Fireside Chat Ep. 126 — A Silver Lining to Coronavirus? | Fireside Chat

Hi everybody, I'm Dennis Prager and most of you know that otherwise you wouldn't be watching but nevertheless It seems odd to just start talking and not say who I am. This is my house my dog my fireplace This is the fireside chat. It's a real chance. How you doing out of all good? Otto is definitely looking alive today Yeah. All right. You're the man Otto All right. So this is a chance for me to talk to you every week and let me tell you something We're very serious about every week we haven't missed a week in years now, I think that's that's fair to say and You know, there's a lot going on in society He would you'd think we might miss and I travel a lot, but this is very important to me It's important to me because I get feedback from you that it's important to you. It's completely non-scripted I am NOT reading from anything It's a by the way, that's a risk because you know, you could say something that you wish you didn't say later It hasn't happened yet, but it could happen Let's put it that way in any event Welcome to the fireside chat where I get a chance to think about life with you and take your questions so I'm gonna open up with an approach to what is happening In many countries of the world as I speak to you where they're in effect shutting down People can't leave their country or go into another country. They they you can't go to a store You can't gather with more than a few people. I mean, this is unprecedented in my lifetime in Free societies. These are things that you would have expected from a totalitarian state an authoritarian state But it's actually happening in free countries, which is in itself Understandable but a little worrying if a leader could simply say, you know restaurants you must all close That's a little scary actually and and it should be it should be scary to people and I don't get scared easily I almost never get scared but that's not the aspect of What I want to speak about The aspect of what's happening that I want to speak to you about I want to tell you especially those of you Who are young I? want to tell you how this can in fact be a good thing in the final analysis in your life and This is truly important life in In much of the world today certainly what we call the developed world is Unnaturally easy Very few of you have to worry about your next meal Have to worry about a roof over your head Have to worry about dying young which was extremely common all through human history We're Anywhere that you're watching this almost anywhere in the world that you're watching this this that would be true So what happens is and I I've seen it happen in the United States It started really with my generation the post-world war two generation Which grew up with unprecedented affluence unprecedented freedom? unprecedented health unprecedented peace and Sort of expected life To be easy. I think by the way, that is a big part of what makes the left tick It's a utopian dream about life. Oh, we'll make a world with No pain It's it's a no pain aim people in the past Never even thought I mean they thought maybe you know In the in the afterlife or after the Messiah comes or something like that But in this world, it was understood pain is part of life That's very important For you to understand pain is part of life. It is not possible to lead a painless life It is literally impossible emotional pain physical pain financial pain Family pain this is almost inevitable in in anybody's life. So in effect you are being told at a very young age whoo a painless life is not available and that's That's the the silver lining in in the difficult times at this very moment in which we live When you understand at an early age that life is difficult, you will actually be happier as an adult That's the irony that I want you to understand The the generation my parents generation which grew up in the in the Great Depression and then World War two They did not expect life to be painless they they suffered so much and They were a happier generation than many of the kids that I and I see on college campuses who are so angry and Jaded. Oh, that's another thing jaded. I'll get to that in a moment, but they they're they're so Unhappy that they have to make up problems like oh, I am a woman in let's say America And I'm oppressed I mean college students female college students get up to the microphone when I speak at colleges and they will say that to me because I always Invite people who differ with me to to ask the first questions, you know, Dennis or mr. Prager, whatever. They'll call me You know as as a as a woman I you know, I'm oppressed and I will just you're not or as a black. I'm oppressed. I'm sorry You're not you are not oppressed You may oppress yourself, but you are not oppressed you have it great that doesn't mean life is easy It means you have the society is not holding you back Maybe family problems are holding you back. Maybe your psychological state is holding you back Maybe your values are holding you back, but the society is not holding you back. So when you expect a Painless life you will be in pain That's the irony I Never expected a painless life for a whole host of reasons I think one of the reasons was that I I was born shortly after a few years after the Holocaust The Holocaust in obviously in a Jewish family. I mean not obviously there are many non-jews who Who understand the horror of the Holocaust but but in Jewish families? It was a it was very real even if you didn't lose relatives in the Holocaust and I knew therefore from such a young