90: Mortality & Deli Sandwiches

Everyone talks about how challenging it is to raise kids, but what about protecting them? Outlet covers, kitchen cabinet locks, baby gates. Where do you even start? Well, protecting your home and auto is a great place to start. Progressive offers customized coverage options so you can be sure you have the right coverage for you and your loved ones. They're basically the outlet covers, kitchen cabinet locks, and baby gates of insurance. Don't wait! Get your quote today at Progressive.com. Progressive Casualty Insurance Company, affiliates, and other insurers. Not available in all states. Direct from the Broski Nation headquarters in Los Angeles, California, this is the Broski Report with your host, Brittany Broski. Hey guys, major heads up for this episode. I had a crazy sandwich from some local deli that I tried out, and I've been having, sorry, TMI, nonstop diarrhea for the last, give or take, five, six hours. Just up and down, up and down, back to the turlet, back to my bed, back to the turlet. You know what I mean? It's just, okay, one of those days. I'm having one of those freaking days. It's so good, though. I don't know what was on this damn sandwich. Because everything in life for me, I'm just trying to chase the high of a Jimmy John's, Italian nightclub, and I try to recreate it in other sandwich shops, and I just, I don't come close. But I can't, there was, and if I'm allowed to bear my soul, there was a string of days, can't remember when, oh yeah, last week, when I ordered Jimmy John's four days in a row. I had Jimmy John's four days in a row, and I don't feel good about it. I don't feel proud or happy to say that. If you're my doctor and you're listening, no, I did not order Jimmy John's four days in a row. I had some. Whole meals, think green, leafy greens, baby butter, Jim lettuce, lots of protein, very low fat diet. That's actually what I was eating. Now, if you're not my doctor, I need you to know that I had Jimmy John's four days in a row. I had Jimmy John's, and those damn Jimmy peppers are so damn good. What do they put in them? What are Jimmy peppers? I see that on the fucking modifications, add Jimmy pepper. Yeah, add as many Jimmy, Jimmy peppers as you possibly can. Stutter one more time. Jimmy peppers. I'm a good Jimmy peppers on my Jimmy John's. Shut the fuck up. Jimmy peppers ingredients. Jimmy peppers are a sweet, mild fire engine, red pepper variety, or Jimmy John's Jimmy peppers, a hot cherry pepper mix used in their sandwiches. Hot cherry pepper mix. I hardly know her. Oh my God. I found my fucking people on Reddit. I found my community on Reddit. Did you know you can get a gallon of Jimmy John's spicy peppers for $20 and they're delicious on everything? Where the fuck do you buy this? You can get one pound of Mama Lil's, which are the same thing for a little cheaper. Now, Mama Lil's is what Alyssa's magic uses. If y'all know my girl, Alyssa on TikTok, she does the snack plate. She introduced me to those snack plates, those damn snack plates. She'll cut up, some Mama Lil's peppers and some pepperoncinis, pepperoncini, pepperoncini, banana pepper. They're all the same thing, right? I love a damn banana pepper. Anyway, I am coming to you today to tell you that I have a fucking problem. Okay. And I also need you to know that this is the third piece of media that I have talked about Jimmy John's on this week. We just filmed a bunch of Royal court episodes. I brought it up in at least two of them. And at least two episodes, I'm like, you know about Jimmy John's. I made it in a TikTok, Jimmy John's. Just now, Jimmy John's. Fuck off. I'm not even like being paid. Jimmy John's, you want to sponsor this podcast? You let me know. Cause I'm doing free promo, free press. Damn. I love Jimmy. James Jonathan. Okay. Guys, welcome back. Okay. And for the girls who were like, um, queen quit fucking around. Drop the album. Um, when's the single coming? It's fucking out. I hope you bitches are hungry. Eat. Come get y'all juice. It's here. And, uh, if you didn't know what I'm talking about, I went ahead and actually had released a single. I had, uh, released an original piece of music. So if anyone gives a shit also there, that's an inside joke between, me and my, my friends will say, they'll be like, Oh my God, how was your meeting? How was whatever? I'll be like, it was great. But you know, like you give a shit. Actually, that's my friend Channing's bit. It's my friend Channing and Tristan's bit. And I kind of had poached it from him. I stole it from him. They all be like, well, Brittany, we know you don't give a shit, but last night went great. I didn't ever say, I don't care. I dropped a single. Like y'all give a fuck. No one gives a fuck. It's a joke. Okay. Okay. Let's talk about it because I feel like I've been talking about it nonstop, but not to my people, not to the people that actually matter to me. Y'all, you know what I mean? Broski Nation, this single has been a labor of love. And I feel that it embodies the, the core, the heart of what I am. I'm introducing you to, and it's this delicate balance, right? Where I don't want to come on here and be like, this song means this. And let's go through it lyric by lyric, what I meant, because that takes away the fun. And I'm now understanding that where, when I was younger, or even by that, I mean, um, a year ago, I always want artists to come out and just tell me right. When Florence Welch sits down to write a song and it's packed with all this imagery and like, it's a clear reference. It's a clear reference to something, but I feel like I'm not quite getting it, but I'm getting it in my own way. That's the point, right? If she was to come on and be like, this is what this line means and do it line by line by line, it ruins the mystique. It ruins the, the ambiguity of what that art is. And while I think that there's a balance between speaking to the inspirations and the informs the song, the specifics of the lyricism, I really offer that up to y'all. And I already saw y'all are just, I just love you guys. Like you're picking up on things that I don't have to tell you, you know, and it's really nice. It's really validating, but the most validating thing about it is it is done. It's done. And the people that I want to have it, it's yours. Like broski nation, my fucking people, my municipality city state. Do we have clean water? No. Do we have healthcare? No. Do we have fresh crops? No. But do we have a fucking single? Yeah. And y'all are getting fed regardless. And you're getting fed again soon. Okay. So keep those baby bird mouths open. But here's the sort