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Fireside Chat Ep. 63 - Marriage and Children vs. Career | Fireside Chat — Transcript

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0:00hi everybody and welcome to my home this
0:03is my home as I always remind you this
0:04is the fireside chat which I have
0:07virtually every week of the year with
0:09you completely non scripted spontaneous
0:13a chance to talk to you and take your
0:16questions so you get to know me a little
0:19better and at least I get to know what
0:22you're thinking
0:22and it's a wonderful thing as we enter a
0:25new year and I hope it's a blessed year
0:28for you
0:29so I'll tell you what's on my mind I
0:34read at the the end of last year I read
0:38I mean it was amazing for some reason it
0:41was just piece after piece Wall Street
0:43Journal and other and other newspapers
0:45about how many Americans are lonely and
0:50it's it's actually an epidemic in the
0:53United States the number of lonely
0:55people now that doesn't mean alone there
0:57are people who live alone and they're
0:59not lonely not everybody who is alone is
1:01lonely enough and then for that matter
1:03they were married people who were also
1:05lonely cuz they've gotten a good
1:06marriage and they're lonely but
1:08overwhelmingly there is a correlation
1:11between being alone and being lonely
1:12even though I cannot that there are
1:16exceptions not but it's more than that
1:18it's also not having close friends not
1:21having relatives either that you're in
1:24touch with or that are near you or that
1:27are in touch with you there's a vast
1:29number there are a vast number of
1:31Americans who don't speak to their
1:32parents which is a separate subject I
1:35should really cover that want to get
1:37that I want to cover that one day about
1:39adult children who don't speak through a
1:41parent so it's a real crisis this
1:44loneliness thing and I it's so obvious
1:50one of the biggest reasons and that is
1:53people aren't marrying and or they are
1:57they are widowed or divorced and they
2:00and they have nobody in their life not
2:06everybody who's widowed or divorced is
2:08lonely I understand this but I'm talking
2:10about the broad numbers of things but I
2:13want
2:13talk to you about the marriage issue
2:16especially those of you who are young
2:19you you can't imagine infill and
2:23philosophy there's a term called see
2:25change I don't know why they got the the
2:28name from se a maybe it's a change as
2:31big as the sea I don't know but sea
2:34change means an enormous change not a
2:36normal change there's been a sea change
2:39in my lifetime in just the lifetime of
2:42this person speaking to you much greater
2:44than for example the change between my
2:47parents lifetime and me or their parents
2:49lifetime and them I mean there are
2:50always changes obviously but this one is
2:54as just in the last generation really
2:57taken root and it's horrible it was
3:00assumed when I was a kid it was assumed
3:03we'd all get married there was this not
3:06everybody did but almost everybody did
3:08and you boys as well as girls we looked
3:12forward to it it was a big deal and it
3:16was a big deal let me explain why
3:19because it was a value it was a societal
3:24value and expectation of you that unless
3:28there are other circumstances let's say
3:31boys or girls or what Catholic wanted to
3:34be priests or nuns which is of course
3:36very small number or there was another
3:39reason you just never met anybody but
3:43overwhelmingly everybody married and
3:46everybody married in their twenties
3:48because the assumption was that's what
3:52you do
3:53then came feminism and with it the
3:57notion that you may never heard may have
4:00never heard this phrase but you should
4:01look it up a woman without a man is like
4:04a fish without a bicycle fish Tony
4:06bicycles
4:07and of course women don't need men and
4:10this was so inculcated in a generation
4:13they generate my generation already was
4:17inculcated in in women in my generation
4:19but especially in the next you don't
4:22need a man you need a career then you'll
4:25be happy
4:26and I know I've discussed this before
4:29but it's so on my mind given all these
4:31new studies and I just read a twenty
4:34thousand was a twenty thousand nose
4:36twenty page is about thirteen thousand
4:39word or article in it the Atlantic about
4:43how many young people have have no
4:47romantic relationship in fact they're
4:49not even having sex they there they are
4:51just alone and they are afraid of
4:55bonding or have been told it's not
4:58important or whatever and the Atlantic
