He will appeal from western philosophy, (there is a section of Plato's Phaedrus in the middle
of the book) even oriental philosophy - he refers to the Bhagavad
Gita all the time. He uses a little bit of everything! He uses his own nomenclature, which he invents! That is nothing more than a modern clothing
to what has always been said. It is interesting to think about that. For example, in history, the Greeks, and then
the Romans too, they were great admirers of all Egyptian tradition. They learned a lot of what they knew
(not to say all) from the Egyptian tradition, which at that time
there was still much alive. However, the Greeks took the Egyptian concepts and gave them a clothing that the Greeks could
understand. When they, for instance, represent the
Goddess of Justice, they don’t use Maat but Athena which is a more suitable clothing for the
Greek people to understand. That is, they update the symbols to be easily understood in their civilization. See, how curious! Today we are great inventors, of everything
one can imagine: from technology to pure science, we are great, we can calculate the distance
between two galaxies, very roughly, we accelerate particles which simulates the initial
moments of the manifestation of the universe. What's that? It’s really fantastic what
we are capable of doing. But as for the human side, we were not able
to build our own symbols. Have you seen it? When we talk about justice, we have to use
the goddess Themis, the one with the blindfold on and a scale
in hand. Let's face it, Themis is Greek Roman... Haven't we invented a modern representation
for justice? No, we haven't! We have to borrow the symbols from the past. Yesterday, for instance, I was talking to some students that when we want talk about love, you're either going to use a Greek Aphrodite or you will have to use that pretty cute symbol... that you will have agree that this does not
represent love at all, does it? I usually joke and say that this represents passion because it goes up and down, up and down. It ends and starts over and over again. That works for passion but for love
it's very poor in meaning. We were able to invent a brilliant technology but couldn't recreate the symbols! Why? Because growing as a human being is not the
priority of our society. To speak of a just and noble action, we have
to use the RIGHT ACTION from the Indian tradition. To speak of a good concept of justice
we have to use the platonic. Weren't we able to update these things?
Why not? Because this does not matter to us! It is not a priority to be fair but to measure
the speed of an aircraft from a point to
another in space. Professor Jorge Angel Livraga - who is the
founder of the New Acropolis - used to talk about it: It's like we would take a book and understood
what the cover is made of, the chemical composition
of the ink used to paint the cover, the composition of paper cellulose. the weight... but we don't know how to read it! And when someone says, "It's good to know all of this, but the most important thing is to read, because what
it's written there refers to realities that are not there but
in another place." The person saying to you: - "You are lying...
there's nothing written there. They are just small scattered symbols and we know everything about these symbols: Their height, when they change, their width... we know everything about these symbols,
there is nothing more to know than that." Do you understand this comparison?
If you take the egyptian civilization they probably didn't know very well the physical composition of the papyrus
in its minimal atoms, but they knew what the papyrus was
referring to in terms of values. For them, transcendent, metaphysical knowledge, regarding the man himself, was more important
than unraveling the physical world. Because, brilliant as they were, if they
wanted they would come to that. They made buildings that still
today defy time. With a very profound human knowledge. So we lost focus, and when we work with symbols,
we use the ancient ones... Borrowed ones. What I find interesting in
Steven Pressfield: He's a 21st century man, still alive, that, by his own thoughts about life
and consultation with the classics, he even says the same things as a
philosophy school says. His concepts... if he were a New Acropolis teacher,
I wouldn't be surprised! They are very consistent!
And he came to these conclusions alone! Through his reading the classics! He's a genius! It is not easy to reach these conclusions
alone, when everyone else says otherwise...
the peer pressure is too big. So, it is a reinforcement: when philosophy addresses something, it is not an isolated voice. One or another sensible person, who thinks alone,
out there in humanity, and has the ability to do so, starts to get close to what we say philosophically. So it's a confirmation that
good sense leads to values; good sense leads to a human identity. Whatever the name of that path, if you are saying the same thing as
all literature, philosophically valuable, that in the
history of mankind have said. So let's get down to business. It's a course, not a lecture, so it's a little bit longer. Since the book is rare, I set out to bring you the whole book. We have a whole book ahead of us. It is three hours long, with a break. But I hope we make them three pleasant hours. About two and a half hours of class. So, this is a scene from the Indian epic
"Bhagavad Gita", showing Prince Arjuna between
two armies. This epic story, which is part
of the sacred history of India, depicts a war that is not external, it is internal. it is the human struggling with his defects,
against his inertia, against the slavery of his instincts,
to fulfill himself as a human being. It's the oldest and most recurring thing
on the face of the earth! Even the Iliad and the Odyssey
of Homer are talking about it. In fact, the Odyssey is detailed in a way that
is quite striking: representing the man struggling with his defects
to reach Ithaca, the brilliant. to get to the essence of himself. The Scandinavian "Eddas",
the Persian "Book of Kings", Virgil's "Aeneid"
- history classics of humanity - speaking of a war that is not
external, but symbolic. It is an inner war: the conscience of
man to earn his place in the world, to assert himself as a human being, to leave a human trail. Therefore, the "War of Art" that
Pressfield talks about, is a reference to this whole tradition - which he himself knows. For those who don't know, there is a movie called
"The Legend of Bagger Vance". Has anyone watched it? "The Legend of Bagger Vance",
with Will Smith. Well, at least one of the actors is Will Smith. "The Legend of Bagger Vance" is based on
a book by Steven Pressfield, which curiously is the Indian Bhagavad Gita,
set in the 20th century. It comes from his book called, "The Legend
of Bagger Vance", "Bagger Vance" was Bhagavan, Krishna, and the hero, a golfer, Rannulph Junuh,
represents Arjuna. In other words, set in the 20th century,
it is this indian classic. Very interesting. It was the first successful work that made Steven Pressfield known. The adapted Bhagavad Gita,
a book which he loved so much. It is based on the bibliography that universal philosophy has always used. So it is another form of Bhagavad Gita,
but in a very current language, very modern and very well based. This is Pressfield. Whoever wants to become friends with him on Facebook, he accepts everyone! I myself am one of them... he doesn't even know
who I am, but he has accepted me! He is an American, he was born in Trinidad Tobago - perhaps his parents were travelling there... writer and author of plays, screenplays, which was his first profession,
very unsuccessful by the way. And then he became a novelist. When he wrote "The War of Art",
he started to enter another area. He was very criticized - people would say
he was writing self-help... Actually self-help, for me, is very different from this... Self-help reinforces, in a way, selfishness:
"to help yourself" Philosophy is not self-help,
it teaches to help the other, to develop altruism, so you don't see yourself as the center of the universe. Today we have lost our criterion: anything that talks about how to grow is self-help. For me what reinforces
selfishness in a man, and gives him more tools to live according to
his interests, that is self-help. Another thing is to teach him to be more human, to integrate the world, to think more about humanity,
that cannot be self-help. It can be "alter-help", help the other. What he does is not self-help.
There's too much quality for that, too. A huge amount of books, just some
published in Portuguese. For those who like historical romance - I'm sorry about Christian Jacq, who is very good too - but those of Pressfield are second to none! "Gates of Fire" tells the story of the
300 warriors of Sparta in a way that I don't know how he can do that, "Tides of War", recommended by Oxford professors to
help understand what life was like in Greece, so perfect it is! The story of Alcibiades, a great Greek general,
disciple of Socrates, by the way. His books are amazing! After he wrote "The War of Art",
he wrote others, which are sequels, that haven't been translated into Portuguese yet: "The Warrior Ethos" - he quotes "The Warrior Ethos" a lot
in "The War of Art" - and this one: "Turning Pro". Neither have been translated into Portuguese. We do not give much importance to
this kind of literature here... I would love for it to be translated, because what he does, in that line of work,
really is of the highest quality. So this is our friend! He writes very lightly,
very humorously, the chapters are short. It's a book
that is read at once, in a single breath. It is one of those books that mark a lot,
because it is very deep. He divides the book into three parts: 1. Defining the enemy; 2. Turning Pro
and 3. The higher realm. He tells us in his page,
in a very good mood, how the critics have massacred him
when he released this book. Among other things, they said it was a religious book because he said he believed in God. Self-help, appeal, that he was
wanting to make money... Everything you can imagine. And then, he tells how he learned to cope
with criticism, without losing the good mood. It is one of the things he mentions in this book. So the book, basically, is divided into these three parts. DEFINING THE ENEMY, the first part: Everything in universal literature,
that speaks of our internal enemy - our difficulty in growing, overcoming selfishness,
not being enslaved by our instincts survival, perpetuation of the species, our inertia, our laziness. He gives
a name for it all: "RESISTANCE". The Resistance is the general in arms, of all these elements that do not allow us to grow. At first, we have a transition to
do between two worlds: Moving from an animal stage, "an animal with a mind", - because the animal is based on two things: the instinct of survival and
the instinct of the perpetuation of the species. If you put a mind on an animal,
and it continues to be guided by the instincts, it then becomes an animal that
empowers his instincts with his mind, which is a very dangerous predator! But it doesn't reach the human stage, because the human stage means:
other goals besides surviving and procreating. So, there is a passage, a transition
to the human condition. And the first thing we have to identify
is against what we are fighting. We are not fighting anything outside,
but against an internal enemy. He may have external allies, but they don't
bring us down. The internal ones do! And it is terrible, because the internal enemy
is not so clear to see! If I am fighting a person, it is visible! I take a position, if she goes somewhere,
I reposition myself... Now, when you wage war against an internal enemy,
you get mixed-up with it! There are times when I hand a weapon to it and say:
- "Go on, kill me!" We don't know exactly what it is... (He is very sincere in this book,
he tells practically his whole life) He spent his whole life fighting something he didn't see and when he saw it, he called it RESISTANCE. And he began to explain how to fight it. Then he will start talking about the Resistance. He starts talking about his daily life:
- "What do I do?" I get up, I have my timetable - all counted - organize my space, start my day
organizing my house, - he is separated, and lives alone - I do my things, but I have a schedule to fulfill. I know that at that time I have
to sit down and start writing. I will never fall into the mistake of
putting the "urgent" before the "important". Otherwise, a lot of "urgent" things will appear in my life, and what about the "important"? is to produce what I was born for! Make my dream come true,
give my soul's message to the world! This is the important thing,
I can't put anything ahead of it! Whatever happens, in that time I
I will sit and write. - Only then, once completed my journey,
I will close - at the time it was a typewriter - he is not that old but, when he was writing people still used
this archaeological piece. - I close my machine, and that is it! - I'm at peace! The Resistance was won
for today. - Now, I overcome the Resistance today, but I have no illusion, tomorrow
it will wait for me in the morning, with a new strategy! Tomorrow starts all over again, and it will be stronger! And it will want to drag me another way. "What do I know?" The most difficult thing that exists
is to sit down and do your job! Whoever begins to face life's
challenges should know this! There is nothing difficult
that comes from outside The hardest thing is to overcome your inertia,
the chit chat from your mind, the postponements, the excuses you make up -
just sit down and do your job. Whatever happens! Do not admit conversations:
sit down and start doing what you want. this is the most difficult. He says: - "To reach this point, I fought against
all sides of the Resistance, that you can imagine."