of thing, right? I wrote that song about a year ago and I came in just like with a heaviness on me the day that we wrote it. And I was in the room with my co-writers, Sissy and Emily and my producer, Luke. And we talked for half of the session. Cause I was just like, this has been my experience with this fucking dude. That's like, it extends so much farther beyond just like this one interaction with a man though. Because while that solidified my feeling in that moment, zooming out a bit, it's like, he wasn't the first one to make me feel like that. And this goes so much farther beyond him. He was just the catalyst, I guess, for this final like nail in the coffin. But it's this larger feeling that I've felt my whole life of people have told me, and I've bonded about this with, some of my friends that have lived a similar thing. When you are a confident, loud, unapologetic person, I don't even want to say woman. When you are someone who knows themselves so clearly, that is very scary for some people. And it's not just men. It's some people cannot next to your glow or be in the light of your glow without feeling a compulsion to dampen that light or to dull it or to make you feel less. And most often in my life, that's come at the hands of men, the words of men. I would say it's not a unique sentiment to men only that have made me feel that way, if you catch my drift. So when that happens and when you realize you're surrounded by people that it feels want to change you or want you to be less. because what you are is too much for them and what I've come to realize is that's in a positive way for me I'm too much for you because you can't handle me because you are not up to par with me there's nothing wrong with me okay I say this every single episode where there is community in this feeling of being off the beaten path when it comes to relationships or intelligence or interests or creativity or just who you are as a person feeling misunderstood or feeling like you never really were in the same realm on the same planet as other people I felt that way a lot as a teenager where it's like I found my community online and that's why I am the way that I am now. I am the internet raised me and it also raised all of you and there's a community in that and what used to feel so lonely now is brimming with life anyway so the sun is written from that sort of perspective of being told you need to be less you're too good for me but at the same time what does that mean what does that mean I'm too good for you because the only logical conclusion I can pull from that statement is that I need to be less. Is that going to make you want me I'll be less fine I'll be mess I've talked about this before of that fucking lyric from lemonade by Beyonce when she recites that poetry where she says um I've looked it up before hold on let me find it girl this gives me chills every time I fucking read it okay this is uh anger this is from anger so I think this is right before don't hurt yourself I think it's right before don't hurt yourself on on lemonade okay here we go if this is what you truly want I can wear her skin over mine her hair over mine her hands as gloves her teeth as confetti her scalp a cap her sternum my bedazzled cane we can pose for a photograph all three of us immortalized you and your perfect girl I have chills can you zoom in on that I have chills all over my body I don't know when love became elusive what I know is no one I know has it my father's arms around my mother's neck fruit too ripe to eat I think of lovers as trees growing to and from one another searching for the same light why can't you see me why can't you see me why can't you see me everyone else can what the fuck what the fuck Beyonce shit that never gets old this is in a roundabout way the sun is everything in this poem and more because it's this feeling not only of in a romantic sense what do you mean I'm too good for you but in life friendships opportunities jobs anything it's like some people don't just can't handle you and that is okay because they're not meant to and when you find the people that do and can and they can keep up with you and they sharpen your knife and you sharpen theirs it is incredible so yeah the sun to me is that and I know it's it's not a unique experience so I hope you enjoy it and it's finally yours to have and more music coming very soon so I need I need y'all to sit with it for a moment though okay I feel like I've bombarded you okay we're doing adore you we did the sun we've got the video visualizers doing all this fucking bullshit whatever enjoy it because the storm is coming the storm is coming girl but yeah so just need to talk about that that's out of the way here's some stuff to completely pivot everyone talks about how challenging it is to raise kids but what about protecting them outlet covers kitchen cabinet locks baby gates where do you even start well protecting your home and auto is a great place to start progressive offers customized coverage options so you can be sure you have the right coverage for you and your loved ones they're basically the outlet covers kitchen cabinet locks and baby gates of insurance don't wait get your quote today progressive.com progressive casualty insurance company affiliates and other insurers not available in all states this is jenny garth and if you're like me it feels like everyone is talking about weight loss injections because the results are so dramatic but what if you're looking to lose weight without weekly injections especially when you hear about those intense side effects there's good news doctors have created a weight loss supplement called lean and the results are amazing the studied ingredients in lean have been shown to lower your blood sugar burn fat by converting it into energy and curb your appetite and cravings this is huge especially if you're battling food noise if you've got 10 pounds or more to lose or you're struggling with stubborn fat in those problem areas like the tummy love handles the thighs doctors created lean just for you get started now with 20 off and free rush shipping so you can add lean to your own healthy diet and exercise plan right away visit take lean.com and enter jenny for your discount that's promo code jenny at take lean.com here's some stuff i've been loving lately okay i'm just gonna this is a random list that i've thrown together i need to talk about this on the podcast here it is halfetti by pinhaligans that is my scent of choice right now it is my favorite perfume i wear it every single day i'm addicted to it i think it's i say this but this is going to change in the next 72 