[MUSIC PLAYING]
CARLEY GRAHAM
GARCIA: Hi, everyone.
We are in for a treat.
For those of you
that I don't know,
my name is Carley Graham Garcia.
I run external affairs for
Google's New York City campus.
Last fall, I had the
chance to meet Bob Roth who
runs the David Lynch
Foundation and learn
a bit about transcendental
meditation, which
is the subject of this talk.
He has brought
today Russell Brand
who needs no introduction--
comedian, now father, author.
We're going to hear all
about it and, in particular,
how transcendental meditation
has affected his life.
So please join me in
welcoming Russell and Bob.
[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]
RUSSELL BRAND: Hey, thanks.
[LAUGHTER]
Thanks for introducing
me and Bob.
BOB ROTH: Careful.
CARLEY GRAHAM GARCIA:
Thank you for being here.
So you seem like an
unlikely friendship.
Tell us how you met before
we talk specifically
about meditation.
RUSSELL BRAND: [CLEARING THROAT]
CARLEY GRAHAM GARCIA: How'd
this friendship begin?
RUSSELL BRAND: Should
I answer it or Bob?
Because we'll probably have
different perspectives because,
perhaps, there is no
objective reality,
merely a series of
myriad [INAUDIBLE]
and interpretations
of various events.
For example, in this room
now, you'd say what happened?
And some people would
go it was really weird.
They lingered around there.
But then later, they'd
go, no, he high-fived me.
And you'll go he fucked
with my introduction.
[LAUGHTER]
So, already, there is no
objective reality, merely
a series of filtered events.
We met in a gay bar.
[LAUGHTER]
BOB ROTH: Don't
tell his wife-to-be.
[LAUGHTER]
No, you were working on a film.
RUSSELL BRAND: Oh, yeah.
I was working on a film.
Go on, Bob.
You say your version.
Your version is as
valuable as mine.
We'll see.
We can judge after.
BOB ROTH: About seven or
eight years ago, Russell
was working on a
documentary on happiness.
And you were going all over
the country, weren't you?
You went to--
RUSSELL BRAND: Bloody
ironic, it was, because it
was a documentary on happiness.
It was an absolute
pain in the ass.
Couldn't have been
more miserable.
It was meant to be a sort
of a scrutinizing subject
of happiness and peace.
But I suppose I've been given
the opportunity without fully
thinking about what I would do.
Sometimes there's a moment
when you have more power
than you know what to do with.
People-- Oliver
Stone-- approached me,
do you want to
make a documentary?
I went, yeah.
All right.
And then I was making
the documentary
before fully realizing
what it was about.
So sort of out of
nowhere I reached
for the tangent
happiness, and I was
in the middle of
making a documentary
about knowing what I was doing.
E.g., this interview now.
I don't know what it's about.
[LAUGHTER]
I was in the foyer, and
I was asking people.
There was a lady
called [? Jerry ?]
who needs to quit smoking.
There was a man
called, I think, Jerome
I met in-- we were
walking through the door.
He goes, oh, you're
doing a speech.
And I went what is it about?
And he went, that is
your job to decide.
[LAUGHTER]
CARLEY GRAHAM GARCIA:
Well, let's go there.
It's a good segue.
You have written a book
around addictions coming out
called "Fix"--
coming out in September.
RUSSELL BRAND: Yeah, I
wasn't sure about the title.
Do you think it's good?
"Fix," and I was wondering
about "Practical Alchemy."
No, "Fix."
"Fix."
CARLEY GRAHAM GARCIA: Talk about
how transcendental meditation
has helped you recover
from addictions,
has helped the process.
RUSSELL BRAND:
Transcendental meditation
helps as part of a process
of tackling addiction
because, firstly, if there
is an addiction issue--
and I suppose now that
I've been at university
for, in my language,
a fortnight.
That means two weeks--
I have the dilettante's
zeal, the zeal
of the newly-converted.
I was not educated
as a younger person.
Only lately have I been subject
to conventional education.
So, by god, the vocabulary
download I've been getting.
I'm trying to [INAUDIBLE] all
of it in this next 10 minutes.
What I learned is you
have to define your terms.
Addiction-- what is addiction?
That's how you win an
argument with people.
You go what do you
mean by addiction?
What do you mean by secularism?
What do you mean by god?
What do you mean by politics?
What do you mean by religion?
What do you mean by
counterrevolution?
What do you mean by culture?
Don't let anyone say anything
that you don't [INAUDIBLE]
that you accept.
And then you can tie them
up in semantics when they're
arguing-- a bit late
now because we've all
fallen foul of fascism by
mistake, and we're in it,
so there you go.
We're going to have
to deal with it.
I just mean on the
global, political level,
nothing serious.
Addiction means,
to me, a behavior
that you keep repeating, and you
can't stop even if you want to.
So if you're eating
is troubling you,
if your sexual
behavior is troubling,
your relationships,
your relationship
with your own work--
more obvious are chemical
forms of addiction
because the consequences
are greater,
particularly drug
addiction, because it
is criminalized as
we now know thanks
to brilliant documentaries
like the "13th," in some cases,
is a way of penalizing and--
what do I want to say--
marginalizing and imprisoning
unpopular or,
perhaps you could say
from a capitalistic perspective,
unnecessary demographics.
But, like I said,
for me, addiction--
any behavior that you want to
stop and change but cannot.
That's what addiction is.
Me, I'm lucky.
I would crack it and smack it.
It's very clear.
If you're taking heroin
and crack every day,
it's non-negotiable.
It is evident that
you are a drug addict.
It's not like, oh, have you
got a problem with cupcakes?
Yeah, maybe.
[LAUGHTER]
Well, you're asleep
in a doorway.
Something seems
to be going wrong.
[LAUGHTER]
So transcendental
meditation-- look
how long it's taking me
to answer this question.
How annoying [INAUDIBLE].
The first thing you have
to do is acknowledge
that you've got a problem.
If you don't acknowledge
you've got a problem,
how can you intervene in
your own consciousness?
You have to intervene.
This is the problem.
Second, you have to believe
that change is possible.
You have to be open to the
possibility of new data.
I'm trying to use their lexicon.
[LAUGHTER]
Three, you need to
accept external help.
In my language--
I was just talking to
somebody called Lauren there
who was-- oh, shit.
[INAUDIBLE] against the law
what she was telling me.
I just spoke to an
anonymous person
whose identity I won't
reveal who was telling me
that they had taken ayahuasca.
Now through ayahuasca,
she had an experience
within her own consciousness
that she had not previously
encountered.
