Don't let other people's unkindness dictate your lack of freedom

Emmy van Deurzen
27 Aug 202407:28

Summary

TLDRThe speaker encourages a friend to overcome the fear of social judgment and not let it dictate their life. They emphasize the importance of facing one's fears, being in society, and building meaningful relationships. The speaker also discusses the need for maintaining decency and respect in human interactions, critiquing the concept of 'wokeism' as it's misused to avoid responsibility. They advise finding or creating a supportive community that values mutual respect and not to be deterred by the lack of manners and decency in others, advocating for courage and continuous engagement in society.

Takeaways

  • 🀝 The importance of facing social fears and not letting the opinions of others control your life.
  • 🚫 Recognizing that avoiding social interaction due to fear of negative opinions can lead to a constricted life.
  • 🌐 The necessity of being part of society for personal growth, making a living, and building meaningful relationships.
  • πŸ’‘ The speaker's personal experience of embracing public life despite receiving both positive and negative feedback.
  • πŸ” The ability to discern between constructive criticism and disrespectful hostility in feedback.
  • 🚫 Advising against lowering oneself to the level of those who disrespect others and lack basic human decency.
  • 🌟 Encouraging the creation of social environments that are free from disrespect and promote human decency and care.
  • πŸ›‘οΈ The idea that avoiding people due to their nastiness allows them to dominate and restrict one's life.
  • 🌱 The concept of 'wokeism' being misunderstood as self-obsession, but it should be about promoting decent human relations.
  • πŸ† The speaker's preference for focusing on fundamental principles of human decency, respect, care, and collaboration.
  • πŸ”‘ Empowering individuals to find or create social groups that uphold these principles, and not to be deprived of social freedom.
  • πŸ’ͺ A call to stand up against bullying, find allies, and reaffirm the right way of being in society, leading to a happier life.

Q & A

  • Why does the speaker suggest that avoiding social situations due to fear of others' opinions can be detrimental?

    -The speaker implies that such avoidance can lead to a constricted life, preventing one from making a living, creating enjoyable relationships, and experiencing joy, affection, collaboration, and friendship.

  • What is the speaker's personal approach to dealing with various types of feedback received from the public?

    -The speaker acknowledges receiving both kind and rude feedback but does not take the negative feedback seriously, discerning between responses that come from good faith and those that are hostile or provocative.

  • According to the speaker, what should be the individual's attitude towards people who disrespect them or live in a world of hostility?

    -The speaker advises not to lower oneself to the level of disrespectful people and to maintain one's own standards of honesty, listening, and understanding.

  • What does the speaker mean by 'reclaiming a standard of decency and care' in society?

    -The speaker is advocating for a societal norm where people show basic decency, care, and concern for one another, which is essential for maintaining civilization and avoiding barbarism.

  • How does the speaker view the concept of 'wokeism' in the context of the script?

    -The speaker sees 'wokeism' as potentially positive when it promotes decent, caring, and respectful human relations, but dismisses it as nonsense when it leads to self-obsession and exemption from responsibility.

  • What advice does the speaker give to someone who is considering joining or creating a group based on shared values?

    -The speaker encourages finding or creating a group that upholds human decency, respect, care, and collaboration, and to work towards what one believes is right.

  • Why is it important to stand up to bullies according to the speaker?

    -Standing up to bullies is crucial to not being deprived of social freedom and to reaffirm the right way of being in society, which contributes to a life worth living and happiness.

  • What does the speaker suggest as an alternative to focusing on negative opinions about oneself?

    -The speaker suggests focusing on creating and joining groups that value decency, respect, and mutual care, as a way to counteract the negative impact of nasty people.

  • How does the speaker define 'basic human decency' in the context of social interactions?

    -Basic human decency is defined by the speaker as treating others with respect, care, attention, and collaboration, which are fundamental principles for positive social interactions.

  • What is the speaker's final message to the friend they are addressing in the script?

    -The speaker's final message is one of encouragement to be courageous, to continue engaging with society, and not to let fear or negative opinions deter one from living a fulfilling social life.

Outlines

00:00

πŸ€” Overcoming Social Anxiety and Fear of Judgment

The speaker addresses the issue of social avoidance due to fear of judgment and the negative impact it can have on one's life. They emphasize the importance of facing this fear and not allowing the opinions of others to control one's actions. The speaker shares personal experiences of receiving various types of feedback and how they discern between constructive criticism and disrespectful remarks. They argue against letting disrespectful individuals dominate one's life and encourage finding or creating social environments that foster decency, care, and respect.