hours probably it's my signature scent right now right now because sometimes i get a whiff of it and i'm like this is too mature for me and then some days i'm like this is me this is fucking me to my core it's not you took a screenshot of my soul it can't be healthy by pinhaligans sometimes anyway that's number one number two yogurt covered pretzels i was with stanley the last weekend we were filming royal court and uh he went into this dumbass like children's candy shop because he's like i want something sweet went in got yogurt pretzels i was driving i said can i have one of those he's like yeah and now it's all i think about yogurt covered pretzels dude i or i got a big tub i went to the grocery store got a big tub of them ate half of them in a night had diarrhea whatever you can take the binge eating out of the binge eater but hey those tendencies are still gonna whisper they're gonna come and tuck my hair behind my ear you know what i mean i had to hang up the proverbial robe hang up the fucking hat on the binge eating but sometimes hey take that take that hat around the block for a spin don't listen to me don't listen to me number three watermelon flavored things i've been loving that a lot lately there's drink i like this watermelon it's pretty much i've just been loving some like watermelon liquid iv that's all i've been drinking lately next is flossing not the dance not the backpack kid dance just flossing in general been been doing that a lot lately i've been i've been really into flossing some of you bitches really might want to get into it too um can i just say really quick the thought of waking up in the morning and and leaving your home and not brushing your teeth is like if you're a fan of mine cut that shit out if you're we're not doing stinky broski nation ambassadors please guys don't we can't be the stinky fan base please wear deodorant and not that fucking aluminum free shit wear deodorant that works and please brush your teeth i'm begging y'all we can't be stinky what was that joke that i was used to saying to people who were like barricade at concerts it's like y'all are in the no deodorant club y'all y'all are in the let's raise my arms and not wear deodorant club i don't remember what the tweet was but we can't be doing that guys please anyway big into flossing big into french tips okay and when i got these nails at first i was like i feel like a 40 year old southern mom of two boys and one of them's not doing so great in school the other one's trying to get you know he's like 16 17 we're trying to get him noticed by colleges for either baseball or football whatever he's playing and he's like just not there like i'm really i want my boys to be good you know what i mean but they're really struggling they're feeling uh inferior and it's on me as a mother to sort of coax them back to you're good you just have to believe in yourself and you can't let this stuff slip right because you're in high school right now when you get to college that's a different ball game you got to be your own boss that's what these nails make me feel like is i'm always in the car i'm always on fucking apple car play my husband's trying to call me don't call me because we fought yesterday and he's being stupid and oblivious and i'm gonna leave him i'm gonna leave my husband Probably, I'm going to wait until the kids, I'll get them through. And also, I'm the breadwinner. My bitch-ass husband doesn't do shit. He sits at home all day. Because I married him because he was a creative. And now he hasn't done anything creative for the last 11 fucking years. Okay? Anyway, I get my boys through high school. I get them through college. I divorce my husband. Because I can't deal with it anymore, right? Then I go on an eat, pray, love journey. Maybe I don't go to Bali. Maybe I go to, like, Argentina or something. Okay? Maybe I go figure myself out there. But I really see, in an alternative life, that was me. And I had these nails. And probably this hair as well. Sometimes when I think of deja vu, I think of it as, like, alternate timelines. Or parallel timelines. And when deja vu happens, I usually see it as, like, okay, you're still on the right track. Like, it's check marks of where you are, where you're supposed to be. You're doing things right. But sometimes I get deja vu and I'm like. It's because I had this same experience in my other life. Do you know what I mean? What are some common explanations of deja vu? Deja vu explained. Deja vu meaning already seen in French. Now, see, I had no idea that's what that meant. Which is making sense. The feeling of familiarity with a situation or experience that you know you've never encountered before. And while its exact cause is unknown, it's often linked to memory processing, or subtle neurological events. I'm sweating. Hold on. I've got to take off my blouse. Let's go to clevelandhealthclinic.org. Deja vu, what it is, and why it happens. You may not be a magician, but when you experience deja vu, your brain is creating an illusion. This is thought to happen when there's a bit of a miscommunication between two parts of your brain. Deja vu is caused by dysfunctional connections between the parts of your brain that play a role in your brain. This is thought to happen when you experience a miscommunication between two parts of your brain. here's where I was going with this. Okay. I want to look up both on this podcast and in my free time. What is the solution to that spiral of thinking? Because it's not a fun one to go down. And I, I don't find myself following the spiral often, but it does hit me, especially with books like this where I'm like fucking hell. Also the story being told from an immortal's point of view is like, it's not necessarily preferable to being mortal. So just throw that out there. But I want to know a metaphorical salve or a serum to quell those thoughts when they start or some form of just comfort and outside the bounds of religion. I know the simple answer is, oh, just believe in God, believe in eternal life. You know, find your way to any of these prophetic deities. Confess your, your loyalty and your whatever and promise you do. Okay. Now what? It's also one of those things where I don't really believe it as I'm saying it because I'm saying it for a selfish purpose. And that is what my issue with Christianity was from the moment that I was acquainted with the idea of baptism or of salvation. It was from a purely selfish point of view. When I told y'all that story, my pastor said, if you're not for sure, if you died tonight, you're going to heaven, put your fucking hand in the air. And I said, well, hell