Okay welcome back let's continue on this same subject there are some comments on the chat I'll begin with those okay so get through to saying I was just taking everything for granted and Lucy is saying sister we sometimes say why did why did this happen okay we say why did this happen why did God allow this to pass why did God keep quiet when yeah some wrong things are happening in our nation we were to pray to bring God's authority okay yes sister so as I've been sharing we know that we have a full deputization a proper deputization so when God put us here on the earth he gave us dominion and we can exercise that dominion through our prayer just a moment Daniel is saying what should be the duration of prayer what should be the duration of prayer there's no such hard and fast rule Daniel but we will talk about the importance of discipline in prayer that's when we can allocate some time for prayer and it'll be very helpful so that there's no such rule like you should pray for one hour two hours five hours we don't find any such rule given by God however for the sake of disciplining ourselves in prayer we can set aside some time and say I will pray for one hour every day and I will pray for five hours during the weekend so all this we can regulate on our own I hope I have answered your question any anything else any other thoughts fine so we've understood that as God's people I'm just using the word church when I say church it's everyone who's born again so it's not I'm not referring to local church I'm from this church I'm from that church no we are all part of the body of Christ we're all part of the kingdom of God and the Bible tells us that the church remember Jesus said I give you the keys of the kingdom and then he said I will build my church I will build my church who is the church every born again believer the church is you and me we are the church I am the church so he will build his church meaning all of us and he says the gates of hell will not prevail against it that tells us that the church or the body of believers is a very powerful spiritual entity we are not a weak spiritual entity no oh the church so sad look at the church as far as Jesus is concerned he said look I will build my church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it so what is Jesus saying the body of believers is strong spiritually very strong and they are so strong that the church will destroy Satan and his kingdom the gates of hell refers to Satan refers to the demons Jesus said that I'm giving this kind of authority to the believers the gates of hell will not prevail against it so we must remember church that we are blessed with dominion and authority that Christ Jesus has given us and we have to use it you tell me what is the use if we don't you know we don't utilize the authority that has been given to us so we may have the keys to the building let's say the owner of the building says I'm giving you the keys you can come anytime you can use the facility you know use it but if I take the keys and I keep it in my cupboard and I easily lock it up okay and I'm not using what has been given to me or let's take for example somebody gives you a wonderful laptop you can do so much on the laptop but what do we do it close the laptop pack it off in a nice bag you keep it on a shelf look at it every day what's happening you've been given the authority you've been given the opportunity we've been given what we need but what's happening we are just not using it when you are not using it whom should we blame God gave it right he already gave us what we need but we didn't use it so that can happen in the lives of believers we know yes I have all this you know I can exercise my authority against the devil I can pray a believing prayer and receive answers to it but I'm not using it why should I use it then whose mistake is it whose fault is it it's not God's fault he already gave us the authority so this is what we must awaken to or realize that God wants us to partner with him he's saying come on I have given you the keys of the kingdom to bind and to lose right and I'm building my church the gates of hell will not prevail against it so we have to take our authority and we have to start releasing it so today what am I trying to tell us prayer is one way when we start praying we can release that authority that God has given us and things happen in our lives things happen in people's lives now the question that most of us may have had in the last session when I was telling God wants us to partner with him God will do the work God intends to do the work but he wants a human being to pray you know and to do whatever he wants us to do we may have thought God is already powerful why does he need my help isn't it yes or no yeah that's the question we all have God is all sufficient okay with one word he can create he has created he speaks and he creates why does God need me why does God need a human being self-sufficiency we use that word self-sufficient means God is sufficient by himself he does not need an additional being to come and you know help him and strengthen him and courage no he's fine he's God almighty he's already self-sufficient all right but you notice that there are scriptures in the Bible like Jeremiah 29 and verse 12 it says then you will call upon me and go and pray to me and I will listen to you so God is inviting us and he's saying I know I can do it I know I have all the authority but I am asking you come pray so prayer is God's invitation God has designed prayer even though he can do it there is process there is a purpose there is a way in which God works and he's inviting us as human beings and he's saying I want you to pray so it's by choice God's choice that he wants us to pray okay and we all know there are scriptures like call unto me and I will answer you I will show you great and you know wonderful things that your eyes have not seen so God is calling us he's saying I want you to pray there is a purpose associated with prayer so I want you to engage in prayer think about the life of Jesus even Jesus could have said oh father God can do everything Jesus became a man so in your subject on Christology you will study that Jesus was fully God and he was fully man so as fully man he was limited just like us isn't it normal feeling the the weather and experiencing all the things that human beings experience so Jesus became 100% man he could have just imagined that Father God will do Holy Spirit will do but we find that Jesus himself had a life of prayer why is Jesus praying he's already son of God why should he pray remember we have been given the authority we can release our authority through prayer and so Jesus also knew the way Elijah prayed the way Daniel prayed Jesus prayed there is a reason why we must pray the way God has designed prayer is such that God can do but he wants us to also pray and partner with him so the life of Jesus is an amazing testimony for us we will study about the practice of prayer in the life of Jesus how much he prayed he prayed in the morning he prayed in the night he prayed through the night he prayed for days so Jesus also engaged in prayer and he taught us in Luke 18 he said men should not be discouraged but they should pray okay we must not be discouraged but instead look to God pray always speak to God communicate with God so prayer is God's design and God wants to engage us you know when at home sometimes we see and this is not the exact example okay just for our understanding I'm saying like if a parent or a or a mom or a dad they are cooking they may tell the child who is just learning to help them around at home they may say okay keep the plates or cut this vegetable now we can ask the question why the parent can't cut it the father can't cut it the mother can't cut it why should the child cut it because it's a partnership how that they can't do it they can do it but there is a process there is a system there is a design where they want the child to engage and it is somewhat similar can God not do it can God not heal the people can God not save people he can do it but the way he has created the world is he's saying you pray to me you call unto me right and then I will show you great and wonderful things so prayer is God's design who invites us to pray God is inviting us to pray so this gives us a lot of confidence so if God has planned it it should work if I engage in that system it has got to work okay so one particular scripture very very powerful Ezekiel chapter 22 and verse 30 it is there in your notes you can look into it if your notes are open right now so Ezekiel 22 and verse 30 it says so I sought for a man among them who would make a wall and stand in the gap before me and on behalf of the land that I should not destroy it but I found no one so there is a situation where you know people are against God you know in a region in a given region or a community they are against God what is the result of sin what happens when we sin what's the result punishment death death okay the both of us are coming death just tell us that so when we engage in sin there are consequences or results out for us so what is God saying in this passage he's saying who are these people they're not living righteous so what should happen whatever needs to happen next they deserve punishment they deserve to have the consequences but what is God saying in verse 30 he's saying look I know the results what they should face I know that but look at the heart of compassion that God has he's saying I'm looking for a man who can stand in the gap okay so why is God looking for a man to stand in the gap in the same verse that I should not destroy it that I should not destroy the land I should not destroy the people so when is it that God will not destroy the people if you can find one person who's ready to pray that's the kind of partnership don't you think it's amazing that to pray for so many people how many people does God want to intercede in this verse in this passage he's yeah only one person he's saying if one person will pray I can