Decoding the Gurus - Supplementary Material 21: The emergency snake, thought = secularised prayer, and Love and War

Episode Date: January 10, 2025

It's 2025, and the Gurusphere shows no signs of slowing down—so here we are, diving into some grim crossovers. This time, the bro-optimiser Andrew Huberman has teamed up with the chaos dragon himself, Jordan Peterson. Meanwhile, the ever-affectionate Lex Fridman finally scored an interview with Zelensky. Bret, however, remains preoccupied with Goliath's ongoing PsyOps.P.S. Matt broke his dongle so he's on the AirPods, we will be back to proper audio setup next episode.Supplementary Material 2100:00 Introduction and Farewell to America01:43 Memorable Encounters and Experiences03:48 Oldering & the Destruction of the Self08:35 The American Understander Issues his Verdict12:07 The Pageau Brothers, Jesus' Laugh & The Emergency Snake19:01 Bryan Johnson has concerns about Vaccines21:48 The High IQ Crowd and Trump's Greenland Plans27:44 The PsyOps Cyclops Strikes Again37:15 Huberman X Peterson: Optimising Christianity39:22 Secret Prayers and Bible Conversations43:34 Thougt = Secularised Prayer48:56 Huberman's Intelligent Design Argument for God55:49 Christian Optimising Stack01:07:56 Marc Andreessen on Vigor, Pride and Achievement01:13:30 Faux Heterodoxy01:19:24 Plain Steaks are the best!01:24:47 Jordan Peterson's Diet Struggles01:32:25 Lex Fridman's Interview with Zelensky01:37:52 Lex plugs Rogan's comedy club01:41:09 Elon Musk and Trump are anti-corruption!01:44:27 Critique of Lex Fridman's Interview Style01:46:07 Lex's dream and Russia's security guarantees01:53:25 Lex's Strategic Naivety02:05:12 Lex reads A LOT02:11:40 Lex and Putin predictions02:12:39 Lex will endure the attacks against him02:14:56 Wrapping Up & Patreon Love BombThe full episode is available for Patreon subscribers (2hrs 16 mins).Join us at: https://www.patreon.com/DecodingTheGurusSourcesChris' thread on Lex and his wounded bird poseHuberman Podcast- Dr.Jordan Peterson: How to Best Guide Your Life Decisions & PathLex Fridman Podcast- Volodymyr Zelenskyy: Ukraine, War, Peace, Putin, Trump, NATO, and Freedom | Lex Fridman Podcast #456The Free Press: Bryan Johnson: How Not to Die in 2025Matthieu Pageau's thread on the Emergency Snake

Music Hello and welcome to Decoding the Guru's 2025 edition. Here we are in the future with the cognitive anthropologist Christopher Kavanaugh and the unknown sub-discipline psychologist, Matthew Brown, Professor Matthew Brown, as he insists on being called. He's in America for the last time. He's leaving their fair lands within a few days. So this will be the last dispatch from America. I'm in Tokyo. We're here for supplementary I'm in Tokyo. We're here for supplementary Materials the first in 2025 welcome Matt. Welcome. Thank you. Thank you, Chris. Thank you, Chris Yeah, this is the final final installment from the American Odyssey here in beautiful San Francisco But leaving on the jet plane tomorrow I

Was gonna sing that but I better Just a minute it came across my head, but no one needs to hear that. Well, this means this is the final episode with you in the land of the free. So you need to give your final thoughts. What's the big idea about America? Well, I have to give a shout out to all, you know, many lovely patrons and friends of the podcast, the meeting throughout the United States, but most recently that lovely day today with Christian, an active participant in our

community and he was a stand-up guy, as they say in the States, took me around, showed me beautiful views. We ate amazing smoked meats. I met his beautiful wife, his beautiful dog. Saw his beautiful loft apartment. So that was cool. And before that, I caught up with Jonathan Howard, another friend of the pod, former guest,

who has written a new book on a similar theme. Like the COVID-19 dececidence, he switched sides. He's like pro. He has, he has explained to me when I met him that some, some people turned up, a big there was a big suitcase of cash involved. He's seen the lights. It's a, it's a tell-all. And that was really nice in Manhattan and also Manhattan.

We had a, a meetup, DTG meetup.up, and lots of people came, like 10 or 12 people came all together and... That's huge, that's unbelievable, Christ, it's like... I was there first and I was thinking, is anyone gonna come? That's okay, maybe one or two. But I was overwhelmed and everyone was very hip and very cool, as you'd expect Manhattanites to be. So yeah, it's been nice. It's been nice meeting everyone. Well, I even overhear Matt. I'll just say, you know, that I may have bumped into a Patreon. We may have been on the walls, bouldering up different roads. It's possible.

