Futurist, philosopher and filmmaker Jason Silva is heading to Kelowna.
This will be the first time National Geographic乌鸦传媒檚 BrainGames host will offer his perspective in a public format during his tour at the Hack Your Reality event at Summerhill Winery, Oct. 17.
乌鸦传媒淢y presentations are a journey that walks you through my own response to the human condition. It乌鸦传媒檚 based on this idea that what are we meant to do with our unique situation?乌鸦传媒� said Silva.
His presentations are inspired by American anthropologist Earnest Becker乌鸦传媒檚 book Denial of Death.
乌鸦传媒淗e was saying the source of human neuroses and existential dread乌鸦传媒� is that people are starved for meaning or purpose, which is obvious, but the question is why?乌鸦传媒� said Silva.
According to Becker, the source of anxiety and dread in humans is that no matter how successful we are, how creative, how rich, 乌鸦传媒渨e乌鸦传媒檙e housed in heart-pumping, breath-gasping decaying bodies,乌鸦传媒� said Silva.
So, the question becomes 乌鸦传媒渨hat are we meant to do with ourselves?乌鸦传媒� he said.
A media storyteller, Silva started creating short YouTube videos called Shots of Awe in an attempt to answer his own existential questions.
What he found were others who thought just like him, which made him feel less alone.
乌鸦传媒淲hen I say 乌鸦传媒榟acking your reality乌鸦传媒� it乌鸦传媒檚 really saying 乌鸦传媒榳hat are the things that we do in our lives乌鸦传媒� how do our creative and linguistic choices govern our experiences?乌鸦传媒櫸谘淮綕 said Silva.
Silva will start with his own response through videos where he said, people can empathize.
The talks will be broad-based to include general topics like technology, love, creativity and more.
Love, he said, is to put a person on a pedestal, making them divine.
乌鸦传媒淭o fall in love, is for one person to take on a special meaning for you,乌鸦传媒� he said. 乌鸦传媒淚t is a religious problem ultimately, we乌鸦传媒檝e replaced this god in the sky and put them in the body of the person with the same results,乌鸦传媒� he said.
One of his first videos to go viral was one about love called Existential Bummer.
乌鸦传媒淣o matter how holy, how divine our lovers are, they are tinged with a bit of sadness, the part of us that knows that we are temporarily lying to ourselves. It乌鸦传媒檚 kind of like the part that乌鸦传媒檚 aware that time will keep passing, that love will age and the bummer of that,乌鸦传媒� he said.
Silva believes we need our illusions, like the feeling of love, to keep us from going insane. 乌鸦传媒淥ur illusions are a healthy response to our situations.乌鸦传媒�
乌鸦传媒淓arnest Becker says people who are insane are suffering from the truth. So not to go mad is a form of madness, but a necessary form of madness,乌鸦传媒� he said.
These illusions prevent us from believing all is for nothing, he said.
乌鸦传媒淛ust because I know love won乌鸦传媒檛 last forever doesn乌鸦传媒檛 mean I won乌鸦传媒檛 consume the drug,乌鸦传媒� he said. 乌鸦传媒淚 like to inhabit both of these levels.乌鸦传媒�
The presentations are meant to share his viewpoints and not to be treated like answers to personal questions, he said.
Tickets are available online though .
carli.berry@kelownacapnews.com
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