age That there's evil in the world. And so I was very grateful from at least from high school on I was so grateful for living in America Where Jews had it so good Compared to elsewhere. I've written a book on anti-semitism. I know how much Jews have suffered. So that's just one One little example of What I knew at such a young age and by the way in this regard religious Jews and Christians No life is tough It's part of their religious theology. This is a this is a fallen world to use a Christian term But Judaism would hold a very similar Regard of the world a similar viewpoint and So I knew so early that I was so lucky and if you think you're lucky You're gonna be a happier human being than if you think you're unlucky I mean that should be very obvious, but it isn't obvious to people you walk around thinking. Oh, I have it so bad I'm a female. I would so bad. I'm a black. I would so bad. I'm a Hispanic. I have it so bad I'm a gay. I have it so bad just fill in whatever it is but You you're you can't be happy obviously if that's what you think so I I Think that seeing this difficulty. I was talking about my parents generation. They had the Depression and the World War two this is not a depression and this is not World War two, but this is a difficult time and It might it's sort of like the flu shot to really mix metaphors What is a flu shot what is any vaccination you get some of that virus? Injected into you so that you can build an antibody against it. That's the way it is with difficulty difficulties can either make you sick or make you make you create antibodies and That's what this is the thing to do now is let the this difficult time make these antibodies I'm now being inoculated Against the realism against an expectation of life being easy Then if you do it that way When life gets back to normal, you will just be constantly grateful. That is then that's the hope Gratitude is the key to happiness in any event. It's the same. You can't be a happy person if you're not grateful Maybe if this creates gratitude in a lot of people when it's when this period of O is over with this particular virus and all of the all of the Constraints that are being put on people. So I want you to look at it that way. Oh now I realize a Painless life is not possible and then you'll be grateful for all the good things that you have now and certainly after this particular thing ends, so that's my my Hopefully uplifting message and it's meant sincerely. It's not meant. I don't say things to make people feel good I don't say things to make people feel bad. I say things because I believe them and I've incorporated them into my own life. I have so few expectations in life My I've written a book on happiness and I'm always a little shy about mentioning books I've written because it sounds like I'm trying to sell them to you, but I Don't know what I I don't want to ignore it. I wrote them. So you'll read Silly not to mention it when it's apropos, but in my in my book on happiness I I've written this but the book by the way, interestingly was translated to Chinese and Japanese and Spanish and Portuguese Because what I have to say as so many of you who are not an American. No is universally applicable that any good idea Transcends nation it has to the idea that something is only applicable To one group means it's not applicable because human nature is universal These things are about human nature so this might inoculate you against the the Terrible belief that life can be painless. That's a good thing Okie-doke time for Q&A here. We begin with our weekly video question and The magic press work Okie-dokie. Hello Hi, my name is Maria and I go to college at UPC here in Peru and I've been a Prager first member for the last Three years and my question is why do you think people from conservative cultures like Latinos Asians Indians and even Jews? Become liberal and more left-leaning when they immigrate to the USA. Thank you. Gracias de nada Thank you. That was great and I met you at the International Prager force meeting That was very beautiful. Maria. How you doing in Lima? I was in Lima. I was in Lima twice. I enjoyed it immensely Okay So it is it's a very intelligent question Why do people go to the left when they emigrate to the United States? The the answer is when especially young people Attend American schools and They they end up assimilating the leftist message that About anything including that America stinks That's the irony They they people come to America because they believe it'll be better for them then they learn at college or even high school how awful America is and So they you would think that they would have some cognitive dissonance. Wait a minute I just came to this country. This country has accepted me It has given me opportunities that I didn't have in my original country or obviously I would have stayed in my original country and yet It's an awful place That's how powerful the brainwash is in Colleges and universities. I always said it was an interesting thing. I always said People would say oh, it's so good that all these foreign students come and study in America It's so good for America that they come here and they and they experience America and they will leave with an appreciation That is the ones who will leave the ones not not the ones who emigrate But I've always said that's nonsense. They come to America and they go to college and they learn how miserable America is so the the spirit of the society is now so dominated by the the dark left-wing view of the world and They they imbibe it This was not always true very often