There are rumors that that might have occurred, but this is not to say that anyone that comes to Japan can just demand that I take them. They don't have to boulder. Is it compulsory, compulsory bouldering? It's the only way you can find me. Yeah. You want to talk, you have to talk as I'm going up all the way down, but yeah Yeah, I do I do have a just a very you know supplementary material what indulgence. This is what we're alive here I do have to say a roller very short, but it's I found it quite amusing and Bulldozing story I pray with me everything okay, all right is it's gonna be it's gonna be I pray with me everything. Okay. All right, is it's gonna be it's gonna Because it involves my humiliation

Yes, then you're on yeah, so just the the boulder gym that I go to which is near my office is usually quite empty Because it's it's not in Tokyo. It's right inside Hama. You'll never find it. Okay? And in any case, so I enjoy, you know, a lot of space usually and freedom, but on this occasion, I went during the New Year holidays and it was very busy. There was a lot of people there. So it means that, you know, you're always climbing in front of people, which is like, you know, social thing. It's harder than when you're just alive, you have to run to yourself. But even worse, when the people that are climbing are all significantly better than you, right? Because they are sitting waiting, you know, they're in a group, taking turns to try these very high level things. And in this case, like extremely high level, sand down, the highest level in the gym, like

third black belt degree is the equivalent of it. So, and they're all young as well. All extremely young. I hate that. Yeah, sons of bitches. Young, fit, proficient. They're probably good looking as well. I hate that. They were good looking.

They were good looking. They were good looking. And having fun. Fuck the fizz. Yeah. So, everybody, even the older people that weren't with them were good. Like everybody was, everybody was good. I was easily the worst person there.

So you know, I didn't get in the way and carried on, but they were climbing like an overhang, like a slope. And I was like, I want to climb some of that before I go. But I don't want to interrupt them because they're trying these very difficult ones. And there was one which I had climbed the last time I was there, which I knew I could do. It's at my level, which is significantly many, many levels below what they were climbing. But I was like, but I've done that one and it wasn't too hard, so I'll at least be able to climb that. I'll feel a sense

of accomplishment just before I leave and I'll go. So I went and climbed up and I noticed when I was climbing, oh, I'm quite tired. I've been climbing for like an hour and a half. So I'm actually quite tired for this climbing. It's not an easy one for me. It would be easy for them. They probably go backwards or whatever. And also I was feeling more conscious that I'm climbing in front of a bunch of people.

So that doesn't make me climb better. It makes me climb worse, right? And also I was feeling more conscious that I'm climbing in front of a bunch of people. So that doesn't make me climb better, it makes me climb worse, right? Because I'm kind of like, oh, good. And I was climbing up and there was in my head and then I noticed that, oh, I'm at the last thing, the goal is just there, which means I'm at the highest point of the wall. So I was like, oh, me too. Like I didn't climb very well, but it's not that embarrassing, you know, like I'm up at the highest point of the wall. So I was like, oh, I made it. Like I didn't climb very well, but it's not that embarrassing, you know, like I'm up at the top.

But then I did notice, whoa, but I'm very tired. So I went whoa. And I kind of like, you know, thinking these thoughts and then reached out and grabbed the top and touched it. And then proceeded to immediately fall off, right, from the highest point possible. So I fell like an Irish shack competitor.

Were you flailing? I'd like to imagine your arms and legs flailing as you're on your way down. It was. There is video and it is a little bit of a fling. Cause I was expecting that to happen, right? So when I landed, you know, boom across the mat. And then I, you know, turned around and picked up my self-respect and the look of sympathy and like, you know, Oh, good try.

Condescension. Well, I think that's really hard today. Yeah. Talk about Sam Harris, ego deflation. No, I go for physical ego deflation. You should look at their eyes. Like he's old and not very good looking, but at least he tried.

At least he tried. At least he tried. Yeah. Yeah, so it would have been, you know, it would have been much better even to fall off somewhere earlier, where it would have been like, okay, well, that didn't work. But at the very end, it just made a big noise. So yeah.

What can you do, Matt? All right. I brought these and fill us. But it just reminds us all, keep your ego in check. So it's, you know. Yeah. Well, look, you're an example to us all. You're showing that it's better to try and fail rather than not to try it all, which is what I generally, that's what I generally.

Thank you. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. That's a good message. So you've no takeaways. The final point is on America, no final things you like. Some of them are patrons are nice.

Uh, toilets, not enough. That's it. That's pretty much it. I mean, what else can you say? I mean, like San Francisco is a very nice town. I was reminded of that. I was showing views of it. I've seen it from many different perspectives.