girl, I'm 11. That was bred out of a sense of helplessness and selfish worry for my own soul. Not because I believe that Jesus is the light in the way and the this and that and the whatever. It's, that's the disconnect. And I feel like the puzzle pieces never, really fit together for me. And I'm, I'm struggling for that to, to find and keep that sense of certainty and security that I used to have. And also the validation of a church community telling you you're doing everything right. You know, you are not alone. He walks beside you, all these things where you're getting positive echo chamber feedback from people who believe the same or would like to believe the same. And I'm struggling for that. And I'm struggling for them to believe the same for themselves. And it helps with the delusion, but being so far removed from the church, I have none of that now. And I don't miss the church, but this solitary solitude, it's, it's too much sometimes. Progressive offers customized coverage options. So you can be sure you have the right coverage for you and your loved ones. Don't wait, get your quote today at progressive.com, progressive casualty insurance company, affiliates, and other insurers not available in all states. This is Jenny Garth. And if you're like me, it feels like everyone is talking about weight loss because the results are so dramatic. But what if you're looking to lose weight without weekly injections, especially when you hear about those intense side effects? There's good news. Doctors have created a weight loss supplement called lean and the results are amazing. The studied ingredients in lean have been shown to lower your blood sugar, burn fat by converting it into energy and curb your appetite and cravings. This is huge, especially if you're battling food noise. If you've got 10 pounds or more to lose, or you're struggling with stubborn fat in those problem areas like the tummy, love handles, the thighs, doctors created lean just for you. Get started now with 20% off and free rush shipping. So you can add lean to your own healthy diet and exercise plan right away. Visit take lean.com and enter Jenny for your discount. That's promo code Jenny at take lean.com. So here's what I want to Google. How to get over a fear of death. We're getting to it guys. Thanatophobia. There's a fucking name for it. Also, why does that sound like Thanatos? I'm on my Greek mythology shit right now, girl. Hold on. Cause I'm, I've powered through song of Achilles. I'm doing Cersei. Next I'm going to finish Clytemnestra. Then I'm going to do the daughters of the fucking whatever daughters of the wolves, wolves, den daughters of the wolves den. Then I'm going to do the Odyssey. Then I'm going to do the first one. No, you start with the Iliad because the Iliad is the Trojan war and the Odyssey is Odysseus's journey home after the Trojan war. Okay. So anyway, I'm on my Greek mythology shit right now. And you know what I love about Madeline Miller is she introduces you to all of these names, whether you've heard them before, whether you just know that, like we just got introduced to the Minotaur in this book. And I'm like, Oh, I know the Minotaur. It's like half man, half bull. And then you hear of the origin of like how he came to be. And how the Minotaur was defeated and the significance of monsters to the Greek gods and goddesses and how it was a form of creating heroes. You can't have heroes without monsters to, to kill or to best or to conquer. So it's all a game. And, and what I, I was talking to Stanley about this the other day too, because what is so intriguing to me about Greek gods versus Norse gods versus any of these mythologies that have lasted, for, for thousands of years is that they're quite cruel. The gods are cruel and there's no balance of fairness or love. They're not motivated by love or hate. They're motivated by power. And that is such an interesting, you know what I mean? And, and the Norse gods are fucking cruel. Look that up too. Well, actually what, what were we saying? Stanley said that the Norse gods were cruel and the Greek gods and goddesses were motivated by ego, which all of them are, it's just a power play. I mean, they're all under the same umbrella of just, you have power and you want to keep it. But yeah, I think that's what he said. And I need to, I need to lock the fuck into all this ego versus Norse gods cruelty. Okay. I need to lock the fuck into this. Not here. Cause I'm, I'm reading too deep. Yeah. It's a very interesting, what feels like two different types of, uh, deity worship, but maybe not that far off. So who's to say, let me lock in anyway, how to get over a fear of death. Okay. Oh, I was going to look up than a toast than a toss and ancient Greek mythology. Do you see how this is all related? Than a toss is the personification of death. The son of Nick's night and the twin brother of hypnos sleep. So night and sleep are brothers. And the son of night is death. Okay. Okay. I'm scared. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. I'm horrified. He appeared to humans to carry them off to the underworld. When the time allotted to them by the fates had expired. I thought her Hermes also was a psychopomp. Hermes Hermes versus than a toss. Oh, fan of toss is simply the personification of death. While her Hermes was the guide again, just clock that cause that's really fucking cool. The fear of death is fan fan not a phobia. Then not a phobia is an extreme fear of death or the dying process. Psychotherapy is usually an effective treatment for death anxiety. Okay. Awesome. I love when you Google something and they're like, you should be on medication. You should see someone. Oh, okay. I had no idea. Thanatophobia is different than necrophobia. Necrophobia is a fear of dead things or places that contain dead things such as graveyards. I don't know if I have that per se because I was able to go to the catacombs. I can go to a graveyard. I mean, I'm a little spooked, but I'm fine. The concept of death itself is what kind of really sends me. How is, okay, this is like a medical perspective. I don't, I'm not really looking for this. I'm looking more so for like, uh, an inspiring Instagram infographic or potentially, you know, uh, tumblr.com slash optimism sort of thing. I just need like one little phrase that I can remember forever that will always alleviate it. And I can maybe get it tattooed because right now I have a fucking memento mori tattoo, which actually means remember that you will die. So I, I'm feeling like I have this obsession with it. I'm obsessed with it. I'm obsessed with the idea of my own