I've been feeding a nearby family of crows for a few years now. My hope is that, out of gratitude, someday they will bring me one of their young ones to raise as my own.

Tags for this video have been changed from 'Louie Schwartzberg, Gratitude, TEDxSF' to 'Louie Schwartzberg, Gratitude, TEDxSF, TED talks' - edited by silvercord

In reply to this comment by darkrowan:
I will probably never understand why you do this, but I'd like to say you have my undying gratitude for the act.
In reply to this comment by deathcow:
six months have passed beey0tch3s

and in honor of the upcoming HOBBIT TRILOGY movies

*doublepromote



Funny : ) It's a Tradition! We need to dig up some backups for this video.

I will probably never understand why you do this, but I'd like to say you have my undying gratitude for the act.
In reply to this comment by deathcow:
six months have passed beey0tch3s

and in honor of the upcoming HOBBIT TRILOGY movies

*doublepromote

Most generous of you, thanks!
In reply to this comment by berticus:
Thank you. I've patched up the embed, and promoted one of your pqueue'd vids as a token of gratitude. :
In reply to this comment by kymbos:
Ah, fukkit. Anyway, that's the embed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHoN-RYA-dM&feature=related

Thank you. I've patched up the embed, and promoted one of your pqueue'd vids as a token of gratitude.
In reply to this comment by kymbos:
Ah, fukkit. Anyway, that's the embed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHoN-RYA-dM&feature=related

Genji,

I appreciate your words, Ezra, thank you. Let's say that you're right, that my life is meaningless, and that I am the one who determines what is true. Do you know what I would determine to do? What I would determine to do is to do the same things I am doing right now. Even if I knew Jesus Christ was not God, I would still determine to follow His blueprint for the ideal person, because following that blueprint has radically transformed my life for the better. There are many who aren't Christians who feel the same way, that Jesus got it right. If I wasn't a Christian, I would follow the ideal He set forth, summed up in the great commandment, to love your neighbor as yourself. To turn swords into plowshares. To pray for your enemies and hold banquets for the homeless. To walk two miles when someone asked you to walk one. To give the shirt off your back to someone else who needs it. To love everyone unconditionally, and see every person as fundamentally worthy of my respect. That is what my life about it, and I wouldn't consider that to be a wasted life, even if I was wrong.

I've also lived the alternative. Contrary to what you say, I was never really afraid of death. I can't say I liked the idea of death, but I accepted it; and so I was resigned to triviality, and meaninglessness. I was also content to go to the grave with those beliefs. Like everyone else, I got by on my dreams, my relationships, and whatever gratification I could get out of the moment; I indulged in the pleasures of sin freely, and felt little shame.

So I didn't come to be a Christian out of fear, or a need to be comforted. I came to be a Christian because God touched my life and shook me from my agnosticism. He showed me I wasn't quite as smart as I thought I was. He showed me that the material reality is but a thin veil covering a much greater truth. He showed me that the truth was always staring me right in the eyes, but I was too blind to see it. What He showed me was that He had always been there, my entire life, and that many of the things I wrote off as coincidence really were not.

You see, it is perfectly reasonable and rational for me to believe there is a God. He has simply given me too much evidence to deny it. It's not a convenient belief that fills in all the scary things about life; rather, it is my reason for being, my logos. It is also my eternal gratitude to the Creator for rescuing me and loving me even though I don't deserve it. To know God is to know truth, to know who you are, and why you're here. To know God is to have hope for your future, and an ever present peace and contentment. You believe I am fooling myself, but I say that even if you're right, it is a life worth living, a life well enjoyed, a life that hopefully will touch many others in positive ways. If that is the only meaning I die with, its worth it to me.