I'll, I'll make Christian was like dissing his neighborhood. Oh, it's a terrible neighborhood. You've seen it from many different perspectives. Our mate Christian was dissing his neighborhood, oh, it's a terrible neighborhood. You know, it's a really bad neighborhood. And I'm looking around, and this is clearly fine. This is really fine. I don't know. Maybe they're harder on themselves than anyone else. No, I've told you this before.

I can't say anything generic about America. No hotcakes made in America, because there's nothing that is very consistent. Yeah. I mean, look, I really liked the subway system in New York. It's not as good as the Tokyo subway system admittedly, but it still feels like, like a magical wormhole. You know, you go down underground and then, and then you pop up somewhere else.

It's amazing to me. You talk about Ireland like a background country, but the fact that you're me is my underground country. There's something about the place you gave her the seal. It's magic. You're under the ground. I still don't know how it works. I do know how it works.

I assume the spells of the company convolved. Yeah. Yeah. That's it. But there was a couple of very sad incidents on the subway. You know, it happens. Somebody was pushed in front of a train and they... I saw that.

I saw that. Yeah, and... Somebody was set on fire. Oh, so another person was set on fire. So yeah, you know, this is just lots of things that gives it a bad rep. But as I was reminded by my friends, 30 million people catch this somewhere every day. Yes, there are a couple of bad apples. And most of them don't go on fire.

Most of them don't end in immolation or injury. Well, that's good. That is good. There we go. There you go. That's why Matt is not an anthropologist. The American dispatch is complete. Now, also, unless you've traveled as far as Matt has, you can't contradict him on any

of his opinions about American stuff. So that's it. I know America. I've been to more American cities than most Americans at this point. And yeah, I am now the authority. I'm the American understander. So anytime anyone gives us one of these comments of how could you guys are talking about American stuff all the time?

You don't know. I know I Know that's it. So there there we have it. I like that takeaway Matt basically service for the podcast just the reputation if anybody's been in the rain, that's that's good I like I like that speaking of annoying people Matt I like that. Speaking of annoying people, Matt. That's what we call in the business. A pro segway. So the various guru types have been doing various annoying things. So I have examples of this for you. I've got a few morsels and then I've got the main course.

Um, okay. So, okay. Okay. Good. Good. Good. Good. All right. Well, I'm, I'm excited. I'm curious. I have a vague idea of what we're going to cover, but, uh, you know, not, not the precise

order. So yeah, where would you like to begin? Chris, where's the jumping off point? Well, I thought, you know, this, this is just like the aperitif. You're familiar with Jonathan Pajot, Jordan Peterson's friend. He's currently in an online debate with all our Christians about whether Jesus laughed, apparently there's a significant debate within the evangelical weird Christian online communities about whether Jesus ever laughed in his life.

Whether he ever laughed. Yeah, yeah. Right. This is a, okay. I can't wait to find out what the outcome of that is. I'll just read the first of Peugeot's tweets from that. He has a thread on it. There was a strange polemic happening suddenly around me by some who I on the whole appreciate about the Christian tradition that Christ did not laugh, people getting offended and reeling against the idea and whatnot. This is really a moment to understand what I do and why I do.

A thread. and whatnot. This is really a moment to understand what I do and why I do it. Afro. Okay. Such an opening salvo in the, did Christ laugh? Great debate of 2025. So that's, but you know, my Christian apologists, Christian evangelical types, that's the kind of thing they're into debating. How many- Agiles can dance on the head of a pin. Did Christ laugh? How many times did Christ laugh? Can he a pin? Did Christ laugh? How many times did Christ laugh? Can he laugh? What is a laugh? And of course, Peugeot has thoughts about the difference between a laugh and a smile.

And a giggle. Did Jesus smile wistfully to himself? You know, occasionally. That's what I'd like to know. That's the real question that nobody's trying to address. Yeah, well, it keeps him out of trouble, doesn't it? It does. But that's not, that's not the person I want to mention, but because, so the pageant is part of the Peterson verse and you know, Peterson takes him along with him.

He gets pushed up. So he'll appear on, you know, Lex Friedman or whatever the case might be with Chris Williamson or whoever. Right. But. Peugeot has a brother, Mateo Peugeot, who Peterson sometimes also shouts out and his his feed is a rare treat, an exotic guru morsel, if you will, because he's right on the line between like delusional schizophrenia kind of posting and religious media and the kind of things that passes for just standard, you know, alternative media, conspiracism. So Pujar is the normal brother.

Yes. Yes. The plus version is the normal brother. Mateo is the plus version. Okay. Exactly. And so I just saw, I mean, his timeline is a wonder. He didn't have the dragon of chaos. What was it? The sneer of something.

The millipede of confusion. Yeah, yeah. It's just kind of a thing. I think it's a sneak the emergency sneak That's like I really like That's such a worse version of the chaos dragon Snake Emergency sneak map eternally I'm gonna get right get it right The confusion snake. Emergency snake, Matt. Eternally emergency snake. Sorry, I'm getting it right.