forgive if one person will pray I won't destroy but so sad the passage says he found no one okay sometimes we feel I'm only one person what will happen if I pray maybe you know at least 10 of us must pray or the whole church must pray yeah there is we will study about corporate prayer and the power of corporate prayer but even if one person is praying mighty things take place right in this situation God is saying I won't destroy the land if I find one person to stand in the gap stand in the gap is simply intercession or prayer praying for the people so this is how you know we understand partnering with God in prayer so you and I we may be sitting here today right we are in Bangalore and we think how can I how can I make a difference to my city how can I make a difference to my people just pray start to pray even one person standing in the gap what does it say God listens right God touches the lives of people God will cause things to change and that is the kind of power that prayer carries I'm sure you would have heard testimonies of so many such people one person praying for the whole land and revival began from there we will we will talk about you know men and women of God people like Evan Roberts of the Welsh revival young man and he just he was just praying praying praying some people told him also why why do you want to pray like this okay it looks funny you're praying all the time but he knew that God had called him to pray and he started praying and we know that the revival broke out because it started with Evan Roberts and slowly many more people joined him and a revival broke out in Wales so that's the Welsh revival like that there are many stories you can talk about people like John Hyde John Hyde is known as a a man of prayer or praying Hyde was his other name because he prayed so much and he he blessed the you know north of India like the Punjab region that's where he lived and it made a tremendous impact on the people around one man who started that prayer movement and who began to pray so never think what can God do I'm only one person I'm praying what difference can it make look at that the scriptures tell us in Ezekiel 22 God's not looking for a not you know if there's a crowd it's great but at least one person one person prays it's like partnering with God and God can do what he wants us to do right or God can do what he wants to do so let's understand you know prayer is partnership God is waiting when are they going to pray you know when will they speak to me when will they ask their requests he wants to he wants to bless he wants to save but he wants us to pray that's when things will happen so this is the understanding of prayer what did we say this this morning a prayer is talking to God all that but let's remember prayer is also partnering with God so when we partner with God it is very powerful so why should we pray okay we simply ask the the question why should I pray the answers to that question this is a system that God has created I already read at least two scriptures where you know God says pray okay call unto me you will come and pray to me so God has created this design which means it will work anything that God creates do you think like it it will be successful the system correct it will be successful right so God is saying prayer is my design if you pray you will see the results of it so that is why we must pray because it's God's design second is through prayer we can release our authority okay so do we want to conquer the devil do we want to be victorious do we want to overcome life's challenges do we want to take up the position that God originally you know when God created man what did he say you have dominion I want you to be the ruler I don't want you to come under or be subdued by all these other creatures no I want you to rise above and today we who are in Christ Jesus we know that those Satan took that authority when man sinned what did Jesus do for us once again Jesus gave us the authority that's how you know Jesus said things like I give you the keys of the kingdom why the devil is now defeated okay it's no longer his authority I have given you the authority the church has the authority so we can now fulfill the purposes of God we can release our authority through prayer so that is why we must be so eager and excited about praying we can also engage in prayer because I told us that it's a ministry right we want to serve someone we can pray for them if you look at the life of Job Job in the Bible you would remember that he went through a lot of difficulties he went through so many challenges and in that time when he's going through a lot of difficulty you know he makes this statement in Job 9 and then Job 16 he says I wish there was at least one person who would pray for me so when people are going through difficult situations I don't know if you have experienced this but I can relate to this when you're going through a tough time sometimes we just maybe we're not even able to pray right in those moments it's so great if somebody else is praying for us okay when somebody else is upholding us in prayer so why should we pray because when we pray we are able to help others you understand the way Job wanted somebody if somebody prays for me it would be so nice in that manner today we can be those people who are praying for others and we are helping them actually when we pray for them we are helping them in the spiritual realm so that's another reason to pray and why should we pray another you know these days we want rewards even if people shop they are like okay how many points did I get what are the rewards compensation what am I going to get so people want rewards isn't it look at this Jesus in his teaching about prayer he also said if you go pray in secret then what will happen Matthew 6 6 the father will reward you openly so there is another reason why you and I must spend time in prayer there is a reward okay so is it okay to want a reward from God I think it's fine when God wants to give the reward no so it should be fine so we can receive a reward from God when we practice this this personal devotion with God okay whenever we are praying let's remember this yeah I'm spending time with God and maybe initially it's challenging to sit and pray to focus on God but remember there's also a reward Jesus said if you go shut your door you pray in secret the father will reward you openly so God will also bless us is what he is saying when we pray so again let me just quickly go over all the reasons why we must pray firstly because it is God's design and it will work secondly we are saying that we will be able to release that dominion that God has given us through prayer thirdly we are saying we can help people or bless people through prayer and fourth is that there is a reward associated with the life of prayer so all this is an encouragement for us to actually pray now what will happen if we do not pray if we don't pray what will happen if we pray so many wonderful things happen if we don't pray what will happen okay nice so Sagar is saying the blessing that God has for us we are not we won't receive it it won't come into our lives yep that's true we'll miss the reward no he said there's a reward so we're missing the reward what if we don't pray what will happen okay serene says no connection with God all right that makes sense so then you're not developing your relationship with God and elder Eric Dennis says no communion with God that's true no fellowship with God what will happen if we don't pray okay very nice sister God cannot work in our lives okay so we had one answer in class where Aman said that Lucifer will attack or Satan right the kingdom of darkness can have an easier access into our lives that's correct and sister get through can you come again please can you share your point God cannot work in our lives we cannot bless this huh so God we won't see God working in our lives he won't bless our lives true uh partnership is lost uh says Lucy yeah so all these things will happen you lose sight of the presence of God there is a disconnect isn't it so we're not praying we are just doing huh I have to do all these things activities Christian activities sometimes it happens we are so busy worship cleaning this that but we're not spending time with God relationship not much activities full and we are so tired by the end of the day but we are actually missing out on that you know precious practice of prayer then all these things that we are talking about you know losing our relationship with God losing that connect with the presence of God and opening the door for Satan to attack no blessing all these things happen so it is actually a risk for a believer if we are a believer and we're not praying it's a huge risk that we are taking uh and and you know we we are not utilizing uh the opportunity for prayer that God has given us so here there are some thoughts listed uh regarding what happens when we don't pray it says you lose the opportunity to invite God to work in life situations and other matters then we fail in our responsibility on the earth when we don't pray and we fail to receive personally into our lives when we don't pray and uh I'm sure nobody wants that so it's just better for us to uh invest time and prayer now let's move ahead okay one more thought uh that Eric Dennis is sharing temptation we we get into temptation okay and we may miss out what God wanted to give us all right that's true uh in the Lord's prayer there is that line lead us not into temptation so when there is temptation when we are facing temptation what is a good thing to do pray when we have a uh uh you know a good prayer life we can overcome temptation better so that is true so we will overcome temptation better uh and Daniel is saying when we don't pray we are worldly all right yeah so when we don't pray we miss that connection with God and Sanjay says our prayers can be the light in the darkness sure yeah because we are releasing the purposes of God he has called us to be salt and light uh so when we pray we act as the