And he starts writing about this. It is very interesting: he will show, in many details,
the rite of his daily life. How he prepares his space, what do you need to have... this moment of producing your work is something ceremonial! Everything matters to him! It is inexorable to do what corresponds to us! As inexorable as feeding the
body so it doesn't die, is to feed the soul, doing what
she came into the world to do. Otherwise, something in you dies too, and becomes almost like a zombie, that starts
to be a plaything of society's distractions. He talks about very interesting things... THE UNLIVED LIFE "We have two lives": The common one,
our daily lives - survive, earn our money, eat,
sleep, wake up... And the "unlived", which is that of our dream. The one we didn't have time for,
or don't know if we're gonna have, don't know if it's worth it, don't know if we can manage But, forever, it doesn't give up on us! Blowing in our ear: - "What about that?" It can be an enterprise, it can be a social work, a dream, fight a defect, improve an aspect of your life... This unlived life, that does not give up on you. He says: - "Resistance is a force
that deforms our spirit and makes us smaller than we were born to be." Each human being is a unique and unrepeatable being. Marcus Aurelius, Roman philosopher, said:
- "When one human being dies, that is a unique and unrepeatable being
with whom I lost contact, Each of us has a message to give to the world, which can only be given by us! if we don't do what we came to do, something will not be said,
some word will not will be heard, someone will lose, some dreams will die! Each one has a message to give to the
world when one realizes its nature. The Romans called it "genius"! This sacred center which is yours alone,
unique and unrepeatable. Men had a "genius" and
women had a "juno" - that was part of their mythology - a sacred center, that sacred word that all of humanity
expected you to say, that justified your presence in the world! The universe is a big puzzle where
each of us brings a piece. Each of us has a piece to deliver,
has something to say! A lot will cease to be if our word
is not pronounced. We are unique, irreplaceable, we have a mission in the world
which is not simply surviving. I play with my students, asking them to imagine a
single-celled being - an amoeba, that only survives and breeds. Now take a really complex being
that is the human being, in general, what does it do? Only survives and procreates! Only with more
comfort, more luxury... but this is a "hi-tech amoeba". The human being has a lot of potential,
to come into the world just for that! There's something that if you don't do,
the world will miss it. "Resistance is more difficult to deny than cocaine. Many cripple and disfigure their lives
because of the Resistance. It's a terrible addiction! When you start
thinking about doing something you start making excuses... Leave it for tomorrow, today I have
to do something... it's not the best time... It is such a terrible addiction, to postpone,
to run away from ourselves, It’s easier for you to get rid of any drugs than to get rid of the Resistance! Because at least cocaine you know is cocaine, but the Resistance takes on so many faces, justifies itself in so many ways, that you don't know you're betraying yourself. Resistance is: you always betraying your dreams! But it is difficult for you to identify it. Then he says: - "Many disfigure their lives, or even die,
victims of the Resistance. It manufactures drunks, addicts,
neurotic and compulsive people. The escape routes from society are all ready,
because everyone is frustrated! There are already: fantasy, alienation, the "big brother", the soap opera... all set! For the escape of the victims of the Resistance!
The Resistance's refugees! That will fulfill themselves in nonsense, to stop hearing the call
from their heart, from their conscience, and
endure the anguish in which they live! And sometimes even that doesn't do it! Sometimes the anguish is so great that it develops pathologies or even compromises the person's life. That is: many external attractions for
you not to listen to yourself. Vocation, "Vocatio", comes from "voice".
It is like a voice. It is like a voice within us calling:
- "What about that? Are you giving up?" - "Who are you going to be without it?" And all the paths already prepared,
because society already knows that much of humanity are "refugees of themselves". RESISTANCE’S GREATEST HITS This is very important to understand: "Anything you want to do that takes you from one level of
consciousness to another (higher) will generate Resistance! Now, if it is for a lower one,
you may relax... As my grandmother used to say:
- "Downwards every saint will help you." If you want to overcome any internal or external difficulties, improve a relationship, do selfless work for humanity, develop an art that benefits
yourself and humankind, or do anything that takes you from one level
of consciousness to another (higher), get ready because heavy artillery is coming! It only manifests upwards,
not downwards! Artistic vocation, entrepreneurship,
spiritual growth, health regimen... - "Remember that mat you have at home,
and never used?" Overcoming addiction, education of any kind, acts of courage, altruism, committing your heart to something,
standing up in the face of adversity, postponement of any bonus
(not wanting results immediately, being able to persist for duty
and not for reward), That is, anything that ennobles you,
the Resistance is there! And it comes charging! He talks about this core of consciousness - which he calls "little self" -
which is his general-in-chief Resistance. Whose objective is not personal, but absolute: "Not letting anything change,
or anyone grow!" It is not a conscious being:
it doesn't even know you exist! But it acts in groups,
on the whole structure of humanity, not letting anything change,
or anything move to the next step. And all human beings face it. Do not think that it is private,
that it only affects you. Resistance is the drama of humanity! And it is so painful,
that when you see one human being who overcame resistance,
the others feel rage, feel hatred! Because that exposes them! And it shows that others could have done it too. He who overcomes resistance sometimes
receives external aggressions. The disapproval of the people around you. He addresses this further. So, to grow as a human being,
you may surely expect Resistance. And it plays hard! CHARACTERISTICS "The Resistance is invisible" but can be felt:
a force that pulls us away from our work. Let's say you are a person who intends to write.
You place the computer on the table. The hardest place in the world for you to go
is that table where the computer is. You'll find something to do in the kitchen,
in the bathroom, in the neighbor, downstairs, in the bakery,
blah blah blah, a phone call, commitments delayed ten years ago
- you'll want to do at that moment, blah, blah, blah - the place
has a centrifugal force! You do not want to sit there at all! Anything that compels you to
have discipline, commitment, pulling your conscience up, generates this centrifugal force.
Terrible to win! It is a blockade and we do not
understand that this is internal! - "I would love to write, but I have
so many commitments!" I have seen many people start
taking our philosophy course - which is a work of
self-building of man - then the person says: - "I have been waiting
for an English course for so long... Can you believe I won a scholarship to study it? exactly that day, there is no other! From R$200 down to R$180...
a very good discount! ...And it's only on that day!"
And they don't realize that it is Resistance! There are people today in New Acropolis who tell me: - "When I heard about the philosophy course
I thought of entering... It took me ten years to get in!" The day I would go, something would happen! I didn't prioritize and it took me ten years to come! Receiving brochures, seeing advertisement... Do you know what put you off these ten years? Resistance! No doubt! That and anything that
you do to take you up a step! "Resistance is internal" it is not born from any circumstance
or external adversary. WE generate it and perpetuate it. It is born out of a terrible fear:
the fear of growing up! Which is the greatest of all fears,
he mentions that! It forces you to reposition yourself in life, isolates you from the relationships that existed before. It is the greatest of all fears! Do not think: "I did not grow up because of
the boss, father, mother, children... the woman, the mother-in-law -
who is always guilty! Don't! You didn't grow up because of a
terrible fear of growing up! The demands that this brings are too heavy. If responsibility is transferred to
another, you will not see the enemy. And if you don't see the enemy,
you can't control it. "Resistance is insidious": lying, seducing,
intimidating and betraying. It has many forms! Dou think the Resistance will say: - "You will not commit, I don't want to! I am the Resistance!" You wouldn't accept it! - "You're not going because you're scared!" - "What's that? I'm not a coward! Yes I will!" The resistance presents itself with
the face that has greater appeal to you. It has tremendous capacity to take
the needed forms, always surprising! If you are committed to
do something, and believe in astrology, your horoscope will say: - "Today is your astral hell,
don't get out of bed." If you believe in intuition: - "I have felt
that I shouldn't leave home today." I once met a "platonic sloth".
It left a mark in my memory. We are volunteers at New Acropolis,
I was the director of a school, and I was cleaning up the school before people arrived. Then a boy came,
saw me doing it, sat down, attended the lecture, and
at the end he came to tell me: - "Look, I really wanted to help you, but Plato says 'each one has to dedicate himself to a single job - according to his nature.' And since I have no nature for cleaning,
I couldn't help you..." I was impressed! "Platonic sloth!"
Just what we needed! Resistance, with this fantasy, I'd never seen it yet! Then I started to believe that she
could come dressed as Buddha, as Christ, Confucius, Lao Tzu, anything!
Yes, she can! It has many faces, and presents itself with the one most likely to convince you. "Resistance is implacable"! It's a machine
of destruction that never stops or tires. When the person wants to react and work to do something, to be transformed and add something to humanity, she will deal with a relentless fight with the resistance. A babbit person, who never fought, will say: - Resistance? What is it? - Ah, you saw that in some self-help book,
it doesn't exist... It only presents itself to those who react, of course! When you don't react, you don't give her a fight. Resistance wins easily. The more you react the more powerful it will become. And she doesn't stop until you are mobilized. Until she convinces you to stay put
and leave that behind. She is from the well known "let it go" crew! As long as she doesn't convince you to leave that, she doesn't stop attacking. Then he says: - Until the final stretch she
keeps attacking. Don't give up! It is an inexorable force of nature. As long as she doesn't get you back in the chair,
she won't stop. He says that if we broke the resistance, reducing it to an atom, she would be an atom fighting and hitting. She never stops, it is her nature, it is her role in the universe. RESISTANCE IS IMPERSONAL. "Resistance marked me!" No,
she doesn't even know who you are. She is an impersonal law that
has the following occupation: she exerts a force to contain you, in a way that if you channel your will to overcome her, you become bigger than what you are. She is that step placed in front of you, so that you may channel a greater force to make a step on the next level. You cannot go up without facing this wall in front of you. Step by step. On a staircase, each wall in front of us is RESISTANCE. There is only one way to overcome her: upwards, channeling WILL. Otherwise you won't go up. And so it is with all beings. It's not just you who climb the stairs. You are not the only one that has to make this effort. No. All beings grow up facing obstacles. RESISTANCE IS INFALLIBLE. He gives a very good tip: What she most prevents you from doing must be the best thing
you have to do in life! She's a compass. Do you know what she's been up to do since the beginning of time? And she is not affirmative.
She'll never say: - Don't do that... She is subtle: - Do it tomorrow. Next week. (He will talk about procrastination later) - But today? Is Friday a day to start doing something? - Monday! - In fact, it'll be better in the second semester. We're almost there... - In fact, this year, cabalistically, is not good year to start a new thing... - Next year! - The idea is good, but not now. Later. - I'm going... And so on... That is her language. You don't identify her as an enemy. She actually looks like a friend: she appears to be helping you. She makes you postpone to the grave. She never lets you go. And what most blocked you, probably, is what you most needed or need to do. She's a compass. As Dalai Lama says: - We learn a lot from our enemies! She tries to stop us in the direction in which we'd be more useful. The more important for the evolution of our soul, the more resistance it generates. The better for you, the greater the resistance. RESISTANCE IS UNIVERSAL.
Everything that has a body suffers with her. To grow, all things face resistance, to fall is easy - no force is needed. It is like the law of gravity. RESISTANCE NEVER SLEEPS. Fear never leaves us. It's a battle to be fought every day. Fear is the ultimate weapon of the resistance. "If you are going to do this now, it will hinder you..." Philosophy course on Thursdays.
"Thursday is such a bad day..." "Near the weekend..." "If you're invited to something,
you will have to go to class..." "If I were you I'd think about it..." She always works to intimidate you. Her ultimate weapon is fear, from the simplest to the most powerful. "You will lose your life with this, it is silly, the clock is ticking, you will enjoy this..." I've already lost students like that. A friend said to him: - Philosophy doesn't fill your belly. You should be having fun, you're so young! - Life goes by, and you'll have lost your youth
without enjoying it. Only he enjoyed his life doing philosophy! Which is also a form of enjoyment. It is the voice of resistance, which sometimes finds external allies. RESISTANCE PLAYS FOR KEEPS. Her target is the gift that brought us into the world and her goal is to kill it. She doesn't play. Her goal is to eliminate any
urge that you have to climb to the next step. And she doesn't make you just to do less.
She plays to eliminate. She is an infallible and compassionate warrior. As long as you want to react, she will attack,
until you get comfortable and just survive. There, she quiets. She leave you alone. Resistance feeds on fear.