mortality. I don't know why. I don't know how to fix it. What do you do? what do you do what do you do cognitive behavioral therapy i already tried that shit for my binge eating disorder that shit did not work bruh cognitive behavioral therapy can help you change the way you think about death so it isn't so scary you may need to this is so ridiculous you may need to address unrealistic beliefs about death such as feeling that death is unfair or that the dying process is always painful cbt also gives you techniques to better manage how you react to thoughts of death such as deep breathing i mean when i start thinking about the paris catacombs for real though exposure therapy this type of therapy gradually exposes you to places thoughts or situations that relate to death okay awesome you might start by writing about how you picture your own death or the death of a loved one no I'm not fucking doing that shit medication for thanatophobia or other specific phobic disorders haven't proven very effective but your health care provider may recommend anti-anxiety drugs if you have to be in a stressful or fearful situation like a funeral most people with thanatophobia respond very quickly to the fact that they're not going to treat you very well to treatment okay great how to get over a fear of death okay wait hold on hold on we might be cooking we might be cooking this is from psyche.co holy shit guys we're we're getting into it today sorry sorry if y'all wanted like a ed sheeran azizam review we're not doing that today even though i do love that song we're not doing that we're doing how to not fear your death on psyche.co sorry about that here we go this is by sam dresser you exist but one day you won't an epicurean perspective can help you feel less afraid and even grateful for life's finitude that's what i'm talking talking about let's fucking go and let's actually google epicurean right now because i think i know what that means simple epicurean philosophy oh and you say i'm such a cliche a disciple or student of the greek philosopher epicurus okay thanks dude what do you mean by his teachings in modern pop you in modern popular usage an epicurean is a connoisseur of the arts of life and the refinements of sensual pleasures epicureanism implies a love or knowledgeable enjoyment especially of good food and drink what's the epicurean lifestyle an approach to life that stresses finding happiness through living simply is that not what i talk about on this podcast every fucking week we're rebranding to the epicurean report this is now the epicurean report starring me your host britney scared of dying broski britney fanatos broski holy shit use epicurean philosophy to find happiness i'm so locked into this okay let's go let's go let's go this is exactly what i needed okay your demise is inevitable i hope that doesn't come as too much of a shock i agree that the brevity of human existence is bothersome thankfully for most of us this frightful fact usually hovers somewhere beyond the margins of our consciousness we're aware of our death without constantly fearing it okay talk speak for yourself because that's actually i fear it every day so inevitably though there are moments when the reality of our eventual death strikes us in a new chillier light a close call demonstrates the tenuousness of life or the death of a loved one reminds us that no one is exempt from humanity's ultimate destination even talking about death as we are now can be enough to bring on a ruminative contemplation of the end and with it a shudder of fear about one's own extinguishment he's kind of a wordsmith sam dresser do you want me in these moments when your pending dissipation present presents itself afresh the fact of death is experienced in a new way rather than in a new way the fact of death is experienced in a new way rather than in a new way rather than merely being known like one more quote quotidian statement about the world the sky is blue i will die the sense of one's ending is felt more deeply and more immediately in these moods the terror of death seeps into your awareness of yourself as a person its awesome inevitability and finality makes you feel small and powerless yeah me as fuck right now sam this is the fear of death at an existential level brought on by the almost unthinkable notion that there is and only ever will be one of you and sooner or later it will flicker out of existence leaving little more than memories and other soon to be gone beings the fear of death as i'm discussing it here is not about the practical worry of who will pay off your credit card debt after you're gone it's about the unsettling fact that the person who earned that debt in the first place is but a fleeting speck of an event in the infinite history of the universe okay maybe this can we get on to the part where you're helping me because i've got hey look dude i've got all this down right i've done this little song and dance with myself let's move towards fixing it let's move towards a coping mechanism you motherfucker the fear of death is also heightened by thinking about how harmful mortality is to us how there is no greater blow in life than for life to cease as the philosopher thomas nagel observed death is the great deprivation there's always more life to be lived and it's painful to have that taken away the best way to get at this fear perhaps is to contemplate the almost unbearable thought of your future absence one day at family dinners that place will no longer be set for you the day after you die the newspaper will still be published just as it was the day before and the morning after your funeral friends will make their morning coffee you will be gone for good though and that certainty is a terrifying impediment so the fear of death is awful to behold and therefore naturally something to overcome indeed the striving to overcome the fear of death i would suggest has stimulated a great deal of thinking over the course of humanity's time on earth one could go so far as to say that working out how to thwart or perhaps accommodate death sits at the root of a vast number of cultural achievements the fear of finitude is a powerful propellant so how can we overcome the fear of death and how can we overcome the fear of death so how can the fear of death be overcome thank fuck we're getting to it one popular strategy is to plan for a sequel to life which it's usually expected will take place in another happier realm resurrection whether as a human or otherwise has won a great many adherents and there have been several religions as well as philosophers that have prom promulgated great word promulgated