Just Because It's Impossible, Doesn't Mean We Shouldn't Do It (Simon Sinek) | AI Podcast Clips
00:00:00.000 | - And you have this fundamental vision of optimism.
00:00:04.900 | You call yourself an optimist.
00:00:06.840 | I mean, in this world, I have a sort of,
00:00:09.600 | I see myself a little bit as the main character
00:00:12.880 | from "The Idiot" by Dostoevsky,
00:00:14.800 | who is also kind of seen by society as a fool
00:00:18.540 | because he was optimistic.
00:00:21.800 | So, one, can you maybe articulate
00:00:24.700 | where that sense of optimism comes from
00:00:27.040 | and maybe also try to articulate your vision
00:00:29.740 | of the future where people are inspired,
00:00:33.320 | where optimism drives us?
00:00:34.960 | It's easy to forget that when you look at social media
00:00:37.640 | and so on, where toxicity and negativity
00:00:40.520 | can often get more likes,
00:00:42.520 | that optimism has a sort of a beauty to it.
00:00:45.720 | And I do hope it's out there.
00:00:47.520 | So, can you try to articulate that vision?
00:00:49.720 | - Yeah, so, I mean, for me, optimism and being an optimist
00:00:53.760 | is just seeing the silver lining in every cloud.
00:00:57.160 | You know, even in tragedy, it brings people together.
00:01:00.700 | And the question is, can we see that?
00:01:02.100 | Can you see the beauty that is in everything?
00:01:05.260 | I don't think optimism is foolishness.
00:01:08.860 | I don't think optimism is blindness,
00:01:12.400 | though it probably involves some naivete,
00:01:15.420 | the belief that things will get better,
00:01:19.140 | the belief that we tend towards the good,
00:01:21.920 | even in times of struggle or bad.
00:01:26.860 | You know, you can't sustain war, but you can sustain peace.
00:01:31.620 | You know, I think things that are stable
00:01:35.060 | are more sustainable, things that are optimistic
00:01:38.180 | are more sustainable than things that are chaotic.
00:01:41.520 | - So you see people as fundamentally good.
00:01:44.260 | I mean, some people may disagree
00:01:45.940 | that you can sustain peace, you can't sustain war.
00:01:49.860 | - I mean, you don't have to, I think war is costly.
00:01:52.940 | You know, it involves life and money,
00:01:55.700 | and peace does not involve those things.
00:01:57.900 | It requires work.
00:01:59.180 | I'm not saying it doesn't require work,
00:02:01.140 | but it doesn't drain resources,
00:02:03.540 | I think, the same way that war does.
00:02:05.660 | - You know, the people that would say
00:02:07.460 | that we will always have war,
00:02:08.940 | and I just talked to the historian of Stalin,
00:02:11.260 | is, you know, would say that conflict
00:02:14.420 | and the desire for power and conflict
00:02:17.300 | is central to human nature.
00:02:19.940 | - I concur.
00:02:21.260 | - But something in your words also,
00:02:24.340 | perhaps it's the naive aspect that I also share,
00:02:27.520 | is that you have an optimism
00:02:28.860 | that people are fundamentally good.
00:02:30.300 | - I'm an idealist, you know,
00:02:32.460 | and I think idealism is good.
00:02:33.860 | I'm not a fool to believe that the ideals
00:02:36.220 | that I imagine can come true.
00:02:37.860 | Of course there'll never be world peace,
00:02:39.900 | but shouldn't we die trying?
00:02:42.220 | You know, I think that's the whole point.
00:02:43.580 | That's the whole point of vision.
00:02:44.620 | Vision should be idealistic,
00:02:45.980 | and it should be, for all practical purposes, impossible.
00:02:49.920 | But that doesn't mean we shouldn't try,
00:02:52.820 | and it's the milestones that we reach
00:02:56.340 | that take us closer to that ideal
00:02:58.660 | that make us feel that our life and our work have meaning,
00:03:01.820 | and we're contributing to something bigger than ourselves.
00:03:03.860 | You know, just because it's impossible
00:03:06.660 | doesn't mean we shouldn't try.
00:03:08.160 | As I said, we're still moving the ball down the field.
00:03:11.120 | We're still making progress.
00:03:12.540 | Things are still getting better,
00:03:14.080 | even if we never get to that ideal state.
00:03:16.680 | So I think idealism is a good thing.
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