Yeah, so it's just worth noting that Peterson recommends and promotes these people. But when you go and look at what they're pumping out on the regular. So I'm just going to give you a taste from his timeline. So he was in conversation with presumably another of these Christian symbolic interpretiveist persons who was talking about the relationship between insomnia, the dead and immortality because he had a bad sleep.

Insomnia, the undead and immortality. Also dreams and healing and renewal. So what? Yeah, it's that thing of just throwing in concepts, right? And ripping on it. But Peugeot responded to that. Matteo Peugeot responded. Honestly, I feel like I'm running out of time to write about certain

things before it's too late. So maybe we can talk about these subjects and it has a helpful list. The Nephilim Giants, aborted rebirth and immortality, the undead, lack of sleep, hybrids, prostitutes, occult infiltration, alien parodies. So, you know, your time is running out. Who can say why, Matt? Something, you know, something is about to come. The important thing is to get off your chest what you've been holding back

about occult infiltration, the Nephilim giants and pseudo parody aliens or whatever they are. I shouldn't ask this question, but do you know who the Nephilim giants are when they're at home? Oh yeah, yeah, yeah. I know the Nephilim. You don't know the Nephilim giants? I feel so un-hip. I know the Neville Come on give us a juice today

What's the one line up about the devil? I'm trying basically like that You know the Old Testament has some mention of potential giants like it was Nikolayev for example, right? But there may in fact be famous Nikolaev, for example, right, but there may in fact be entire races of giants, Allah, you know, Lord of the Rings that were previously around in biblical time. So this is that. And I think there's a connection with the angels or whatever it gets, right? Like it. So it's that what's Leviathan and all this kind of thing, right? The monsters in the Bible. Okay. Monster, Bible monsters. in the Bible okay monster Bible monsters got it yeah monsters the emergency snake probably had something to say but yeah

that's that's it I'm not gonna go oh the material picture I actually just on occasion retweet his you know post report any comment because they're too perfect in themselves that they don't require comment. But it's just good to keep an eye on like the edges of the Peterson verse. And then when people treat Peugeot, like when Alex O'Connor sits down and has, you know, this indulgent conversation with Jonathan Peugeot about his biblical interpretations or whatever, it's just always on my mind that you're acting as if this guy is, you know, just a regular biblical scholar. But no, the emergency sneak is only one, one, one treat away from and Pashow was tweeting,

I just know I'm recommending his brother's insight. So yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Well, some things are beyond critique. And I think the Neph of giants and the emergency snake. Ah, we just need to observe them, appreciate them and let them go. Yes. Yes, this is quite right. Now, in terms of other figures that we have talked about and covered previously, covered previously. Brian Johnson, you know, the don't die guy, right? Blueprint man. He was on the free press with Barry Weiss and he gave a wide ranging interview. He had a lot of insights to share across a galaxy, a constellation some would say of topics. He has insights on everything. He

might run for president. I don't know if there's later stage. Who can say, uh, stranger things have happened. He could run for president in 2500. No, he doesn't think he's going to die. All that kind of shit. But he was asked about vaccines and here's what he said. Vaccines are a holy war. Like no one is engaged on vaccines in a scientific method. It is just like a political fight mechanism. So I don't, yeah, I don't gauge a holy war. So let me make it personal.

Do you get a flu shot every year? No. Did you get vaccinated for COVID? I did. Do you regret getting vaccinated for COVID? I do. Why? I mean, you, I want to trust the systems that produce science. I want them to, their role is to not sway my opinion.

Their role is to give me data. And they didn't. They swayed my opinion. And that is an improper use of power. Okay. So concerned about the safety regrets taking them. Is that right? Yeah, that's it.

So he's on the cutting edge of science. You can trust him elsewhere. And then the material we looked at, you know, he is parsing through the scientific data. Him and his team, they are at the bleeding edge of what science knows about the human body and senescence and all these kinds of things. And yet he is unable to parse the overwhelming evidence that COVID vaccines are more beneficial to you than harmful and that indeed they're extremely safe according to all metrics. Maybe there is more data on that in terms of recent high quality data because of the global pandemic than other vaccines, billions of people having the vaccines administered. But Brian, not sure, not sure,

Matt, and regrets making the hasty decision to get vaccinated during the global pandemic. Yeah, yeah. There are some, there are some opinions that just serve as canaries in the cold mine. You know, these are indicator opinions, big red flags, they're almost a perfect signal that there's something wrong with this person. Being anti-vaxxers is one of them. Being an anti-emite is another.