And some of you that
have taken hallucinogens
will know there's
stuff inside your mind
that you're not
continually encountering.
So step three of this program
I'm explaining to you--
step one, I'm fucked.
Step two, is it possible
to not be fucked?
Step three, are you
going to unfuck yourself
using the very consciousness
that got you into this position
in the first place?
Of course you're not.
You're going to
have to accept help.
It could be of a
divine nature, or it
could be of a practical nature.
Do you know how you feel more
powerful, collectively and
communally?
These are the kind
of relationships
that are being broken down.
Also, it doesn't
have to be some sort
of monotheistic, bloody,
patriarchal, racist, biased,
sexist, homophobic face--
BOB ROTH: Is that like me?
Is that why you're--
RUSSELL BRAND:
[INAUDIBLE] Oh, my god.
BOB ROTH: No, no.
Am I that guy?
RUSSELL BRAND: Yeah, it was like
neuro-linguistic programming.
I went, racist!
BOB ROTH: Yeah.
Homophobe.
RUSSELL BRAND: Bob has
no judgment of anybody.
Bob talks to us all
as pure consciousness.
That's how Bob sees us.
He just sees the body as
some sort of temporary blob.
BOB ROTH: Keep going.
RUSSELL BRAND: All right.
So step three is to invite
into your experience
a secondary agent.
It could just be the help of
a friend or someone with more
experience than you, or
it could be this program
that I'm describing to you now.
So, one, fucked.
Two, possible beyond fucked.
Three, are you going
to unfuck yourself
using the thing that fucked
you up in the first place?
Of course you're not.
So the fourth step is you make
an inventory of your behaviors,
and you start to analyze how you
got yourself in this situation.
Now having
inventoried, and then,
in the final parts
of the program,
start to make amends to all
of the different people you've
harmed, you make a decision
to remain conscious.
I have noticed we have a
propensity to go unconscious.
One could say that the
times we are living in
are an example of people
going unconscious on mass.
People are not aware
of why they are
in fear, of why
they are in pain,
and are nominating erroneously
vulnerable portions of society
as the target for their
blame and condemnation.
If we awaken
consciousness, people
will know that what
they're experiencing
is their own fear, their own
pain, and their own anguish,
which can only be induced
and elicited by people that
have huge amounts of power.
That's [INAUDIBLE]
powerless people
can't inflict pain on others.
Only powerful
people can do this.
So my point is this.
The transcendental
meditation comes in
and necessarily preluded
by what I've just said
is because, in my
view, you can't just
start transcending
into another dimension
if you've not dealt with
your behavior, or material,
and psychological problems.
This is how I found it.
Not all of you are as
fucked up as me, I hope.
[LAUGHTER]
I had to do a lot
of work before I
was at the point of getting
into transcendental meditation.
Having done this work and
continuing to do this work
because my mind resets to
psychotic with every dawn,
the way that I use
transcendental meditation is
that I haven't--
like my friend there was
saying about ayahuasca,
an aspect of my consciousness,
which is not biochemical,
which is not my drives--
well, it might be biochemical.
We have not fully
analyzed the neurology.
I mean, fuck knows.
I'm not a neurologist.
But an aspect of myself that is
not my identity, my memories,
my fears, and my desires, I
feel like I can commune with.
It's a pretty good
experience, particularly
for someone who's not allowed
to take heroin anymore.
It's good to have something
that takes me out of this world,
takes me out of this body,
helps me to connect to love,
helps me to connect
to creativity.
For me, it's in the component
of my recovery from addiction.
It's my ongoing recovery
from addictions.
But for those of
you that don't have
such explicit, and obvious, or
evident problems with substance
misuse or other
behavioral problems,
I suppose transcendental
meditation might just
give you a home inside your
heart, a home inside yourself
so you don't just feel lost
and adrift in this world,
looking for redemption
and satisfaction
from material means, which
will never, ever work for you.
Sorry to break it to you.
CARLEY GRAHAM GARCIA: Mmm.
[APPLAUSE]
BOB ROTH: How do
you really feel?
[APPLAUSE]
CARLEY GRAHAM GARCIA:
You're now a father, and so
how does the meditation and sort
of the transformation you just
talked about influence
your fatherhood,
now that you're a dad?
RUSSELL BRAND: It
affects everything
because it means I am
present, and awake,
and aware for my daughter.
It's amazing.
I mean, I don't know
how it practically
applies because it's like
doing yoga or doing exercise.
I suppose, with
exercise, you'd go,
oh, I'm able to lift
things over a wall.
Perhaps you're a cat burglar.
[LAUGHTER]
But transcendental
meditation means
the crucible of my consciousness
is amending, so all things--
consciousness is not
just one more phenomena.
It is the seat of all phenomena.
What is it that experiences
the beingness of you?
What is it that
experiences your body,
your senses, your feelings?
Well, if this is affected
by transcendental meditation
and I reckon other
forms of meditation,
but we're here on the
David Lynch ticket,
so let's say
transcendental meditation.
Like Krishnamurti said,
didn't you, Krishnamurti?
Truth is a pathless land.
For each of us,
it's our own route.
It's own own path.
But there are techniques.
There are tools.
There are doctrines and dogma.
And not all of them are
prejudicial, biased, and awful.
Some of them are very, very
beautiful in their journeys
to God.
So Bob who I met in this gay bar
some time ago, terribly drunk,
tequila shots lined up on either
shoulder like little glass
parrots on a--
BOB ROTH: I'll translate
this in a moment.
[LAUGHTER]
RUSSELL BRAND: Don't
translate it, Bob.
BOB ROTH: OK.
It's fine.
It's good.
RUSSELL BRAND: All
language is already--
I mean, it's really abstract.
It's already abstract.
BOB ROTH: So continue--
continue how we met.
RUSSELL BRAND: It's
already an abstraction.
These people talk in binary.
They probably already-- they're
translating into zeros and ones
as I'm talking--
0, 0, 1, 1, 1, 0, 0, 0.
There's got to be an
algorithm for this.
At some point,
we'll be replaced.
No matter how we strive for
perfection in the cyber world,
still you have to
go in an elevator,
come around the fire exit,
walk across a room because
of the realities of life.
No matter how technologically
advanced we get,
still it's hard to get
that soap to come out
at the right time
and the water--
[LAUGHTER]
No matter how advanced we come
through technological means,
still the stools
in the bathroom,
the toilet door only goes
to there and ends there,
so it's like your
shitting behind a plank.
[LAUGHTER]
Hello.
Hello.
