.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:04.00,0:05:08.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The Bible says that if two men are in a fight,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:08.00,0:05:14.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and the wife of one of those men grabs the testicles of the other man,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:14.00,0:05:16.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,then her hand shall be cut off.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:16.00,0:05:18.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So, I wanted to follow that rule.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:18.00,0:05:19.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:05:19.00,0:05:22.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,That one I followed by default,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:22.00,0:05:26.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,by not getting in a fight with a man whose wife was standing nearby,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:26.00,0:05:28.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,looking like she had a strong grip.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:29.00,0:05:31.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:05:32.00,0:05:35.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So -- oh, there's another shot of my beard.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:36.00,0:05:38.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I will say it was an amazing year
Dialogue: 0,0:05:38.00,0:05:41.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,because it really was life changing, and incredibly challenging.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:41.00,0:05:44.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And there were two types of laws that were particularly challenging.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:44.00,0:05:48.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The first was avoiding the little sins that we all commit every day.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:48.00,0:05:50.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You know, I could spend a year not killing,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:50.00,0:05:55.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but spending a year not gossiping, not coveting, not lying --
Dialogue: 0,0:05:55.00,0:05:58.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you know, I live in New York, and I work as a journalist,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:58.00,0:06:03.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,so this was 75, 80 percent of my day I had to do it.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:03.00,0:06:08.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But it was really interesting, because I was able to make some progress,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:08.00,0:06:10.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,because I couldn't believe how much
Dialogue: 0,0:06:10.00,0:06:13.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,my behavior changed my thoughts.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:13.00,0:06:15.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This was one of the huge lessons of the year,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:15.00,0:06:18.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is that I almost pretended to be a better person,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:18.00,0:06:21.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and I became a little bit of a better person.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:21.00,0:06:26.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So I had always thought, you know, "You change your mind,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:26.00,0:06:29.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and you change your behavior," but it's often the other way around.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:29.00,0:06:34.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You change your behavior, and you change your mind.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:34.00,0:06:37.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So, you know, if you want to become more compassionate,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:37.00,0:06:39.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you visit sick people in the hospital,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:39.00,0:06:41.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and you will become more compassionate.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:41.00,0:06:43.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You donate money to a cause,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:43.00,0:06:46.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and you become emotionally involved in that cause.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:46.00,0:06:48.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So, it really was cognitive psychology --
Dialogue: 0,0:06:49.00,0:06:52.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you know, cognitive dissonance -- that I was experiencing.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:52.00,0:06:55.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The Bible actually talks about cognitive psychology,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:55.00,0:06:57.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,very primitive cognitive psychology.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:57.00,0:07:01.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In the Proverbs, it says that if you smile, you will become happier,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:01.00,0:07:04.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which, as we know, is actually true.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:04.00,0:07:08.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The second type of rule that was difficult to obey
Dialogue: 0,0:07:08.00,0:07:11.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,was the rules that will get you into a little trouble
Dialogue: 0,0:07:11.00,0:07:13.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in twenty-first-century America.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:14.00,0:07:19.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And perhaps the clearest example of this is stoning adulterers.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:19.00,0:07:20.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:07:20.00,0:07:24.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But it's a big part of the Bible,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:24.00,0:07:26.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,so I figured I had to address it.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:27.00,0:07:29.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So, I was able to stone one adulterer.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:29.00,0:07:34.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It happened -- I was in the park, and I was dressed in my biblical clothing,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:34.00,0:07:37.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,so sandals and sort of a white robe,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:37.00,0:07:39.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you know, because again, the outer affects the inner.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:39.00,0:07:42.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I wanted to see how dressing biblically affected my mind.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:43.00,0:07:45.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And this man came up to me and he said,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:45.00,0:07:47.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"Why are you dressed like that?"
Dialogue: 0,0:07:47.00,0:07:49.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And I explained my project,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:49.00,0:07:52.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and he said, "Well, I am an adulterer, are you going to stone me?"
Dialogue: 0,0:07:52.00,0:07:55.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And I said, "Well, that would be great!"
Dialogue: 0,0:07:55.00,0:07:59.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:08:00.00,0:08:05.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And I actually took out a handful of stones from my pocket
Dialogue: 0,0:08:05.00,0:08:07.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that I had been carrying around for weeks,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:07.00,0:08:11.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,hoping for just this interaction -- and, you know, they were pebbles --
Dialogue: 0,0:08:11.00,0:08:14.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but he grabbed them out of my hand.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:14.00,0:08:17.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,He was actually an elderly man, mid-70s, just so you know.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:17.00,0:08:19.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But he's still an adulterer, and still quite angry.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:19.00,0:08:21.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,He grabbed them out of my hand
Dialogue: 0,0:08:21.00,0:08:24.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and threw them at my face, and I felt that I could --
Dialogue: 0,0:08:24.00,0:08:28.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,eye for an eye -- I could retaliate, and throw one back at him.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:28.00,0:08:31.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So that was my experience stoning, and it did allow me
Dialogue: 0,0:08:31.00,0:08:36.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to talk about, in a more serious way, these big issues.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:36.00,0:08:40.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,How can the Bible be so barbaric in some places,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:40.00,0:08:42.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and yet so incredibly wise in others?
