Ep. 50 - Awakening from the Meaning Crisis - Tillich and Barfield

This is the last video of the Awakening from the Meaning Crisis series. We are working hard on a new seris called After Socrates, which we are hoping to start releasing in January, 2020. Subscribe to get updates!

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Fiftieth episode of Dr. John Vervaeke's Awakening from the Meaning Crisis.

[johnvervaeke]

I would like to thank all the people thanking me for the series. I am moved by all the support and kind words. Thank you so very much.
Also, the video with myself and Anderson Todd discussing Jung, the shadow, the meaning crisis, and Jordan Peterson's work will be available Dec. 30th at 12 pm. EST.

[blueshirttail]

This is a life-changing series. Thank you for your time and attention!

[MattFRox]

This is the Western Civ. course we all should have access to as undergrads.

[EnemyOfEldar]

Wow, as you were closing out there, John, I burst into tears. Floodgates, let loose. The gravity of 50 days of watching these episodes finally dawned on me.

Thank you, thank you so very deeply. From me and my wife, who I was so fortunate to have had as a philosophical companion throughout this journey, in love and in dialogue in ongoing discovery of this, truly, inexhaustible fount of insight. That is what this series will mean to me in my ongoing journey to live up to, in some way, the most excellent way you have so virtuously exemplified in this opus of a series. To me, it fits your definition of the sacred.

Thank you for your grace, your humility, your tact, your deft, eloquence, passion and by the beard of Zeus, man, your wisdom. Thank you for all the great schematic diagrams, the beautifully consistent language (or grammar perhaps? To learn to speak of these matters) developed throughout. My favourite concept of which was anagoge. Thank you for just that, even. My wife happens to be Persian, lucky for me, and she cried out in joy at your acknowledgement of the contribution of Persian philosophy to both West and East. She also fervently agreed with your characterization of the deep "remembering" of the Iranian people. She tells me that as kids in Tehran they would play games of reciting lines of the poetry of Hafez, Rumi, Khayam, Ferdowsi etc trying to see who could get the lines to match the best. That sounds like a beautifully good serious play. Thank you deeply for the (I believe 2) times you graciously pointed this oft forgotten but beautiful moment in the history of philosophy.

My final insight of watching the series, as I was pondering what I must do in order to become the person I could be and I saw, really really saw, felt, became aware of, whatever, that that very struggle is the way. If I'm going to aspire to be wise the very struggle to do so is the way. Struggling in a cathartic sense.

Once again, a heartfelt and sincere thank you! I can't say it enough.

Until next time,

[alisaruddell]

You have not “taxed” us, John. We gladly pay the tribute of our time to listen to your wisdom, it’s been worth every minute. I’m SO grateful for your work and teaching. Many thanks!!

[SOC-]

This series has been ineffablly relavant and meaningful. These tears and joy and beauty and sense of freedom cannot be expressed in words. How you have opened all these doors...

"..the nothingness of despair is transformed into the revelation of no-thingness as inexhaustible being meaning"

“When we stop trying to push away the nothingness, but have instead an imaginal relationship to it and move through it anagogically in an imaginal fashion with the nothingness of God, then we overcome meaninglessness.”

The distinction between letting be and breaking through. How they co-exist. Wow.


Well framed. Thank you.

[danielhoward]

I just finished all 50 episodes and I'm immediately starting again back at 1.

[yunuskoning]

My mother is a Christian, my father is Jewish and I myself am a Muslim. I think we theists can learn a great deal from nontheism. I am grateful to the Divine Reality for being capable of producing a John Vervaeke. Thank you for sharing your loving knowledge, professor Vervaeke.

[yoananda]

I've watched the 50 hours.
I think this talk is no less than HISTORIC.
3 last words : "One and all" ... it sum up everything !!! AWEsome.

[icekan]

Your work Dr. Vervaeke will not only be remembered it will be revered. Thank you for your energy in demonstrating your understanding as you have showed that during existential problems or crisis it is the capacity for relevance realisation as well as to have the participatory knowledge that will provide a constructive meaningful frame of our cognitive existence.