Its strength comes from our fear. To master it is to beat it. But to master it is not to overcome it, because nobody overcomes fear! Fear is a force of nature that will always accompany you. Forever. But, fear is not necessarily to stop you. It is for you to proceed with more prudence. It is stupid to think that the great warriors of the past were not afraid. They were. And fear warned them to double their attention. Fear does not have to be in front immobilizing. It may be behind, pushing. He will talk about an American actor, Henry Fonda, - you must know - that at the age of 75, working in shows, theater, TV, since he was 25, with his 75 years of age, before going on stage,
he still vomits, every time. Nervous and afraid. He would go to the bathroom, throw up, get dressed, and enter the stage. Always, all his life. After ten minutes the fear passed. But stop being afraid? Resistance won't let you. But this is not an argument for you to be immobilized. Resistance plays with fear, therefore we must know how to deal with fear. Not to eliminate it, but to dominate it. We will never eliminate fear, but he can become our ally. RESISTANCE ONLY OPPOSES
IN ONE DIRECTION. Only from a lower sphere to an upper one. Example: You are helping with the work of Mother Teresa of Calcutta, and later decided to leave work to
set up a telemarketing firm... You may go relaxed, for resistance will even pay for your ticket. Down... easy! She will only hinder you to go up. To go down, that's easy. She will even make your life easier. You will see. From a higher level to a lower one,
there is no resistance. And she is stronger in the final stretch. - Ah, now I'm almost there, now I can rest easily... Don't relax until you reach dry land! The resistance, in the final stretch, attacks with everything. He cites the example of Ulysses, in the Odyssey. When he's arriving in Ithaca, already taking a glimpse at the smoke from the houses, he, with a bag of winds (received from God Eolo), - adverse winds had been trapped in the bag to take him faster to his home - decided to take a little nap. His sailors thought that the bag was full of gold, and decided steal it. They opened the bag. They released the adverse winds and ended up on the other side of the sea again. They miss the whole trip, and start all over again. In the final stretch do not sleep! There, the resistance attacks with everything. When she sees you are almost crossing the finish line, she plays with all her strength. If we learned from her and had this objectivity and effectiveness to achieve our goals, we would be done in life. Resistance is relentless, never sleeps. Doubts, any questions? RESISTANCE RECRUITS ALLIES Tacit agreement whereby each individual pledges (unconsciously) to remain mired in the same slough. He says: - You start doing what you dreamed of. You dedicate yourself to that volunteer work, and a process of self-knowledge begins... you start to do what you're set out to do. People around you start to behave strangely. Your parents fight with you, your wife frowns, or husband, the dog bites you, the neighbor starts to study the drums. In other words, a short circuit is presented to you. He says: - Unconsciously, they are trying to boycott you. Because it is terrible to realize that you are being defeated by those demons, and you are winning. That exposes him. Do you see? If someone is winning, I could win too. It is a tragedy! This exposes my mediocrity and generates anguish. You are seen as a traitor. Then he talks about another example. (Pressfield is great, his examples are really funny) " The highest treason a crab can commit is to make a leap for the rim of the bucket." Stay in the bucket, fine. But one manages to leave, it shows that all the others are lazy. They're in the bucket because they're too lazy to jump. You see? I like the example of when you were small, and arrived at school having done all your homework, and no one had studied, then you got a good grade and
they all wanted to hit you. Because if everyone scored zero, it was the teacher's fault. You exposed everyone, proved
that everyone could get a good grade! There is an unspoken agreement to remain in mediocrity. Who reacts is a traitor! And it's hard. Even those who work in the literary field, the specialized critics, - which in general is not as specialized
as they believe - is very tough with someone who is emerging, breaking with fashion and daring to do what he likes. Then, you can clearly see who is
an honest critic, and sho just wants to destroy you because you did what he didn't have the courage. And see clearly when there is envy. There is a huge resistance outside as well. People are uncomfortable
with whoever betrays the easy life. RESISTANCE AND PROCRASTINATION He says the best you can do for people is to move forward and set an example. And go fast! Then you prove it is true, that everyone can do it. It helps the other to have arguments
and overcome resistance. There is no use staying back there, trying to
reconcile. This is yet another argument from the resistance. You will not reconcile. People will only give up if you stop, and that you cannot do. Go ahead and set an example! Some will be inspired by you and will start to walk. What his website receives from messages because of this book, you have no idea! Thousands of people! Who encouraged themselves to fight their resistance because of him! RESISTANCE AND PROCRASTINATION He talks about rationalizations. Rationalization is the employee who takes care of the boss's image: there is always a good reason to justify resistance. As I said, she is clever. She always arrives with the best arguments. The best. Always like this: "I will not" becomes "I will tomorrow". And it becomes a habit. Always "In a little while", "tomorrow". Brasília is a big city, but we always meet acquaintances on the street. There are people who tell me they are going to take the Philosophy course next week in 10 years! And this next week will still come, and yet it's not here. It is not that the person lies to me. She lies to herself. Always with an argument, and there will always be! When will things stop happening in our life? We will only do things, if we do despite what I remember we would go to excursions
with our students, and it was amazing, because everything happened when we agreed to go out and distribute flyers. We had a motto: we said: - If the apocalypse comes, and the angel Gabriel comes in through the window playing the horn, we ask him to make the soundtrack and we will deliver the flyers anyway! Because if if not like that, we'd never go. Because everything happened: there was no light, a lot of traffic, commitments... - No! Now,
if it's the final judgment, we'll go anyway! Angel Gabriel playing the horn and making a soundtrack. Musical background. Artistic couvert. There was no other way. If you do not assume that it is important, and that it will be done, excuses for not doing there always will be! And sometimes more and more complex. RESISTANCE AND SEX Sex, chocolate, TV show, everything that is pleasant and brings short-term satisfaction, is a full plate for Resistance. Sex is not always resistance, but it is a good tool to be used by the resistance. Because it brings quick satisfaction. It is distinguished when it is resistance, because then it generates a terrible hollowness. You realize that you were wrong. Curled up to run away from your commitments again. The same with drugs, compulsive shopping, - because you always think something is missing outside, not inside - TV, gluttony, etc. Distraction with cheap and easy bribes. Resistance bribes you! She offers change, gives candy, to distract you from doing what you have to do. Things that bring quick satisfaction. Constructing yourself doesn't bring quick satisfaction. He who builds himself has to know how to postpone satisfaction. The result is not fast, growing is not easy... You can't expect people's approval - sometimes it comes, sometimes it doesn't... Satisfaction postponed. Love for your own work. And resistance relates to the things
that give quick gratification. It is a very common tool. RESISTANCE AND TROUBLE We keep getting involved into problems that we create, without realizing it. To escape from doing what we have to do. The citizen is sick, fought with the neighbor,
with the family, lost his job, started drinking, has a habit of sleeping late... He invents problems to escape from himself. Neurosis, jealousy, anything... The artist does not tolerate confusion in his life, as this prevents him from doing his work. Then, simply, there will be no confusion in his life, because he doesn't want to. If the neighbor stops at his door, he doesn't even look, there's more to do, there is no time to fight. There are more important things. Stressed parents? - Okay, I won't talk to them today, I'll talk tomorrow. - I won't fight today, I have no time to loose with that. - I will not get involved in any kind of trouble. Another type of problem is dramatizations. Those are funny, because there is a tacit dramatization pact. There are whole families that seem to have set up a moment to generate drama. When the drama level drops, someone's up to something. The son drank - everyone blah blah blah!
Mother cries, wife leaves home... Are they done? The youngest daughter appears with a tattoo - blah blah blah! And the whole family is fueling the rocket... And in that, nobody does anything. Resistance is like Santa Claus, he comes out laughing, with his red cheeks. In this house nobody will do a thing. A culture of dramatization, one drama after another. Everyone gets involved and nobody does their job. Have you heard that Leonardo da Vinci stopped painting his paintings for being involved in family dramas? We don't even know who his family was! He was there, painting. Mozart: - I have an existential problem, today I will not compose... This makes no sense! He didn't even know what that was. He was
there, completely involved in his work. Who has something important and serious to do, does not waste time with these emotional addictions, that we created as another way to escape from ourselves. An excuse: - With this difficult life that I have, nobody would do anything... Do you really think the geniuses had easy life? Tolstoy had 18 children, did you know? Bach had about 12, and about 8 died along the way. Did someone who did a great thing have an easy life? These things may be true, difficult, but great people did what they had to do, despite them. RESISTANCE AND SELF-MEDICATION Many diseases are marketing techniques. He worked with so many things, that it's hard to imagine it fitting into one life! Marine, pier, truck, writer... He tells these stories throughout the book. At one time he worked at a marketing agency. He says that his boss said: - Make up a disease that we'll sell the medicine. He says that modern illnesses are created by marketing experts. Panic syndrome, empty nest, etc. it is nothing more than existential anguish for not making dreams come true. Then put a name, create justification, medicines, Spa to go there... In the end you get nowhere. It’s not that there’s no real depression, but much of what is called depression is existential anguish, for not doing what we came to do. It's us missing ourselves. Frustration regarding the way we live our lives. Depression and anxiety can be real, but they can also be resistance. Caution! Instead of self-knowledge, self-discipline, delayed gratification and hard work, which is the life of a professional,
of a person who takes life seriously, the person is doped with medicine to not feel the call of the soul. And it goes away! Are you feeling well?
- Oh, the medicine took effect, you're happy. Living this way, he shouldn't be happy! The only chance there is in this case is to not be happy. If you live a mediocre life and are happy, there is a serious problem! As my grandmother used to say: - It is the need that teaches the frog to jump. If you don't achieve anything in your dreams and you are happy, you're lost. these elements are sometimes placed as the substitution of achievement. They allow you to live comfortably, and let
go of what is important. RESISTANCE AND VICTIMHOOD I've seen this and I know it's like that. I work in public service,
in a sector close to several doctors. The director, a very good cardiologist, had many patients. Every day she attended like 30 people, and in the end she'd give us the statistics: a sick person and 29 making drama... The next day: 35, 25 doing drama.
Those were very good days! There were 5, 7, sometimes 10 patients, at most! The rest was drama! Her specialty was making a landscape face,
pretending to believe. - Really? Do you feel that? - Try taking this, and would give
a remedy for headache... - This will heal you... In fact the person was needy, wanted a little attention. Nothing more. 70 to 80% of patients are just doing drama. Because this disease, this suffering, is a way of saying: - With this disease, with this problem, I can't do anything. Now there is something to blame. - I have my cross, I can't do anything
with a problem like that... Do you know that silly joke of the two alcoholic friends? They stopped drinking and decided to go fishing. (Silly and bad joke, but well suited to the situation) They stopped drinking and went fishing. One of them opened the other's bag and saw bottles of cachaça. - Are you are crazy? - Didn't we agree to stop drinking? - You're misunderstanding me, man. - I'm taking cachaça because there are snakes in the bush. - If someone gets bitten we will need alcohol! - Ah, well. If it's for that, ok! Then he saw another bag and asked what it was.
- It's the snakes. What if there was none here... Imagine: if I get rid of this problem... how bad! I’m always cultivating problems,
because, what if I get well all of a sudden?! How to justify doing nothing? So, I can never get well. I always have to have a cross to bear. He said it is a type of passive aggression. Because the one immobilized by resistance roots for the resistance of the others, blackmailing. Threatening: - If you don't pay attention to my bone getting worse, I may die... Manipulates victimization to make other people as a hostage of their problem. Beware of victimization, don't do that to yourself. In addition to feeding your resistance, you'll hold everyone around you. In this way you involve people not for what you
can give them, for your quality as a human being, but for fearing your death, a possible crisis... This is manipulation. A kind of slavery.