I'm vulnerable.
[LAUGHTER]
We will ever be flesh.
We will ever be carnal.
We will ever be led by our
desires and our madness.
But who will
negotiate within us?
Who are you going to have
negotiate for you when
the demons come, when
the darkness comes,
when the president comes?
Who will you turn to?
CARLEY GRAHAM GARCIA:
So I want to ask Bob
to do some translation, but I--
RUSSELL BRAND: Get Bob
to do what you like.
He's lovely.
Bob's very-- in a minute,
once Bob starts talking,
you'll be praying for the
sane one to start again.
CARLEY GRAHAM GARCIA: One more
question for the sane one--
comedy-- one more
question for you.
Comedy-- how has meditation
informed your comedy
or helped your comedy?
RUSSELL BRAND: It's helped it a
lot because I think that comedy
is the continual revelation
that this material of dance
that we are engaged with
is secondary and not real.
You know that because you--
I'm assuming everyone creates
these sort of secondary cyber
dimensions.
And, in that game,
"Assassin's Creed,"
the office that you work
in before you go off
to do the assassinations, I
feel like this is that place.
I don't know.
[LAUGHTER]
Like in "Assassin's
Creed," [? what I like. ?]
Anyway, how it affects
comedy is comedy
is the acknowledgement that the
material reality that we're all
engaged in now-- you
know, oh, hello Bob.
Oh, no.
I hope I'm not talking too much.
Oh, are you OK?
It's all bullshit.
It's not real, is it?
None of it's real.
We're all going to die.
We are going to actually die.
Maybe not the consciousness,
[INAUDIBLE], maybe not that.
Please, God.
Please, God.
But the individual identity,
the biography, it's all going.
It's all going.
So this is a game.
This is a dance.
Comedy is the
revelation of that.
It's the understanding of that.
It's the continual
acknowledgement
of when you're going,
hey, you're out of order,
that part of me's like, [SPIT]
it doesn't fucking matter.
None of it matters.
But oh, you broke my heart.
Something in you will
go, it's not real.
It's not real.
Something in you knows already.
Something in you
knows you can overcome
the trauma of your childhood,
the heartbreak, the pain,
the loss.
Something in you knows that
you have not separated yourself
from the eternal
and the infinite,
that you are good enough, that
you don't need to be ashamed,
that you don't need to be
afraid, that we can build
worlds from our imagination.
Something in us
knows this already,
and it's trying
to realize itself.
Get out of its fucking way.
[APPLAUSE]
So it helps comedy
because it just
makes you think nothing's real.
So everything's funny.
CARLEY GRAHAM
GARCIA: So, Bob, help
us a bit with a framework
here and how we can--
BOB ROTH: Anybody help?
Anybody--
CARLEY GRAHAM GARCIA:
Well, how we can practice
transcendental meditation.
BOB ROTH: First of all, I want
to say that the first time
I met Russell was in
a bar in New York.
RUSSELL BRAND: Told ya.
BOB ROTH: Yeah.
[LAUGHTER]
And I had been called--
it's interesting.
A friend had called
me up and said
that a producer was working
on a documentary on happiness,
and I had taught this
woman to meditate.
And now she was helping Russell
to produce this documentary
on happiness.
And she said Russell Brand is
interested in talking with you
and possibly seeing
if meditation
could have a role in happiness.
And so I didn't know who Russell
was at the time, particularly.
RUSSELL BRAND: I'm still
trying to work it out.
BOB ROTH: And so I talked to
some friends, and they said,
he's incredibly funny.
He's very funny, but meet
with him before you do this.
Invest this time and
see if he's going
to take this seriously or not.
So I met him in a bar and noisy.
And he came right up to me.
And he said, are you
going to teach me
transcendental meditation?
And I said, how much
time do you have?
Because it takes an hour
a day over four days.
And this deep, and
beautiful, and very funny
man got tears in his eyes.
And he said, I've been searching
for the timeless my whole life.
I have as much time
as you'll give me.
And I taught him.
And when I instructed him,
I remember looking over
as he was meditating.
And I thought-- he doesn't
have to be hearing this--
he's one of the most
profound, honest people.
Are we just going to do this--
RUSSELL BRAND: I'm just going
to write this down while you're
saying this.
BOB ROTH: It's hard enough--
RUSSELL BRAND: I'm
enjoying these adjectives.
Profound, honest.
BOB ROTH: No, he is, just
is, is one in a million.
And I've been very fortunate--
RUSSELL BRAND: Actually
not good, statistically.
They deal with numbers.
BOB ROTH: One in a million is
not that much, not that much.
Am I talking too long?
RUSSELL BRAND: 6
billion people--
No, you're not talking too long.
Especially with the--
more of the profound stuff
about how great I am.
That was going over really well.
The lady wanted to know about
how transcendental meditation
is going to help--
BOB ROTH: I'm
going to get to it.
I wanted to answer
this question.
RUSSELL BRAND: Don't
be so meandering.
Be more like me, succinct.
[LAUGHTER]
Like a harpoon--
[SHOOTING SOUND]
BOB ROTH: It's like being
a substitute teacher
in the second grade, and
everybody's on Ritalin.
RUSSELL BRAND: That's a
terrible drug [INAUDIBLE].
That should be banned.
Ruined my [? vocabulary. ?]
BOB ROTH: The reason I said
that is because Russell has--
and I'm going to get to this.
But this is David
Lynch Foundation.
That's the filmmaker
David Lynch.
And I'm trying to
get him to come here.
"Twin Peaks" is airing again
25 years later on Sunday.
And Russell has been more
instrumental in bringing
the effects of meditation to
half a million kids, and women,
and children who are victims
of sexual assault and also
veterans.
When we talk about
transcendental meditation,
to answer your question--
how many people here have
tried some form of meditation?
Yeah, like mindfulness?
Yeah, lots.
So I like to use an analogy.
And the analogy is
you're on a little boat,
and you're in the middle
of the Atlantic Ocean.
And, all of a sudden,
you get these giant 30,
40 foot high waves.
And you could rightfully think
the whole ocean is in upheaval.
Jeez.
But if you can do a
cross-section of the ocean
out there, you'd
realize that there's
these little 30-foot waves,
but the ocean, in reality,
is over a mile deep.
And while the
nature of the ocean
can be very turbulent and
tsunami-esque on the surface,
in reality, the ocean
at its depth is silent.
And so we say--
Is this OK?
RUSSELL BRAND: Yeah,
I'm really enjoying it
because isn't it interesting
how the ocean continually
recurs in mythology,
folklore, and literature
as the ultimate metaphor
for consciousness?