Dialogue: 0,0:08:43.00,0:08:45.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,How should we view the Bible?
Dialogue: 0,0:08:45.00,0:08:47.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Should we view it, you know, as original intent,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:47.00,0:08:51.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,like a sort of a Scalia version of the Bible?
Dialogue: 0,0:08:52.00,0:08:54.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,How was the Bible written?
Dialogue: 0,0:08:54.00,0:08:56.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And actually, since this is a tech crowd,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:56.00,0:09:00.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I talk in the book about how the Bible actually reminds me
Dialogue: 0,0:09:00.00,0:09:03.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of the Wikipedia, because it has all of these authors and editors
Dialogue: 0,0:09:03.00,0:09:05.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,over hundreds of years.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:05.00,0:09:07.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And it's sort of evolved.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:07.00,0:09:10.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's not a book that was written and came down from on high.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:12.00,0:09:16.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So I thought I would end by telling you
Dialogue: 0,0:09:16.00,0:09:19.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,just a couple of the take-aways, the bigger lessons
Dialogue: 0,0:09:19.00,0:09:21.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that I learned from my year.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:22.00,0:09:26.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The first is, thou shalt not take the Bible literally.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:26.00,0:09:29.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This became very, very clear, early on.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:29.00,0:09:32.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Because if you do, then you end up acting like a crazy person,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:32.00,0:09:35.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and stoning adulterers, or -- here's another example.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:35.00,0:09:40.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Well, that's another. I did spend some time shepherding.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:40.00,0:09:41.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:09:41.00,0:09:44.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's a very relaxing vocation. I recommend it.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:45.00,0:09:49.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But this one is -- the Bible says that you cannot touch women
Dialogue: 0,0:09:49.00,0:09:52.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,during certain times of the month, and more than that,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:52.00,0:09:55.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you cannot sit on a seat where a menstruating woman has sat.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:56.00,0:09:58.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And my wife thought this was very offensive,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:58.00,0:10:00.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,so she sat in every seat in our apartment,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:00.00,0:10:03.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and I had to spend much of the year standing
Dialogue: 0,0:10:03.00,0:10:09.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,until I bought my own seat and carried it around.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:09.00,0:10:13.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So, you know, I met with creationists.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:13.00,0:10:15.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I went to the creationists' museum.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:15.00,0:10:17.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And these are the ultimate literalists.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:17.00,0:10:20.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And it was fascinating, because they were not stupid people at all.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:20.00,0:10:23.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I would wager that their IQ is exactly the same as the average evolutionist.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:23.00,0:10:26.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's just that their faith is so strong
Dialogue: 0,0:10:26.00,0:10:28.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in this literal interpretation of the Bible
Dialogue: 0,0:10:28.00,0:10:32.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that they distort all the data to fit their model.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:33.00,0:10:37.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And they go through these amazing mental gymnastics to accomplish this.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:37.00,0:10:42.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And I will say, though, the museum is gorgeous.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:42.00,0:10:44.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They really did a fantastic job.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:44.00,0:10:45.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,If you're ever in Kentucky,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:45.00,0:10:48.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,there's, you can see a movie of the flood,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:48.00,0:10:50.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and they have sprinklers in the ceiling
Dialogue: 0,0:10:50.00,0:10:54.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that will sprinkle on you during the flood scenes.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:54.00,0:10:57.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So, whatever you think of creationism -- and I think it's crazy --
Dialogue: 0,0:10:57.00,0:10:59.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,they did a great job.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:00.00,0:11:02.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:11:02.00,0:11:06.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Another lesson is that thou shalt give thanks.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:06.00,0:11:10.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And this one was a big lesson because I was praying,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:10.00,0:11:14.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,giving these prayers of thanksgiving, which was odd for an agnostic.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:14.00,0:11:18.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But I was saying thanks all the time, every day,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:18.00,0:11:21.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and I started to change my perspective.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:21.00,0:11:24.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And I started to realize the hundreds of little things
Dialogue: 0,0:11:24.00,0:11:28.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that go right every day, that I didn't even notice,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:28.00,0:11:30.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that I took for granted, as opposed to focusing
Dialogue: 0,0:11:30.00,0:11:33.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,on the three or four that went wrong.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:34.00,0:11:36.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So, this is actually a key to happiness for me,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:37.00,0:11:39.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is to just remember when I came over here,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:39.00,0:11:43.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the car didn't flip over, and I didn't trip coming up the stairs.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:43.00,0:11:45.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's a remarkable thing.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:47.00,0:11:49.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Third, that thou shall have reverence.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:49.00,0:11:52.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This one was unexpected because I started the year