Don't play the victim! It is one of the favorite addictions today. He speaks clearly: If you are playing the victim,
stop now. It is the resistance's strongest and worst tool! RESISTANCE AND THE CHOICE OF A MATE It’s very common, when you have a lot of anguish for not making dreams come true, To look for a person who has done that. - Since I cannot make my dreams come true,
I will help my friend. He says: - This is stupid. The fact that someone achieved their dreams should be an incentive for you to make yours happen, not to worship someone
else's work and cancel out your own work. And it's also bad for the person who accepts it, because she won't accept that another person has the mission of worshiping her personality. Don't hitch a ride on anyone else's achievement,
because it doesn't exist. Achievement has no king size (for couples). It is individual, one for each one. Clara Schumann, Robert Schumann's wife made very good music, that are now being discovered. Do you know why she didn't publish? For fear of obscuring her husband's career. Very strange. Both for her and for
the person who accepts this. RESISTANCE AND THIS BOOK Do you know what the resistance told me when I thought about writing this book? That I was a novelist, that it would feel like self-help. That it was an arrogance of my part to write a book wanting to look like an educator of the world. That people would misinterpret my book,
that it would not be well received... That I had no level to put myself as an educator of human beings... And that it would be better to write a novel and put the diluted resistance as a character's problem. There were so many arguments, and all so reasonable, that I gave up. The only warning telling me that I was wrong was the level of unhappiness I started to experience. Then, when I sat down and started to write, it passed! The level of unhappiness showed me: - This may all be real but it
is not enough to immobilize me. He almost didn't write this book! And what the resistance said really happened, he was criticized. And it was all worth it. We are here today because he won against resistance. RESISTANCE AND UNHAPPINESS - Symptoms It looks like life, but it's resistance. It happens to everyone, it seems like normal logic of life, but it is the sequence of resistance: First: it creates boredom. Everything you do is not what you'd like to do. Life seems like a repetitive cycle,
always doing the same thing, and nothing gives you happiness or fulfillment. Then, regret, bitterness. Then, because of your anguish, and because you don't like anything you do, you look for addictions, to add some flavor to life. Greed, compulsiveness, you get fat, then drink, sometimes use drugs, consumption... Anyway, you look for distractions. Then, the dissatisfaction is so big (as soon as the alienation goes away, the pain returns) that psychosomatic pathologies start to develop. And the person can really get to destroy herself. When not eliminating life itself - it is very common, this frustration can lead to depression and a tendency to self-destruction - but because she really got sick - due to the level of unhappiness taken in life. Both possibilities. The consumer culture explores
this with medicine and entertainment. Generates escape routes for you
to spend your whole life running away from yourself. In the lecture on loneliness, I talk about it. We teach how to deal with loneliness and we explain that the worst loneliness is being unaccompanied by yourself. A person is probably more lonely in the big São Paulo than in a small town of 100 thousand inhabitants. There's no use wanting to teach her how to deal
with that. She doesn't want to, she is afraid. Loneliness forces you to be with yourself, and she doesn't want to find herself. She disorganizes her life, creates chaos,
there's no time for anything. Why? Fear of finding herself. So, it's one distraction after another. Group of friends, come home, phone, turn on the TV... Silence, internal dialogue, inner life? Never! There's no time left for that. It would be unbearable. Life is an escape
from herself. Typical of resistance. Disconnect from systems and know that we will only be happy when we do our job. This is a well-known example in my lectures,
but it's worth saying again: On the Greek Marathon war, which Athens fought against the Persians. There was a citizen, Pheidippides, a very good warrior and also a very skilled runner. It was very likely that the Greeks would loose, because the Persians were much more numerous. They go in expectation of losing. And if the Persians won, they would destroy Athens, desecrate the temples... They agreed: on a certain day and time, the Athenians themselves would collect the sacred symbols and abandon Athens. But if Athens won, they would have to warn the city. Otherwise, the city would be destroyed and abandoned. And they actually won! I don't know how, but they won. These things in history that we don't understand. They sent Pheidippides, who was quick, to warn the the people of Athens about the victory. Hence the Marathon competition was born. He did his best, straight to Athens with no stop. All this running, after such an exhausting battle, makes him get there with only the breath to speak
one word: Victory! And he drops dead. Imagine: what if he didn't have the
breath to speak that word? Athens would be destroyed because he did not say the word that corresponded to him. We came to the world too
to say a word. A lot can stop being built, or will be destroyed, because we didn't say what corresponded to us? Before we fall, we have to make sure that our word, the sacred word, whatever we came into the world to say, is pronounced. Something will be lost, something sacred will be destroyed if we fall without saying what we came to say. RESISTANCE AND FUNDAMENTALISM He says that, in fact, the artist and the fundamentalist they start, more or less, from a common momentum. This urge to find oneself, to fulfill oneself. But one goes back out of fear, and the other moves forward. But they have, more or less, the same root. The artist and the fundamentalist seek both mysteries of existence as individuals. On the tribal stages. He says that when you live in a small tribe or community life is all defined: all individuals, what they are going to do, their social roles... When society explodes into a city of millions, like São Paulo, for example, and many others, it is impossible to control man by man. It gives a margin of freedom where each one must find his meaning for himself, And not to be defined by society. Some, either because conditions favored it, or because they already have the maturity for that, lever up, really develop their creativity, and create their own lives. Others are frightened by this. and consider all innovation, all individuality... remember that girl who dared to study? The one who won the Nobel Peace Prize? Every creativity, every innovation, is "diabolical"! "Good were the times when everything was defined and life was prescribed..." That is, they want a return to the fundamental! Back to the past, where life was better... They do not consider that the world has a
mystery to discover, a truth. The mystery and the truth are already in a certain book, it has already been revealed by someone. There is no mystery to discover. You only have to obey certain precepts, therefore destroy innovation. It’s not that the fundamentalist doesn’t
have creativity, but his creativity is mainly focused on the invention of
a devil! Against which he will fight his whole life. He defines himself in opposition to that devil. Symbolically, the devil is the inner voice that calls him to fulfill himself. To escape that script of very restricted options. The devil, in general, is a symbol of the demands of his Soul, wanting him to grow. And he reacts violently, demonizing that voice. Out of fear! And all creativity is focused, not on construction, but on the destruction of the devil. There is no need to search, the truth has already been revealed, - in a religious, political, or Marxist book, whatever it is - Truth is already revealed, and all you have to do is to be faithful to that, go back to the past. It becomes a steamroller to destroy
everything that escapes this script. Every kind of individuality,
every type of achievement is demolished! I find it interesting, because his posture is
very humble. I also see these things
in life. The artist had favorable circumstances, good karma, and believes in humanity in its slow progress. The fundamentalist thinks that humanity is going to the pit, to hell. He sees no hope. And the artist has a creative impulse. Fundamentalist: revealed truth,
decadent world and returns to the fundamental. He says: - Look, I wouldn't say that if I was born in very adverse circumstances I would be able to assert myself as an artist. Although my life was not so easy. But I was born in a circumstance that, at least, didn't block me that much. If I was born in a very fanatical country, with a lot of repression, maybe I would not be able to impose myself... In very difficult circumstances it takes a lot of maturity to impose yourself! I think the same thing too! We have to take advantage of what the oriental tradition calls "a good karma". At this point, you are in a position to seek yourself. At the evolutionary level that we have
- Here I speak for myself - if I was born in a slum, in the center of a criminal faction, would I be a philosopher today? I guarantee you I wouldn't! In such an adversity, at my current level, I would not be able to overcome it. I had - how they say - positive karmic conditions, that favored me. I take advantage of this and try to save as much time as possible, to do something useful in this life! At the root, fundamentalism and art are born from the same thing: The presence of the possibility of building oneself, of individuality, but one goes back in fear and the other moves forward. One demonizes that. And the other sees this as a necessary evolution process, and seeks to help humanity with it. "Fundamentalists are failures seeking to establish hope and pride." And they are destructive. It is very common when countries lose a war, when they go through very serious economic and social difficulties, instead of recognizing their mistakes, they begin to demonize foreign countries. It was the North-American imperialism that left us like this... it was Europe... It was not our incompetence in managing our lives. You have to blame an external demon, otherwise you'd have to assume your own mistakes. In those situations, it's very comum
that fundamentalism rises! RESISTANCE AND CRITICAL - it's very beautiful
what he says here. Criticism is a clear symptom of resistance. A person who struggles to realize his dreams Has no time or interest in criticizing anyone. On the contrary, he gives suggestions
for people to help them grow. Not to break them. Criticism is a symptom of losing to resistance, not admitting that someone else can win. The critic is the one who has to transfer
his failure to the external. He is bitter! And a person who seeks to grow has no
time to find fault in others. On the contrary, he helps others to grow when asked. Critic is a clear resistance feature! RESISTANCE AND LACK OF CONFIDENCE IN YOURSELF - What do you think? - Am I an artist? - Am I a philosopher? He says: - Look, this is synonymous of Being! Because when a person has doubts, they are afraid. And fear, in general, points in the direction where there is potential. The vain, the arrogant, in general, is not:
- Look how good I am! - I'm the best! I have no doubt! Resistance laughs at that kind of person... Because when you believe you are already something, you stop trying, and you get stuck at that level. He who is afraid and doubt will fight,
grow inch by inch, will win the war trench by trench. So, if you're afraid of something, it's a good symptom! There was a girl, here in Brasília, who was terrified of fish. Then she went to dedicate herself to the sport of sailing! She said: - Either I ran from the fish or I ran to it! She went to face her fear and won an international sports career! Fear signals: - Here you have potential! We either run from it or run to it! RESISTANCE AND FEAR "Fear is an indicator of the resistance's and dream's sizes." Example: actor who accepts role because he
fears it. In an interview program, he asked: - You, why did you accept such a character? - Because I was really afraid of him. The size of the fear has to do with the
the size of the challenge it offers you, or the size of the growth
after facing it. Fear does not need to be braking you; it can be behind pushing! RESISTANCE AND LOVE They are proportional. If we didn't love a specific dream,
we wouldn't be afraid of it. Resistance is proportional to the potential of love we have for things. "I love this dream so much, that's why I have so much fear and resistance." And that ensures that the realization of
it will also be huge. RESISTANCE AND BEING A STAR The citizen who thinks he is the best! Resistance loves vanity! What Jung called "ego inflation". I see myself on the fifth step when
I'm in the first... He won't do anything: on the first fall, he won't get up. A person who really wants to make their dreams come true, has patience and persistence, and has no fantasies. You know that you will have to go through criticism, that nobody will recognize, know this, know that. He has patience, endorses himself, needs no external approval, realizes himself doing what he does, and does not expect anything to be easy. Nature doesn't take leaps! That kind of fantasy: - I'm going there, I'm going to win... It's great! Resistance defeats this type of person with a breath! RESISTANCE AND INSULATION There is a passage where he talks about the man, when he leaves the camp (the group). He thinks he will be abandoned, denied by his "tribe", that there will be no friends, the family will walk away... an so on. This gives a terrible fear! He says: - Look, it doesn't happen! When you move away from one group,
another one shows to you. With other people who are also struggling, and your own work is wonderful company! An artist does not feel lonely doing
what he sets himself to do. Or someone who works for humanity: they are accompanied by their dreams! Always! Other relationships will come, another world will come! He says: - Automatically, when the man leaves the camp, the Muse lands on his shoulder, like a butterfly! That is, this kind of loneliness doesn't exist. "For example, I am surrounded by my characters, and sometimes they are more interesting
than anyone I know. " I don't even see time passing by, like a child playing! Sometimes our work is a version of ourselves more engaging than any real person. Look how beautiful: "As soon as we step outside the campfire glow, our Muse lights on our shoulder like a butterfly. The act of courage calls forth infallibly that
deeper part of ourselves that supports and sustains us. That is, the man who finds himself is never alone. He can be with people, and have something to offer people. And when with himself, he also enjoys the time! But when with people, he is the one who
has the most to share. RESISTANCE AND HEALING - It's funny, because he speaks of those therapeutic places, of fashion. The person goes there: - "I am very frustrated, anguished..." Then takes natural medicines,
does gymnastics, does everything... to improve stress... About that, he says: - Look, our essence, the one that wants to manifest itself through our work, suffers nothing from the
adversities of life! On the contrary, it even enriches itself! It is one more possibility that will be added as an experience. These places are for pampering the personality! Not to improve the manifestation of our essence. Our essence is bulletproof! External circumstances do not affect her. If you dive into yourself and manage to find your center, suffering will even enrich you,
will give you more experience! The great novelists, when they suffered,
better novels were written! The more discriminated they were, the better their essence! There is something within us that only enriches above external circumstances! Pampering personality does not help
you to be better.. Because when you return to life, suffering will also return, and you will have to go back to the spa... If every time life hits you have to go to a spa, it is better to create a spa, and live there for good. The creation process is subject to
all kinds of suffering. RESISTANCE AND SUPPORT - I will ask my family for help to make my dream come true! He says: - It is a declaration of incompetence! Only you can do what you have to do, and Nobody has to understand what it is! And you can't do it with the strength of others. It must be with your own! The best people can do is to wave to you,
down at the port! No one can do it for you! You either have the strength to do it, or it won't work! No dreams come true with the borrowed energy! Seeking support... finding places to relax
and to remove stress... He remembers when he was a marine. You must have the ability to live with adversity
and to be proud of it. This creative center that is our essence as human beings is not affected by anything, on the contrary! Adversity even excites your spirit of defiance and your imagination. The psychic energy spent mulling over everything
people did to you is a waste of time and resistance: - Ah! How unfair the world is! someone did this... the other did that... my father said that when I was little... How can I fulfill myself with this past... Forget! RESISTANCE! Accomplished people had fathers and mothers of all kinds! And they did what they had to do despite all that! Let it go! Complaints, whining, self-pity... RESISTANCE AND RATIONALIZATION Rationalization is the advisor who takes care of the boss's image. There always are plausible justifications to stop you from doing anything. But none enough. There were people with cancer that won the Olympics, people full of children who wrote romance, people with physical difficulties who
uncovered some mysteries of astronomy... There were people with huge problems
that gave their message. The arguments of resistance may be true, but not enough to stop you. Another trick! RESISTANCE CAN BE WON The great works of humanity prove it. If nobody won against resistance... Who made the ninth symphony? Who built Saint Sophie? Who carved Moses? If people hadn't overcome resistance, the most beautiful things would not exist. The great works are the trail of those who overcame resistance. If one person did it, we are also able to do it! We are not going to build Saint Sophie nor Moses... But we'll do something big, proportional to our size. Because the human being is a great being, and came into the world to leave his footprint. He cannot accommodate mediocrity, because it is the root of unhappiness
and of all bad things in our world. Here we enter the second part - BECOMING A PROFESSIONAL... He says: - My life is divided in: before
and after becoming a professional! The word amateur comes from love (amor). In general we think a professional is the one who works for money and the amateur for love! It's not like that. Amateur is the one who lacks the seriousness, commitment and responsibility that allows him to overcome resistance. For him, everything is like a game, including his vocation. His vocation is a secondary thing in life. That doesn’t give him the guts, the enthusiasm, and enough strength to overcome the resistance, The amateur has a passion, but does not have a love committed enough to get things done. Pressfield talks about the logic of an amateur and a professional. The amateur does things for fun, when there is time remaining. Imagine a poet, who writes when there's time left... A writer... someone who does social work... "When I'm idle, I do a little..." Typical of the amateur! A professional does it for real, every day! Just like work, that has to be every day, your dream feeding your soul also has to happen every day. It is a constant commitment. The amateur has hobbies, the professional has a vocation. It is inexorable! He knows it's
the most important thing in his life. The amateur is dedicated part time,
the professional full time. He dedicates all the time he can dispose to do
what he believes as noble and good. There is nothing more important is his life than the fulfillment of his soul. He will take it seriously, and fight daily for it. The amador has this as a secondary occupation. For the professional, it is a real activity of full dedication. A matter of life and death. In the same way that a "professional"
goes to work every day, with responsibility and commitment, The professional also has it. That's why he manages to overcome resistance and do things worth noting. There is not one person who has done anything important in history, that acted only once in a while, when there was nothing to do. A great artist, a great warrior, a great politician, a social activist with great work for humanity... which of them perceived their mission as "only a hobby"? Do you realize that those who did something gave their lives for it? With serious, constant, persevering dedication? This is a professional! He gives tips on how to be a professional. Very interesting tips, by the way!