BOB ROTH: Yes.
RUSSELL BRAND: Any
of you that know
about Jung or the work
of Joseph Campbell
now that this motif of the
ocean is continually used.
So it's a very accurate
analogy that you're using.
And the stillness is perennial.
The stillness is constant.
The higher frequency
vibrations and seeming movement
is temporal.
I like that.
That's good shit.
[LAUGHTER]
BOB ROTH: So I met
Russell in a bar-- no.
Every time you interrupt,
I'm starting over.
RUSSELL BRAND: Oh, oh!
Fuck you!
It is like school.
Because of what
Russell's done, you've
all gto ot got to stay behind.
Thanks, Russell.
[? What, ?] I didn't
make that rule!
BOB ROTH: Yeah.
Anyway, the analogy
is to the mind.
And the surface of the mind,
this is analogous to the waves.
And it's been called
the monkey mind.
And I like to call it the gotta,
gotta, gotta, gotta, gotta,
gotta, gotta mind.
That's the waves.
That's I gotta to do
this, and I gotta do that,
and I gotta call him,
and I gotta call her,
and I gotta make a list,
and I gotta find the list,
and I gotta make a new
list, and I gotta slow down,
but I gotta get going.
I gotta get up.
Anybody have that?
Yeah.
And so that is that.
And every human being--
every human being has--
no matter what, we all have this
desire at some point to say,
god, I'd like to have a
little break in the noise.
I'd like to have a little inner
calm, a little inner clarity,
a little inner peace.
And not in a sort of religious--
just connectedness, creativity,
something new.
And so the operative
word there is inner,
and the question is, is there
such a thing as an inner?
And, if so, how
do you get there?
So, in TM, which we're
talking about-- but I
have to pause and say I
am not a siloing person.
I've been teaching
TM for 45 years.
In fact, today is
my 45th anniversary
of teaching
transcendental meditation.
[APPLAUSE]
I started at the age of 61.
[LAUGHTER]
So other meditations have--
it's not a question of I'm
better, different outcomes.
And if there's time,
we can talk about it.
Research shows
different outcomes.
They have different
values, purposes.
But in this meditation,
there's nothing to believe in.
And we hypothesize that
every human being has
deep inside of us right now--
right now, at the deepest level,
transcendent level of the mind,
there's a level of the mind that
is already calm, and settled,
and peaceful, yet wide awake.
And it is unbounded.
And it is transcendent.
It is my own nature, though.
You don't have to believe in it.
It's there, and we've
lost access to it.
And here's one other thing--
is this too much talk?
CARLEY GRAHAM
GARCIA: No, please.
BOB ROTH: Because--
RUSSELL BRAND: Are you
like that in sex, Bob?
Is this OK?
Are we all right?
BOB ROTH: No, I have to say why.
No, I want to say why I do it.
No, I want to say--
I have to tell you why.
Because I'm on the--
RUSSELL BRAND: Is it hygienic
to go in the mouth after?
Come on.
It's not real.
It's not real.
Limitless consciousness.
BOB ROTH: The reason I do
that is I'm always on--
I'm usually on her side--
RUSSELL BRAND: Sorry.
Sorry.
CARLEY GRAHAM GARCIA: That's OK.
RUSSELL BRAND: I forgot about
your grace at that moment.
[LAUGHTER]
I was just thinking about
Bob and derailing him
for my own amusement.
BOB ROTH: You can't derail it.
The reason I do that is
I'm often on your side,
and I say, OK, you've got
three minutes to talk.
And then the person goes
on for like half an hour.
And I'm like.
Will you shut up?
RUSSELL BRAND: [INAUDIBLE]
you're doing really well.
How's your day going?
[LAUGHTER]
[INAUDIBLE]
BOB ROTH: So what
transcendental meditation does
is it gives access to that
transcendent level of the mind.
There are mindfulness
approaches,
which have their value,
which is to either try
and clear the mind of thoughts.
And that's called
focused attention,
and that's trying to stop
waves on the surface.
And that creates something
called gamma brain waves, which
are 20 to 60 cycles
per second, usually
in the left frontal lobe.
Then there is open monitoring,
which are many mindfulness
approaches.
And there are many, as you know.
And that's body scans.
And that's mindful eating,
and mindful talking,
and mindful walking,
and mindful everything.
And that's to just
dispassionately observe
your thoughts to bring calm.
And in transcendental
meditation,
it's a technique that
doesn't mind waves because we
know that they exist.
It just gives effortless
access to the use of a mantra
but not concentrating
on the mantra, use
of a sound that gives access
to that transcendent level,
that level.
And I'm about to
turn this back over
to Russell, but the point--
because I'm a sort of a
skeptical person by nature.
I'm like a science guy.
And you could hear
me say all that stuff
about a transcendent level.
And you could say yeah,
yeah, yeah, right.
Where's the proof?
And the proof, other
than your own experience,
comes from science.
And brain research,
scans, and EEG
shows that when you
have that experience,
that experience of
your own silent level
of the mind, the whole brain,
electrical activity, the EEG
signature is of alpha 1.
That's eight to 10
cycles per second.
And that's a state of deep,
deep inner calm and wakefulness.
And one last thing.
Then I'm going to turn
this back over to you guys.
And that is, I think one of the
most important elements of this
is when the mind
settles down during TM,
the body gains a state
of rest, in many regards,
deeper than the deepest
part of deep sleep.
And what does that rest do?
You ever heard of cortisol?
Cortisol is a stress hormone.
When Russell and I were
ready to go out here,
just talk, there's some anxiety.
And the adrenals
secrete cortisol,
and it makes us feel anxious.
And it's terrible.
Too much cortisol
undermines sleep,
undermines the immune system,
digestion, everything.
A good night's sleep reduces
cortisol levels by 10%.
20 minutes of TM every time
reduces cortisol levels
30% to 40%.
So it's a profound
rebooting of the system.
Now I'm done.
CARLEY GRAHAM GARCIA: Thank you.
Thank you.
[APPLAUSE]
We're going to open
things up to questions.
So please if you have a
question for Russell or Bob,
begin to assemble at the mics.
But one question,
first, about something
you both raised, time, how
do you find the time in both
of your busy lives to do this?
I mean, you mentioned it's an
hour-long commitment, four--
BOB ROTH: No, to learn
it, it takes an hour a day
over four days.
But to practice, 20
minutes twice a day.
That's the ideal.
That's the ideal.