>> ^GenjiKilpatrick:

Shiny.
Accept it. You're an ape.
You're a conglomeration of amoeba.
Your life is a just a blip in the twinkling of the universe.
There is probably no god or gods.
There's probably no purpose or reason for your existence.
You are the being that gives purpose or meaning to your life.
When you realize that.
When you realize that there's not supernatural sky daddy to hold you when you're scared or confused..
You'll understand that you've been talking all this nonsensical religious babble in order to establish that purpose.
That the only reason you and jihadist are so adamant about your own personal interpretation of the essence of the abyss..
Is to distract yourself from the fact that your life is just another series of events in this long chain of entropy, chaos, disorder.
The only reason you're so religious is because you're an ape that's too scared to accept your death and the triviality of your existence.
One day, I hope you'll realize this.
On that day, you'll be "born again" just like you were when you accepted "Jesus Christ" and Christian doctrinal teachings.
On that day, you may become self-actualized..
And from then on, understand that we homo sapiens are very lucky.
For we, among few other animals, are able to choose their life's meaning and purpose.
Please don't waste yours.. being a religious troll on the interwebs.
Your brother,
Ezra.

Worst thing in episode one? "a feeling of great joy and gratitude..." and that wasn't melodramatic enough, so she said it again.

@spoco2

Right, because no one ever uses the phrase "Thank God" just to express relief and gratitude without meaning it literally and subscribing to exactly the ethos/worldview you just described. Oh, by the way she did indeed thank the guy who saved her girl. So much for your theory.

You did get the "it's difficult to look after an autistic child" thing right. According to both the NY Post article and the one I linked to above, the mom took the girl's brother to the bathroom and during that time the girl managed peel off the partition that covered the narrow gap between the air conditioner and the window frame and squeeze herself through.

i do not think i can call what i do officially work.
since i am a man of faith i tend to keep my life very simple and with as little trappings that would hinder my work.
1.wake up and first coffee and then morning prayers.

2.check emails for those in need of advice and counsel.(and dick around on facebook and VS)

3.procrastinate in getting out to my scheduled appointments (which is why i am always running late.i have some serious discipline issues concerning punctuality).the flavor of the appointments vary from addiction counseling to tarot readings and sometimes they may be just a spiritual boost for someone who is low and in need of company.(i live in a community with many elderly,and loneliness is a heart breaker).

4.usually around 4pm i start wrapping that part of the day up and head home for a shower and mid-afternoon prayer in order for me to get ready for the second part of my day where i bartend/wait tables at my long time friends resturaunt.

5.i do not make any actual tangible legal tender for the first part of my day.i may trade deal for something i need but usually i rely on the generosity and graciousness of those i help.i.e:the clothes i wear,the car i drive,the computer i am using right now were all gifted to me.even the house i reside in is a gift (well..kinda).

6.i do not own a credit card nor do i have a bank account.the cash i make from bartending and waiting tables is the cash i use to live and my paycheck goes to child support for my youngest child.

7.work till 10pm-11pm.come home.check emails again to see who or what needs help and in what fashion.mess around on facebook or VS for a bit and then off to study,read a book or watch something interesting.

8.night time prayers of gratitude for the day and all those who touch me,which can happen as early as 1am or as late as 3-4am.(depending on how much i am procrastinating).

i do fit family and friends (even a lovely woman) in that schedule but it is not always easy.thank god they love me.

Goodness gracious me, in answering certain comments under my video I managed to forget the most important thing: thanking you for the promote!! Please accept my tardy expression of gratitude.
In reply to this comment by Boise_Lib:
*promote
Everyone needs to understand exactly how stupid people are.

And out of gratitude the boss gave him a 10 cent raise.

shinyblurry: If the wonderful Creator of this Universe, the one who gave you life, who knows your entire life from start to finish, your most intimate thoughts and deeds, better than you do in fact, came to your door, you think you would have the superficial reaction that you have described? You think, with all you have done in life laid bare before Him, you would engage in some cynical dialogue with Him? If you're going to engage in a hypothetical then how about some realism? It's also irrational to say you wouldn't serve God if He revealed Himself to you.

Me: Think on this. If a god made me, then any response I make would be the expected response. Going out of my way to reflect a response that is contradictory to my character would in turn be a slap in the face. I will reply in character. I cannot foresee any reason why I wouldn't respond as I've described. Who are you to tell me how I would act. It is NOT irrational to say I wouldn't "Serve" a god that reviled it self to me. It is not in my chemical makeup to be controlled by any such hierarchy. I will not bow to any deity for any reason. That is my chemical makeup.


shinyblurry: You say, you have no idea why anyone would want to worship God, yet you have seen the glory of the Heavens He has created; if some being did create them, did in fact design this entire Universe, He certainly would be worthy of praise.