Dialogue: 0,0:11:52.00,0:11:54.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,as an agnostic, and by the end of the year,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:54.00,0:11:59.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I became what a friend of mine calls a reverent agnostic, which I love.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:59.00,0:12:01.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And I'm trying to start it as a movement.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:01.00,0:12:03.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So, if anyone wants to join,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:03.00,0:12:06.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the basic idea is, whether or not there is a God,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:06.00,0:12:10.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,there's something important and beautiful about the idea of sacredness,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:10.00,0:12:12.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and that our rituals can be sacred.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:12.00,0:12:15.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The Sabbath can be sacred.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:15.00,0:12:18.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This was one of the great things about my year, doing the Sabbath,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:18.00,0:12:22.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,because I am a workaholic, so having this one day
Dialogue: 0,0:12:22.00,0:12:25.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,where you cannot work, it really, that changed my life.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:26.00,0:12:30.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So, this idea of sacredness, whether or not there is a God.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:31.00,0:12:33.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Thou shall not stereotype.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:33.00,0:12:35.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This one happened because
Dialogue: 0,0:12:35.00,0:12:38.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I spent a lot of time with various religious communities
Dialogue: 0,0:12:38.00,0:12:40.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,throughout America because I wanted it to be more
Dialogue: 0,0:12:40.00,0:12:42.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,than about my journey.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:42.00,0:12:45.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I wanted it to be about religion in America.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:45.00,0:12:49.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So, I spent time with evangelical Christians, and Hasidic Jews, and the Amish.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:49.00,0:12:51.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I'm very proud because
Dialogue: 0,0:12:51.00,0:12:53.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I think I'm the only person in America
Dialogue: 0,0:12:53.00,0:12:56.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to out Bible-talk a Jehovah's Witness.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:56.00,0:12:57.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:12:57.00,0:13:00.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,After three and a half hours, he looked at his watch,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:00.00,0:13:02.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,he's like, "I gotta go."
Dialogue: 0,0:13:02.00,0:13:04.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:13:04.00,0:13:05.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Oh, thank you very much.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:09.00,0:13:10.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Thank you. Bless you, bless you.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:11.00,0:13:13.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But it was interesting
Dialogue: 0,0:13:13.00,0:13:16.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,because I had some very preconceived notions about, for instance,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:16.00,0:13:20.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,evangelical Christianity, and I found that
Dialogue: 0,0:13:20.00,0:13:22.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,it's such a wide and varied movement
Dialogue: 0,0:13:22.00,0:13:27.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that it is difficult to make generalizations about it.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:28.00,0:13:31.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,There's a group I met with called the Red Letter Christians,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:31.00,0:13:34.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and they focus on the red words in the Bible,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:34.00,0:13:36.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which are the ones that Jesus spoke.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:36.00,0:13:38.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,That's how they printed them in the old Bibles.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:38.00,0:13:43.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And their argument is that Jesus never talked about homosexuality.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:43.00,0:13:45.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They have a pamphlet that says,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:45.00,0:13:47.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"Here's what Jesus said about homosexuality,"
Dialogue: 0,0:13:47.00,0:13:49.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and you open it up, and there's nothing in it.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:50.00,0:13:56.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So, they say Jesus did talk a lot about helping the outcasts,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:56.00,0:13:59.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,helping poor people.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:59.00,0:14:02.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So, this was very inspiring to me.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:03.00,0:14:07.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I recommend Jim Wallis and Tony Campolo.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:08.00,0:14:12.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They're very inspiring leaders, even though I disagree
Dialogue: 0,0:14:12.00,0:14:14.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,with much of what they say.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:14.00,0:14:17.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Also, thou shalt not disregard the irrational.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:17.00,0:14:21.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This one was very unexpected because, you know,
Dialogue: 0,0:14:21.00,0:14:24.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I grew up with the scientific worldview,
Dialogue: 0,0:14:24.00,0:14:31.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and I was shocked learning how much of my life
Dialogue: 0,0:14:31.00,0:14:34.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is governed by irrational forces.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:34.00,0:14:37.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And the thing is, if they're not harmful,
Dialogue: 0,0:14:38.00,0:14:40.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,they're not to be completely dismissed.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:40.00,0:14:44.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Because I learned that -- I was thinking, I was
Dialogue: 0,0:14:44.00,0:14:47.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,doing all these rituals, these biblical rituals,
Dialogue: 0,0:14:47.00,0:14:50.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,separating my wool and linen, and I would ask these religious people
Dialogue: 0,0:14:51.00,0:14:55.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"Why would the Bible possibly tell us to do this? Why would God care?"