There is just some things that are deal breakers for me, I think. On a similar note, Matt, so, you know, Trump has been floating recently, this, you know, kind of stupid various, this is just going to go on for four years. So get used to it, but like he might buy Greenland. He might envied Canada. The Canada will become the 51st state. Like, and. You've got to rename Gulf of Mexico. might invade Canada, the Canada will become the 51st state. Like, and.

And you've got to rename Gulf of Mexico. Yeah. So, right. But you know, so that's, that is what it is. Elon Musk is going on about the, um, he wants to, he wants to conduct some kind of regime change in the UK. In Germany, the UK and wherever, wherever, you know, it's already done America. So, but, and he's come across the grooming scandals right in the UK from kind of 10 years ago, even though that actually has been a mainstay of right-wing media

coverage for decades and was also a genuine scandal. Right. Like if you go to Wikipedia page on that and look at reports, there's like reports commissioned from the government. That's right. There's been inquiries. It's a whole thing. And, but Elon Musk has just discovered it and he's even appalled.

He's appalled. It's not reported on it, but it was reported on and nobody's willing to admit the failures, actually there are, there's multiple reports about them and so on. But in any case, so whenever these people come across issues or, you know, like the kind of MAGA sphere, they'll be talking about Greenland for a while, right? But nothing, nothing is going to happen. But what you said, Matt, about the Canary in the coal mine and these issues serving as like indicators.

I saw that the race IQ section of Twitter is like in fear of this, right? Of course, I guess they would be. Yeah, that's, that's another good one. That's another, that's another Canary in the coal mine and unhealthy interesting race in IQ. That's another good one. That's another, that's another canary in the calm line and unhealthy. Yeah. In terms of skin raising. So I saw Jonathan Pallison, I don't know how I'm pronouncing that right, but he made a post about why my country Denmark should sell Greenland to the U S right in the East. It gives various reasons and a lot of popular account I slash O there's no downside to acquiring

Greenland even if we need to pay a lot of money for it. It's a good idea and should be pursued aggressively. So they're treating it as if this is a legitimate thing and this is, here's the logical case, you know, like let's, let's wear up the pros and cons. And it's just a Trump brain fart from a press conference. It means nothing. But these people that are obsessed with IQ and the kind of rational looking at the stats and all this kind of thing, they're just led along by their nose, by whatever the right-wing king has talked about that day. And I, as you say, I think that is just indicative of

the extent to which you should regard them as these, you know, like data-focused people that are really, you know, serious. They're not political people. It's just that they care about the science. It's just that they think that selling Greenland is a fantastic idea, right? And, and likely that happened. So yeah, yeah, that was going on. I kind of liked the idea of integrating Canada and the United States though, because you're going to see all of these stolubly blue near States incorporated into the union and the Republic should win another

election for decades at least. So there's a, there's a silver lining to that one. Some of the right-wing influencers already noticed that and they're cautioning, Mark. They're like, has anyone noticed? And you're just like, it's not right. The fact that there are no counter threats, but actually why acquiring Canada as the 51st year is a, you know, it's a bad idea. Hold on. Like in your, it means nothing, right?

It's just, just Trumpian waffle on and Trudeau just resigned. Like there's a, there's going to be a new election. It's probably going to be like a conservative leader in Canada. So like, and none of it means anything. No. But they're all just reacting to everything. And at the same time as they complain about Trump derangement syndrome or whatever, it just seems like, you know, he's the Pied Piper.

Whatever he talks about on a given day becomes the agenda for the whole right-wing ecosystem and it's it's the president Elon Musk is the same Elon Musk is the same so yeah I mean actually that's a perfect illustration of why Trump derangement syndrome is totally update means absolutely nothing these days because on one hand You have Trump doing insane things, which are totally deranged, and Elon Musk for that matter, and you have all of the fans going along with this collective madness and taking it seriously. And yet the reaction, it's there, but it's really, given the insanity of the proposals, it is relatively calm.

People aren't generally taking it very seriously and it's largely being ignored. That's right So it's the opposite of Trump derangement syndrome The madness is on one side. The other side is not freaking out about it in fact probably ought to be but you know We've all just gotten tired of reacting to Trump. So I have seen some reactions on blue sky, but you know Well, that's blue sky guy, but you know, well, that's blue sky. I think so it's like you say, there are just these kinds of issues, which I think are good signposts for the degree of seriousness with which you should treat people's opinions more broadly.

And, um, I have another example of this map before I get to the main course. It's the last, it's your, you know, your last starter, which is an old friend of ours has some concerns about more PsyOps being run against them. So, I tell you, this is an exercise for the listener. Someone's concerned about PsyOps being run against them. Who could that be? Is it A?