light in the darkness all right so these are all um reasons why we must pray so I really hope that um what we are learning will help us to develop our prayer life okay so let's not just treat this like okay I have to finish the course I have to write the assignments I have to pass I have to go to the next semester we understand all that but more than that whatever I'm learning is it helping me apply how has my prayer life changed that's the question that we want all of us to consider all right uh fine so let's move forward we'll go to the second chapter here which says uh the foundation for prayer so we can pray correctly effectively if we have a good foundation right so if the foundation of this building is strong this building will um you know it it will last for many years to come uh and uh people can sort of benefit from this building but what do you need for a good building or a tall building you need a strong foundation okay uh what if you have a tall building and a very poor small foundation we won't even enter that building because it's gonna crash tomorrow or you know sometime it will crash because there is no foundation so in the same way for us to develop an effective successful prayer life we must have a good understanding of what prayer is about and what prayer is not and how exactly God wants us to pray so that is what we will discuss in this chapter uh what let's quickly touch on the wrong foundation what is the wrong foundation for prayer um when we look at prayer as a ritual okay I'll explain ritual means uh you know in some religions and philosophies they have disciplines they say that okay you must wake up at a certain time and you have to do this you have to do that you have to wash your hands you have to you know turn around so many things are there these are all activities which help you know the understanding is uh it helps in their spirituality so it becomes a ritual you don't give much thought to it you just do it because you're supposed to do it so in the same way in our life as a believer if we are treating prayer like a ritual um you know how it is right sometimes for us believers when you wake up morning prayer when you when you are going to have breakfast you have to pray then you know when you're going to bed you thank you Jesus for this day you know bless me as I sleep protect me this and that okay amen sleep it's just a ritual this time I have to pray that time I have to pray and uh I'm just practicing it I don't even think about it I don't even worry about my connect with God I just keep doing it so praying as a ritual it's not that beneficial okay so prayer should not be treated as a ritual you have to pray we have to pray like a rule it's not like that there is so much more to prayer we mustn't treat prayer as a ritual then prayer as an obligation or a religious duty sometimes we may think if I don't pray God will get angry I don't know what will happen today oh I miss my prayer I hope God doesn't get angry we take it like a religious duty I have to do it because God requires it of me again there's no heart behind it right so it's not God is not you know pushing us to to make us do our religious duty did you pray today did you do this today did you say this scripture today God doesn't treat us like that so prayer is not a religious duty or an obligation where you know you have to do it so that's not how it works again prayer is not lip service lip service means that uh you know sometimes we can say things that we don't mean like even for example uh it's very unfortunate but it happens even the Lord's prayer we may say it like I am not connected to what I am saying I am saying something but maybe in my heart I'm thinking about lunch or I'm thinking about tea right so what's this it's just lip service where I it's not about my relationship with God it's just lip service or the Pharisees in the in the scripture we know that they said something oh God you're so great and this and that but their lives were not genuine right following God so what we understand here is see God is not looking for a show how well we can pray it doesn't matter to God because he sees our heart so prayer is not a lip service where we uh try to please God with the words that we are speaking so prayer is not that then prayer is not twisting God's arm twisting God's arm means have you all seen when sometimes um you know like in in industries and all they have these unions right and they will have their demands say oh you must pay us so much you must give us leave you must do this let's do that but when the maybe the company is not answering that demands pass what most of the time what do they do they'll fast right they'll do in Hindi they'll say bhuk hatal they just do one hatal and they'll say if you don't then we will not eat we will not drink water it's like threatening isn't it so is prayer that are we threatening God God I'm praying five times I'm praying 10 times I'm fasting I'm giving I'm serving in the church now you have to help me you have to bless me it doesn't it doesn't make sense that's not the scriptural way that we pray so twisting God's arm means it's like forcing God I am doing all this you better do this it should not prayer is not that so we must remember it I know sometimes maybe because of our past patterns of thinking we still continue like that maybe we have seen people they say that oh I'm giving God this offering I'm giving God that offering I did this ritual so I know God will help me right but in the biblical sense our relationship with God is not transactional meaning give and take I'll give you this you give me that prayer doesn't work like that it's more of a relationship so we must be careful not to twist God's arm or I will make God bless me we can't do that then what else about prayer is wrong prayer without faith you know sometimes we can just say that our prayer is good so I have to pray I'm praying but we may not believe we may say something like okay God you know I want I want you to help me to choose the right career but somewhere in our hearts we don't have faith that God will help me so we have backup plan right plan B plan C plan D I'm asking God he may or may not help then I will do something else so praying without believing is also something that we don't see in scripture so when we pray we need to be intentional and we need to understand that yeah God wants me to pray these things I'm sure God is going to answer he's going to guide me so having that belief and praying is important then praying to prove one's spirituality okay and how superior we are so going back to the Pharisees Jesus said you know they used to stand in public and they used to pray all these wonderful prayers but he told he taught about prayer and said please don't do that go into the secret and only your father in heaven is watching you in prayer he will reward you openly so when we when we engage in prayer as public display so it may be you know we pray in very good language some Cambridge English and everything we think oh God will get impressed my language is amazing for God I don't think it matters that much as much as it's genuine it's coming from our hearts right so this public display is for what to please people only people can get pleased and they might say oh they pray so nicely they pray so long sometimes praying long can get you some appreciation but for God it doesn't matter and that's not genuine prayer right so let's be careful of these things so to prove our spirituality to pray nicely or pray a lot of scriptures we are quoting a lot of scriptures quoting a lot of you know some quotes and some names of godly men and women only the people will get impressed but what is the point God should get impressed isn't it so proving our spirituality through prayer that's something that we must keep away from then praying without knowing God's instructions on prayer when we learn from the word of God how what are the promises right and what is God's heart what are the purposes of God and then we pray it's more likely that our prayer will be successful isn't it but if we don't go by that we are going by whatever we think we want it may not necessarily happen in our lives okay so it's something like you know Jonah's story where God says I want you to go to to Nineveh I want you to go minister to the people tell them about me but what did Jonah do his plan is different he said oh god I don't want to go there they are terrible people I'll go to Tarshish I'll escape okay but you see the purposes of God are something else but here we are we are doing something else we need to first find out God what do you want me to do what does your words say about this what does your plan say right so when I first take all that and then I start to pray in line with what God wants then I will see the results but if I'm doing something opposite I won't see the results so these are all the things that we must remember and that is why we are studying about prayer so that we can understand the principles we can understand what the word of God says then when we pray it will be effective okay now the last point which is given here is being more concerned about our eloquence okay or having a people pleasing attitude when we pray when in public when we pray you know we may want to please the people around us that's also the wrong attitude to pray so anything else that you see as the wrong way to pray or the wrong foundation for prayer I've discussed quite a few but anything more you you may want to add to this sister praying to God without confessing your sins hmm so praying to God without confessing our sins yeah we could say so because we know that in the Lord's prayer also Jesus taught us he there is that statement which says forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us so forgiveness is important but if you're not practicing it and then we are expecting God to answer our prayers yeah we may we may find that we're not getting answers because of that you're right hmm so unforgiveness bitterness in our hearts will hinder the answers to