The Sacred Role of Literature in Society

This episode is a two-for-one, and that’s because the podcast recently hit its 10-year anniversary and passed one billion downloads. To celebrate, I’ve curated some of the best of the best—some of my favorites—from more than 700 episodes over the last decade. I could not be more excited. The episode features segments from episode #107 "The Scariest Navy SEAL Imaginable… And What He Taught Me" and episode #161 "Lessons from War, Tribal Societies, and a Non-Fiction Life (Sebastian Junger)."

Please enjoy!

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Timestamps:

[00:00] Start

[06:27] Notes about this supercombo format.

[07:30] Enter Jocko Willink.

[07:59] What separates good leaders from mediocre or bad leaders?

[10:01] Identifying good leadership candidates.

[11:46] Teaching the skill of detachment.

[16:58] Jocko’s grueling workout that made platoons “tap out.”

[18:46] Jocko’s morning rituals.

[20:57] People Jocko associates with success.

[23:12] Recommended reading.

[26:57] How does discipline equal freedom?

[31:50] Enter Sebastian Junger.

[32:21] Thomas Paine and Stoic philosophy.

[34:25] The “chainsaw story” and its impact on Sebastian’s writing career.

[38:27] Athleticism and long distance running.

[39:00] Developing a writing style.

[40:46] Sebastian’s attraction to journalism.

[46:22] Sebastian’s writing style and the importance of structure.

[55:51] Commencement speech advice for high school graduates.

[59:09] Sebastian’s inspiration to visit war-torn countries.

[1:01:14] Explanation of “skin walkers.”

[1:05:00] Striving for political correctness in gender.

[1:11:43] The Iroquois’ peace process and its relevance to modern politics.

[1:19:15] Psychiatric effects of war.

[1:22:07] Bringing primitive, war-time cohesion into modern society.

[1:27:28] PTSD, the C-Train, and returning to New York City after war.

[1:32:24] The lonely nature of society.

[1:36:24] PTSD prevalence in elite special forces units vs. support units.

[1:41:30] How to “support the troops.”

[1:47:47] How a Viking helmet started — and stopped — a barfight in Spain.

[1:53:16] Developing male closeness while decreasing violence.

[1:59:05] Veterans becoming victims in society after returning from war.

[2:03:27] Photography/videography habits and Sebastian’s start as a war reporter.

[2:07:45] Tim Hetherington’s story and Sebastian’s decision to stop war reporting.

[2:11:02] Sebastian’s future writing plans.

[2:12:04] One thing anyone can do for a military veteran.

[2:16:14] Who comes to mind when Sebastian hears the word “successful?”

[2:16:46] Defining courage.

[2:16:52] Most gifted books.

[2:17:46] What close friends say Sebastian is exceptionally good at.

[2:18:09] Combining three writers to create the ultimate writer.

[2:18:47] Advice to Sebastian’s younger self.

[2:20:07] Recent purchase with the most positive impact on Sebastian’s life.

[2:22:16] Something Sebastian believes, despite being unable to prove it.

[2:22:23] Disliked habits and common practices of journalists.

[2:23:39] Advice from Sebastian’s 70-year-old self to his current self.

[2:24:48] Knowing when to write a book.

[2:26:53] Sebastian’s billboard.

[2:28:22] Final requests for the audience and parting thoughts.

*

For show notes and past guests on The Tim Ferriss Show, please visit tim.blog/podcast.

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Past guests on The Tim Ferriss Show include Jerry Seinfeld, Hugh Jackman, Dr. Jane Goodall, LeBron James, Kevin Hart, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Jamie Foxx, Matthew McConaughey, Esther Perel, Elizabeth Gilbert, Terry Crews, Sia, Yuval Noah Harari, Malcolm Gladwell, Madeleine Albright, Cheryl Strayed, Jim Collins, Mary Karr, Maria Popova, Sam Harris, Michael Phelps, Bob Iger, Edward Norton, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Neil Strauss, Ken Burns, Maria Sharapova, Marc Andreessen, Neil Gaiman, Neil de Grasse Tyson, Jocko Willink, Daniel Ek, Kelly Slater, Dr. Peter Attia, Seth Godin, Howard Marks, Dr. Brené Brown, Eric Schmidt, Michael Lewis, Joe Gebbia, Michael Pollan, Dr. Jordan Peterson, Vince Vaughn, Brian Koppelman, Ramit Sethi, Dax Shepard, Tony Robbins, Jim Dethmer, Dan Harris, Ray Dalio, Naval Ravikant, Vitalik Buterin, Elizabeth Lesser, Amanda Palmer, Katie Haun, Sir Richard Branson, Chuck Palahniuk, Arianna Huffington, Reid Hoffman, Bill Burr, Whitney Cummings, Rick Rubin, Dr. Vivek Murthy, Darren Aronofsky, Margaret Atwood, Mark Zuckerberg, Peter Thiel, Dr. Gabor Maté, Anne Lamott, Sarah Silverman, Dr. Andrew Huberman, and many more.

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