5:01is a liberal magazine that it's not a
5:02conservative let alone religious
5:04magazine I mean it's a crisis and I you
5:10know god I must I guess I mentioned it
5:13on my radio show and excuse me and I
5:18mentioned meeting a woman what was how
5:22old was she
5:23I guess or I think our 30s her early
5:26thirties an attractive woman had a out
5:28of some dinner party and over the
5:31holidays and she was she's and here's
5:36the interesting thing she's a Christian
5:38when she goes to church every week and I
5:41asked her do you uh are you looking to
5:46get married and she said well you know
5:47if the right guy comes but I'm
5:49concentrating on my career she's you
5:51know trying to make it in Hollywood well
5:53by the way by the way the odds of you
5:55winning at Roulette are much greater
5:56than the odds of your succeeding in
5:59Hollywood I live here
6:00almost all of my adult life in Southern
6:02California let me tell you something and
6:04I'm not saying people should not try if
6:06that's your passion that's your passion
6:08although we do have a video at Praeger
6:10you about don't follow your passion it's
6:14it's a very it's a brilliant video
6:15nevertheless I'm not telling you what to
6:18seek to do for a living but I do want
6:20you to know that if it is in Hollywood
6:23the odds are you you you won't make it I
6:26mean it's just there are far more people
6:29seeking work than there's work to be
6:31given it's just that's the way that's
6:33the way it is it's like athlete the vast
6:38number of people want to be football
6:39players or baseball
6:40players or basketball players and a very
6:42tiny if you make it it's a very similar
6:45odds in Hollywood as in being a
6:49professional athlete than getting you
6:51know well paid for it anyway I asked her
6:55about this and she said no if the right
6:58man comes now
6:59now again it's amazing because this is a
7:02committed Christian who you would think
7:06would have a traditional view of the
7:09centrality of marriage in life but but
7:12she was she was a product of our society
7:15just as much as a secular young woman
7:17might be well if he comes if he comes I
7:20mean it's such a funny thing to me if he
7:22comes what does that mean if he shows up
7:25what is he gonna knock on your door what
7:27does that even mean you you have to want
7:32to get married to get married in most
7:34cases you have to look for somebody you
7:37have to be receptive and if you meet the
7:39right person at 23
7:40you're lucky don't throw him or her away
7:46you're lucky
7:48but it's listen right love and marriage
7:51go together like a horse and carriage
7:53it's a it's a song from one is it the
7:5540s or the 50s in the 40s and but
8:00whatever it is it's before my time I
8:02believe and it's but it's a traditional
8:07song I remember hearing it when I was a
8:09kid love and marriage go together like a
8:12horse and carriage in other words love
8:15and marriage go together you fall in
8:17love with somebody get married not not
8:20today though and the the the marital
8:23rates are the lowest in American history
8:25in many kinds this is true all over
8:28Europe it is true in Japan that Japan is
8:31going to disappear and in I don't know
8:33within a century at the rate it is going
8:35because it's that they're just not
8:36replenishing and they don't accept
8:39immigrants because they they have a you
8:42know a bond with being Japanese and
8:46that's fine I'm not I'm not calling them
8:48racist I'm just telling you what the
8:50fact is so I don't know I don't know
8:53what your pants
8:54sure was gonna be online what Germany's
8:55future is gonna be like Germany is not
8:57reproducing either people think that
9:01marriage and two children are a pain and
9:05they think that career is this it's
9:07amazing to me how so many of you young
9:09people have been sold this bill of goods
9:11that career is is the great happiness
9:16giver now um let me say my work has
9:22given me great happiness I am I don't
9:25want to deny that but first of all I'm
9:27very lucky because I truly do what I
9:29love and what is deeply meaningful
9:31that's very rare
9:33to have very meaningful work and love it
9:36okay and I know how lucky I've been but
9:40it it has never even occurred to me that
9:44I would if I were single if I never
9:48married never had a family I'm the
9:51greatest career in the world and I have
9:52the greatest career in the world I miss
9:54exceptionally successful career that
9:56I've had but please it would be sort of
10:02for naught in my in the way I think if I
10:06didn't have a wife and children i its
10:12you've been sold a terrible terrible
10:15bill of goods and now I'm reading about