prayer what prayer is what is a wrong foundation for prayer sorry praying against the will of God yeah yeah so basically you've expanded on what I said earlier I said that you need to know the word the instructions on prayer and then pray but what you're saying is if you're praying against for example you know we will talk about all these things later the will of God is the I'm giving you a very broad example in the Bible it says right second coming of Jesus it will happen the second coming of Jesus now if I pray Lord I no need second coming okay you change your plan you do something else you think my prayer will be answered no I'm going against the plan of God I can't pray such prayers because it's not in the Bible it's not according to his instruction so if I pray something opposite I won't see the results of that isn't it so same thing applies in many other areas we have to be careful to know the instructions of God's word or let's say you know sometimes we have prayers like that person was so evil to me I pray let him you know let him be sick or let him do this terrible thing in in their life or something we pray something evil over them do you think such prayers are valid I remember one somebody told me and I I wanted to laugh but I didn't laugh they said that somebody who was very rude to them they were digging a well in their house so apparently this person prayed let there be no water God I pray no water they should never get water no matter how deep they dig and I was thinking oh my goodness that's a wrong foundation for prayer I don't think God is going to listen to prayers like that because it's not part of his nature isn't it so things like this we have to understand who is this God that we are praying to what does he want what is his heart what is the purpose then you pray then you receive the answer but if you're praying opposite obviously it can't happen sure so yeah I think some good thoughts here fine so there are all these wrong foundations but let's talk about the right foundation or the strong foundation so I am going to list out all the truths for the right foundation and stop there we will pick it up in the next class so what are these these you know seven truths one is understanding the nature of God you know who is this God that we are praying to so when I understand the nature of God I can pray correctly and receive answers second intimacy with God to have a strong relationship with God when I have a strong relationship remember I said Jesus had such a strong relationship with the father he was praying a lot he was strengthening his walk with the Lord and in the life of Jesus we see success maybe one one word be healed no demon come out everything he is saying is happening why because he was functioning from a place of strong connect or we use the word intimacy intimacy is closeness with God then redemptive heart of God redemptive heart of God we'll discuss later it simply means that God is a God who restores he's a God who redeems he redeems he even if something is destroyed usually we find that he will work in such a way that even the destruction will turn into something beautiful that's the way our God works so the redemptive heart of God we will talk about that we can pray based on the promises of God if God has given that promise we can pray through and we will see the results partnering with the Holy Spirit so the Holy Spirit can help us when we are praying that is also very strengthening in our prayer journey understanding our position in Christ and living a life of surrender so I've just listed it out for us today but we will look at each one in in depth when we come back next week all right so if there are questions we can take it up but if there are no questions let's close with the word of prayer uh yes kofi yeah I would like to know is it wrong for me to uh said God should not let anybody who is a sinner in my family to die this kind of prayer is it good uh kofi could you come again I didn't hear the first part of your question I want to know would it be classified as a wrong way of prayer if I ask God or I pray God should not let someone who is a sinner in my family to die is it a wrong prayer God should not let anyone who is a a sinner sinner meaning they are not born again yes to die in my family so you don't want anyone who's not born again to die yeah meaning you want them to live and be saved and repent yeah okay so it's a valid prayer kofi because we we do have a scripture let me just um second beat a three nine uh it says the Lord is not slow to anger about his promise as some count slowness but his passion toward you not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance so the prayer that you're praying is based on the scripture even God does not want them to die without knowing knowing him therefore your prayer is a valid prayer and it's a good thank you sure thank you thank you so much all right so let's uh wrap up um would anyone like to pray and close close yeah and just take the mic and pray fast heavenly father we come in your presence Lord thank you for this time Lord Jesus Father thank you for helping us thank you for teaching us the importance of prayer you yourself as an example of prayer Lord Jesus help us to implement in our lives from today our father thank you for teaching us more and more of the Holy Spirit we commit this day in your hands teach us more we want more for Jesus mighty name we ask amen thank you thank you everybody so meet you next week God bless you have a wonderful


Right now, India as a nation is an extremely diverse population. We speak different languages, we eat different kinds of food, we dress differently, we think differently, we look different, our colors are different, our, you know, ethnic backgrounds are different, everything is different. So what is the common thread that binds us to make us a nation? If you take away the cultural fabric of this nation, there is nothing to hold this country as one nation. Please see this. The only commonality in this country is there is a cultural thread which somehow collects.  If you remove this, after some time you will wonder why should be one nation? Why can't I have my own Tamil nation? Already the idea has come, isn't it? Isn't it so? Already the idea is being propagated or no? It is only because there is a cultural thread which binds us, we can still say this is one nation. Otherwise you will see if you, if you damage the cultural fabric which gives us some sense of commonality, then you will wonder why should we be in one nation, you will try to break it. And every time you try to break a nation, it is going to happen in cruel ways. It never happens gently. You have seen the India-Pakistan partition, now you're seeing what's happening in Sri Lanka. It always happens in extreme pain. So we don't need that once again. We've had it sixty years ago and that's enough.


Welcome, everyone, to Know Before You Go, a broadcast briefing powered by JSA and telegeography. I'm your host, Jamie Scottacutia, CEO and founder of JSA. What is Know Before You Go? It is your show that covers everything attendees really need to know before the next big event. We're talking insider talking points to conference logistics. And today we're talking about all things capacity, Latin, taking place March 12th through the 13th in Sao Paulo, Brazil. And if you're interested in going, I should say that this QR code right over my shoulder here is where you wanna check it out. That's the registration link and go ahead and click on that. It'll take you right to the page. All right, today we are honored to be joined by telegeography senior research analyst Peter Wood. I'm sure you guys all know him as well as chief revenue officer for Aleya Digital Data Center's Tito Pasta. Who we should mention is also one of the featured speakers of Dispatch Capacity Latin Conference. Peter, Tito, they're gonna be talking hot topics of conversations that attendees can expect in around conference sessions. Welcome, Peter and Tito, hey guys. Hi there. All right, let's get to it guys. This is Trends to Know Before You Go. Yeah, I'm gonna start with you, my friend. I just want to talk about Latin America's role in international connectivity changed over the past five years. Can you guys hear me already? You can. Awesome, great. So I would like to start with a couple of points that come to mind, Jeremy, is that investments have increased. This is worldwide, right? Latin America is kind of chasing that those numbers as well. And we have been seeing a lot of absorptions into data centers within the Latin America region. So investments have been increasing for some time now. Brazil is still a very important market for Latin America, but Mexico is picking up. Also, we can see a lot of investments going on in Chile as well. So that companies are looking into Latin America, allowing themselves to digest a little bit of the problems that they had in the past while investing in the Latin American countries. Everything seems like very well for the industry within those Latin American countries. Governments have prioritized digital transformations with multiple policies and programs. So I can see a lot of opportunities within the industry, tail-calls, and also IT within the region. We ourselves have been raising that. We just recently raised our adventure, 570 million Brazilian allies of that specifically attached to the system of the initiatives that we were nationally forward. So great time to be in the industry, great time to be in the market. So looking forward to what comes to be in Capacitlata. Incredible. Peter, which Latin American telecom markets are currently the most attention-grabbing that you're seeing over at Toto Geography? Yeah, I mean, it's always a good question. There's different ways to answer it. And one is kind of the, I think as Tito mentioned, following where the money's at. And a lot of it is just kind of traditionally invested in several key markets, like Brazil and Mexico are two big ones. And within those countries, the major metropolitan areas, so