promote or make widely known promulgated great word promulgated promote or make widely known promulgated and there have been several religions as well as philosophers that have promulgated a view of time as cyclical we've done this before and we'll do this again death is a mere interlude okay now look i'm kind of maybe fucking with that maybe i'm fucking with that but i don't know if i believe in reincarnation or but we always talk about past lives and how things feel overly familiar or even deja vu where there are these clear signposts towards signposts towards signposts towards this isn't it like this can't just be it this isn't it like this can't just be it this isn't it like this can't just be it life continues on life continues on life continues on and earth continues on the earth keeps and earth continues on the earth keeps and earth continues on the earth keeps spinning spinning spinning hmm okay okay okay hmm okay okay okay hmm okay okay okay these tactics and ideas have something to these tactics and ideas have something to these tactics and ideas have something to recommend them certainly but for now recommend them certainly but for now recommend them certainly but for now let's set aside all possibility of life let's set aside all possibility of life let's set aside all possibility of life after death so that we are left with the after death so that we are left with the after death so that we are left with the often horrifying thought you exist but often horrifying thought you exist but often horrifying thought you exist but one day you won't are there any good one day you won't are there any good one day you won't are there any good philosophical reasons not to fear that philosophical reasons not to fear that philosophical reasons not to fear that gulf between being and not being in gulf between being and not being in gulf between being and not being in this guide i will suggest several this guide i will suggest several this guide i will suggest several philosophically inspired reasons not to philosophically inspired reasons not to philosophically inspired reasons not to be fearful of your own death let's go be fearful of your own death let's go be fearful of your own death let's go and so in that sense i hope there's and so in that sense i hope there's and so in that sense i hope there's epicurean hour epicurean hour epicurean hour the life of the city-dwelling ancient the life of the city-dwelling ancient the life of the city-dwelling ancient greek philosopher epicurus straddled the greek philosopher epicurus straddled the greek philosopher epicurus straddled the third and fourth centuries bce his third and fourth centuries bce his third and fourth centuries bce his philosophy nowadays is popularly philosophy nowadays is popularly philosophy nowadays is popularly packaged as a kind of light hedonism packaged as a kind of light hedonism packaged as a kind of light hedonism sensualist joyful a hint of luxury a sensualist joyful a hint of luxury a sensualist joyful a hint of luxury a naughty second glass of wine though naughty second glass of wine though naughty second glass of wine though epicurus himself was probably not quite epicurus himself was probably not quite epicurus himself was probably not quite the blinkered and unimaginative pleasure the blinkered and unimaginative pleasure the blinkered and unimaginative pleasure seeker that these cliches suggest they seeker that these cliches suggest they seeker that these cliches suggest they do give a flavor of his outlook do give a flavor of his outlook do give a flavor of his outlook for him the purpose of human life is to for him the purpose of human life is to for him the purpose of human life is to achieve happiness epicurus construed achieve happiness epicurus construed achieve happiness epicurus construed this as an absence of pain rather than a this as an absence of pain rather than a this as an absence of pain rather than a positive program of indulging oneself positive program of indulging oneself positive program of indulging oneself by say keeping up a rigorous schedule of by say keeping up a rigorous schedule of by say keeping up a rigorous schedule of orgies or downing flasks of opium on orgies or downing flasks of opium on orgies or downing flasks of opium on tuesday mornings tuesday mornings tuesday mornings he recognized that whatever temporary he recognized that whatever temporary he recognized that whatever temporary excitement such pursuits yield in the excitement such pursuits yield in the excitement such pursuits yield in the moment will probably be well moment will probably be well moment will probably be well counterbalanced by a severe price to pay counterbalanced by a severe price to pay counterbalanced by a severe price to pay later on so instead epicurus later on so instead epicurus later on so instead epicurus recommended somewhat disappointingly recommended somewhat disappointingly recommended somewhat disappointingly that it is moderation that will lead to that it is moderation that will lead to that it is moderation that will lead to a release from pain and suffering which a release from pain and suffering which a release from pain and suffering which in turn will bring a respectable measure in turn will bring a respectable measure in turn will bring a respectable measure of happiness and therefore a good life of happiness and therefore a good life of happiness and therefore a good life our limitations our meager certainties our limitations our meager certainties our limitations our meager certainties are at the center of epicurus's system are at the center of epicurus's system are at the center of epicurus's system of thought and it is in this context of of thought and it is in this context of of thought and it is in this context of mitigating pain and accruing a gentle mitigating pain and accruing a gentle happiness that he believed the fear of death needs to be understood. Epicurus and his followers held that the fear of death is harmful to the enjoyment of our lives, and so showing why this fear isn't well-founded contributes to the overall hedonic project of living well. According to this tradition, the first thing to do to overcome the fear of death is to try to articulate to yourself what it would be like to be dead. Okay, that's the fucking problem. Therein lies my problem, Sam Dresser. What it would like to be dead. Imagine yourself, but rather than alive, dead. Okay? I'm horrified. Remember, we've cast aside the afterlife. As you'll swiftly appreciate, there is an intractable contradiction right at the center of this first actionable item. You