[VivianFlint]

This is Epiphanic...sans panic.
No matter how deeply I have imbibed knowledge, with my Spiritual senses tensely gazing into the dancing void...no matter what Epiphanies dared to tickle my Humors...I could not fully embrace the worlds of The Great Minds, without this extensive and excellent narrative.

THANK Ypu from the bottom-most depths of my Rationality!!! ❤❤❤

[CalianSidaris]

Every episode, no exceptions made, Mr. Vervaeke ended with thanking the listeners, the viewers and me for our time? This man thanked us? Me? For listening?

And every episode, no exceptions made, I thanked you Mr. Vervaeke, in return.
I said it out loud, as if you could hear it.
I said it out loud, deeply enriched with insights and paralyzed with this electrifying fascination.
I said it out loud, indescribably grateful and awestruck by your agapic love.

Thank YOU Mr. Vervaeke! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

From the bottom of my heart, thank you!
Thank you for educating me, thank you for inspiring me, thank you for enlightening me,
and thank you before all,
for making me human. ❤️

[tracywilliamsliterature]

Hear me shouting from a tiny corner in the valleys of Wales, UK:
"ABSOLUTELY BLOODY BRILLIANT! Please do not stop!"
This series has awakened me from my own personal meaning crisis. I was mired in existential nihilism when I found Mr Vervaeke's channel... 3 or 4 months later I am ALIVE again...
Often way above my level of intelligence, these lectures have continued to compel me...
Thank you ... thank you ... thank you.

[Sharingan]

From the bottom of my heart thank you John. It’s been an honor and privilege.

[andrearusso]

Thank You, John. It has been an amazing journey. With some close friends, we studied this for almost two years (1 episode a week plus many pauses) and shared thoughts and opinions on every episode. Personally, I have to say, it made me a better being, with more awareness and wisdom. It made me a new agent in a larger arena and for this, I am infinitely grateful and indebted. "Thank you very much for Your time and attention" in bringing us this masterpiece

[tomekd]

I have listened to the whole series, and I thank you very much for it.
I think I have two insights I'd like to share:
- In a sense it's all about continuous and never-ending transframing, to avoid getting stuck in any network of concepts (BTW one of them is meaninglessness). This is by keeping balance between the network solidifying too much and its falling apart. So we need tools to keep ourselves in the critical point between these two (i.e. solidification and chaos).
- The transframing moments bring us the pleasant quale of feeling wise, or englightened, at least for a while. The pleasure suggests that the transframing is adaptive.
A side note: I think the mention of computational irreducibility is also important. This implies that there is no other way to know life than to live through it. So it can be only known by continuous experiencing, not by conceptualizing too much (again - maintaining the critical point is crucial).

[georgefrancismusic]

It took me a couple of years, but I got to the end in the end. There is no end, only inexhaustible more-ness.
This is a wonderful thing you have shared with the world.
Thank you John.

[marklefebvre]

Excellent series, I learned a lot. I'd pay for a glossary and some slides to go along with this which I could use to re watch all these lectures in order for a better understanding.

[ketaMINDED]

*slow clap*. Dr. Vervaeke, thank you for this terrific argument. I came across the series after a death of a loved one. Little did I know, this is a fountain of wisdom (the what and how). The argument was well researched and delivered with terrific enthusiasm and energy. I was challenged to understand and learn many complicated concepts which in turn proved to be timely and vital to processing my loss, understanding myself and viewing the world from a different perspective. The stimulating and thought provoking (belief-shattering) knowledge gained propelled me into "the great turn". I took up Tai Chi, yoga, gardening, Carl Jung, and mycology. I developed a deep understanding and appreciation of philosophy. Your intelligence is remarkable. And without sarcasm and in the most respectful way - you must be fun at parties 😊. Thank you, thank you so very must for taking us on this magnificent journey. I look forward to studying your other works.

[tavherzlich]

This took me over 2 years. I listened to some episodes 4 times.

I'm grateful for your guidance John, You have accompanied me in over 7 trips abroad across 10 countries and during my first Psychedelic journey.