CARLEY GRAHAM GARCIA:
Russell, you're
traveling all over the world.
You're in different time zones.
You have really busy days.
How do you construct
this into your day?
Walk us through.
Where does it fall?
RUSSELL BRAND: It's
not really that hard.
It's just like sort of cleaning
your teeth or something.
It's just something
that you ultimately
feel that it's nutritional
and beneficial.
Why not?
20 minutes.
Think of all the things you do.
Think of the times you
vacantly stare at fucking
Facebook or whatever.
When I do those things, I say
after you meditate, idiot.
In a way, it's in,
I don't know, sort
of a checkpoint in
my mind of have you--
before you look at pornography,
which I never do now, ever.
Gone, thank God.
I mean, bloody stuff.
BOB ROTH: He has a wonderful
wife to be, wife-to-be.
RUSSELL BRAND: Don't
worry about all that.
I'm talking--
[LAUGHTER]
My Google search would
tell a different story.
BOB ROTH: Yeah.
[LAUGHTER]
RUSSELL BRAND: If you put
into in your own mind,
right, am I really going
to eat this shit food?
Am I really going to spend
time looking at Twitter
or whatever it is?
You still will do it.
I still do those thing.
I still find material
things, titillating
things interesting
and intriguing,
but I try to do
other stuff, also.
Have I done something
for other people?
Have I been kind
to someone today?
Have I gone out of
my way for people?
Have I meditated?
It ain't that hard, isn't it?
Like 20 minutes, for
God's sake, twice a day.
What else are you going to do?
In a sense, if you're
spending all your time
ignoring the reality of
your life, i.e., mortality,
this is a good way to
negotiate with that.
It's not hard.
It's not a hard thing to fit in.
It's a bit of a pain in the ass.
The morning one, I always do.
The second one can be a drag.
The second one, you're
like oh fucking hell,
just sit down and do
nothing for 20 minutes.
So sometimes it feels like
that because I think this.
This is what I'd be saying if
I was a meditation teacher, not
that I want to teach you how to
teach meditation after you've
been doing it for 45 years,
on the very anniversary
of that day by some cruel
bastard bullying a widow.
Like everyone always
says, oh, I can't
meditate because my
mind's always chattering.
Well, fucking hell.
What do you think's
going on in here?
I only say 10% of
the things I think.
[LAUGHTER]
BOB ROTH: 1%.
RUSSELL BRAND: That's
what it is to have a mind.
It's relentlessly
going on all the time.
That's what it fucking does.
So my experience of
it is like I sit down,
and I go, all right,
I'm going to meditate.
All right.
Fucking hell.
Shut me up.
[INAUDIBLE] Oh, that's
terrible, the thing that
happened when I was a kid.
It'd be good if I could do that.
What if I was a king?
Oh, no, no.
No, mantra, mantra,
mantra, mantra.
You know, this-- they make
any more "Batman" movies?
Or they-- mantra,
mantra, mantra, mantra.
So I return.
[INAUDIBLE] You might
like this analogy.
I bet if you see that movie
about that man that walked
a tightrope between the towers.
Do you remember that?
Like, you'd think, how did he
get that cable across there?
Well, you know what
they did, right?
They fire an arrow with
a very, very thin thread
and then tied to the end of the
thin thread, a slightly thicker
string, and tied to the string,
thicker, thicker, thicker
till it's rope, till it's cable.
First, get the arrow through.
Then get the thin thread.
Then it becomes thicker and
thicker, the connection.
So, first, the arrow is sitting
down making the decision.
The thin thread,
the initial mantra.
Don't be surprised
if your mind keeps
going-- you know, rattling on.
That's what a fucking--
that's what it does.
That's its job, isn't
it, is doing that.
There's a virus in the mind.
The ego is a virus in the mind.
Come on.
Let's let people ask
questions, don't you think?
BOB ROTH: No, I want to--
RUSSELL BRAND: They're
all fucking stuck here.
BOB ROTH: --one last thing.
RUSSELL BRAND: This
might be mandatory.
Is this voluntary?
[LAUGHTER]
Tell me this is voluntary.
Oh, no.
It's mandatory.
This is punishment.
This is for people
who are-- right.
Because of that bad
bit of programming,
you've got to sit and
listen to them motherfuckers
talk about meditation.
[LAUGHTER]
Please.
I want to go in one
of them side rooms.
I have a massage.
I'll be in there in a minute.
[LAUGHTER]
CARLEY GRAHAM GARCIA: Go ahead.
AUDIENCE: Thank you guys
both so much for being here.
My question is
really about how you
view TM versus other
meditation offerings,
like Headspace, which is an app.
Do you view TM as kind of
like the rigorous like talking
through it type of meditation?
Or can you talk
about how you view
that versus the other
standardized forms?
RUSSELL BRAND: You do it.
BOB ROTH: OK.
So, for a long time,
scientists thought all med--
I mean, I've been at
this for 45 years--
so all meditation was just bunk.
And then, no, it was ridiculous.
And then some initial
research came out on TM
in the early '70s showed that it
changed brain waves and reduced
high blood pressure.
And then there's been more
and more data coming out
on mindfulness and other
techniques showing benefit.
So then it became, well,
all meditations are the--
first of all,
meditation did nothing.
Now all meditations
are the same.
And now, with brain
research, it's
become quite clear that
there are three basic types
of approaches that are based on
technique, what you're actually
doing when you sit
and close your eyes.
And, as I said earlier,
one is a concentration form
of meditation.
So if you're
controlling your mind
and trying to clear
the mind of thoughts,
that's that focused attention.
And that's gamma brainwaves.
And then open monitoring,
that's theta brain
waves, five to seven cycles,
that sort of pre-onset dream.
And then TM, which
is transcendent.
My feeling is I don't
like when people silo.
Well, I do this [INAUDIBLE],
and so I don't have to do that,
or I do loving-kindness
meditation.
And I-- it's a world.
There's a lot
going on out there,
and we should learn
evidence-based skills.
They have different techniques.
In TM, the beautiful
thing about this
is you don't have to clear
your mind of thoughts.
You know that idea, oh,
that kid's a hot-head,
and he's boiling over with rage?
So we know the mind can
be really a hot system.
And we also know, oh, cooler
minds will prevail, cool, calm,
and collected.
And so, in this
meditation, we just
allow the thinking mind
to just settle down.
So when Russell says he has--
I have a ton of
thoughts in meditation.
It's just are they
up here, or are they
more on that transcendent level?
And so what TM
does is it provides
deep rest, which gets rid
of stress, and tension,
and anxiety.