Is it that's interlimb? B? Yeah. Let's see be? Is it a, is it that seem to live? B. Yeah. Let's see if you got it right. Here's the clip. I think that I have gone decades without hearing anybody mention H1B visas except Eric. Right. That's how I know about this. That's how I know it's even an issue. And yet suddenly, they are now front and center as a result of some tweeting by Elon and Vivek. And now everybody's talking about H1B visas. Well, I'm going to leave the discussion of the details of H1B visas to Eric. He is the expert, he's the

person to go to on this, but I want to talk about the fact that the arrival of H-1B visas on people's minds is like a direct hit on Maga, Maha, and Unity. If you wanted to upend this coalition, now would be the perfect moment to introduce an immigration story that is not galvanizing. In fact, it's polarizing. And the H1B story is exactly that because you have things like entrepreneurs who run businesses. In any case, the question is, has this landed on our doorstep organically or did somebody decide you know what we can't very well have these people reorganizing civilization on the basis of their you know having galvanized around the hazard of Unregulated immigration to the country. So let's make immigration complicated again. So anyway, that's the question

Did somebody you know it feels to me a lot like what October 7th did to the medical freedom movement. And, you know, again, am I a crazy person for wondering if there's anything about that that was inorganic? Yeah, I kind of feel crazy. Like, you would honestly have a, you know, massive terrorist attack that would lead inevitably to a ghastly war. You know, you would do that for cynical reasons. That doesn't sound right to me. On the other hand, every time I think something is beyond what normal humans would contemplate, I discover it's worse than I thought.

And so that's why I came up with, I wouldn't put it past them. Yeah. Right, I wouldn't put it past any of them to use the H-1B visa cynically to start a war. Um, so anyway. Pretty good.

Pretty good. So they are, they are dastardly then whoever they are. We don't know, but somebody, somebody saw the idea. Goliath, so the idea into Musk's brain and the various other people in the Magasphere arguing about this, you know, the tech pros on one hand, she'd like to import skilled migrants and maybe not pay them what they need to, but basically like skilled business. And then you have the more, the other faction, uh, you know, the more, the more white factions of Maga, just don't like foreigners.

Don't like immigration too many, too many of these others coming in here. And it's so surprising, isn't it? It's so surprising that there might be division amongst that broad coalition of people that are generally- Maga is a very cohesive- You know, like they... Very cohesive. In the previous administration, they were so united constantly.

There was no back fighting. There was no in fighting and, you know... You've got the hardcore Christians. You've got the anti-vaxxers. You've got the conspiracy theorists. You've got the libertarians. You've got the rich people and the alt-legal, the crony. Of course, they're a united of course they're a united front.

They're a united front. There's no reason that they would bicker amongst themselves except that Goliath would be twiddling those little knobs. Yes. Yeah. This is the Gaza all over again, Chris. That was my thought too. The minute I saw that controversy, I thought this was just like

Gaza. Yeah, because why else would that happen? Why else would there be conflict in the Middle East, Chris, if not in to do with? Yeah, my first thought as well was like, but how does this relate to Brett? And the answer to Brett and the answer that Brett supplies is for us all, right? The, yes, this is about dividing, you know, the rescue, the Republic movement. Previously, October 7th was about dividing the COVID dissidents. Goliath is doing its best to scupper Brett's and his friends' efforts. They will stop at nothing, but they will stop at nothing. efforts. They will stop at nothing, but they will stop at nothing. Horrific violence, invasions, incepting ideas into the leaders of MAGA. Truly, is Brett

crazy for considering this? Is he an unhinged conspiracist? Is he paranoid? I'm thinking of Musk as the Manchurian candidate. You know, like he's been kidnapped at some point, he's been programmed. And now he, he's like a, he's like a robot just fulfilling the poor guy. It's fulfilling their mission for them. Well, it's good thing Brett is, he's onto it. Um, he knows. Yeah.

Yeah, they haven't, which is, which is why whenever I hear people, like when I hear stuff like this, and then I hear people that don't pay that much attention to Brett saying, you know, like he had his mind melted over COVID or whatever, but like he's fundamentally a good guy. I just recently reheard like Sam talking with Eric and the trigonometry people. And he was saying, no, yeah, I always thought Brett was like a deeply stand up guy and very sharp on things. And you're like, you know, yeah, I always thought Brett was like a deeply stand up guy and very sharp on things. And you're like, maybe no, maybe you're terrible, terrible. Anybody who thinks that,

they either ignore what Brett actually says and does in general, or they imagine that it's only come out now. Like he was never like this before. And no, he was always like this. He just didn't directly talk about vaccines. And so like, this is on par for him. This is the caliber of explanations. Yeah. Yeah. Um, oh, well, you know, poor old Bretts. Well, he's, um, he's still there.

He's still there. He's still working hard. By the way, when was this info offered? Is this on the Dark Horse podcast? Yeah, this was on the Dark Horse podcast. I think the most recent one. I may be borrowing some clips from our friend, Bad Stats, maybe. Would you?