05:02

🌟 Embracing Human Decency and Avoiding 'Wokeism' Misinterpretations

This paragraph delves into the concept of 'wokeism' and its misinterpretation as a culture of complaint and exemption from responsibility. The speaker clarifies their stance on preferring genuine human relations based on decency, respect, and care. They advise avoiding contentious terms and focusing on fundamental principles of human interaction. The speaker encourages finding or establishing groups that uphold these values and not succumbing to bullying or disrespect. They conclude by urging the listener to stand up for social freedom and to seek a life of happiness and courage in society.

Mindmap

Keywords

πŸ’‘Social Anxiety

Social anxiety is a fear of social situations that causes significant distress and can interfere with a person's daily life. In the video, it is the central theme as the speaker discusses the impact of avoiding social situations due to fear of judgment and the importance of overcoming this fear to live a fulfilling life.

πŸ’‘Opinion

Opinion refers to a belief or judgment that is not necessarily based on fact or knowledge. The video emphasizes the power that others' opinions can have over individuals, particularly in the context of social anxiety, and the need to not let these opinions control one's life.

πŸ’‘Fear

Fear is an emotional response to a perceived threat or danger. The script discusses fear as a paralyzing force that can prevent individuals from engaging in social activities and the necessity to confront this fear to reclaim social freedom.

πŸ’‘Feedback

Feedback is information about reactions or results. The speaker mentions receiving various types of feedback, highlighting the importance of discerning between constructive criticism and disrespectful remarks to maintain self-esteem and growth.

πŸ’‘Decency

Decency is the quality of being proper and considerate. The video argues for the importance of maintaining decency in social interactions, suggesting that a lack of it can lead to a breakdown in civilized behavior.

πŸ’‘Civilization

Civilization refers to an advanced state of human society, characterized by complex culture, science, industry, and government. The speaker warns against the erosion of civilized values such as respect and care for others, which are fundamental to a functioning society.

πŸ’‘Wokeism

Wokeism, in the context of the video, seems to refer to a heightened awareness of social and political issues, particularly related to justice and equality. The speaker critiques the misuse of the term but supports the underlying principles of caring and respectful human relations.

πŸ’‘Self-Preoccupation

Self-preoccupation is excessive focus on one's own interests or problems. The script mentions individuals who are overly self-absorbed and may seek to avoid responsibility, contrasting this with the speaker's advocacy for contribution and collaboration.

πŸ’‘Respect

Respect is a feeling of deep admiration for someone elicited by their abilities, qualities, or achievements. The video emphasizes respect as a cornerstone of healthy social interactions and a basic principle that should not be compromised.

πŸ’‘Collaboration

Collaboration is the process of working together to achieve a common goal. The speaker encourages embracing collaboration as a means to build good relationships, learn new things, and experience joy and affection.

πŸ’‘Bullying

Bullying is the use of force or coercion to abuse or intimidate others. The video script talks about the need to stand up against bullies and not to be deprived of social freedom by the lack of manners and mutual respect.

Highlights

The importance of not allowing others' opinions to control your life and social interactions.

The need to face fears and not let the fear of others' opinions paralyze you.

The value of engaging in society for personal growth and forming meaningful relationships.

How to discern between constructive feedback and disrespectful behavior.

The impact of allowing negative people to dominate your life and restrict your experiences.

The concept of reclaiming decency and care in human interactions as a fundamental of civilization.

The critique of 'wokeism' when it becomes self-obsessed and a means for exemption from responsibility.

A preference for focusing on human decency and respect over using specific cultural terms.

The encouragement to seek out or create groups that value mutual respect and decency.

The idea that standing up to bullies and finding allies is essential for social freedom.

The importance of not letting the lack of manners and respect deprive you of a fulfilling social life.

The encouragement to be courageous and continue engaging with society despite challenges.

The message that life is meant to be enjoyed and not feared, and the role of social engagement in this.

The overall theme of the transcript: overcoming social anxiety and the fear of others' opinions to live a fulfilling life.