To that writer, Somerset Maugham, they asked: - When do you write? Always? Or only when you have inspiration? He replied: - I write only when inspiration comes. Fortunately, she comes every morning at 9 a.m. sharp! Of course, I prepare, I create the scene for her, and she comes every day! Because I am there every day! That is, punctually, every day,
I sit to work and wait for her. I do my part! I open the conditions for her to come. Pressfield does just that.
Inexorably. At that time in front of his computer. Punctuality, seriousness. Tune the clock with your Musa! He talks a little about his day to day: waking up, daily chores, cleaning the house - this is very beautiful - he makes the environment as suitable as possible. He says that the physical order influences the mental order. There is a beautiful passage: - "I even clean up the doormat so that the muses, when they enter, don't get their clothes dirty! He sits down, prays, and works until the scheduled time. Every day! How beautiful it is to see him speaking of it! He says: - You have to be inexorable with resistance! An alcoholic who stops drinking knows that a single drink may destroy him. The same with resistance: a single stop and you may never come back. Stop three months to do something else... you will stop forever! It's not that I think my job is essential, if I don't do it, it will be dramatic for everyone... It is essential for me! Because I came into the world to be human! It is the result of my existence. Maybe humanity will live well if I don’t do what I came to do, maybe it’s not that important, but for me it is essential not to live in vain! I can't give up being what I am here to be,
otherwise I will be nothing! (People may accuse you of him of finding your work too important) Be careful, this is the argument of resistance. For you, yes, it is a matter of life or death! He says it is like a hunt. There is a vulture flying in front of his house,
looking for a mouse. It's a matter of survival: if he doesn't get the mouse, there is no food for the puppies, and the day is lost! He does his job, earns his day,
and sleeps the sleep of the just! He did his hunting that day, caught his prey, did his job! But he know that resistance awaits him for breakfast. It is not definitively won, it's an everyday battle. HOW TO BE A POOR WRETCH - this is great! He was a marine (it is in his biography). Do you know what an American mariner is? That heavy crowd? He says that everyone thinks that marines are terrible, able to do anything... they are not exactly that good. But there is something that I was taught, which is tremendously useful: to feel like a poor wretch! They love being poor wretches! Their lunchbox is the coldest of all the armed forces! It is the corporation that has the most casualties. They are the ones that most go through
difficulties, cold, hunger, They live in the greatest adversity... and they are proud of it! They say that other people's
Armed forces are weaklings! That they don't know what it
feels like to be a poor wretch. As disgrace grows, the more proud they are! I'm a poor guy! That is, resistant, prepared for diversity. And he assimilated it! If you don't assimilate that, nothing can be accomplished. An artist, or anyone who assumes his work, is a volunteer for hell! Will go through isolation, envy, criticism, insecurity, etc. It is a war! In any of these films that talk about someone who has done something expressive in life... It's not just artists, anyone... There's a movie called The Hunt For Troy, about the discoverer of the archeological ruins of Troy, Heinrich Schliemann - they even tried to kill him! They mocked him... Troy was considered a legend, right? They said that after looking for Troy he would look for the Little Red Riding Hood's house! He was a laughing stock! He even suffered physical aggression! Everyone who tries to make their dream come true, has to be proud of feeling as a poor wretch! Because it's a war! It is an internal war that provokes external resistance as well. It's not easy! It bothers people! It causes envy! It provokes all kinds of hostility! "If you are not proud of being a poor guy", you are a weakling. It will not work! You will not handle the battle, and will leave in the middle. WE ARE ALL PROFESSIONALS! Where? In our work! For our physical survival we do everything. The boss is boring... implies... is neurotic... We support everything, hit the spot,
and only leave after the time is up. It generates results in the real world, the technique is mastered, and we have sense of humor about what we do (not dramatizing mistakes a lot). I've been studying philosophy for 26 years, in New Acropolis. Over the years many students have passed. Sometimes I happen to meet these students, many years later, in their professional environment. I've seen people who liked the course, what we taught, but he did not have enough perseverance to overcome the resistance and continue. 2 hours a week, which were making them grow. Some couldn't beat the resistance! But you've been at your job for 20, 30 years. Why? Because the physicist doesn't allow you to lower your
guard and stop feeding it. But the soul, yes. Some are not so sensitive to the call of their soul. Has the confidence and the ability to persevere, when it is for what interests the personality. And still hasn't aroused interest in anything
more subtle. We are professionals in our work. Long-term commitment, all year round, in this or another job... We'll be there all day! The amateur is that citizen who does not appear every day, don't stay all day, the risks are illusory and false because he thinks that if he doesn't fulfill his dream, nothing happens, receives no remuneration, - he will explain this detail - he identifies too much (if he makes a mistake, he dies) because he doesn't support criticism, has no sense of humor and is not exposed to
the real world judgment. If he writes poetry, he shows it to who? For his best friend! - How beautiful! How well you write! He speaks to please you! Publish in the newspaper and see what they will say. There you are in the real world! Whoever wants to make their dreams come true, wants to step into the real world, even if it is to be snubbed! But in the real world, not in a circle of friends who want to please you. So, the amateur lives in a fantasy world and does not take his dreams seriously. KING KONG STORY - that nice monkey! Steven Pressfield had already done several scripts, and failed to sell all of them.
There were about 9 at this time. Then he got the opportunity to write the script for King Kong 2. It was the biggest failure on the face of the earth! - I invited my friends to go to the film's release -
they were the only people there... I had planned a party, but they all disappeared, ashamed! They had never seen a movie so bad! It was a failure! The newspaper critic said: - I hope your name is not really Steven Pressfield, to not embarrass your parents! A friend called and asked him if he would give up. - No. Now I'm in the real world! I had a defeat,
but in the real world, and not in my friend's fantasy world. That is my beginning! It is better to fail in the arena, than to just be in the backstage or at the door,
your whole life! Now I'm in the arena, now it's for real! The professional knows that too much love, like the passion of the amateur, generates such emotional involvement that stops you from doing a thing! The first criticism will knock you down, anxiety will be in the way of concentration, you will depend on external approval... A certain coldness is necessary in this manner. A certain distance. The professional must have the lunchbox mentality, as if he had no salary: I sit down every day and write! It doesn't matter whether they like it or not. I am doing my duty with my soul! And it's like I'm an employee, a professional. Do you know companies that hold weekly meetings with employees, to discuss the week's agenda? - I have a meeting with myself! I discuss the week's agenda and then I'll do it! He got to the point that you should create your own company: You S/A. And he is the boss, and also the employee, so that he could charge himself for punctuality,
and to be present every day. There has to be a certain distance that allows you to focus on your work, dramatizing neither victories nor defeats, in a way that you are not defeated by difficult circumstances. Acting for money, or as if it were, cools the fever, inculcates cold blood, inexorability. This is the lunchbox mentality. Whoever fulfills his dream, is an infantryman, is there every day. In the presence of success or not, it doesn't matter;
I love my job! Resistance loves pride, conceit, vanity and affectation. The Muse favors those who work hard and soberly. No rush and no pause. I have a salary, I'm here to earn my bread! My salary is the realization of my
soul... even if I win no money. I'll pretend it's entering. I stick to schedules, I have responsibility. This is no joke, this is serious! You see? The amateur thinks that if he doesn't do it, nothing will change. That's terrible! Because he really won't do anything. A PROFESSIONAL IS PATIENT Resistance uses people's fantasy as their favorite trap. "I'm going to write a book and become famous!" Nothing will happen in your first book! Maybe you won't even get a person to publish it! Several of his books went to the trash without anyone reading it. Really! There were 9 movie scripts that
went straight to the trash! Nothing will happen, but you will have a win against resistance. It doesn't matter if it will be published or read. What matter is that you overcame your resistance! You opened up a space for responsibility,
developed new techniques, and created the conditions for the Muse to act through you at a certain moment. Synthesizing.
Professional: seriousness, responsibility... Whoever is dedicated to a dream is dedicated as a professional, or will not do anything. Dream is not a hobby, this is an amateur thing! The professional has the ant mentality: patient, prepared for long journeys - knows that everything costs twice as much and takes twice as planned - has no expectations, works without haste and without pause, every day. A PROFESSIONAL SEEKS ORDER "So the Muse may enter
and not soil her gown!" How beautiful it is! (Soon he will enter in this more metaphysical part) He talks about a whole ceremonial to generate a job. Order is fundamental, it favors
the mental order. He lived in the back of his chevrolet truck
for many years. The mess was so big that he had
to take a ton of dirty laundry to find his typewriter! He says: - I'm not admired that I didn't create good things. The Muses don't manifest in a space like that. Order is needed! Physical order for mental order. The professional focuses on the technique. He masters the HOW, and leaves the WHAT to the gods! (rite) He seeks responsibility, order, masters all the technique he needs, and then inspiration comes when he is worthy. The inspiration is not his, it comes from above! If he fulfills the whole rite, if he does everything that corresponds to him, something else descends on you and
honors you with inspiration. If you follow the rite, putting everything in its place. THE PROFESSIONAL ACCEPTS NO EXCUSES If you give in today, you have a double chance to give in tomorrow. "Today I don't work because I'm
with the flu.". Tomorrow it gets worse! Or you'll invent something even more serious! If you stop for a day, you are very likely to stop 2, 3, 10... and never come back. If you give space for resistance, she will take all the space taken and more! It's like telemarketing: if you say "hello"... you're lost! The professional doesn't even answer the phone. Doesn't even answer it! Look how beautiful: so the Muse may enter
and not soil her gown! He even cleans the door handle. He
is waiting for the Muses! So they don't soil their gown! Then he sits down and works, with all the rite. Symbolic objects and a prayer included, which is in the Invocation of the Muses, by Homer. Too beautiful! A PROFESSIONAL IS PREPARED. Works in the real world with adversities and opportunities. He knows that perfection, only in heaven. He went to play golf in Scotland. Difficult,
because they are good at this sport! He made a perfect shot, but a wind blew and dragged the ball to the other side. Then, the kadi (the one that holds the clubs),
smiled and said: - You have to rely on the wind! - But the wind got in the way... -
You have to rely on the wind, for it is part of it all! That is, in the real world there is wind, everything... You have to predict all the circumstances and discount the wind so that the ball reaches the hole. Ideal world, without wind, without imperfection of the terrain, only if you play golf in paradise. Here, there will always be these things. The professional gets ready for that. Resistance is fertile and clever, and will have different weapons every day! The objective of the professional is not a success to be in the newspapers. His goal is to win over himself, every day! Every day be victorious over resistance! Win the day, sleep the sleep of the just! I did what corresponds to me on the day
of today! The professional's prize is the sleep of the just! I won my bread today: fulfilled my
mission. He does not expect glory or recognition. Honor what corresponds to you and rest in peace. A professional does not show off, does not flaunt,
although it has its own style. There is a wonderful pianist, Brazilian,
one of the best in the world, Nelson Freire. Fantastic! - There is a documentary about him, very good - He's a very special figure! He says that when he gets too much applause, he leaves the scene. They say it is my petulance, but no. I do not want to dishonor merits that are not mine,
but of music! When they flatter me a lot, I don't like it. I leave the scene and go to the dressing room. The merits are not mine, they belong to the music. The music just goes through me... From his simplicity and humility,
it is clear that he really feels that way. He is a Pontiff! A bridge through which music passes, but the merit is not his. A professional is like that! He is a bridge. Things are done through him, but he does not own the beauty. He creates the conditions for beauty to
manifest through him. Do you understand? it's truly a ceremonial.