immigrants were came to America and in fact Adopted very strongly American values still some do obviously, but many don't it's a tragedy Another I'll tell you a line made said by Bill Bennett. Bill Bennett is a major American writer a Catholic a conservative he was the drug czar under Ronald Reagan the head of the Department that takes care of drugs issues in America very thoughtful man, and He once said I mean I was actually a little surprised that he said it He said I I am more worried about what America will do to immigrants than what immigrants will do to America That's how that that's how bad it is And we're not talking about what America will do to immigrants financially or anything like that no talking about idea ideologically In your case of Latinos coming to the United States The the family is a very strong unit in Latin America It's weakening in the u.s. Because of left-wing values that you know, you don't need a mother and father. That's ridiculous It's fine to have children without a husband, it's you know, it's bigoted even to to claim otherwise This is actually what is taught. So this this spirit this site guy spirit of the times is is assimilated into the consciousness of Young Latinos in the United States for whom the out-of-wedlock rate is very high The out-of-wedlock meaning children born to an unmarried mother very important question David 20 years old Newton, Connecticut since the Democratic Party now embraces socialism. My question to you is what is the difference between socialism and communism it's not easy to answer because Socialism is very often used in communist countries To define what they are. I was a student of the Soviet Union. That's why I learned Russian I was at the Russian Institute of Columbia University and I I learned a great deal about Soviet Union visited the Soviet Union They never said that they were communist the Communist Party led the Soviet Union But they said we're not yet at communism. We're still socialist. But of course they were communist country. They just called themselves Socialist their famous motto where there would be signs all over Soviet Union period to come on this move Forward to communism. In other words, they hadn't yet attained that ideal of communism communism Theoretically is different in that it's more coercive. The government controls more Than it doesn't allow for democracy. We're a socialism Theoretically does allow for democracy That's why people say they're democratic socialist meaning that they they they are pro-democracy, but they're still socialist but it's an important but because socialism Often does undermine democracy not or not not not always but it but look the more the government Controls, which is socialism and communism the less freedom there is. I mean, let's be let's be clear about that I mean that's definitional America was founded on the idea and is the only country ever founded on the idea of small government of limited government This should be the ideal for all countries not just for America Because the bigger the government the smaller the citizen It's a statement. I came up with many years ago. We even made a bumper sticker out of it. I wish everybody would Learn that phrase the bigger the government the smaller the citizen That's what the founders of America knew so they wanted a small government With maximum liberty to the citizen, but if the citizen is not a decent person The Liberty will be used to do bad things So you need a society of decent people not Saints Just decent people, but it's not easy This human nature is deeply flawed Kalk Kalp 22 years old in India. Hi Dennis. Hi kalp. Hope you are doing well I am in fact my question for you is Why would an all-loving and all-powerful God permit natural disasters to occur? Give Otto a rub You want to rub Otto? He lifted his right eyelid That for Otto means a lot Hey, you're the man you are the man, yes, sir. Yes, sir. I Enjoy this guy a lot. I gotta tell you I don't what do you think? All right, not much is the answer. Okay? This is the oldest question that the religious people and in fact that non-religious people have ever asked How could that God be all good all-powerful and there be so much evil? I don't know how you don't ask that question. I've asked it all of my life so There are there are so the question was permit natural Disasters now, it's interesting. You didn't to your credit. You didn't ask how does a Good God allow people to do evil the that's a somewhat easier answer God gave us free will if God did not allow me to hurt anybody Then I would be a robot I would not be human Right as soon as I if I wanted to hit somebody God would would hold my hand or you know, hold my arm Or if I wanted to hurt somebody's feelings would God shut my mouth I mean, so obviously human evil is allowable. By the way, that still doesn't take God off the hook Because there is so much evil that people have done So much torture and and slavery and gratuitous cruelty and sadism and that You have to say God. Why did you make such a flawed creature? And I do I say that a lot. I have a lot of I have a lot of issues. I raised with God You should know that this is in the Bible the name of the first God knowing people the Jews or Which is called Israel in in the Bible Israel is the name given to Jacob Abraham Isaac Jacob the patriarchs and God changes his name from Jacob to Israel and the definition of Israel is given in the Bible to struggle with God People don't know that it's a very interesting thing that people are not even even many Bible knowing Christians are not aware of the fact that Israel means