But these other approaches,
they have their good cognitive
training.
I don't know if I answered
your question, but OK.
Oh, as far as apps go,
it remains to be seen.
Headspace, Muse-- I
haven't really seen--
I want to see rigorous data.
I don't want someone
to say it does this.
I want to see published
peer-reviewed studies.
And so far, I haven't seen that.
RUSSELL BRAND: No, no.
I think you covered it, mate.
BOB ROTH: OK.
AUDIENCE: Thank you.
AUDIENCE: Hi there.
My name is Jared.
First, I commend you for
your public and policy
work on addiction.
I think that's fantastic.
As a fellow in recovery
as well, my question
is, addiction as a whole,
there's this massive stigma.
We know that heroin death
is growing at record rates.
It's the biggest it's ever been.
And anonymity, obviously,
is a spiritual principle
in most 12-step programs.
But I also think it can reduce--
or I think people being vocal
in public about their recovery
can also help the
stigma in public.
Where do you see
us going from here?
RUSSELL BRAND: Well, I think
that's a good question.
What's your name, mate?
AUDIENCE: My name is Jared.
RUSSELL BRAND: All right, Jerry.
BOB ROTH: Jared.
RUSSELL BRAND: Jared.
I've got accent, in case you--
AUDIENCE: Jared with a D.
RUSSELL BRAND: Thanks, man.
Jared.
Cheers, Jared.
I over-did it now.
"Jare-duh."
[LAUGHTER]
Like a bullet.
Jared.
Well, what I think, mate,
is that's a good point
because it is stigmatized
because, well, it's a crime.
So if you take drugs,
you're a criminal.
And crime is really a bad thing.
But it's not really, is it?
I mean, if you can't cope
with your psychological state,
and you need to take drugs,
you're going to take drugs.
You'll do what you've
got to do, aren't you?
The principles around
anonymity, for me,
that's not my job to decide
because those fellowships
to which you refer have
their traditions in place
because there were good
reason in the '30s when
those fellowships were
established to protect
the members from the stigma of
addiction that you speak of.
And also to stop--
because a lot of people
have addiction
issues-- and I don't
want to blow the
lid off this thing--
also are wild egomaniacs.
[LAUGHTER]
So it's good that no one
can come to the forefront
and start claiming to
be Captain Addiction.
But what I think is
the destigmatization
does end in conversation.
I mean, if you look at
various forms of civil rights
and the progress that's been
made in the last half century,
particularly, then you can see
that bringing the conversation
to a public level
does alter perception.
Now what I reckon is the answer
to your question, "Jare-duh,"
is that all of us are like
on the spectrum of addiction.
All of us have some behavior
that we would like to alter.
All of us are reliant and
dependent, necessarily,
on some sort of material
thing or behavior
because we're living
in a world that doesn't
nurture our spiritual needs.
And you know, if you're a man
like me in recovery, the reason
you took drugs in
the first place
was to address this
feeling of pain,
this feeling of worthlessness,
this feeling of loss
and sadness within you.
And it works, doesn't it?
Drugs works for a while--
AUDIENCE: [INAUDIBLE].
RUSSELL BRAND: --good technique.
Heroin will park
pain, momentarily.
Some days I miss it still.
But, ultimately, it
was a place holder
for this sense of
connection that
can only be attained--
for me, I think
the meditation is a component.
But what does it matter
if you're like, oh,
I'm really like a
holy, spiritual guy,
but your life isn't about,
on some level, altruism,
philanthropy, and
basic kindness?
So what I reckon, Jared, is
what we've got to do, mate,
is people that are
straight-up plain junkies
of the [INAUDIBLE]
standard variety, you
and I, we have to
talk to other people
where it's food, sex, gambling,
whatever and just say,
get on board with the
whole mentality of recovery
because all of us need to
be free from something.
All of us are
relying on something.
All of us have some sort of 3:00
AM shame that we wake up with,
like, oh, god.
I'm not good enough.
We live with it, and
harbor it, and try
to build a version of
ourselves that we can put out
into the world that's
manageable and livable,
some secret apology of ourself.
So I reckon that we take
[INAUDIBLE] that everybody
is suffering in some way,
and we use our own recovery
as an example because
I have found myself,
since getting clean
from drugs and alcohol,
I've had to deal with food.
I've had to deal with sex.
I've had to deal
with narcissism.
I've had to deal with fame,
money, all of the false idols
that I thought
that would heal me.
Every single one I
[? created ?] like a prophet.
Yet, when the true thing came,
when the connection came,
when the recovery came, this
is when I become skeptical.
What, helping other people,
sitting still, being quiet
for 20 minutes a day?
Fuck off.
Give me some smack.
Give me a blow job, you know--
[LAUGHTER]
--in reverse order.
[LAUGHTER]
Otherwise, it's
going to take ages.
[LAUGHTER]
But they say every man that
knocked on a brothel door
was looking for God.
And, you know, God as a
placeholder for connection,
for union, for
togetherness to transcend
the illusion of
our separateness,
to transcend the illusion
of these hierarchies,
to transcend the illusion
of our insignificance,
to transcend our pain.
So I think, mate, it's just by
[? carry-on, ?] [? crack-on ?]
of what you're doing.
Don't be embarrassed
about being in recovery.
You've done very well.
How long you been doing it?
AUDIENCE: Seven years.
RUSSELL BRAND: That's
fucking amazing.
Well done, mate.
Nice work.
[APPLAUSE]
BOB ROTH: [INAUDIBLE]
CARLEY GRAHAM GARCIA: Thank you.
AUDIENCE: Hello.
Thank you for coming, also.
I have kind of a
two-part question.
I know that you--
[? BOB ROTH: ?] Go to the mic?
AUDIENCE: Oh, I'm sorry.
RUSSELL BRAND: It's
a two-part question.
AUDIENCE: Yes.
RUSSELL BRAND:
"Godfather 1 and 2."
[INAUDIBLE]
We're not doing 3.
AUDIENCE: So I know you were
talking about being skeptical,
and I was wondering have
you ever experienced,
either of you, a
lot of skepticism
in the benefits of meditation?
And, also, people who
turn to drugs, initially,
do you think that they
would be able to be deterred
from them by meditation?
BOB ROTH: You go ahead.
I'll start.
RUSSELL BRAND: You have a go.
Go on.
And I'll drink this
water for a bit.
And then I'll step in
and say something flash.
[LAUGHTER]
BOB ROTH: Addiction from a
brain chemistry standpoint
and from brain functioning,
when you have an experience over
and over again, so you're
looking for something--
you're anxious, or stressed,
or lonely, or whatever.