Dialogue: 0,0:14:55.00,0:14:57.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And they said, "We don't know,
Dialogue: 0,0:14:57.00,0:15:01.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but it's just rituals that give us meaning."
Dialogue: 0,0:15:01.00,0:15:03.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And I would say, "But that's crazy."
Dialogue: 0,0:15:03.00,0:15:05.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And they would say, "Well, what about you?
Dialogue: 0,0:15:05.00,0:15:09.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You blow out candles on top of a birthday cake.
Dialogue: 0,0:15:10.00,0:15:14.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,If a guy from Mars came down and saw, here's one guy
Dialogue: 0,0:15:14.00,0:15:18.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,blowing out the fire on top of a cake
Dialogue: 0,0:15:18.00,0:15:22.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,versus another guy not wearing clothes of mixed fabrics,
Dialogue: 0,0:15:22.00,0:15:26.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,would the Martians say, 'Well, that guy, he makes sense,
Dialogue: 0,0:15:26.00,0:15:28.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but that guy's crazy?'"
Dialogue: 0,0:15:28.00,0:15:33.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So no, I think that rituals are, by nature, irrational.
Dialogue: 0,0:15:33.00,0:15:36.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So the key is to choose the right rituals,
Dialogue: 0,0:15:36.00,0:15:42.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the ones that are not harmful -- but rituals by themselves
Dialogue: 0,0:15:42.00,0:15:44.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,are not to be dismissed.
Dialogue: 0,0:15:45.00,0:15:49.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And finally I learned that thou shall pick and choose.
Dialogue: 0,0:15:49.00,0:15:51.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And this one I learned because
Dialogue: 0,0:15:51.00,0:15:53.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I tried to follow everything in the Bible.
Dialogue: 0,0:15:53.00,0:15:55.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And I failed miserably.
Dialogue: 0,0:15:55.00,0:15:57.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Because you can't.
Dialogue: 0,0:15:57.00,0:16:00.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You have to pick and choose. And anyone who follows the Bible
Dialogue: 0,0:16:00.00,0:16:02.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is going to be picking and choosing.
Dialogue: 0,0:16:02.00,0:16:07.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The key is to pick and choose the right parts.
Dialogue: 0,0:16:07.00,0:16:11.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,There's the phrase called cafeteria religion,
Dialogue: 0,0:16:11.00,0:16:15.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and the fundamentalists will use it in a denigrating way,
Dialogue: 0,0:16:15.00,0:16:17.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and they'll say, "Oh, it's just cafeteria religion.
Dialogue: 0,0:16:17.00,0:16:18.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You're just picking and choosing."
Dialogue: 0,0:16:18.00,0:16:22.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But my argument is, "What's wrong with cafeterias?"
Dialogue: 0,0:16:22.00,0:16:24.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I've had some great meals at cafeterias.
Dialogue: 0,0:16:24.00,0:16:28.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I've also had some meals that make me want to dry heave.
Dialogue: 0,0:16:28.00,0:16:31.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So, it's about choosing the parts of the Bible about compassion,
Dialogue: 0,0:16:32.00,0:16:34.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,about tolerance, about loving your neighbor,
Dialogue: 0,0:16:35.00,0:16:40.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,as opposed to the parts about homosexuality is a sin,
Dialogue: 0,0:16:40.00,0:16:42.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or intolerance, or violence,
Dialogue: 0,0:16:42.00,0:16:44.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which are very much in the Bible as well.
Dialogue: 0,0:16:44.00,0:16:48.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So if we are to find any meaning in this book,
Dialogue: 0,0:16:48.00,0:16:52.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,then we have to really engage it, and wrestle with it.
Dialogue: 0,0:16:52.00,0:16:55.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And I thought I'd end with just a couple more.
Dialogue: 0,0:16:55.00,0:16:57.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,There's me reading the Bible.
Dialogue: 0,0:16:57.00,0:16:59.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,That's how I hailed taxicabs.
Dialogue: 0,0:16:59.00,0:17:02.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:17:02.00,0:17:04.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Seriously, and it worked. And yes,
Dialogue: 0,0:17:04.00,0:17:07.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that was actually a rented sheep,
Dialogue: 0,0:17:07.00,0:17:11.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,so I had to return that in the morning, but it served well for a day.
Dialogue: 0,0:17:12.00,0:17:15.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So, anyway, thank you so much for letting me speak.