That sounds like something you might do. Yeah, I might've done that, but yeah, so it's recently, the Dark Horse continues to gallop through the land of unhinged conspiracism. And yeah, that's it, Matt. So we haven't covered the Dark Horse episode in depth in a long while, but you've got a good indication of what's going on there. Yeah. Do you think we should run away? Should we return to some of our greatest hits? You know, like genuinely, would it be fun? Would it be fun? We could. I don't know. Well, yeah, but I mean, it's just all the same, but like this, this is just what

you're gonna hear, but you know, they were talking about them grinding. There was another clip talking with Heller about the importance of grinding and how, you know, they don't know the exact science, but it, it might localize you in place and give you, you know, some benefits, but it might localize you in Plius and give you some benefits, some high minerals being transferred or whatever the case might be. I wonder how the wires underground affect the electrical field magnetic earth. I think it improves it because I think the earth is a better block. Oh, but you're saying close proximity?

Yeah. I don't think you're going to be, I don't think if you are grounding, if you feel benefits from being barefoot on the earth where you are and feel that it enforces your localness, and I do. And I think any human who had been raised where I was raised and watching this would be affected right now, but I think I'm particularly focused on place. I always want to know when I'm talking to someone remotely, where are you? Where are you in the world right now? But I think grounding specifically gives your body information about where you are and information that we have not yet been able to decipher about,

therefore about what is to come. And I wonder if putting the wires on the ground would affect that. I don't know. Very Huberman-esque comments on that. So, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Well, I might be to it. I might be to returning to some of our old favorites, but only if it's fun. Yeah. That's it. People are demanding we go back to the sense-making. And maybe we should. Maybe we should. Schmacktenberger has grown a massive beard. A huge beard. Jordan Hall has become a Christian.

Jimmy Weed is probably the most demon. I'm sure he is. I'm sure he is. Actually, I think we should return to the science makers, because I do have a soft spot for those guys. I'm innocent. What have they been up to? Well, we heard from Viveki and Peterson

recently, and speaking of science makers, Matt, sit down. That was the premium, the Alpha and Omega science maker, that was, that's true. So the premium, the alpha and omega sense maker, Jordan Peterson, finally did a crossover, he's done every crossover imaginable. So who is left for him on his to do list?

Well, Andrew Huberman, Andrew Huberman and Jordan Peterson together at last two great scientists. We need one of those conspiratorial pinball to call of the twine traipsed in between the nodes. You know, we need to map it all out. Well, we thought the meaning crisis was resolved, but not quite. It's still on the menu. It's still on the menu. And Huberman billed it as psychological insights from a renowned psychologist on various topics.

But as is Peterson's want, it was mostly relating everything to the Bible because he has this new book, We Who Wrestle with God, and he manages to throw in a whole bunch of stuff, but it's very much a big brain, sense maker, yes, and the ideas referencing psychological and neuroscience concepts, you know, building out these important interpretive framework. John Petersen's had some ideas about how his psychopathy works and how it's similar to this and all this kind of thing, name dropping endlessly. That's what it's about. But there were a few little components that I thought I would highlight for you, Matt, from that conversation. Three and a half hours, I listened to it. I suffered,

much like Jesus on the cross. And I come back with the good news. You're a sick puppy, thank you. I am. So, Hooperman, like many before him, is making the Christian pivot. So let's hear some of that. Yeah, I pray before every podcast, I pray before going to sleep each.

I've been doing this for about, for a little over a year. I always quietly, secretly. Why did you decide to do that? My coming to the whole notion of prayer and God, et cetera, was complicated in the backdrop in the sense that I always secretly prayed, always secretly prayed.

And then about a year and a half ago, a guy that works on my security team started talking to me about the Bible. We started talking about God and it made sense. I started reading the Bible. I'm not through it yet. And I started praying and I had a number of experiences as a consequence of praying, clearly

as a consequence of prayer that made me realize that prayer doesn't give me a capacity of any sort. It just allows certain things that I believe are inside of me to come out and for- Proper prayer establishes aim. Yes, well that does sound familiar. It's very vague though, isn't it? I mean, I don't mean to belittle people

that are coming out of the closet and praying openly. He secretly prayed, Matt. He secretly prayed for a long time. Secretly prayed, but it's better if you do it out in the open. He's, um, and he discovered, what was it? He discovered capacities or something within him was able to come out. Yes. Does he get into specifics?

