Cultural Perspectives on Impermanence and Resilience

This chapter examines how different cultures cope with life's unpredictability, particularly through their reactions to the pandemic. It contrasts Japan's calm acceptance shaped by resilience with the shock and panic seen in places like California, revealing deep insights into human responses to crises.

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Episode notes

In this episode, William Green chats with famed author Pico Iyer about how to create a life that’s truly richer, wiser, & happier. Pico has written 15 books & delivered 4 TED Talks that have received nearly 12 million views. Here, he shares profound & practical insights drawn from his vast range of personal experience: he’s spent decades as a travel writer; befriended everyone from the Dalai Lama to Leonard Cohen; lost everything he owned in a wildfire; & built a remarkably peaceful & productive life in a tiny apartment in Japan.

IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN:

00:00 - Intro

04:41 - Why Pico Iyer relishes the calm simplicity of his tiny, uncluttered home in Japan.

08:01 - Why he doesn’t use a cell phone & does most of his work without a computer.

13:45 - What advice he gives to youngsters on making a life & not just making a living.

22:37 - Why going slow has become the ultimate luxury in a world of speed.

26:34 - Why leading business executives are so receptive to his teachings on stillness.

29:55 - How he structures his day to be most productive.

43:57 - Why billionaires like Ray Dalio have embraced meditation.

52:03 - What Pico discovered when a wildfire destroyed everything he owned.

1:17:02 - How Howard Marks applies the Buddhist teaching that everything is impermanent.

1:21:56 - What Pico has learned from decades of friendship with the Dalai Lama.

1:35:55 - How travel shows Pico the limits of what we can ever truly know.

2:03:55 - What the singer & Zen monk Leonard Cohen taught him about inner riches.

Disclaimer: Slight discrepancies in the timestamps may occur due to podcast platform differences.

BOOKS AND RESOURCES

Join the exclusive TIP Mastermind Community to engage in meaningful stock investing discussions with Stig, Clay, and the other community members.
Pico Iyer’s website.
Pico Iyer’s TED talk on the Art of Stillness.
The Half Known Life by Pico Iyer.
Autumn Light by Pico Iyer.
The Man Within My Head by Pico Iyer.
The Art of Stillness by Pico Iyer.
The Open Road by Pico Iyer.
Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind by Shunryu Suzuki.
Guy Spier interviews William Green.
William Green’s book, “Richer, Wiser, Happier” – read the reviews of this book.
William Green’s Twitter.

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