He tries to be worthy of it! A Professional is dedicated to master the technique. Learns from the past to have the tools when inspiration comes. The professional does not hesitate to ask for help. He knows that any art is inexhaustible. Tries to learn from those who have something to teach. He talks a lot about a citizen, that I didn't know, called Tiger Woods. Have you heard of him? He is the greatest golfer in the world.
(What do I understand about golf?) He says that Tiger Woods is an impeccable professional. It seems that he is the greatest golfer of all time. But he has an instructor, and accepts his teaches. He doesn't think he knows everything, and has the humility to learn from those who have something to teach. He says that whoever has the humility of always wanting to learn, will always be growing. That's a professional. He doesn't think he owns the truth! A professional distances himself from his instrument: knows that his physical, psychic and
mental parts are tools that God lent him. Uses it objectively, with detachment. He identifies himself with his conscience and his will. "I am the conscience and the will that uses
this instrument that was borrowed, for me to come into the world and do my work. I try to keep this instrument in a good rhythm. I don't identify with his oscillations, I do not identify with his glory or with
his depressions... it is a tool that I try to keep in good condition. I am my conscience and my will. This tool was given to me by God, so that I could come into the world and do my work. It is like a glove in the hands of the divine.
He lent me to do a work. I do not identify with its oscillations, therefore, it oscillates less! Because our physical and emotional body are like a child: when you look at it, it gives you more tantrum! If you don't look, she'll get up and do something else... If I do not identify with the body, it does not tantrum.
I wouldn't have time for this. Creation for him is a spiritual, mystical act! With a deep identity, service. Fantastic! A professional does not take failure or success personally. His conscience is out of his personality. He quotes Baghavad Gita: we only have the right to serve and love our work. Whether the results are going to be good or bad is secondary, it depends on the land where the seeds are thrown. Whether it bears fruit or not, it may depend on the terrain, not on you. But, every day, I sow my seed. A professional validates himself
for being faithful to his work. He hears the criticism just to learn from it. Never to feel devastated by the bad reviews. He validates himself and returns to his work,
inexorably, every. He will return tomorrow,
not mattering if he was defeated of victorious today. He's inexorable! A professional withstands adversity and does not take humiliation personally. He is very humble, and talks about his life in a very simple way. He was already over 40,
and had several screenplays, - that nobody had ever accepted - a sheet of failures the size of his arm - he says. Then, he got an interview with
a producer to show his scripts. The producer talked to him, but, at the same time, he was on the phone with a headset, all the time talking on the phone. Until a personal call came and he
asked him to leave a little bit. He left and stood at the office door for an hour. The citizen forgot him there! Then he leaves, wearing a suit: - Ah, I forgot about you... Sorry, now I'm busy and I won't be able to answer... - These things hurt! I was no longer
a young man... - But, imagine taking it personally and being devastated... I kept walking! Today that producer must be dying of shame for that! I kept walking! He doesn't take humiliations personally! There is a passage that I find very interesting. Professor Jorge Angel Livraga,
founder of New Acropolis, he often spoke about the fixation that the human being has in the negative. He spoke of our tendency to say that the glass is half empty, not half full! That is, fixation on failures, difficulties. Pressfield says this in his own style. He says we look at the donut hole, not the donut. The professional looks at the donut! I have the donut here, the hole I disregard. He self-guarantees, self-validates,
and is not be affected by circumstances. It is better to be trampled in the arena than to be in the stands or in the parking lot. Although they are trampling me, I am in the fight, I am in the arena. Eventually I'll turn the tables! A professional approves himself. And here he tells another example of Tiger Woods. Maybe you should look for him in the internet, because you must understand golf as much as I do... It is not a very popular sport in Brazil! Tiger Woods was getting ready for his last put, and a person from the audience took a photo with a flash, blinding his eyes, at the time of the shot! He got scared, looked at the guy with that withering look, closed his eyes, took a deep breath... and gave the perfect shot! Imagine if he had the habit of victimization, if he was emotionally out of control.
The game would be over for him! "I'm going to kill him!" - "Who put that guy in there?" - "They want to defeat me!" It does not matter! I close my eyes, concentrate, do what I have to do.
Doing that is his problem. He says that the shot was perfect! He managed to stop anger in one look. One second! He closed his eyes, breathed... there he was again! The perfect shot! Any little voice from the resistance would have ended his game. Any lack of control. Pressfield points him as an example of a professional. A PROFESSIONAL REINVENTS HIMSELF. He quotes the actress Goldie Hawn, when she said that there are three stages for a Hollywood actress: "Babe", "Diva (D.A)" or "Driving Miss Daisy". Do you know Miss Daisy? From that movie that has an old woman, that has a driver that takes her everywhere. Really, in Hollywood it must be hard for an actress to grow old... An elderly actress will only have space when there is a "Miss Daisy 2"! He says: - She says it with anger, but a professional knows perfectly that the Muse may need him in other roles in life. The roles may need to be adapted,
depending on his age. A sportsman can become a great instructor, at a certain time. You won't want to be a great sportsman with 60-70 years old. He knows how to adapt. He does not consider himself persecuted
or think life is unfair... Have you seen how many professionals go into depression after a certain age? Because they are no longer invited, or considered... A professional always occupies different roles, according to life or what the Muse expects of him. What is possible. He reinvents himself! He shucks his outworn
body and dons a new one, like a transmigrating soul! A professional is recognized by others
professionals. He gives the example of the gunmen,
from a John Wayne movie. Everyone knew when the other was a good gunman! A professional recognizes when a person is serious, has weight, is responsible. He talks about the company issue. It was a great draw from him! It may not be a real company, but also an imaginary one. He recommends you to stop being you and to become "You, Inc". A part of you is the boss, and another part is the employee. If the employee part is lazy, "the boss" charges that part. If you are successful as the employee and starts to be vain, "the boss" must lower your crest! If with a failure you want to be depressed, "the boss" puts you in the right place! He said that when he went out to sell his scripts, or seek sponsorship for his books, he felt like "poor John". He was unable to ask for sponsorship for his work! After he became "Poor John, Inc.", the problem was over! It was now professional. No involvement, no
emotional. He negotiated without problems! That is, it distances you from emotional oscillations, and it creates a very professional relationship. There is the "me" who writes and there is the "me" who is my boss. Who meets with me every Monday, makes the agenda, charges time and productivity. It makes things be under control, serious
and constant. The professional is a creature that does not give up! Remember that the strength of resistance
comes from our fear, reinforces the focus on determined and relentless work, as sure as the Earth's rotation! This is John Wayne's (among other things he likes the Wild West!) He says that John Wayne (as Ethan) was chasing a bandit in the Wild West, and the bandit ran away again... He says: - "So we’ll find ‘em in the end, I promise.
Just as sure as the turning of the earth." He loved that phrase.
The professional is exactly like that! I will do it. Just sure as the turning of the Earth. I continue inexorably, until I get him! That is, inexorably. I will do my job. Nobody will stop me! This is the professional's seriousness! It is not a mystery to be a professional. It is a decision made by an act of will. We decided to see ourselves as professionals. It's an internal decision, made by will! There's an old tale - they say it's historical, nobody knows - From a master called Bodhidharma, Indian,
who lived in China. One day a disciple, a former war general, sought him out tormented because life in the material world seemed very meaningless. The Indians call this Samsara. The wheel of days and nights; that snake that bites its own tail... the repetitive routine without anything spiritual or profound. He felt trapped in it! And he asked Bodhidharma: - Master, get me out of Samsara! And Bodhidharma asked: - Who put you in it? - Humm... It was me, right? With that question he left! He realized he was in Samsara because he believed he was in Samsara. It was a decision! I am an amateur because I believe I am an amateur. From the moment I feel like a professional, I am! And I honor that starting today. It's a decision that no one can make for you, understand? It's a mental click. Nobody decides this for you.
And it's not impossible! Then, he enters the third part of our
book, which is THE HIGHER REALM. The smallest and most beautiful! He says that just as there are forces
of resistance that pull you down, when you are able to
deal with resistance and have merit, there also are forces that pull you up, that are our allies. He talks about this very beautiful side of him that is spiritual, the confidence that there is something more. Who allies himself with his humble part, that has perseverance, constancy and seriousness. Professionalism is vital. The most important thing for Art is to work seriously and with rhythm. Something mysterious acts,
helping us towards our goals! Power is concentrated around us, like a magnet rod attracting iron filings. Resistance comes from hell, and the creation of heaven, and it can be an active and enthusiastic ally. (He wrote a book called "The warrior's code") He says that the professional's code
is like the warrior's: Service and absence of selfishness. When the person works seriously, with perseverance, constancy, spirit of service, absence
of selfishness, he invokes some forces that inspire him, blowing things into his ear. Here comes quality and content, which
no human being can create alone. Otherwise, he will do a mediocre work! He face dragons to free princesses.
That's the God's plan for us, why we are here. When we fight these forces that enslave us, we invoke the inspiration that will give us what we have to communicate to the world. Here, he talks about a friend he has. At one point in his life he lived in a small town in the interior of California, and he had a friend who lived in a trailer. I had crossed the United States from end to end three times, I had already destroyed a wedding, I didn't fix myself in a job, I couldn't produce anything, and this friend helped me a lot. He told me something I could do,
and passed to me something very special. It was a prayer he always evoked
before starting his work. It was the Invocation of the Muse from Homer’s Odyssey (at the beginning of the Odyssey). This became a rite for him from that point on. He always recites this hymn, invoking the Muses,
before starting his work. His friend taught him the importance of seriousness, perseverance and constancy. He spent 26 months, poking the keyboard of his machine, writing a book. That was never published. Only 10 years later he published
his first book: Bagger Vance. He said: "But when I wrote THE END, I felt victorious." Because he had won the resistance! "Then, I went to visit Paul Rink (his friend), all excited to say that the book was finished." He said: - "Great! Start another today!" No big euphoria. Finished? Nice, congratulations. Start another today! And it doesn't matter if it's going to be published or not... it never was! (It went to the trash, his book) Not even what he wrote after. But he won against resistance! He won his space! Seriously, with rhythm. 26 months sitting, writing every day without interruption! The book was never published but it was worth it: he became Steven Pressfield. Do you understand that? He built himself as a professional. He says that you may believe what you want, but he will tell you the inspiration he has and how he feels about this metaphysical question. Always the intelligent forces of nature were personified by different civilizations,
with different names. The Muses were daughters of Zeus (Power) with Mnemosine (Memory). They were beings that inspired all the arts. It was said in Greece that nobody produced anything of quality without the participation of the Muses. He took these Muses as the source of his inspiration! The most beautiful creations come from something superhuman. In a way that if you had the merit of humility, perseverance and constancy, you would become worthy of something to grow in you! Medieval alchemists said that you carve the chalice, and the wine is deposited by the gods - because the wine is of divine exclusivity. The great essence that you will leave to the world is a bridge between heaven and earth that you have built through your humility, perseverance and constancy. The merit of the bridge is yours, but the product is divine! Because otherwise, it sucks! He places a beautiful excerpt from Plato's Phaedrus. Plato said that it's easy to distinguish a technically perfect work from an inspired work. A good technically perfect work has a lot of finesse and effort, but it doesn't change anyone's life. I always comment on that Argentine composer, Astor Piazzolla. Once he made an excellent presentation and everyone praised it. And he said: - "I often play very well, but rarely do I make music." Be so clean and pure so that
the music passes through you, and then you'll be doing something
that really changes people's lives. That raises awareness,
brings something new. According to the Buddhist Dhammapada: "More than a thousand meaningless words, one that brings comfort to those who hear it. You said your word. You acted as the bridge! This part of Phaedrus is beautiful. Look: "The third type of possession and
madness is possession by the Muses, (...) (...) if a man comes to the door of poetry
untouched by the madness of the Muses, believing that technique
alone will make him a good poet, he and his sane compositions
never reach perfection, but are utterly eclipsed by the performances of the inspired madman." (Phaedrus, Plato) That is, he who receives a superior inspiration does special things. Do you remember "Amadeus"? Mozart and Salieri? Mozart had no drafts! He wrote and it was ready, at first! It's said that he needed no corrections! Salieri went crazy,
because he worked on a song for years, and was not even close to Mozart's perfection. The inspiration! The inspired madman! There is something divine in his work. He is not simply a technician. It is not the expression of human vanity.