He does a bit more so I can play a little bit more on this. So he was talking about how prayer, yes, it's helping you to get focused and stuff, but it's letting something external actualize within you and orientate you. Deliberate breathing, AKA breath work can allow you to shift your state. Hypnosis is a tool that can allow you to solve a particular problem, because it has some aspect of neuroplasticity there. Non-sleep deep rest, which is a thing that was built out of this practice called yoga nidra,

where you go into an awake but deeply relaxed state, allows you to restore your vigor. Meditation to me is a way of enhancing one's ability to focus. Third eye meditation of concentrating your breath, et cetera. I mean, we know enhancing one's ability to focus. You know, third eye meditation of concentrating your breath, et cetera. I mean, we know based on the data improves focus. Prayer to me is entirely different than all of those.

There's some overlap. They look similar. Some of them look similar from the outside. But prayer is the, for me, is the allowing of something from truly outside me to come through me and bring out the best in me. And that's why I pray for four things. I pray for ability. I pray for other people. And I also have learned that a powerful aspect of prayer is just listening, because just stopping and listening and

trying to invite in or allow in messages that if I didn't still myself that I wouldn't hear. And sometimes I'll go to sleep and then the next morning something will come to mind. It's not always immediate. Yeah. Well, I don't think there's any real difference between that and revelation.

So imagine that what speaks to you in intuition is the voice of your aim. This is the difference between meditation and stuff because there's a God, right? There's a God that you're getting to. And Huberman being witnessed to. This is Christian evangelicalism working. His security guard witnessed to him and now he's a good Christian. Take it a while to get through the Bible.

Like, you know, it's a big one. There through the Bible. Like, there's a lot of books. There's a lot of books. That's, that's okay. He's just a baby Christian. Especially the bits where, you know, someone begets someone else. You pick up someone else. That's a, that's a drag. Those bits.

Yeah. You can skip over those. You can get through the New Testament, I think really quickly, but, um, anyway, but before I get there a bit more about like him outlining that Jordan has some thoughts that are sparked by this about, you know, the importance of prayer. And not have you considered that before people could think that they were able to pray? Have you considered that possibility? The fact that it could be suggested is astounding.

So let's hear the logic. Let's hear the logic. And one of these days when we have a podcast, I'd like to sit down and talk to you about the relationship, the formal relationship between thought and prayer. Because I think thought is secularized prayer I looked at its history because like when did we start to think that's not so obvious you know I mean we started to think in words after we developed the ability to use language what's that a hundred and fifty thousand years maybe

it's longer than that no one really knows but thought has its historical historical origins the probability that emerged from something like prayer as far as I can tell is a hundred percent But I'd like to at some point it's complicated, but I'd like to have a discussion with you about that You know, it's a thought it's in the probability is a hundred percent You know, it's a thought. It's a probability is a 100%. 100%. But it's just think of it. But it is it absolutely is true. It's so quick.

Yeah, how about that? How about that? So wait, just let me just let me just I just need to process this. It's a high level idea about your recovery mode from high level idea. So it might seem on the face of it, you know, just while you're, I'll help you along just a bit, that like, that doesn't make any sense because obviously people could think before they could pray because there's, there's lots of thoughts, including a non-human species.

And there's not so much prayer going on outside the human lineage. But for Jordan, no, it's a hundred percent certain that prayer, prayer came first, then fought, then fought. Yeah. I mean, but this is perfect because this fits with his crazy theories where like the word is the word is the word of God. It's a temptation of everything. So it's secularized prayer. So it all starts off with communing in a pre-linguistic, pre-thinking state.

You're communing with God and then you can articulate it a bit better. And it's sort of the words are coming or the meanings and everything are coming from God. And then you can, you know, kind of use that elsewhere in the world. And then obviously the sickness that's going on with secular society is that we've detached thought from God, when actually everything, God should just be front and center of every single thing that we say and think and write. Yeah, I get it. I get it. That's mad. Yes, that's a little bit mad. But so you wondered, you know, you wanted to hear more from Huberman about religion. Yeah.

But how's it, how's it, yeah, I'd like to know about the, just the details of the prayer and how it's helping. And maybe this clip has a little bit of that. Let's hear. Imagine that to have it in, to have an informative intuition means that you posit a question a question and that's a form of humility. It's like there's something I need to know that I don't know, that I could know, that I'd like to know. It's like so you set the stage. Well once you set the stage the probability that a creative idea will enter the theater of your imagination is much enhanced. That's the first stage of revelation. Then you have to assess that. That's discriminating the spirits, you

might say. You're separating the wheat from the chaff. That's critical thinking. All of that, as far as I can tell, is something approximating it. Secularize prayer. Set your aim. Then observe the manifestation of that aim. Now, it's not even magic. If you'd like to continue listening to this conversation, you'll need to subscribe at patreon.com slash Decoding the Gurus. Once you do, you'll get access to full-length episodes of the Decoding the Gurus podcast, including bonus shows, Gurometer episodes, and Decoding Academia. The Decoding the Gurus podcast is ad free

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