So then you have the experience
of heroin or anything.
It activates the pleasure
centers in the brain.
One of them is a
nucleus accumbens.
But it also, you
could say, distorts
or traumatizes the
way the neurons,
the way the brain
is functioning.
But then you go down that cycle.
Oh, I'm unhappy, so I need to
keep having that experience.
One of the problems with a
type of program for addiction
is if you just tell a person
they can't take the drug
but don't change the
brain functioning,
the circuits, then
they're always
going to-- the moment they're
off that one month recovery
program, whatever, they're
just going to go back to it,
or they're going to sublimate
it to something else.
The wonderful thing about--
at least, I know because
we work with addicts--
is when you transcend,
when your mind
settles down to that state of
inner calm, there's a change.
The alpha one brainwave, the
whole brain resets itself.
All the different
parts of the brain
begin to communicate
with each other.
And they say in meditation the--
is this too-- anyways,
I won't say it.
The neurons that fire
together during meditation
in a healthy way wire
together out of meditation.
So you have a healthier, more
integrated, more connected
experience.
And so it does help
override those impulses,
but it's not overnight.
And Russell says, and I
agree, it's not the only way.
But I think it's an
important component.
So, yes, it can change
and transform the way--
and by just reducing anxiety
and increasing something
called serotonin, which is the
happiness neurotransmitter.
And when we're
depressed, then we
have low levels of serotonin.
It increases serotonin
in that experience.
Now you make it better.
RUSSELL BRAND: No,
that was brilliant.
Don't be so silly.
BOB ROTH: [LAUGHS]
Don't be so silly.
RUSSELL BRAND: Well,
I am a drug addict,
and I'm not taking drugs
for ages now, 14 years.
Not that it's a
competition "Jare-duh."
[APPLAUSE]
I'm not saying I'm literally
twice as good as you
at not taking drugs in a
not taking drugs contest.
Who's going to watch that?
It definitely works, mate.
Bob's right about you've
got to change your brain,
and you've got to
change your behavior.
But when you think about it,
when you first get clean,
meditation, at that point,
[? you're not ?] fucking hell.
It's just enough to not
be taking drugs, frankly.
So what was the part
two of the question?
I want to make sure
that we've covered
every single thing
you've ever wanted
to know about everything.
AUDIENCE: Yeah, I was just
asking you about skepticism,
also.
Like, have you ever faced--
RUSSELL BRAND: People
will be skeptical, always.
This is an inevitability.
Skepticism is a good thing.
People should have doubt.
It will stop people being
beleaguered and tricked
by the good many people that
want to beleaguer, and trick
us, and keep us stupid, and to
keep us as passive consumers,
skepticism is a very,
very good thing.
But you shouldn't be skeptical
about your own ability
to change yourself.
You shouldn't be skeptical
about your own ability
to fulfill yourself.
You have this ability.
So, yes, we face skepticism.
I face my own skepticism
is the biggest challenge.
But, luckily,
because like Jared,
I have support of other people.
So when I'm feeling
crazy, and weak,
and vulnerable--what happens
most days-- they go, ah,
you're all right.
Don't worry too much.
You're taking life
too seriously.
So it's a good component.
The skepticism is OK.
I say give it a try.
BOB ROTH: I would just add
that the nice thing about this
is I encourage it.
Be 100% skeptical.
It's not based on belief.
You can be skeptical about
gravity and the ball drops.
You can be a believer
in electricity.
It doesn't make a 100-watt
bulb a 120-watt bulb.
So if it's real,
and it's natural,
then it doesn't require
any philosophical construct
or belief system.
At least, this meditation
doesn't require that.
So skeptical is great.
CARLEY GRAHAM
GARCIA: That's great.
We have time for
two more questions.
RUSSELL BRAND: How do you
know how long they'll take?
[LAUGHTER]
CARLEY GRAHAM GARCIA:
It could be just one.
BOB ROTH: Up to two questions.
AUDIENCE: I'll try to be--
RUSSELL BRAND: For some people
are going to work, aren't they?
You see them go.
Sorry to interrupt you, sorry.
AUDIENCE: It's OK.
I think Bob's used to it.
[LAUGHTER]
Hi, my name is Fizz.
For Russell's enunciation,
that's F-I-Z-Z.
RUSSELL BRAND: Salty
bastard, isn't he?
[LAUGHTER]
Is he like this
at work every day?
Fizz?
[LAUGHTER]
AUDIENCE: Well, we talked a
little bit about the proof
behind the pudding,
right, so it seems
that two of the
biggest ways are, one,
with incredible case
studies, such as Russell,
and, also, the science
behind the neurology.
So I'm hoping you
could kind of expand
a bit more about the
impact it has on the brain.
Until recently,
most neurologists
assumed that, at puberty,
our brains stop developing.
But research shows now
that our brains continue
to develop structurally,
functionally, and also
chemically kind of long-term
impacts of meditation.
And also, given all the
proven recent studies,
curious to hear about,
at the individual level
and the society level,
what's holding us back
from really adopting
meditation as a whole,
not only for addicts
but for everyone?
BOB ROTH: I'm going to
talk about the brain,
and then I'm going to
let you talk about the--
OK.
So they used to say, oh, we use
10% of our mental potential.
That's not true.
And they say, well,
meditation awakens--
you can.
Anywhere you put your
attention, like if you
play violin for 30 years,
this part of your fingers
and that part of your brain,
you're developing gray matter.
You're developing connections.
But more important
is the communication,
different parts of the brain.
So you have the
prefrontal cortex.
That's the frontal lobe.
That's the CEO of your brain.
And that's like the
size of your fist.
And that is judgment, planning,
decision-making, sense
of self, actual,
ethical reasoning,
problem-solving,
innovative thinking, here.
Then you have another
key part, which
is the amygdala, which
is the fear center.
And that's fight or
flight or freeze.
Now what happens is stress,
fatigue, drugs, alcohol
takes the frontal lobes offline.
Just what it does.
A person can't drink
and drive because that
takes this offline, and
it impairs judgment.
And what gets activated, or
aroused, is the amygdala.
So what happens
during, at least I
know TM, is when the
mind settles down,
you can see the connections,
the communication
between the front of the brain.
Actually, there's 14 different
sections of the frontal lobes.
All these connections
here and connections
from the front of the brain,
and the back of the brain,
and the left and
right hemisphere,
all the different
parts of the brain
begin to communicate in
meditation and because
of neuroplasticity,
out of meditation.