Sao Paulo, Rio, to an extent, Fortaleza, Mexico City. But we've also in the last couple of years, I think, at least from our side on the kind of research analyst perspective, seen that there are other parts of Latin America that are by no means not established markets, but at the kind of global scale are increasing the presence and a lot of investments seems to be going there, probably for those reasons. Bogotá is one example. Peru and Lima, Santiago and Chile are some key examples. Buenos Aires is in a bit of a complicated moment, but that at least historically has been part of the conversation as well. When you kind of scale back further towards the secondary markets within each country and then to like real connectivity or really what we've seen is kind of historically atypical requirements for how you connect to network. That is an industry conversation. It's probably not the exact moment to bring it up, but like all of this together, we see that Latin America is no exception, that these are kind of global trends. It's just the specificities of the Latin American market really make the implementation of different things kind of adjust to the circumstances. You know, talking about this global trends, how does local connectivity within Latin America really compare to the more traditional pipe and port model of traffic, say routing through Miami? Well, I mean, that's a big part of what still it seems to be in existence in Latin America. And we'll talk about this, we're talking about international transport of data on certain rain cables. A lot of the connectivity for Latin America has gone through São Paulo or whatever the nearest big city kind of different part of the region up through or down depending perspective to Miami and then buying transit that routes you back to Latin America. A lot of the incentive for that shortly has just been that it's been cheaper than buying local transit. And we've seen that that has actually changed. Though we haven't seen that the dynamic or the proportions of how much is investments going towards just buying that pipe and port as opposed to buying locally. It's still roughly like AB20, but it ebbs and flows and it's at least in the last seven years pointing in a direction that suggests that Latin American internal domestic within the region trains it and it's just overall connectivity without having to depend on the United States. Maybe on the uptick and there'll be something to definitely retract because that's a theme that I expect to talk about at Capacidad Am which is the edge and just data and all this different technology being so close to the end user and what that means for how markets or excuse me how networks are going to be developed into the market when you get there. Incredible, yes. Absolutely, it's all about the opportunity all about those upticks. And speaking of Tito, how do data centers and cloud infrastructure fit into Latin America's environment? Well, I think that and I'm coming a little bit to our picture just mentioned and on the submarine cable systems we didn't see a lot of investments on the Atlantic side of things in the past couple of years. There are 10 of things happening on the Pacific side of Latin America. So I agree with completely with that input to what which is, I mean, the continent is growing content will not be on the US anymore. We will begin to bring those contents locally. The edge is indeed a very big play for us as data center providers. LA has a platform of data centers not only sitting in Rio and Sao Paulo which are the major data center providers usually put the facilities in but we also are down south in Curitiba in Porto Alegre, also in Brasilia. So we are very, very well invested on this idea of setting up data centers on the edge. So for me, it is a very important thing to understand that those cloud providers are beginning to see what Latin means to them. Significant investments in key neutral data centers are being made. Elea is one of those. Renewable energy adoption in Brazil and in Latin America as a whole has been a very well developed instance of what data center means. So super excited on the moment that we are currently working on right now. Yeah, we've been reading a lot about it in our greener data book as we're about to launch the second volume. So thank you for those efforts and for sharing them. So what are the main trends, Peter, going back to telegeographies insight here? What are the main trends for key subregions within Latin America and in the Caribbean? Yeah, I mean, that can be answered a lot as well. The first that kind of sticks out to me which we've just routinely are always trying to understand telegeography which is subring cable networks. Which ones are aging? Which ones have reached the end of their economic age? So it's physically still functioning but have cost benefits to be still in regular use. And where is the infrastructure coming to a point where it could potentially be replaced or at least upgraded? And then the next question is who's doing it and how much are they gonna pay to get it done? And those are really important questions because they're often kind of left in flux until sometimes last minute before a cable is literally laid on the ocean floor and even sometimes that will end up being complicated. As we see with a lot of other world regions like geopolitics can get in the way of how these kind of projects develop. So that's one thing that comes to mind. Another thing that we often discuss is kind of regulatory environments that affect a lot of these investment decisions. Each market has its own peculiarities and such but I suppose one where we hear rumors that there's potential efforts to try to get rid of the regulatory body for the telecommunications market which I think obviously have pretty huge repercussions if that were to happen. And then on the flip side, well not the flip side, kind of related to other markets. There's often pressures to privatize certain things or to just kind of change the dynamics for how the market works. And different people have different perspectives on what would be effective and which reasons but it's always important to kind of accompany those sorts of rumors or if the more the rumors actual thing's happening because no market exists in a silo everything's dynamic, everything's changing. So you got, do your best to stay ahead of the curve to understand what might be next and what to go up behind. Well said, Tito anything to add? Well, I can see a lot of opportunities for this AI trend. I feel like this used to be a hype nowadays it's becoming to grow and be more important. And I can see Latin America playing a role in that as well. This is not only deployments that needs to be made in the US. AI is not as latest as sensitive at least whenever you're saying about discussing training models as other types of applications. So I can see a future where sustainability might play a big role in terms of where you deploy your facilities not only about how much power you have in that piece of land but also what is the source of that power would play a role in the future. I can also see that a little bit of decentralization is happening in the past. It's kind of a chicken and the egg problem which in the past you just deploy your architecture whatever there was a data center available. Nowadays with the decentralization that we can deploy in multiple data centers throughout multiple tier two, tier three cities not the standards, Keredo, Sao Paulo, Rio you're able to put your architecture in a way that uses those low latency requirements that in the past you wouldn't be able to achieve. So I'm seeing a lot of opportunities in that realm as well. Well said, well said. And we should mention Tito, you are a featured speaker of course on the first full day of the conference speaking on a panel entitled how are data center operators driving sustainability? Huge topic, it's a topic of my heart. Can you share with us an overview of the topic and key takeaways that you hope the audience is gonna walk away with? Yeah, absolutely. And it's also came to my heart as well. I am yet to see a moment in time where decisions around buying space and power within data centers are made around where that power is coming from. So that for me is how we can drive sustainability within the industry. And I feel like... We might have a little technical difficulty. I know it's been... Brazil with... Tito, can you hear me? Oops. I think I got too bad. Am I back? Yeah, can you maybe just start again? Yes. We're gonna get Tito right back. But meanwhile, absolutely check out first day of the conference when Tito and his other speakers are speaking on data center operations and sustainability. Here we go, here's Tito. Hey Tito, can you hear us now? I'm sorry. The problem, this is internet. Yeah, okay. This is live. It is, it is. So just as a quick wrap up. So I mean sustainability for me, it's also I'm keen to it. And I love the possibilities and abilities that living in Brazil and developing a platform in Brazil right now give us, which is 80% of the power within Brazil comes from renewable sources. So that's something that is of super importance for us. 100% of the renewable energy of our data centers use renewable energy. We are strategically located outside Rio and Sao Paulo that also gives goes on that directly impacting that idea of transporting that renewable energy because you can have renewable energy being brought from a different place within the country. But since we have multiple data centers throughout the continent, that makes us, that positions us as a very important company towards how we use that energy, not only buying renewable energy, which I feel like itself, the alcohol is important as well. Incredible, well done. So much to discover, so much to talk about at the show. Thank you gentlemen for joining us. Now let's go ahead and finish out this briefing with some insider tips for making the most of our time at Capacity Latin. Hi Jeremy. Hey guys, hey everyone. I'm joined today by none other than