10:18how you know young people I mean talking
10:22of twenties not even 15 20s don't you
10:26know don't go out on dates that and and
10:29add it to the fact that now men are even
10:32even afraid to approach a woman let's
10:34just again this Atlantic article that
10:36just came out a very long article and
10:40very interesting one written by a woman
10:42who's 40 and she's married but she was
10:46describing it's it's it's it's not a
10:48happy scene out there men at men are
10:50afraid to walk over to a woman I mean
10:52even to talk to her in an elevator a lot
10:55of women say oh I only wish some you
10:57know a guy nice guy would start talking
10:59to me in an elevator but they're you
11:00know they're afraid to because who knows
11:03what they'll be charged with I'm not
11:05kidding
11:07it's just a fact you know unwanted
11:10advance could ruin your life even in an
11:14elevator and I don't mean physical
11:16advance just hi you know how would you
11:20like to have coffee
11:22so I tell you I feel for this next
11:27generation it's amazing all the
11:29affluence that we have all the freedom
11:31that we have and you know we're not at
11:34war and yet the the people who grew up
11:37in World War two had a happier life I
11:42mean they there were real financial
11:46issues the country was at war people
11:49were losing relatives left and right but
11:53people were happier there's a terrible
11:57combination today of secularism and
12:05feminism it's a bad combination
12:08now feminism means that women are equal
12:11to you two men then everybody is a
12:14feminist I mean who's not who to who
12:16thinks that the sexes are not equal I
12:19don't think they're the same equal has
12:21been changed its definition has been
12:25changed but if you mean equal that
12:27before the eyes of God before the eyes
12:29of the law of course so it's a it's a
12:32it's a given
12:33it was a given when I was a kid but
12:39feminism does not mean all humans are
12:43created equal the Declaration of
12:45Independence of 1776
12:48announced or what said all men are
12:50created equal to be honest but by men in
12:52and til the present age men meant
12:55humanity all men are created equal
12:58doesn't mean but women aren't okay the
13:02seal know like mankind mankind didn't
13:06mean only men it meant it meant the
13:09human the human condition so secularism
13:16is the other problem secularism is a
13:18religion free law
13:21people met at church people dated people
13:26through church people were given a
13:28social life we found friends through
13:30church obviously or synagogue temple
13:36that's gone too everything is now in the
13:40you know what are you gonna do for a
13:42living all the eggs are in that basket
13:46it's not a good idea I've written a book
13:48on happiness I know a lot about
13:50happiness we broadcasting an hour on
13:52happiness since 1999 I've talked to so
13:56many people around the world about it
13:58and we we need we need people the every
14:06study suggests that if you have religion
14:09and you have a social network in your
14:14life let's put it this way not having
14:17either is like smoking 15 cigarettes a
14:21day that's the way they put it in terms
14:23of risk to your overall health
14:25well-being and and longevity and yet so
14:31many of you who are young dating is rare
14:39people people think III hear this and I
14:44am I just read this again in this
14:45Atlantic article that they they can't be
14:50bothered in college there are a lot of
14:52women for example I can't be bothered
14:54with a boyfriend I'm I'm too intent or
14:56girl guys can't be bothered with a
14:58girlfriend I'm too busy you know with my
15:02with my schoolwork this buddy he might
15:06as well talk to me in Swahili you've got
15:09to be kidding you are too busy in school
15:12work to form a bond with a girlfriend or
15:16a boyfriend first of all it's hard for
15:20me to believe okay I I must say that's
15:24all you do if by the way if that's all
15:26you do with school work you are a very
15:28uni dimensional person you are what is
15:31known as boring
15:33okay let me put it to you straight I do
15:36not at all admire people who just do
15:40schoolwork that is a one-dimensional
15:43life you won't get into the best
15:46graduate school so what two most
15:51powerful words in the English language
15:53are so what you have no idea how often I
15:57use that when I debate people on my
16:02radio show they'll make some major claim
16:04and then I'll go so what and then
16:06there's silence which on radio is very
16:09powerful I have to tell you silence on
16:11radio is I know this is great radio you