struggle with God Yes, Ra el el is God Yes rise to to fight with or to struggle with many people don't know that that's what it means to struggle with God you That's why the notion of blind faith that you know, I don't I don't argue with God. I don't ask God any questions I don't get angry with God. This is foreign to me if God is real and unreal. Of course, I'll get angry with God And you can argue with God the first monotheist is Abraham and he argues with God God wants to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah And he says wait a minute. What if there are 50 righteous people there? Will you still do it? He stands there and argues with God So I I have my arguments with God, but it never leads to atheism. It just leads to arguments It's like saying, you know if you argue with your with your spouse or your parent or your child or your Friend does it mean they don't exist? It's it's absurd. I argue and God exists. Of course God exists now natural disasters I don't have an answer for I admit it. I don't But I do have a good approach is not mine by a rabbi. I Think you said this in the 1950s Milton Steinberg and I memorized it because it's so powerful The believer in God has to account for the existence of unjust suffering Which is your question? the atheist he said Has to account for the existence of everything else That's brilliant So yes, I acknowledge we who believe in God have a very difficult question Why is there so much natural suffering? correct But the atheist has to be intellectually honest you don't have an answer To why the there is an existence of everything else. Why is there a universe? Why is there intelligence? Why is there music? Why is there love? What why is there life? The atheist has no answer to that Atheist does as an a clue why everything exists has no clue. Why? Why biological life came from non-biological life Is Otto leaving? I don't there's I don't want to knock over the thing. He's very alive today for some reason. I Think she has to give him melatonin next time Good boy, Otto Okay Otto took a walk Which is very atypical. I mean during the broadcast he takes walks at other times The atheist does not have an answer to to why there would why there is anything how biological life came from inanimate matter How intelligence came from non-intelligence? So we have one unanswerable Suffering the atheist has an infinite number of unanswerables all I could say is I have made peace with the fact that I do not have an answer to that and What I do is I simply know that I what I need to do is what I believe God wants for me and that is to be a good person and To propagate the belief that the good God wants us to be good That is fundamental belief of my life Frank 20 the Hague Netherlands Today is really a outside of America day Dear, mr. Prager. First of all, I'd like to thank you for these podcasts And how casual they are they feel like a real conversation instead of a scripted message. That's exactly what they are I'm the only conservative and Christian. I know at my university. That's amazing That is whole University now There might be more but people are afraid to even say it now and I'm constantly attacked for it But your podcasts give me educated comebacks. That's correct. They're worth memorizing They're they're really good they're they're rational My question is how do I deal with constantly disappointing myself? So this is not related to the first part. How do I deal with constantly disappointing myself? I do this every day for example by not studying as much as I want to I know I set my goals too high But can't keep myself from doing that. Thank you. And God bless you. God bless you, too. Well, it's an interesting question How do you deal with constantly disappointing yourself? Well, one one thing is I don't know anybody who has ever achieved anything who didn't constantly disappoint themselves I think that's sort of part of of what excellence is. I mean if if you get satisfied, why will you get better? There's nothing wrong in disappointing yourself. What's wrong is if you only disappoint yourself I mean if you never acknowledge gee, I I did a good job Then then you're not realistic. I mean then the issue there is reality not not psychology so There's no problem in constantly disappointing yourself There's a problem in only disappointing yourself Then then you're not being realistic because there's no question that you have done good things you are as obligated to know the good you have done as It is the disappointing things you have done. Both are absolutely obligatory How's our time? 929 so What do you think? Wrap up. That's what I think got good. Good. Got good more. Oh god Wow Next one. I got to take this next one next week from Gainesville, Florida Anyway, I hope that these things mean a lot to you because they're certainly they come from my heart and my mind you need both and remember to that these difficult times Might be a really a blessing to you To appreciate the non difficult times and to know that that is what life is life has a lot of pain It also has a lot of joy But if you expect it to be painless, you won't have any joy. That's the irony Anyway, thanks for being with me. All of this stuff is contained in my various books, but in particular The rational Bible Which I've written two volumes. I hope you will read it because they are intended to change your life for the better Anyway, great to be with you, and I'll see you next week From my home to yours. Thanks and bye Thank you for watching. If you'd like to keep these fireside chats free, please do by donating to Prager you