cannot imagine what it would be like to be dead, because death is an absence of existence. There is literally nothing to imagine, because nothingness itself cannot be imagined. That's horrifying! This isn't helping! There is no perspective, no view from nothingness, nothing to which it can be approximated. So that is the first recommendation. Realize that being dead isn't an experience. Death itself isn't really a thing at all. In Epicurus' words, death is nothing to us. To drive the point home, let's turn to the Roman poet Lucretius. He was a saltier and more ironic Epicurean of a later generation, the first century BCE, whose unexampled poem, On the Nature of Things, fell afoul of early Christians because of its crypto-atheism. In the poem, Lucretius proposes an idea, later termed the symmetry argument, that hints at the second thing you should do to overcome the fear of death, which is try to recall what it was like before you were born. Okay, I can't do that. I was a little too old for this, baby. I don't remember. Okay, Lucretius, that's stupid as fuck. I don't remember. Not how the world was, which is the task of historical imagination, but what it was like to be you before you were created. You'll discover that prenatal existence isn't something that can be thought about, much less experienced. The symmetrical part of the argument, of course, is that you have the very same difficulty in imagining what it is like to be dead. Okay, but here's my thing. I've already got notes, and I've got questions, and I've got commentary. That does scare me of there being nothing before and nothing after, and it makes the miracle of life that much more of a confusing, confounding miracle that, against all odds, I should not be here. You should not be here. We should not be here. Yet, life prevails. Beauty prevails. But at the same time, pain and suffering prevail. So, what's that fucking quote? Is it better not to have lived? Is it better to have lived than not to have lived at all? Is it better to love than not to have loved at all? All those things wrap up in the same feeling of, obviously, I'd much rather be alive. I think that's what freaks me the fuck out the most. I love being alive. I love life. I have a passion for life. Life is my number one priority. I love being alive. I love being alive. Number one special interest. And the fact that that could be taken from me is horrifying. I don't want it. I don't want it. Let's keep reading. I already cried once. We're not going to cry multiple times in the same episode, even though I've done it before. No doubt you don't fear your prenatal existence. So, logically speaking, given their equivalence, it follows that you should fear death the exact same way. You should fear death the exact same amount. As in, not at all. Common sense tells us that our existence is but a brief crack of light between two eternities of darkness. This brings us to the third thing to do to calm your existential angst. Examine how much nothing, non-existence, can reasonably be feared. That is, are there any good reasons for your pending death to trigger the emotion of fear? It is reasonable to be fearful of things to the extent that those things can cause you harm. It was reasonable to be jittery about nukes during the Cold War era. It is reasonable to be scared that humanity is turning the globe into a sauna. And it is reasonable for your heart to launch as from a trebuchet into your throat when your partner says to you the words, we need to talk. These are all identifiable threats that foretell awful experiences. None of them would help us in our Epicurean goal of being happy, and so are reasonably feared. But death itself, not the process of dying, which is something different, doesn't seem to be the sort of thing that one can reasonably be fearful of, because it isn't anything. It's not uncomfortable or hurtful to be dead. It's not as if you're being deprived of life or of more contented years because, again, you simply aren't there to be deprived in the first place. For you, there's nowhere to locate the harm of being dead since being dead isn't a state of being. It's not something that, strictly speaking, happens to you, and so it can't be harmful. No one would say St. Francis of. Assisi is more dead than Pancra. The Epicurean argument against the fear of death concerns only your own self and its dissolution. When I think through these steps, I find that their efficacy is largely dependent upon my mood. I like the idea of being able to intellectualize away the fear of death, as if merely thinking philosophical thoughts would be enough to give me courage. And when I'm particularly despondent or detached from the world, perhaps there are glimmers of doubt in the argument that death is nothing. But commonly, this line of thinking doesn't completely allay the fear of death. Epicurus recognized this. His argument by itself isn't strong enough to completely release us from the dread of a terminal existence. I doubt that anything is, or rather, I wouldn't trust anything that truly and fully did free one from fear of death. There are certain brands of fanaticism, for instance, that appear to do just this, with obviously horrific results. But as the contemporary philosopher James Warren emphasizes, Epicurus' argument should be borne in mind as part of a cognitive therapy for dealing with one's own life. It can have its fruits. It can lighten a little the fear of death, which in turn can subtly augment your enjoyment of life. And that is, on the whole, one of the great purposes of being here in the first place. Okay, so he says, enjoy your own fleeting time on earth. This is the final paragraph, and I think there's something here. Without death, life would be nothing but a dire repetition, pointless and endless. Immeasurably long lives would eventually deflate into the most banal tedium. Millennia upon millennia upon millennia would have to be lived out, and even then, there would be an eternity to go. Eventually, the most sublime and wondrous experiences possible would become punishing in their drab familiarity. Fortunately, this isn't a possibility that need concern us too much, but confronting the alternative to death brings home the point. No matter how terrifying it might be, the fact of death makes life more brilliant and precious. The time we have together in this place is fleeting. Let's spend it well. What the fuck? Let's spend it well. What the fuck? Okay! Okay! Fine! Fine, I'll enjoy my life. Fine, I'll enjoy my life and find the whimsy in the finite. Fine, I'll go there. Oh, dude. Okay. I don't know if that helped, but it