And so that's why we offer
this meditation in schools
all over the world, particularly
under-served schools for free.
You see these kids,
their grades go up.
They graduate.
But, more importantly,
they're happier.
They're happier.
So I think that what
you're seeing is--
I think that cutting edge
research on all meditations
is what's going on in the brain.
And, again, it's not some
miraculous part of the brain
that we've never used before.
It's all about communication.
Stress, fatigue rips
those connections apart.
Transcending puts
them back together.
And now why is it
taking so long?
RUSSELL BRAND: I think
you've covered it
because look at these two men.
They have questions.
BOB ROTH: OK.
They say in science--
they say in science,
science progresses
one funeral at a time.
And I think what you're
seeing is an old system.
Like when I was teaching
meditation 40 years ago,
the word "meditation" was, wow.
No, thank you.
And now younger generation
is, oh, I'd like to try that,
or I tried it, and
I couldn't do it.
So it's just time.
AUDIENCE: Thank you.
AUDIENCE: Hi.
Thanks for coming.
I'm a parent.
Carley's a parent.
You're a new parent.
How does TM help you
with being a good parent?
RUSSELL BRAND: Probably makes me
more patient and more present.
So those things, but it helps
in all areas of my life.
Your t-shirt says you
still miss James Baldwin.
Yeah.
It's a shame, isn't it?
[INAUDIBLE]
I think it helps
with everything.
I think it helps
with everything.
It makes me feel more connected
to her and more present.
It's sort of true of
everything in my life, really.
I suppose making the decision
that you are twice a day
going to put aside
20 minutes to do
something that's not stimulating
in that kind of way--
[? you know, it's not-- ?]
just physically stimulating--
I think it's a good decision
to make as a parent,
as a non-parent.
Don't wait until
you've got children.
You better get fucking
relaxed before they turn up.
[LAUGHTER]
That's my experience.
AUDIENCE: Good point.
BOB ROTH: Some little
kid, his father--
I'm teaching a father and son.
And the father was
saying, I can't meditate.
And the little kid, 12
years old, he said, Dad,
there's 1,440 minutes in a day.
You don't got 40
minutes for yourself?
So--
RUSSELL BRAND: Get to bed.
BOB ROTH: Yeah.
First--
RUSSELL BRAND: For 590
minutes, you little bastard.
BOB ROTH: First
thing in the morning,
you just get up 20
minutes earlier.
The afternoon, people just
prioritize it as best they can.
AUDIENCE: Hi.
Thank you for being here.
RUSSELL BRAND:
Congratulations on your beard.
AUDIENCE: Oh, thank
you very much.
[LAUGHTER]
This is something that's very
near and dear to my heart.
I'm expecting two children
actually next month.
RUSSELL BRAND: Bloody hell.
Well done.
AUDIENCE: Been clean for six--
RUSSELL BRAND:
Same woman, I hope.
AUDIENCE: --six months.
One lady, two kids, yeah.
RUSSELL BRAND: Bad ass.
AUDIENCE: Yeah.
And when they arrive--
I mean, they're
already this much,
so we're not doing the whole
from beginning to this.
We're here.
But when they
arrive, mental health
is a very important part of it.
And it's not a very important
thing in this country.
And Google makes a
really safe space.
Obviously you guys are here.
We're talking about this.
This is a great thing, but the
outside world is not like that.
So I'm just wondering
what your guys'
take is on the socioeconomic
access to this kind of thing.
Not every place is Google,
and my concern is not them--
because I'm confident
in myself, and my wife,
and our ability
to bring them up--
but everybody else around them.
So, obviously, pushing
this stuff out to the world
is very important
to all of us here.
I just want to know what
your take is on access to it
at the top of the
thing you mentioned,
the president, which
this country's not very
good at that kind of thing.
I don't know how
it is in London,
but I imagine probably
slightly better.
But just your take really
quick on access to it
from a socioeconomic
perspective.
RUSSELL BRAND: I
understand, my friend.
We talk a lot about
extremism and fundamentalism
with regard to people that
are in smaller groups.
Oh, they're extremists.
These people are
fundamentalists.
But we are living in a
fundamentalist and extremist
system.
The economic system
that we live in
is, it's extreme to prioritize
profit above all else.
The reason that I feel extremely
optimistic is because all of us
here are potential units
and cells of transformation
and change.
Now, admittedly, if you're
in an economically-deprived
situation, whilst the David
Lynch Foundation does make
incredible efforts--
going to inner-city schools
is one of their priorities,
in fact--
but there is a limit
to the efficacy
of philanthropy and altruism.
At some point, there
does need to be
state-level, global-level
change, which
requires a paradigm
shift in the way we
regard economics and the
redistribution of resources.
That has to happen.
You understand this.
This is embedded
in your question.
But the positivity comes
from the fact that all of us
are here now.
Each one of us has
the ability to be
effective in our own lives.
Love spreads.
It emanates.
And I think that if
we learn to meditate,
if we learn to live in
a different way, then
we become sort of vibrant,
potent emanaters of positivity.
We don't have to go
all giddy and stuff
and putting flowers in our hair
and getting all [? daft. ?]
I think we could have a fight
on our hands any day soon.
But it's important to
allow love into your life.
Don't feel afraid of that.
Transformation and change can
happen very, very quickly.
Dear old Bob just said like
science evolves or wherever one
funeral at a time.
No one in this room
is going to be here
in 100 years, but the
ideas that we have,
these can change the world.
They can live on.
So I think, yes,
have skepticism.
Also, allow optimism
and positivity
into your heart in the most
basic and fundamental ways,
the way that you
treat one another
while you're in
this environment.
To express your gratitude
to work in a place
where people make room for
meditation, where evidently,
whilst this is still
an organization that
has to make a profit and one of
the most powerful organizations
in the world,
evidently, clearly there
is an intention to
spread some benevolence,
to spread some care.
And you are powerful.
You are the workforce.
People listen.
One of the great
misunderstandings of our time
is that societies
function this way,
that the people at
the top of the pyramid
are the people that
have the power.
But this is not true.
This is an illusion.
Power is here.
Power is on this level.
If, at any point, you
decide, hey, fuck this guy,
let's rush the stage and kill
him, what am I going to do?
Joke my way out of it?
I'm going to fucking negotiate.
This is perennial.
This exists for all time.
The world is there
to be changed.
Thank you for your question.
Thank you for your time.
CARLEY GRAHAM GARCIA: It's
a good moment to end on.
Thank you.
[APPLAUSE]