of course, James Netherwood, the lead event organizer for Capacity Latin. Busy time of year for you. Thank you so much for coming here and sharing some tips on how our attendees can make the most of this year's conference. Welcome, welcome. Thank you, Jeremy. It's great to be here. And oh my goodness, Capacity Latin. It seems to just get more and more incredibly exciting every year, this one topping, popping it. So what are you excited about most with this year's Capacity Latin? So I think, well, for me, I'm a big fan of the content. Peter and Tito did a great job talking through everything and sort of taken away most of the points I was gonna make around the panels and the sessions we're covering this year. But I think we've got some really exciting sessions across the agenda, of course, including Tito and Peter's panels and Peter's colleague from telegeography's presentation giving us an overview of the subsea market in the region. So there's some great sessions for everyone to check out there. For me, it's the event overall. Capacity Latin is just such a lovely event. There's a real sense of community that you can see at the event where people tend to know each other, they bump into each other, they're going out socializing together. And it's just really nice to see that community coming together in Sao Paulo. And finally, on the topic of AI, what's really exciting for us is we're trialling AI translation for the content this year. So all going well and some, well, fingers crossed. The audience will be able to listen to AI translation in Brazilian, Portuguese, Spanish, and also be able to read along to live subtitles provided by AI. So it's very exciting for us and we're looking forward to giving it a go this year. That is insanity, what an event undertaking, by the way. So kudos to you guys.  And I love, love, love your point about community. So rich, so perfect. And it's just so weird, really, when you say community and then AI in the next sentence, but I think it's, if anyone's gonna show us how to do it well, it'll be the crowd at Sao Paulo. What type of companies now are, and attendees are a best fit for this conference? You know, if I'm new to the Paso Latem, who can I expect from an attendance perspective and what can they gain? So the core of the event is still those international carriers and the local operators getting together to buy and sell capacity with each other. We have about 40% of the audience now comes from Brazil. So we've got some really great local representation at the event, along with executives from the US, Spain. I think there's even, there's people from so many countries on the list now, which is really great, diverse event. Alongside those big carriers, we've got the data center folks like Tito, we've got hearing providers, vendors, satellite operators. You name it, and they're there these days. It's really great to see how the event's diversifying. It's such an ecosystem, our industry. We all rely on one another and your shows are becoming Latem as a perfect example, but oh my gosh, all of them, capacity Europe, ITW, they attract more and more of a global audience while still having local connectivity at its heart, that it's concentration of topic and passion, I would say. Anyway, love that your attendee group is indicative of where our industry is going. So how can attendees have the very best networking experience while at this conference? Any special events or meeting apps that we should keep in mind? There's great timing for this. The event platform, which is called Swapcard, opens on Monday. So it's a great time to register the event if you haven't already or download the app now. Then from Monday, you'll be able to view the attendee list through there, which has a matchmaking tools built in. Look at the agenda, plan out your event and start booking meetings in. So the two week ramp up is really about to begin for capacity Latem. So it's a great time to get involved now. All right, so this is my tough question for you, but I just kind of love it. So bear with me as you're in the hot seat. Can you share with us three tips? What are your three tips for getting the most out of this year's conference? I always struggle with this one, Jamie, so thank you. Sorry. It's really worth taking some time to explore the exhibition hall. We've got lots of exhibitors showcasing their latest products. There's coffees and food in there for less serious times. There's lounges where people can have their meetings and it's just a really great core of the event that I really recommend checking out. Then I think as well, we've touched on that and it's really worth enjoying the receptions. Both are receptions at the end of the day at the event and there tends to always be a client party or two to go to in the evening. So I think really make the most of being at the event with all that networking. And finally, I think a lot of people know the event now. We're in the same venue again. But for anyone who's new or has any questions, just come say hi to the team. I'll be there. There's quite a few of us from the team there. So if you've got a question about anything, trying to find something or just want to say hi, just yeah, we'll be across the event and come and introduce yourselves. And there you go, underscoring community again. So I love that. Exhibit hall, calling it the core of the event. I love that, receptions. And of course, say hi to the team. You're right there for them. I love that. All right, so what is the best way for attendees to keep up to date on capacity lab before they even board? Like they're leading up to their arrival. What can we do now to be prepared for then? So we're very active across social media, especially LinkedIn. If you're looking for updates around speakers, panels, all sorts, follow us on LinkedIn. We've got a great community building there. Subscribe to the emails. That's gonna be a really great one for sort of making sure that you've got your confirmation number, all the logistics for getting there on the day so you can collect your badge and get stuck in. And so email is a really great place to keep an eye out for us. Those are the main ones. Definitely awesome. That meeting app by far your best friend. And we should say once you're there, like our banner below is saying hashtag Pasaladam. That helps those of us who might have a little FOMO back home keep on top of all those social media fun captureings, if you will, of that community live in real time. So I love this. I love this guys. You are the best at event conferences in our industry. I will give you that. I just adore you guys. Thank you so much James for making time during such a busy, busy time and such a pleasure always catching up. Thank you, Jamie. It's been lovely. And let's welcome back in also. Tell the geographies Peter Wood and Alaya digital data centers Tito Costa for giving us a great insight on the latest trends. Thank you gentlemen. Appreciate you. Thank you for having us. And like I mentioned, guys, get all the details to prepare for Pasaladam by visiting www.capacity. And during the conference week, go ahead and use that hashtag Pasaladam. All right. I think it's well, capacitymedia.com. And then you can go to events. Is that right? That's the way. I don't like that business on it. All right. In the meantime, go ahead and follow both JSA and telegeography on LinkedIn or find out more on jsa.net and telegeography.com. By the way, awesome new rebrand on telegeography. So check that out. I love this type of thing. OK. Thank you everyone for tuning in to Know Before You Go. And as always, happy networking.


Save 10% with my code Bobby10 on raw, organic, grass-fed and grass-finished, freeze-dried organ meats from grassland nutrition. Link in the description box. All right, guys. Welcome back to the channel. If you're new, Manus Bobby, guys, today a different type of reaction video. We're going to check out the Academy of Ideas, a big YouTube channel with 1.3 million subscribers with their video, why the lack of religion breeds mental illness. When I read that title, I knew I'm going to watch this video, so might as well watch it together. Let's have a look. In his essay, The Ames of Psychotherapy, Carl Jung called this the general neurosis of our times, and as he explains further, the lack of meaning in life is a soul sickness whose full extent and import our age has not yet begun to comprehend. I think we're just starting to comprehend it right now. His crisis reaches back several generations. In the late 19th century, the philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche observed that nihilism or what he termed the radical repudiation of meaning was on the rise in the West. Was this the result of the fall of the Christian worldview and the rise of a scientific, reductionist, and mechanistic worldview? Was the death of God the most momentous event of the modern era? Nietzsche writes, Walter Kaufman felt the agony, the suffering, and the misery of a godless world so intensely at a time when others were yet blind to its tremendous consequence, that he was able to experience in advance, as it were, the fate of a coming generation. That is very deep, and as I always say here on this channel, there are just two options in life, God or nihilism. No matter which ideology you want to place on top of your priority list, it will always lead to nihilism if you don't have an origin of absolute truth and meaning. We are now experiencing the fate that Nietzsche prophesied, a fate where, in the words of Victor Frankl, ever more people have the means to live, but no meaning to live for, a fate which is manifesting in a hatred of the existing society, the apocalyptic sense of an ending, and the need for some kind of worthy cause to give meaning to one's life. In this video, we are going to explore what meaning in life is and why it is so important. We will then examine why the decline in religion may be the prime cause of this modern crisis of meaning and a prime factor in the widespread occurrence of anxiety disorders, neuroses, and