definitely offered some perspective. Shout out Epicurious, I guess. Epicurious. I don't know why I'm adding an extra yes in it. I think all this shit is so interesting, but it's also so much. It's so heavy. But look, if my brain's gonna take me there anyway, I might as well read about it and learn about it, you know what I mean? Let's do the songs of the week. Let's just, let's move on. Thanks for going there with me, team. Thanks for- Sorry, if you had to click off, I understand. If you're still here with me, shout out. Shout out, you're a brave soldier. Here are my songs of the week. Exile by Saint Levant. Get into Saint Levant, bitch. Palestinian rapper and singer-songwriter. I'm into it. And is he hot? Yeah. I've been getting a lot of clips of his live shows, and I'm like, damn. Hey, hey. Nuts. And I've been, I get clips of his interviews, too. He's just a charmer. He is a charming young gentleman. That's number one. Adventure of a Lifetime by Coldplay. I love that song. Every time it comes on shuffle, I'm like, oh, greatest song ever made? Shout out, turn it up. That one and Paradise by Coldplay. Two of the best songs ever written. Ever, ever made. And then the last one. two are hosier songs y'all fucking hate me y'all hate me y'all hate every time i talk about hosier you hate every time i talk about florence and machine you want to kill me but i won't stop i won't stop and you know i'm still trying to figure out what my hosier tattoo is going to be but it's one of those things where you know like i love the rolling stones i love rosalia whatever those to me are very clearly identifiable things like for rosalia motomami that was a no-brainer i had to get motomami on my on my sleeve rolling stones the lips duh that's it for hosier i i have what i've been like waiting on is i have yet to find a piece of art to me that is like that embodies the way he makes me feel that this embodies his body of work this embodies what he signifies to me and the layers down to the core of my being that he's impacted me on there's no singular line of a lyric or an album artwork or his logo that would mean that so i've been struggling to find the perfect one i almost uh got a tattoo when harry's house came out of what song is it is it keep driving or is it no it's grape juice it's grape juice when he says um sitting in the garden i'm a couple glasses in that coincided with a lyric from a beatle song that i've always wanted to get tattooed which is sitting in an english garden waiting for the rain and i was like they're both english gardens and i'm addicted to that concept of this little there's something very whimsical about an english garden you think about like peter rabbit or what's that isn't it called the secret garden yeah the secret garden and then is it not johnny depp in it neverland i think that's the name of the movie neverland there's something very whimsical and it also brings me back to my childhood of just being outside imagine me playing outside i did used to but i used to i was acting okay i was using it as a backdrop i was not on my knees in the mud digging up worms or shit like that i was like obviously this scene would take place in the forest that's what i was doing so the scene that i'm directing okay lean against this tree yes yes yes yes yes and then you're going to be holding this sort of stim you'll be playing with it just as a sort of you know fixation of the hands while you're speaking that's more so what i was doing but when it comes to this idea of an english garden it's something in my mind that like should not exist and therefore it's a portal to somewhere a bit more mystical because the english countryside is so it's just got this ethereal nature to it i think so an english garden the fact that two of my favorite artists have a similar line i'm gonna get that eventually one day like that's a no-brainer and that's also an homage homage homage to uh to those songs because i love them but yeah for hosier it's just difficult for me to try to pinpoint one song or one because they're all so fucking good you're spoiled for choice um and it's hard to say which one's impacting you but i think it's impacted me more than another because that's just it's not how it works with his discography so i'll keep you all updated on that anyway oh the hosier songs that i'm addicted to right now are anything but from unreal on earth and shrike from wasteland baby damn that is an album i keep coming back to i keep coming back to it because it's a work of art shrike and he all that song is about a uh he describes it but it's about a predatory bird it's about a bird of prey that's very cute and tiny but and it like impales its meals above its house or on it's like in a cactus or something i don't know it's like a very um nefarious bird and he writes around this concept of a something so gentle and sweet being a predator um so yeah i love that song and it's been on repeat lately for no reason i just keep coming back to it okay i think that'll do it for me this week go listen to the sun by britney broski if you care if y'all even give a shit and then if you want a moomoo go to broski.shop and broski report merch we've got that shit on she's got that shit on though and subscribe to this youtube channel rate me five stars please on spotify and apple music i haven't asked y'all to do that in a long time because i honestly forgot i've been forgetting so no pressure uh love you guys a lot i really really do thank you for letting me do this job thank you for letting me do this job it is crazy to think that i ever was doing anything else because this is just it's it no but i i mean it this this is the happiest i've ever been and it is the most fulfilled i've ever been and it's the most connected to a community i've ever felt and i'm just infinite there are no words there are no words the best i can give you is myself you know as a form of thanks i'm gonna keep leveling up and i'm gonna keep creating because that's what i have to give you in exchange for your love so i just i'm i'm so grateful and i don't say it enough okay team uh with that fuck off and i'll see you next week bye you know that moment when everything lines up when life gives you the green light and you just go that's the 2026 toyota camry no hesitation no friction just a car that's right there with you ready responsive in control the whole way through because when it's your moment you shouldn't have to think twice the 2026 toyota camry go like you mean it test drive at your local toyota dealer or visit toyota.com today toyota let's go places see packages and options at toyota.com for future availability