It is something very profound. Don’t you feel when a singer, technically not that perfect, sings with his soul, and touch you? Better than many consecrated, "learned"... It is quite noticeable. It reaches our heart because it started from the heart! Then he quote this beautiful William Blake's phrase.
A really an inspired one. He said that, and I truly believe in his sentence: "Eternity is in love with the creations of time." All traditions spoke of a dimension
that is beyond space and time, where there are beings who are able to witness the manifested world. And they like it when people from the manifested world, who are in time, give them a space to penetrate the world through them! The humble, the hardworking, the persevering... These people are bridges to bring
perfect works to the world! They like it when these people serve
as a vehicle for that! They approach those who are serious, responsible and humble, and blow things into their ear. Artists have always invoked the Muses! There is magic in abolishing our human arrogance and humbly asking for help from a source we don't see, hear or touch. He says: - Muse must have blown the fifth symphony in several ears! And only Beethoven had the purity and virtue enough to hear it. But before they existed here, these works exist somewhere, timeless, in eternity. They enter time through the artist, the creator. He is a pontiff when he has the moral condition for that. INVOKING OF THE MUSE. I won't read it, but just for you have
an idea, this is the introduction of Homer's Odyssey. He comments on some details regarding this introduction. Homer asks the Muses
to keep the Hero's story alive in him... He does not ask for merit or success, he asks for memory! "Oh, Muse, don't let me forget the story of Ulysses." He asks just for that!
"The greatest evil of man is forgetfulness..." (Merlin) "Make this tale live for us in all its many bearings." This song, the Odyssey, iis, in fact, the meaning of human life: because
we all live in an Odyssey! To go through various obstacles, to defeat several Polyphemus, to defeat several Circes, To win what is brighter in us, our Ithaca! When he says: - Make this tale live, keep the memory of the human saga alive! Where man must go, and what he will face in this difficult path. And he talks about "Ulysses's foolish sailors," "The fools! To destroy for meat the oxen
of the most exalted Sun..." There’s an Odyssey passage in which the sailors descend on an island, and eat the oxen of God Helios, a symbol of the sun. A profanation! He says: - The worst that can happen is profanation! It is when man wants the products of the divine for fame, to meet his appetites. When you profane your work out of vanity, selfishness, material interests. These men will never produce anything, they will not reach Ithaca. They all died. Ulysses's sailors were all lost! "Make this tale live for us
in all its many bearings, O Muse." That is, let us not forget that this is symbolic. It doesn't just tell the story of a man named Ulysses. Who lived in Troy, which is still debated whether it is mythical or historical. It tells the story of the Human Being. Ulysses' journey is the symbol of the men's travel through life! Being able to overcome all adversities without desecrating life's sacred work. Being able, like Ulysses, to become "Nobody", to survive against Polifemo. To undress all your vanities and superficialities, and reach the shore totally naked. With only the heart, protected by a veil. Preserving only your heart. And by doing so you may find your essence, your Ithaca! There are many details in the odyssey, but one thing is certain: the Odyssey, like all Myths, does not speak of a man's life, but of Humanity. He says this prayer, from Homer, every time he starts to write. It's now his prayer to invoke to the Muses. And he expresses his gratitude when it ends. Every day! THE MAGIC OF MAKING A START. Goethe quotes this phrase: "Boldness has genius, magic, and power in it.
Begin it now.” (Goethe) In other words: break the inertia! Set yourself in motion, humbly, with the tools you have. And conquer better tools along the way. Balance is achieved by movement. Like the bicycle, it doesn't stand still... start now. The magic of beginning invokes power. - Commitment generates a rupture of the membrane that separates us from eternity... In a way, these beings begin to inspire you. THE MAGIC OF KEEPING GOING Interesting: when he finishes his work,
he always goes for a walk. Turns everything off, closes the computer
and goes for a walk to relax. But always with a notepad. When he's walking, with a clear mind,
some voices dialogue in his head. "That word used on such a page must be changed - the other one is more appropriate..." "In that chapter you repeated one thing.
You should change it..." "The beginning of this chapter is better this way..." Where do these voices come from? Who are they? He goes out taking notes. He says: - This chapter now, I'm changing the beginning of it according to the instructions
that were whispered to me yesterday. It seems that there is someone
whispering something to us! They must be intelligent beings, who know
more than us: i only get great guesses! Every artist knows that! Everyone who does a work, when they reach the limit, some subtle force adds something else. There comes the beauty, the touch of art, the refinement of the Master! - I go for a walk every day with a notepad...
and a lot of things enter in my head. - When I close the computer,
I'm thinking of nothing. Where do these voices come from? Who are they? "Clearly some intelligence is at work, independent of our
conscious mind and yet in alliance with it (...) "This is why artists are modest. They know they’re not doing the work; they’re just taking dictation. It’s also why
“non creative people” hate “creative people." The true artist takes notes. - What is? Write it down! He is not vain, he does not take credit for himself. The true artist is like that... Like Nelson Freire. The other is an arrogant. A technician. This sentence of his is beautiful: - "Kabbalists believe that above every blade of grass is an angel crying - "Grow! Grow! -"I'll go further. - "I believe that above the entire human race is one super-angel, crying - Evolve! Evolve!" How beautiful it is! How inspiring! He says: - When you have a very sacred, very special dream, don't tell, because it's an
intimacy between you and your Muse. Unless, counting can help someone else
overcome their own resistance. Then he tells of two sacred dreams he had. So much that when he goes to write, he puts on a cufflink that belonged to his father, and some things about those dreams. Once, when he worked at the port pier (he has done everything in his life...) (he was a marine, a truck driver, he worked at the port pier...) When he worked at the port pier, one day he had a dream. He was inside a big ship, an aircraft carrier, that was stuck on mainland, a few meters away from the sea. Stranded on land. Planes kept going up and down but nobody knew how to get that
aircraft carrier out of there. The crew was running back and forth,
looking for the "Largo". Largo was an old sergeant, an old, experienced, mature sea wolf. Everyone knew that if anyone could solve the problem,
it was Largo. That experienced sub-officer,
he was the one who knew things. The people's hope was Largo. He was on the side of the ship,
and then he saw the captain coming. The captain comes to him, distressed, sad, and says: - Yeah, how are we going to get out of this, Largo? He realized that Largo was him! He got scared and woke up. He thought:
- Who inspired this dream? - Who told me that I have
the experience to put the boat to sail? Where does this kind of dream come from?
What blows this in our ear? On another occasion, working with something else, he talks about another beautiful dream. He slept in a hangar with his companions, workers... (he went through many difficulties) And his friend bought him a
small book in New Orleans, "How to meditate". He read the little book and occasionally went outside and tried to practice it. In the dream he sat in a meditation position, suddenly he saw it clearly, as if he had woken up, an eagle coming and landing on his shoulder, and felt as if he had become the eagle. His head was like an eagle's, his wings, and he went flying. He was terrified by that, afraid of falling, and then he realized that
the air is as solid as the ground. That a bird is not at risk. It can spread its wings.
The air is hard, solid. He asked the eagle: - What do I have to learn from this? She replied: - The things you consider to be subtle are as real as the ones you touch. For example: your dreams! You see? The air is hard, solid,
although it seems subtle, empty... As real as what you touch! He says: - Someone was treating me
like I was a little child, wanting to teach me the basic of life. Where do these dreams come from? These sacred dreams, ideally,
you should take as an intimacy. Do not communicate them unless it is
for the benefit of someone. This level of experience is impressive. Very deep and beautiful! He had what in Greece was called a kind of "Theophany", a view of the sacred. For his good intention and his perseverance
in reaching his dreams. Really very special dreams! He has, on his desk, a tape written "Largo"... He considers these dreams
as sacred episodes in his life. He talks about this actor, Tom Laughlin, from the movie "Billy Jack". This actor, who worked on this film, was a psychologist, and later became a psychotherapist. When people had terminal illnesses
(Tom Laughlin died recently), he sat with them and asked what was their dream. One said he dreamed of working with children with cancer... another had another dream... He always said:
- Go there and do it! The person simply, at that time, with the
imminent death, considered this the most important thing in the world, and started doing it! The family often thought that the person had gone mad. Many times the person would drop everything and go to fulfill their dream and the cancer would start to regress! He says: - Often, these diseases may be
a revenge from your body for your unfulfilled dreams, for the life you never lived. In several cases the disease has regressed. Those people left everything and went fulfill their dream. By doing what they dreamed of
the disease started to regress! At this moment, they'd see this
as an absolute priority. And everything that was "important" before loses focus. - Do we need to get close to death to change the focus? Then, he comes up with this Jungian theory, (Pressfield has the precision to find everything that is good, Jung is really fantastic!) He speaks of Jung's definition of EGO and SELF. He even makes a drawing... Both EGO and SELF mean "me". The ego is that little self - a core within our consciousness in charge of survival. Everything that dares to do things that are not for survival, he cuts. He commands. It is necessary because it ensures that you will overcome adversity and survive. But cut off any initiative that doesn't serve him. He says: - Resistance is the ego's agent. He server the little "me". And there is SELF, which is a larger field of consciousness. In here you get the influence of dreams, inspirations, of all that is divine. That includes the ego but that is much bigger! When death is imminent, consciousness automatically leaves the ego and goes to the Self. It becomes important to visit that relative that they haven't seen in years, ask for forgiveness, be reconciled, do something for someone... Automatically, consciousness migrates from survival to a more human sense of life. And we should do this without having to be on the verge of death. "Resistance works for the ego, angels work for the Self." These divine forces want us to polarize in the Self; and when we do, they start to contribute. They begin to sponsor our projects and inspire us. "To go up I work with you, but to focus only on survival, no!" All work done in the name of the ego is mediocre! All work done in the name of the Self is divine
and has divine inspiration! He makes this table, which I think is very beautiful, for us to recognize ego motivations and Self motivations. The ego believes that death is real. The Self believes that death is an illusion. It's just an episode, he has a sense of eternity. The ego believes that time and space are real (you have to live one minute after another...) The Self believes that time and space are illusions. A reflection, a dream like that, can throw you 10 years ahead... or more... Time is a matter of conscience rather than chronological. The ego believes that every individual is different and independent of each other. The Self believes that all beings are one. Therefore, your realization depends on doing something for the realization of the Whole. The ego believes that the predominant impulse of life is self-preservation, instinct. And the Self that the predominant impulse of life is love, inclusion, search for the Whole. Ego - God does not exist. Self - there is only God. Imagine: there are two worlds! All two within us! One promotes human achievement, the other an animal survivor. That's why, in that movie BRAVE HEART, the hero says: - All men die, but not all live, some only survive! Remember? Wallace saying that? That is, some only have ego,
they die without knowing the Self. They die without knowing themselves, strangers to themselves. Evidently, without contact with anything more spiritual. EXPERIENCING THE SELF Often, when we are unhappy, we generate experiences of self-destruction. Deep down, we don't want to destroy ourselves. Deep down, we want to destroy the small ego that imprisons us. It's like wanting to smash the "cage door"! This impulse of self-destruction does
not mean wanting to die, is wanting to get rid of the ego! See the terms we use: Dropped! Wasted! We are trying to demolish the ego to access the Self! The prisoner soul wanting to break down the door. It's about finding yourself before time
finishes! "The Self is our deepest being. The Self is united to God.