depression. Happiness, writes Ian McGilchrist, is about the present moment, independent of other moments, whereas meaning links events across time, thus integrating past, present, and future. This is absolutely beautifully put and something that I personally haven't reflected upon. Back in the day I studied about Buddhism and in Buddhism it is all about coming back to the present moment, forgetting the past, forgetting the future, and realizing that this moment is all we got, but the same time it felt so meaningless. If you look into the works of Eckhart Tolle and The Power of Now, you will see that so many people seek more meaning, but cannot find it in his works. And this is why this quote here, where we're integrating past, present, and future, is so extremely powerful. Meaning in a human life is grounded in narrative. A life narrative is the story we tell ourselves about ourselves. And this story acts as a sort of cognitive organizing process that helps us make sense of who we are and where we are going. Our narrative gives rise to and sustains our sense of self and just like a novel or movie, it is defined by a particular plot or theme. This theme can be coherent in life affirming, or it can be disjointed, disempowering, incoherent, and so lacking in meaning. The less meaning our life has, the more we will suffer. And this is exemplified by the experience of many Schizophrenics who struggle to view life through the coherence of a narrative. In madness and modernism, Louis Sass quotes- It's quite interesting, yet again it makes me think about Buddhism because Buddhism in its essence is about the no-self, the realization that we are empty, essentially, that we have no self. The self is an illusion within Buddhism and once you let go of the self, you will reach nirvana, but at the same time it leads to nihilism, yet again because you don't feel any type of meaning in your worldview. The Schizophrenic patient who said, I feel as if I've lost the continuity linking the events in my past. Instead of a series of events linked by continuity, my past just seems like disconnected fragments. And as McGilchrist explains concerning this disturbing lack of a coherent life narrative. If your world disintegrates through a lack of narrative, you stop seeing anything in context, and it becomes puzzling, even frightening. Its sheer facticity then stands out, since it can no longer take its place in any world schema of other things and people that would give it meaning. While most- Wow, for people that followed this channel, you know that I went vegan for four years straight, now thank god I'm not vegan any longer, but this is exactly how I felt like when I was vegan. Nothing was in place, there was no continuity, I was all over the place and not myself any longer. People do not suffer the disintegrating effect of no life narrative. What many lack is a satisfying narrative that is rich in meaning. A narrative, in other words, that creates fulfillment and enables one to cope with the existential conditions of life. The great prevalence of anxiety disorders, depression, addictions, and psychotropic and illicit drug use is evidence which points to this dire lack of meaning and as Jung notes, meaninglessness inhibits fullness of life and is therefore equivalent to illness. To make matters worse, while many people feel that their life is missing something, most do not realize that what is missing is meaning. Instead, to fill this void of meaninglessness, many people- Yes, absolutely. Yet again I have to circle back to veganism, because when I talked to vegans they didn't even understand that meaning was missing in their lives, they didn't get it. Even though they abstained from eating meat and therefore were saving animals, they still didn't see any meaning in their life. Peace after more money and material goods, elevated social status, increased knowledge, or most of all moments of pleasure and happiness. But none of these things are adequate replacements, for as McGilchrist explains, people who report being happy, but have little or no sense of meaning in their lives, have the same gene expression patterns as people who are enduring chronic adversity, such as loneliness, bereavement, or poverty. Makes sense. Given the importance of meaning, how can a life lacking it be infused with it? How, in other words, can we discover a more meaningful life narrative? While there are many practical steps to move us in this direction, from finding a life purpose, to cultivating interpersonal relationships, to confronting life's challenges, one of the most effective is to tap into the wisdom embedded in the mythos of the great religions. What is the use of a religion without a mythos, asks Jung, since religion means, if anything at all, precisely that function which links us back to the eternal myth. Mythos, or what is more commonly called myth or mythology, contains truths about the human predicament in the nature of the psyche that are expressed in narrative form. These narratives can be used to augment our own personal narrative with rich threads of meaning, as they provide insights for how to cope with elements of the human condition, be it freedom, loss, loneliness, sickness, old age, suffering, or death. In the modern day, many of us have relegated myth to the realm of fiction, believing that only reason, logic, and science, or what is called the domain of logos, can reveal to us the truths of the world. But as Jung writes, myth is not fiction. It consists of facts that are continually repeated and can be observed over and over again. Both logos and mythos are realms for discovering truth, but the truths they reveal are of a different nature. Science teaches us the neurological correlates behind the phenomenon of pain. Mythos teaches us how to meaningfully endure pain. Science teaches us how to cure sickness. Mythos teaches us how to meaningfully cope with loss and death. Or as Karen Armstrong explains, This is something that atheists just don't want to understand. They want scientific proof for the existence of God. They are not willing to accept philosophical, theological methods in order to deduct truths. It's very simple. There are different tools in the toolbox to deduct truth. Logos or reason is the pragmatic mode of thought that enables people to function effectively in the world. People have always needed logos to make an efficient weapon, organize their societies or plan an expedition. Logos is continually on the lookout for new ways of controlling the environment and is essential to the survival of our species. But logos has its limitations. Good at manipulating the world and making us powerful, it does not contribute to any broader understanding of the meaning of our lives. For that, people turn to mythos. We can gain exposure to the realm of mythos through great works of literature, be it those of Dostoevsky, Shakespeare, or Cervantes. But the great religions are the ultimate source of this wisdom. For the primary purpose of religion, from time immemorial, has been to help us cope with our existential predicament and to find meaning in life. Even if this purpose has at times been corrupted by religion in its organized and institutional forms, not only Christianity with its symbols of salvation, writes Jung, but all religions, including the primitive with their magical rituals, are forms of psychotherapy which treat and heal the suffering of the soul and the suffering of the body caused by the soul. And in a speech given to a group of psychotherapists in the 1930s, he further explains, it is not to play on words when I call religion a psychotherapeutic system. It is the most elaborate system, and there's a great practical truth behind it. As an example of how one can put the mythos of religion to use, Jung explores the symbolic notion of the imitation of Christ. Is not a Jesus, he asks, a prototype of those who, trusting their inner experience, have gone their individual ways in defiance of the world? Of course, Jesus said that if we are hated, we should remember that the world hated him first. So of course we can see him as the prototype that endured the suffering of this world. The imitation of Christ is the notion that Jesus' life should be used as a template for how to live. According to Saint Augustine, emulating Christ was the fundamental purpose in the life of a good Christian. But as Jung explains, the traditional interpretation of the imitation of Christ, as counseling that we strive to live as Christ did, has this disadvantage. In the long run, we worship as a divine example a man who embodied the deepest meaning of life, and then out of sheer imitation, we forget to make real our own deepest meaning. Self-realization. Jung suggests that the imitation of Christ should be interpreted in a symbolic manner, as the call to go our own way and to strive to develop ourselves as fully as as humanly possible. For Jung's sock, priced as an example of someone who actualized himself completely, and who was unafraid to follow his conscience, even if it ended in his persecution. Christ, in other words, was an example of a heroic personality. The imitation of Christ, explains Jung, might well be understood in a deeper sense. It could be taken as the duty to realize one's deepest conviction, with the same courage and the same self-sacrifice shown by Jesus. Yes, that could be, but at the same time it brings some problems with it, because how would the person know how to self-actualize? Self-actualization is a term that is used in Buddhism, Hinduism as well, and especially nowadays in the New Age movement. And we see so many people absolutely delusional entrapped in those New Age doctrines far away from religion losing their minds. So therefore the imitation of Christ could be much more suitable for the broad masses, because they would have an ideal model to follow. The imitation of Christ is but one example in the deep well of practical wisdom embedded in the great religions. And to profit from this wisdom we do not need to become a follower of an organized