Transcripts

play00:00

hello my

play00:01

friend we need to talk

play00:04

about why you

play00:06

avoid going into the

play00:09

world and being with other

play00:12

people

play00:15

because you dread how they treat you and

play00:19

what they will say to

play00:21

you well if other people start to have

play00:26

this kind of power over you that they

play00:30

can frighten you because their opinion

play00:33

matters so much to you that you Daren

play00:37

holds your

play00:39

own then your life is becoming terribly

play00:43

constricted by your social life isn't it

play00:49

and that's no good my friend no because

play00:53

your life is your own and you have to be

play00:56

in society in order to make a living and

play01:01

to create good relationships with people

play01:04

that are

play01:05

enjoyable and that teach you new things

play01:10

and that provide you with joy and

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affection

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and

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collaboration and friendship and all

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kinds of good

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things if the fear of other people's

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opinion about

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you becomes so great that it paral

play01:29

paralyzes you then it's time to do

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something about

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it and as usual you need to face your

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fear my friend you need to go straight

play01:45

ahead towards it look at me at the age

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of nearly

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73 I launch myself into the wider public

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and I receive all manner of feedback

play02:00

some of it extremely kind some of it

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very constructive and some of it

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unbelievably rude and

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unpleasant am I going to take that

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seriously no my friend I know when a

play02:15

person responds to me in good faith and

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connects with me at a level of Truth and

play02:25

intelligence and

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fairness and I can also so detect when

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another person connects with me at a

play02:34

level of hostility and

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provocation and lack of

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respect and I am not going to lower

play02:46

myself to the level of those people who

play02:49

live in a world where they disrespect

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other people and they lack in the basic

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capacity for being honest for listening

play03:00

to others and for actually finding out

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what the other person is

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about now what you're saying to me my

play03:08

friend is that when you avoid other

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people because they're so nasty and they

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call you names or they disrespect you

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you're avoiding the whole world because

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of that then basically you are allowing

play03:22

nasty

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people who who are disrespectful to

play03:27

dominate your life

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and they restrict your life and they

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become what you think the world of other

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people is about you get focused on that

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and that is very

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diminishing that is very diminishing of

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them and it is diminishing of you

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too and we cannot

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allow that to

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become the basis and the standard of how

play04:02

we live our life with others can we it

play04:06

is dreadfully important that we

play04:10

reclaim a standard of decency and care

play04:14

and concern for one another that is a

play04:18

very basic given of

play04:21

civilization and if we cannot maintain

play04:25

that level of care and concern and

play04:28

interest for each other and respect for

play04:31

the way we interact and for the way the

play04:33

other person is different to us then my

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friend we've entered entered into

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barbarism we've entered into the end of

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civilization this

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whole argument about caring for others

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being woke is just a silly nonsense

play04:57

isn't it I can see see that some people

play05:01

in our culture become too self-

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preoccupied and want to complain about

play05:07

their lives all the time or want to make

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special cases and special pleading for

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why they should be exempt from

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responsibility and making a contribution

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or things of that kind well if that's

play05:22

what wokeism is then I can see why

play05:24

people are against it but if it is about

play05:31

preferring human relations that are

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decent and caring and

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human then wokeism should be a very good

play05:42

thing I prefer to steer clear of those

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kinds of words all together and just

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think in terms of human

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decency human

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respect care and

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attention and collaboration with each

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other because those are fundamental

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principles and if others don't afford

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you those Basics then my friend feel

play06:08

free to join a group of people who will

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do that and if you can't find them my

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friend then create such a group indicate

play06:19

what you think is right and work in that

play06:24

direction do not let yourself be

play06:27

deprived of your Social freedom

play06:30

by the lack of manners

play06:34

decency and mutual

play06:38

respect my friend that is about giving

play06:41

into

play06:42

bullying stand up to the

play06:45

bullies find

play06:47

allies and

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reaffirm the right way of being in the

play06:55

world in

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society with one another

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because that makes life worth living and

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it makes us happy to be alive rather

play07:11

than afraid to be

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alive I hope you find a way to do that

play07:18

my friend it's well worth a

play07:21

try be

play07:23

courageous keep going don't let them put

play07:27

you off

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Related Tags
Social AnxietySelf-EmpowermentHuman DecencyRespectFear OvercomingCivilization ValuesWokeism DebateSocial FreedomBullyingCourage