The Self is incapable of falsehood. The Self, like the Divine Ground that permeates it, is ever growing and ever-evolving. The ego likes things just the way they are." The ego is against everyone who has managed to find his Self. Philosophers, innovators, true artists... The ego hates these Self prophets! Because they can make people crave for freedom. And he produces resistance. That's where the resistance comes from. He wants no changes. Resistance works with fear. And there are many fears. We are afraid of dying, of living,
of losing the people we love, to suffer, not to be recognized... But he says the Big Fear, the big boss, is the fear of success! It is the fear of jumping to another level
and having to honor it. To leave the tribe where you were accepted
and staying alone. Not having recognition from anyone, being in solitude. Success is terrifying! Throws you into the unknown! Deep down, all fears are fear of success. Fear of really becoming that human being you dream of being. And enter a dark and unknown world, in which you don't know what is on the other side. When I was in the Port of Belém, in Portugal, where the navigators left to "discover" the New World - where the caravels started from - There is a beautiful statue: several men pushing and, at the end, the open-chested navigator, facing a world he didn't know a thing about... maybe there was nothing there! The ocean could end in an abyss, as most people said. Facing the mystery with a dream! Imagine how terrifying this is! Fear of facing the unknown and to rebuild yourself to a new level you don't understand yet. So you prefer the mediocrity of the known. That is the great fear. And the resistance plays with it. The fear of being what you always dreamed of being! THE AUTHENTIC SELF Those who have several children know that none of them are the same. Each one is born with a nature, with a dream. It is as if each one of us is an expression of a mission. We can't come and do anything. We have ONE message to give to the world! That, on the inside, we know what it is. You shouldn't just do what you want, what's in fashion, what makes money. Deep down you must do ONE thing. This life was meant for a message,
and you have to bring it to Life. It is the message within your Authentic Self. "We come into this world with a specific, personal destiny. We have a job to do, a calling to enact,
a self to become." He uses this very beautiful poem by an English poet (Wordsworth): "Our birth is but a sleep and a forgetting: The soul that rises with us, our life’s star,
Hath had elsewhere its setting, Not in entire forgetfulness,
And not in utter nakedness, But trailing clouds of glory do we come,
From God who is our home." (William Wordsworth) Beautiful, isn't it? In other words, we came here with a specific mission, we are not here for nothing. Them he gives this wonderful definition: TERRITORY VERSUS HIERARCHY There are two definitions for beings to place themselves in the world: "Hierarchy" is the most common. For example, a hen in a
pecking order - order to peck. The most powerful rooster has the right to go first. Dogs have this: the alpha male
is the first to feed. The others are quietly waiting. A hierarchy that has the most powerful,
the best, the boss, and then the subordinates... the last ones in the hierarchy. Everything is defined by who is above and who is below. And your place in the middle of all this. He says: - This works well between most animals... and sometimes in human communities as well. For example, secondary school he says it goes like this: The girls: there is the cheerleader and the others are in position. Chess players: there is a nerd who is up there,
the others take a stand. Boys: the bully is up there, the others take a position. He says that in the secondary, this hierarchical order is very well defined. In small towns, up to a certain size, too. You define yourself in the role you occupy in the hierarchy. Everyone knows and accepts this. And that is your role in the world. But, within a large human community, there is no way to maintain a hierarchical order. For example, in New York,
nobody knows who you are! You pass with that handsome big car to impress... nobody looks! There are countless cute cars like yours. You're nothing! No one, in a hierarchical order! This leaves the man very loose. It is like a tribal memory. In a small set he knows the role he plays. After a certain moment, this hierarchical orientation does not work. He says that from the artist's point of view the hierarchical definition is fatal. It has hierarchical definition in Hollywood,
within sports... The citizen only looks outside, he doesn't want to do a job to leave a message for humanity, or add something positive. No. He wants to be on a scale, in which there are authors better than him (best sellers), authors worse than him (less recognized), prestige, appearing on TV every now and then... He defines his position looking to the external! Looking at who is above, or below. Never looking inside. Never knowing himself or knowing that he has to say to the world. Never. Always looking out. This type of author does not say what his soul says. It says what the audience wants to hear. He's a mercenary! He says that the Muses are furious with these people. Because they desecrate the Muse! He does not consult his heart to know what to do, he consults the market. And affirms himself according to the
hierarchical order that he takes. This guy will never get inspiration from the Muse, for he profanes the her. We don't consider that today. Within Greek poetry - poetry in Greece was considered sacred - when an artist used a
coarse, vulgar word, they said: - This man doesn't have the Muse. She does not enter dirty territory. He desecrated art. The Muse is not going in there. Today, when it comes to poetry, it is fashionable: to use the rudest words in the world... Only wordplays... If we say it is desecration, nobody understands.
Nothing is sacred anymore. They had a territory: there are certain rules for invoking the Muse. Today nothing is sacred! And the other orientation, besides the hierarchical one, territorial orientation. The artist must necessarily have a territorial orientation. He has a certain territory, delimited by him, and invests his whole heart there. And that territory, which is his work, his job, whatever you
do, it feeds you. You invest all your love there, and when you need something, just put yourself in your territory that it gives you everything you need. "Arnold Schwarzenegger when he gets depressed goes to the gym." Even if there is only him there, that territory feeds him. It lifts his mood! Stevie Wonder when he's depressed goes to the piano. Not because someone is going to listen. If there was only him and the piano, he would go to the piano! Because it is your territory, it feeds you. The territory is like a bank: when you invest energy, it gives you energy back. He says: - In front of my house there is a hill that has a three-legged coyote. He owns that territory. He's the one who picks up all the garbage cans in the region "In its territory, even a creature with three legs is stronger than any other." When another coyote tries to invade, he puts it to run. The territory doesn't need someone else there, it doesn't need anything. It simply needs you to be in it, and to have cultivated it. It returns all the energy, the love,
the motivation you put into it. He explains how to know if you have a territorial or hierarchical orientation. The person who has a territorial orientation looks inside, and is fed by all the love that was dedicated to his work. Your territory motivates you, once more,
and gives you energy. He talks about the the demagogue: he does what the public likes. And then he tells the story of the book BAGGER VANCE. He had already written a lot of scripts
of cinema and had not sold. KING KONG was a big failure, and it was difficult to believe in his career. Then he had the idea to transform Baghavad Gita
into a book script. He went to talk to his agent - someone had the courage to be his agent at that time! His agent put his hand on his head: - My God! - First books are hard to sell... even harder if it's about golf! This will be a disaster! He said: - But Muse had already taken possession of me, I couldn't negotiate! It had to be that way: a golf novel. He was absolutely true to that inspiration, and it was the most successful romance of his life. It became a movie later! "I attribute this to my loyalty to my territory." It was suicidal: a golf novel by an unknown author. "But I was true to my territorial orientation and to the inspiration of my Muse!" It was really successful, a game changer in his career. It was his first successful work, the one that showed him to the world. He talks about the characteristics of the territory: "A territory provides sustenance;
A territory sustains us without any external input. A territory can only be claimed alone.
A territory can only be claimed by work. A territory returns exactly what you put in." I come back here, and it feeds me. Modestly, within our situation, - we who do volunteer work in New Acropolis - many times (many of you know this) we spend difficult days - we all work normally. The work here is voluntary. We have days with difficulties, like everyone else, but when I go to New Acropolis to lesson,
I'm sure that if I went home, I would sleep badly, I would be in a bad mood... But when I enter in New Acropolis, I teach a class, I even forget what happened during the day! - Was I in pain? - What was the health problem I had? I don't remember anymore... No place in the world would make me so complete! If I went home to sleep, I might be in pain all night. And I would wake up in a bad mood. The idea of working with philosophy, as we do, is highly territorial. Being here with you, for sure, is what
cures any problem I would have! It's very interesting! And he makes here that characterization
that I told you about. The act of creation is like a mother who raises a child. She expects nothing but his
happiness, and doesn't expect to succeed
or stand out because of it. She feels that something
new comes to light through her. And that's true! I have children and I saw this: when the child is delivered to you it's a miracle! You aren't able to believe that you generated that human being! He came into the world through you.
Our work is like that too. It comes into the world through us, and all we do is protecting it, nothing more! Hierarchical work, facing outward, wanting merits and recognition, insults the Muse and makes her furious! How do I know what is my orientation? If I have problems, do I seek the opinion of friends
or do I go to my territory? - Imagine Schwarzenegger, instead of working out, calling his friends to see if they like him... He wouldn't do that! That would be a hierarchical orientation. Territorial orientation: I'm going to my territory. I'm going to the place where I put the best of myself! If you were the last person in the world , would you continue to develop this activity? That is, do you get support from the activity itself or from the impression that it causes to others? This defines whether you are facing outward or
inward. Do you have a territory? He has a beautiful book about the "300 of Sparta", Gates of Fire, the war against the Persians (Thermopylae)... He says that the great general Leonidas, king of Sparta, said that the supreme virtue of the human being is the contempt for death. In our case, that seek our dream, the supreme virtue is the contempt regarding failure. And also regarding success. It does not matter. Very few performers of great works were recognized in their time. Few geniuses were recognized in their own time. I do not mean that we are geniuses, I insist! To be human, simply, the logic is the same! If we look for recognition, in a moment of so much superficiality, being human is almost subversive! Waiting for people's recognition is a waste of time. Contempt for failure and also for success. And this ability to self-validate. To sleep the dream of the just. I did my duty! I did my sacred craft, I did what
corresponded to me as a human being. I left a trace of being human in the world, at least today! He will talk about the fruits of our labor - and goes back to Baghavad Gita. He talks about this dialogue, between Arjuna - a prince - and Krishna, who is the representation of God. It is a speech between the two in the middle of the battlefield. And Krishna warns Arjuna that the best thing in the world is to work only for duty. And when the fruit comes, dedicate it to the divine! Didn't the inspiration come from above? If there are fruits, you should return them to the same place that the work came from. In other words, the result of the work is an offering. The work itself is the only food I need. The satisfaction of knowing that I served. And the whole result: offering! Excellent teaching for men, so that there are no more ambitions nor anxiety. There is a passage in the Buddhist doctrine - the noble eightfold path - where Buddha talks about the tools
for man to get rid of pain, which are things that he has to do with righteousness. Right livelihood, right concentration (or mindfulness), right conduct, right effort, a lot of things... Briefly: to escape the pain, men should stop looking for the result of the action and seek the righteousness with which he does things; as his only satisfaction. Was I recognized today? It doesn't matter. But I acted righteously. I sleep the dream of the just. I won my day. The way I acted was as a human, I was
worthy, then I'm already well paid. I'm a well-paid professional! I was paid for the footprints I left in the world. They represent a human. And the fruits? I offered them. They are not mine! As Nelson Freire does when he returns to the backstage. The fruits are not mine. They are an offering. He says this is the best way to escape the fruit ambition, and to be determined by our Self. To work for yourself and not for fortune, attention or applause, and to offer it to God. If the work comes from heaven, why not return it to heaven? "Supreme species of spiritual devotion!" "In fact, we are servants of the Mystery... to bring into existence that which is not yet, but will be, through us." What will come into the world thanks to us. And offer it as a merit of the divine, because that is where it came from. How beautiful this phrase, from Baghavad Gita, which he quotes in a poetic way: "Give the act to me. Purged of hope and ego. Fix your attention on the soul. act and do for me." This is Krishna, in the figure of God himself, saying to Arjuna. "Give the acto to me, purged of hope and ego. Fix your attention on the soul, act and do for me." Do it in my name, and give me the fruits. Krishna, the divine himself, speaking
with the man! Too beautiful, isn't it? - Giving in to resistance will not only hurt yourself: you hurt your children, me, the planet. You shame the angels who watch over you and you spite the Almighty, who created you and only you with your unique gifts, for the sole purpose of nudging the human race one millimeter farther along its path back
to God" Creative work isn't a selfish act or a bid for for the actor's attention. It’s a gift to the world and every being in it. Don’t cheat us of your contribution. Give us what you’ve got." (Steven Pressfield) And so it ends! It is a reunion of so many elements, so many moments, so many truths... This is a philosophy adapted to our time, to our language. Very well done! This basically covers a lot we talk about in the initial stage of the philosophy course. There is nothing within this work that is not philosophical! It is a modern language adaptation of
many teachings of philosophy. I invite you once again to come to know the course because we are not Pressfield to learn this on our own. All this things he mentions I know, but because I was taught with patience and perseverance. Today I look at these things and think: - How fantastic! It makes perfect sense! It is not hard for someone to read this
book and find it crazy. So much that in Brazil it sold out and was not reissued! I wonder why. Lack of audience! In the USA it was criticized! They said he did self-help! Through philosophy we are able
to understand a work like this... Pressfield, being such an unusual person, a genius... I have nothing of genius, but I am able to understand what he says. Because we receive all this tradition organized through a study method, which is philosophy. This is the work of philosophy: teaching how to live, collecting the best that there is in history. This resistance is our old acquaintance, because there is no serious philosopher in history that does not talk about her. With different names, everyone talks about her!