16:16would think great radio you always have
16:17to hear a voice but silence is pretty
16:19powerful there's no answer so what so
16:22you you won't go to a prestigious
16:25graduate school you go to you'll go to
16:27another one
16:28so what but you but you would you had
16:31led a fuller life as an undergraduate
16:34you had friends and you had a social
16:37life and maybe you had a boyfriend or a
16:39girlfriend that's that's a lot richer
16:42than getting into Princeton
16:43it's Princeton have graduate schools but
16:47it doesn't yeah yeah you've got a PhD in
16:49Princeton yeah
16:50or Yale or Harvard or Stanford or
16:53whatever it might be it's mind blowing
16:56it's mind blowing to me how people you
16:59you see I care about people's happiness
17:03happy people make a happy Society I know
17:06it's it's not so obvious it's almost
17:08silly but but it's true or as I put it
17:13every a week during the happiness era on
17:16my radio show to happy make the world
17:17better the unhappy you make it worse and
17:20it's it's it's a given a lot of unhappy
17:25people walking around and they they then
17:27they they yearn for some sort of meaning
17:31in their lives and they often find that
17:33in the wrong places and they're they're
17:35very angry and it's it's it's not a good
17:37scene we've stopped making marriage of
17:42value
17:44it's it's you know so you'll be you'll
17:49be in a movie
17:51you you you would you think being in a
17:55movie is going to give you the
18:00satisfaction that a marriage and family
18:02is once you read the memoirs of stars
18:06forget the average average person who's
18:08in a movie most people in the movie are
18:10not superstars but read the memoirs of
18:13the superstars how unhappy they are and
18:16how what happens when your superstar
18:18career ends how many people are
18:22superstars for the rest of their lives
18:24till they die it's almost it almost
18:26never happens then what do you do I know
18:29when you're young you never think what's
18:31gonna life be like when I'm old but it's
18:33worth thinking about
18:34that's called wisdom but we don't have
18:37much wisdom today so I'm telling you get
18:41married yeah get married we have a video
18:45up about the benefits of marriage just
18:47an even just in in financial terms men
18:51who get married make more money because
18:53they spend less time at video games in
18:56less time Meg going to sports bars and
18:59more time working to because they want
19:01to support somebody and then hopefully a
19:03family and women
19:07you really think careers is gonna be
19:09more meaningful to you
19:12than than loving a man and being loved
19:14by a man who told you that your
19:17professor you're unhappy professor leave
19:22me a happy professor wouldn't tell you
19:24that the unhappy give the unhappy advice
19:29on how to be unhappy that's what happens
19:34and this notion well I'm not financially
19:38secure so I will get married I can't
19:40think of a dumber idea well why do you
19:44have to be financially secure before you
19:45get married if you're financially
19:48insecure as a single it's better that
19:51then it's better to get married while
19:53you're financially insecure because then
19:55you you cut your costs in half
19:57I mean I I don't I don't I don't quite
20:00understand it you think you think
20:04wonderful people just top into your life
20:07it doesn't work like that they don't you
20:12find them keeping but you can't find
20:14them if you don't go looking for them
20:16you can't win a lottery if you don't buy
20:19a lottery ticket this is the opposite of
20:22almost everything many of you in college
20:24have heard and you've been given really
20:29destructive advice read all these
20:32articles and studies on loneliness in
20:34America and then tell me or if you're
20:37listening in or what you're watching you
20:39this in Europe same thing
20:42okie-doke time to your career questions
20:48here we go Mason 18 years of age
20:53Sunnyvale Texas Texas what is your
20:59opinion of Trump pulling troops out of
21:01Syria ambivalent I don't know what will
21:05happen
21:07anything that benefits Iran is bad
21:10that's the there's there are certain
21:13clarity's in my life well that is one of
21:17them Iran is the most dangerous regime
21:19on earth North Korea is maybe the most
21:22internally vicious but the most vile
21:26regime on earth is Iran's and anything
21:29that can weaken Iran is morally good
21:32just as anything that weakened the
21:35Hitler in World War two was morally good
21:36you have to have priorities we we in the
21:41West back Stalin the mass murdering