religion, nor must we pledge allegiance to any specific sect or creed. For as many organized religions are corrupted by power and degraded by politics, they can be barriers to accessing the authentic truths of religion. Fortunately, profiting from the truths of the great religions can be accomplished through a personal effort, reading the texts, learning about the various rituals embedded in the mythology and most importantly, putting into practice what we learn can give... On the other hand, if you don't subscribe to one particular religion, however, you could be sidetracked and absolutely lose focus and then start worshiping your own desires yet again. Don't get me wrong, I fully understand the motivation behind it, why you wouldn't like to subscribe to organized religion because of its corruption etc etc, but at the same time I've been there, I've done that and I do see that we as humans are so flawed and if we give up guidance, we always fall back into our own desires. That's why we are in this mess. Assess the value and truth of any myth is to act upon it. The myth of the hero, for example, which takes the same form in nearly all cultural traditions, showed us how to live more richly and intensely, how to cope with our mortality, and how creatively to endure the suffering that flesh is heir to. But if we failed to apply it to our situation, a myth would remain abstract and incredible. For the truths of religion to impact our life, we do not need to fully understand their meaning. For myths, like dreams, are encoded in symbolic form and so they point in the direction of truths that are not fully comprehensible by the conscious intellect. But as Jung explains, we like to imagine that something which we do not understand does not help us in any way, but that is not always so. Myths have a direct effect on the unconscious, no matter whether it is understood or not. The fact that it's repeated telling has not long since become obsolete can, I believe, be explained by its usefulness. This explanation, this argumentation, could of course be used for the trinity within Christianity, which is a mythos that cannot be truly understood. In the modern world, many of us have completely severed our connection to the realm of mythos, and many of us view religion with derision and scorn. Some consider this as a sign of enlightenment and progress, but it may be a form of psychological regression. In a lecture delivered to Yale University in 1937, titled Psychology and Religion, Jung went as far as to call atheism the urban neurosis, and in his decades of practice treating hundreds of patients, he came to the conclusion that for some patients, the only means of fixing what ailed them was the birth of a religious attitude to life. Among those in the second half of life, he wrote, that is to say, over 35, there has not been one whose problem in the last resort was not that of finding a religious outlook on life. That's so fascinating, I'm 35 years old. If we continue to spurn religion, we will not lose our need for meaning. We will merely look for meaning in other places. We will worship the state, a political party, or science, all of which are inadequate and sometimes dangerous substitutes. Yes, every single human being has a priority list, either consciously or subconsciously. There are certain things in life that are the most important to you. However, if we don't put God on the priority list, we put whatever on the priority list and we start defying that. That is essentially the real idolatry. It's not so much about bowing in front of statues, of course, that is part of idolatry. But the real idolatry happens in the heart when you start worshiping anything but God.   To the cultivation of an authentic religious outlook on life. Yes. Perhaps, therefore, we need the mythos of religion to nourish our psyche and imbue our life with meaning and purpose. Perhaps without some form of a religious outlook, man descends into the chaos of nihilism, totalitarianism, Not perhaps. and hatred of self and society. And for those who think science has done away with our need for religion, Jung poses the following question. Can science be so sure that there is no such thing as a religious instinct? Actually, in the last few years, there have been studies done and this religious instinct has been found within healthy people. However, atheism was diagnosed in mostly mentally ill people. All right, that's it for today's video. Long enough as it is, please let me know in the comment section how you liked this type of reaction video as well. And if you enjoyed it, I'm going to continue with this type of work. If you liked it, leave the thumbs up as well and subscribe to the channel if you haven't already. If you want to support this channel, all the links are in the description box below. Thank you so much. As always, may God bless you all. Much love and peace.


Hi, my name is Seymour Kazimurski. Before we get into my commentary today, I just have to say thank you to the hundreds of people that have been wishing me well after my last email about the blessings that I have had over the last few days. And although I have not been able to respond to all of you, please believe me when I say you are all in my heart and I just feel absolutely blessed that you took the time to either email or text or call me. So again, thank you. So let me welcome you to Seymour's World Commentary on Think Tech Hawaii. You can find all my commentaries and Seymour's World episodes on the Think Tech Hawaii website. I welcome your comments by email, text, or phone and you can reach me at Seymour.Kazimurski at gmail.com or<PHONE_NUMBER>. Okay, our topic today is what is your self-worth? No, I'm not talking about how much money you have in the bank. I'm talking about the dictionary definition of self-worth as the sense of one's own value or worth as a person. However, there are many ways for a person to value themselves and assess their worth as a human being and some of these are more psychologically beneficial than others. I'm talking about self-respect. All of us, every single one of us at one time or another, feel we have done something terribly wrong and we now must face the consequences. To be able to look in the mirror and do what is right, first we have to close the door on self-pity, excessive self-absorbed unhappiness over our troubles. Our healing and our ability to fix the problem begins with self-respect. Here are my four keys to maintaining a high degree of self-worth. Self-respect is the most crucial aspect of our life. If you do not understand how to appreciate yourself and your worth, how do you expect others to? Life is too short to maintain toxic relationships. In order for ours to flourish, we need to work on ourselves first. Don't expect anyone to love or respect you if you don't fully love yourself first. Let me repeat that. Don't expect anyone to love or respect you if you don't fully love yourself first. People accept shitty jobs and relationships because they do not respect themselves enough to realize they deserve better. Too many people become complacent in these aspects and stop striving for greater things in their life. Relationships become detrimental when the self-respect is lacking. You wind up hurting the other person and yourself. First you need to love yourself enough to choose the ones that make you happy and motivate you to grow.  This does not come easy, so a conscious effort must be consistently made on a day-to-day basis. A lack of self-respect and most often does result in depression and self-destructive behaviors. You need to reinforce your positive qualities and actively try to fix your negative qualities.   If you don't respect yourself, then you won't take care of yourself the way you should. By achieving this, you set boundaries for your life and your relationships. This will encourage people's deference to you. You cannot allow people to treat you poorly, and if they do, you need to recognize your self-worth and walk away. Others cannot negatively influence your opinion of yourself. This will only lead to degradation of your self-worth. You must love and respect yourself before anyone else can. Number three, we accept the love we think we deserve. Self-respect and self-esteem play hand in hand with one another.  You and only you are responsible for your fate. Life is no fun if you spend it hating yourself. This stifles any progress you hope to make. Once your confidence is up, you will stop making the terrible mistake of comparing yourself to others. You will already be comfortable and happy with whom you are. When you love yourself, you take pride in who you and what you have to offer. Too many people place the needs of others before their own, but in order to respect others, you need to meet your own needs first. How can you truly learn to appreciate others if you can't even appreciate yourself? This is fundamental to personal growth and a concept too many people don't realize. Acting on principles in ways that you respect is another important quality to foster as you develop a higher level of self-worth. Make a concerted effort to maintain personal integrity in your life by insisting that your actions correspond to your words. When our actions do not match our words, we are more vulnerable to attacks from our critical inner voice and less likely to respect ourselves. By challenging your critical inner voice and stopping comparing yourself to others, you can begin to get a feeling of your own self-worth. By pursuing activities that are meaningful to you and acting in line with your own personal beliefs, you can develop your sense of yourself as a worthwhile person in the world even further. So I hope this helps you understand what self-worth is all about. My name is Seymour Kazemurski. You're watching a commentary of Seymour's World. You can find all my commentaries and all Seymour's World episodes on the Think Tech Hawaii website. I welcome your comments by email, text or phone, and you can reach me at Seymour.Kazemurski at gmail.com or<PHONE_NUMBER>. Aloha.