Me: Why? Because you said?
I expect if there was a God and he created this thing we call existence, I doubt it was a big deal to create it. It's not like much time was put into it. It has so many flaws. It is the most un-perfect thing ever created so it wouldn't garner any praise at all. In fact, I imagine that our existence is much like a drawing from kindergarten that hangs on the fridge compared to what perfection could possibly be. So no, no praise at all.

shinyblurry: Praise is something that comes natural to human beings, and we give it all the time for even trivial things.

Me: Um, no it's not!

shinyblurry: We are all built to worship, and it comes out in a myriad of ways if not directed towards our Creator.

Me: Um, no we're not!

shinyblurry: People worship money, power, celebrity, drugs, technology, themselves, etc.

Me: I don't worship ANYTHING, I don't think you truly know what worship means. To give stock in something isn't worship. It's a means to an end. tools of our existence, and fruits of our labors.
If I like something, it isn't "worship" to engage in it. It's a learned experience given to us through a continued release of dopamine to the pleasure center of our brain. It's a chemical response. It is EXACTLY what we are supposed to be feeling according to the makeup of our own personal existence.

shinyblurry: God has no *need* of our worship. He has ordained it not just because He deserves it, but because worship is a natural expression of the joy, love, and gratitude we feel towards God, for the great things He has done and continues to do in our lives.


Me: What? That doesn't even make any sense. Do you listen to yourself?
"He doesn't need it, therefor he ordains it because he feels he deserves it."
That is one big contradiction.

If God is perfect, then He is the source of the highest good, and He is perfect love. If the wonderful Creator of this Universe, the one who gave you life, who knows your entire life from start to finish, your most intimate thoughts and deeds, better than you do in fact, came to your door, you think you would have the superficial reaction that you have described? You think, with all you have done in life laid bare before Him, you would engage in some cynical dialogue with Him? If you're going to engage in a hypothetical then how about some realism? It's also irrational to say you wouldn't serve God if He revealed Himself to you.

What God wants for you is to repent of your sins, which means turn away from them, and believe in His Son. Through that comes love and forgiveness, as well as eternal life. God loves you anyway, but He wants you to know Him personally. You say, you have no idea why anyone would want to worship God, yet you have seen the glory of the Heavens He has created; if some being did create them, did in fact design this entire Universe, He certainly would be worthy of praise. Praise is something that comes natural to human beings, and we give it all the time for even trivial things. Why you wouldn't be grateful for what God has done and does do for you each and every day is the mystery. We are all built to worship, and it comes out in a myriad of ways if not directed towards our Creator. People worship money, power, celebrity, drugs, technology, themselves, etc. You have alters in your life that you make sacrifices to. What God wants is to adopt you into His family, as a son. God has a plentitude of being. God has no *need* of our worship. He has ordained it not just because He deserves it, but because worship is a natural expression of the joy, love, and gratitude we feel towards God, for the great things He has done and continues to do in our lives.

>> ^Sagemind:

Absolutely not, why would a person do that?
First off, He isn't real so your question makes no sense to a sane person.
Second, If some entity showed up on our doorstep and fulfilled the definition of perfect, I'd congratulate him on his/her perfectness. (what a sad life that would be).Then I would berate said person for bragging and rubbing it in everyone's face. Then I would continue on with my life.
Why would I change who I am or give anything of myself to he who may already have it all (as is claimed).
I will forever wonder at the concept of worship. Why some people need to lay themselves at someone else's feet like undeserving dogs is beyond me.
>> ^shinyblurry:
Let me ask you this question. If God is undeniably perfect as I claim, would you repent from your sins and turn your life over to Him?

If there were an ounce of reason or decency in society, those boys could have corrected that cop's existence and been rewarded with universal praise and gratitude.