21:43Stalin because we had to fight Hitler
21:47and after Hitler after Hitler was
21:50deposed and we went back to cold war
21:53with Stalin and the Soviet Union so you
21:56have to understand the moral clarity's
21:58of the age and a weakening Iran is it
22:03says moral clarity as exists and since
22:07he backs Syria that is the ayatollahs or
22:10the
22:10Toula that's that's a big problem and
22:15Russia's a problem too so I am
22:20ambivalent because on the other hand the
22:22president made a promise I'm gonna
22:24defeat Isis and then leave there's one
22:27thing whether you hate Trump or not or
22:29love Trump he's kept virtually every
22:32campaign promise he's made and that was
22:35one of them Robert 19 San Diego Texas
22:40versus Texas day I'm on the show here
22:44show us on a show on my broadcast how do
22:47you like your steaks yeah that's a Texas
22:49question how do you like your steaks
22:53well-done and medium well which I know
22:56is very unamerican of me I take it I
22:58understand I mean I'm sure I
23:00disappointed a serious percentage of
23:03those of you watching but I that's the
23:09way I like it by the way it doesn't
23:10matter it tastes is not you can't
23:12account for taste I'm answering you
23:15because it's a fun question but it
23:17doesn't mean that medium-well steak is
23:19better than a medium-rare steak it just
23:21means I happen to like it but that's so
23:25I answered you jacob 23 in florida what
23:28is your opinion of the Church of Jesus
23:29Christ of latter-day saints and its
23:31members a very high opinion they're
23:33known as the Mormons a very high opinion
23:35if you're one of them I often have made
23:39the point that I think it's maybe the
23:41most respected group in the United
23:43States well I'm talking theology now and
23:46a lot of Christians have a big problem
23:48with with Mormonism I'm a talking fee
23:51ology talking about people even the
23:54Christians who have a big problem with
23:55Mormonism know what a quality-of-life
23:58Mormons have produced in their families
24:00in their community you know why they
24:03have set values they have a community
24:05and people by and large adhere to it and
24:09it works out nothing's perfect but it
24:13works out it's very hard to produce good
24:16people and healthy families very hard
24:19the Mormons have figured out how to do
24:21it are there exceptions exceptions too
24:24everything on earth but you don't judge
24:26by exceptions you judge by the
24:28generality so I have very high regard
24:32the other day I was in a target of all
24:36places and three young guys came over to
24:41me to take selfies they watched pretty
24:43you videos I asked them what they were
24:45doing so one of them said oh I'm going
24:48on I'm going on a mission in two weeks
24:50so I immediately assumed and I was right
24:53he was LDS and where are you going
24:56Sweden he speaks Swedish now I'm gonna
24:58learn Swedish and they do you know that
25:01the number of speakers of foreign
25:03languages per capita is the highest in
25:05Utah and the United States the highest
25:08in Utah because so many learn a foreign
25:12language and master it in order to be a
25:15missionary there and I told them how
25:16hard it's gonna be he said I know 85% of
25:19Swedes are atheists but you know what if
25:22he doesn't make one convert what it does
25:25and this is the genius of the Mormon
25:27Church the effect on him is fantastic
25:32whether or not Mormons make converts
25:37with their missions you know they go on
25:39two year missions young people they
25:42three months at a time with a with a
25:43with a same-sex partner then they have
25:47another one and very few make many
25:50converts some make none in two years but
25:53the impact on the kid is is you know
25:57what it is
25:58maturity they come back men and women
26:03not boys and girls going on one of those
26:09missions is so much more maturing than
26:13two years at Harvard
26:15it isn't even comparable brooke 19
26:21London England do you have any New
26:23Year's resolutions I have more New
26:25Year's resolutions
26:27then I have fingers on my two hands and
26:31toes on my two feet the question is do I
26:35keep any of them
26:36that's what you should have asked do you
26:39keep any of your resolutions I'm big
26:43blob of being believer in New Year's
26:44resolutions as it happens because even
26:46if you even if you fail at least you
26:50started I'm a I'm a big big believer in
26:54a little is better than nothing
26:56something is better than a little a lot
26:58is better than something because you're
27:01never gonna do everything it's very rare
27:03so it's a good thing to make a
27:06resolution and if you fail by February
27:08alright at least you had one good month
27:10of exercise or dieting or not gossiping
27:14or whatever the particular resolution
27:16that you made but I I I tell you this
27:20I'd like to make a list I think you
27:22should I think you should monitor how
27:25much time you spend with videos and the
27:30games I'm not I'm not for abolishing
27:33them I'm for asking how much time you
27:36spend how about this for a resolution
27:40take up a musical instrument the reason
27:45that people don't think of musical
27:46instruments is they know it's difficult
27:51so that's why it's one of the reasons
27:53people are not happy they think that fun
27:55makes them happy but they don't things
27:58that can make you happy are not often
28:00fun believe me I know of all the things
28:07most of the things that have brought me
28:09happiness of the ben'll it's been a lot
28:11of pain with it just the way it is
28:15children are not always fun I mean even
28:18if you have great kids it's not always
28:19fun you know when they're babies you
28:23know you got to take care of them every
28:24minute you know today they puke then the
28:27next day their butt ear infection and
28:29the next day diarrhea that's not fun but
28:34it brings you happiness if you if your
28:36kids turn out pretty okay I write books
28:41yeah and how hard it is to write a book
28:44well you probably don't unless you wrote
28:47one you don't know how hard it is
28:50fun to write a book but it brings me
28:51some happiness that I write written the
28:54number of books I have I don't even know
28:56the number
28:56the only number I know in my life is the
28:59number of countries I visited because I
29:01always brag about it 130 but I should
29:04brag about how many books I've written
29:06but I don't remember how many but anyway
29:09they're very hard and they're very hard
29:11to write so the the New Year's
29:16resolutions yeah you take an instrument
29:18so that's a good example let's say you
29:20took an instrument and you you spend a
29:22half hour just a half hour a day
29:24practicing in one year whatever
29:26instrument that is you'll be able to
29:28play something believe me that will
29:31bring you more happiness than the half
29:34hour you would have spent on another TV
29:36series okay there's no question people
29:40don't that the irony is people don't do
29:42what makes them happy they do what's fun
29:45but fun and Happiness are not the same
29:49Sarah 25 Los Angeles California hi
29:53Dennis hi Sarah
29:55Harry Reed recently said that Trump is
29:57without question the worst president in
29:59US history in your opinion who has been
30:02the worst president in US history well
30:04certainly not Donald Trump he's not he's
30:06actually thus far aside from the fact
30:10that you know I wish he spoke in a more
30:12sophisticated manner but I could live
30:13with it he's actually been a rather
30:16impressive president in terms of what he
30:19has gotten done that's how I judge
30:23presidents not on whether I like them or
30:26their personal life or anything like
30:28that what have they done Andrew Johnson
30:31was a terrible president the right after
30:35the Civil War right after Lee Lincoln
30:39was assassinated he had a chance to
30:43reconstruct America after slavery and he
30:46blew it so he he might qualify as one of
30:50them I mean Richard Nixon was a bad
30:53president personally
30:57I think he meant well in many ways but
31:01III have a lot of problems with his
31:04presidency and Barack Obama was an awful
31:07president country was worse off in every
31:10way in my opinion after he left the
31:13presidency
31:14I remember how many people said when he
31:19was running first time I would have
31:22black guests on my show and they would
31:24say yeah you know I think it would be a
31:26great thing to have a black president
31:27and it'll be such an important role
31:29model for young black males who were
31:32troubled you know and into crime or you
31:36know having children out of wedlock and
31:38so on and of course it had zero impact
31:41zero now don't blame that on Barack
31:44Obama I just want to make this point
31:46this notion that the president is a
31:48model for young children is make-believe
31:53think mine you know who is my model when
31:56I grew up my male model my father my
32:00uncles and and and figures from the
32:04Bible and figures from history George
32:07Washington Moses okay it never occurred
32:13to me as a kid to look at the to the
32:15president to be my model see it's an
32:18absurdity I think my father ever said
32:20Denis I want you to watch Lyndon Johnson
32:27it'sit's an absurdity I mean it's nice
32:30if they can do that but it doesn't it
32:33doesn't it doesn't have the impact
32:35presidents have an impact through their
32:37policies that's what they do
32:40there they're the the leader of the
32:43United States Harry Reid what a what a
32:47terrible example of a person to cite
32:49who's the worst Jake 34 Florida any
32:56upcoming travel plans that you're
32:58excited for how we do it on time last
33:03question so any upcoming travel plans
33:07you're excited for okay
33:11well let me tell you something I one
33:16second
33:17all right this thing keeps beeping me
33:20and I don't know why it's supposed to
33:24stop at a certain point anyway
33:30if you read my book unhappiness and I'm
33:33trying to sell you a book I don't care
33:34if you really use copy and I don't get a
33:36penny from it do whatever you want but
33:39it's a powerful book and I I make clear
33:44in the book and I make clear in my radio
33:47show when we do the happiness hour I
33:53very very early in my life
33:56decided that I would like to have a very
33:59stable temperament and so I I so hate
34:04getting down that I realized that I want
34:08to make a trade off I'm prepared not to
34:11have great highs if I don't have great
34:14lows because great highs always come
34:17with great loves this is the way it is
34:18you can't stay great high so on a one to
34:21ten scale I basically said I will be
34:23happy at 7.5 consistently so I don't get
34:28very excited about trips that are
34:30upcoming I get excited
34:33as it were on the trip I don't get
34:34excited in advance I try to get excited
34:37every single day as it were um well my
34:43family's well my friends are well I'm
34:47employed I I'm trying to touch people's
34:51lives that's very that's my excitement
34:54so yes I am I'm taking another Cruise in
34:58in June with my listeners up up and down
35:03the Rhine River and I've been I've been
35:07cruising for about 25 years it's one of
35:11the reasons I got to 130 countries
35:13listeners loved it the thing is sold out
35:15in like a week
35:17people just love these trips we have you
35:20know time together and it's it's fine
35:23and I have a great
35:24I'm on the trips but I don't get excited
35:26in advance I don't even get excited on
35:29the way to the airport and I'm taking
35:33I'm thinking hundreds of my listeners to
35:35Israel at the end of the year and if you
35:38want to come just my website is I think
35:41has a banner Dennis Prager comm anyway
35:44where you can find out about it people
35:47love those trips and I love those trips
35:50too but I don't get excited in advance
35:52that's just on my temperament and it's
35:56worked out really well you know I just
35:59handed in my the second volume of my
36:03five volume commentary on the Bible the
36:05rationale Bible which is right now the
36:07best-selling Bible commentary in America
36:10I'm very gratified about it so people
36:13ask it's very hard this is the hardest
36:15writing of my life and to make very
36:19difficult things meaningful to people
36:23and only use reason so it's been a real
36:28it's it's a real project and the books
36:30are big and they're 150 to 200 thousand
36:33words each that did you hear did that
36:37come through my Bulldog snoring you know
36:41his his purpose in life is to keep me
36:44humble he I start speaking he snores
36:47it's like it's almost inevitable anyway
36:51so people say well I just saw I just
36:53handed in the second volume Genesis even
36:55though it's the first book of the Bible
36:56and people say so how did you feel and I
37:01didn't feel much I handed it in and now
37:03I'm ready to do the third of the five
37:05volumes I those are not the things that
37:09that give me highs
37:11I love stability I love and in even
37:17temperament I love it in the people that
37:19I associate with I don't like moody
37:22people I don't like moods and I the
37:28truth is people love people with an even
37:30temperament you know one of the nicest
37:32traits you could have this'll have a
37:34really odd predictability
37:37it sounds boring doesn't it it's not
37:40boring
37:41it's terrific you're married to somebody
37:45and you could predict the next day
37:47they'll wake up and pretty much the same
37:49nice mood is the day before that is a
37:51blessing it's when the person you're
37:55with is unpredictable that you have real
37:59issues so all of that on a question
38:04about my excited about any forthcoming
38:06trips anyway tune in and let's see so
38:10don't forget watch the preview videos
38:12they're meant to touch your life and
38:14give a lot of wisdom wisdom is in short
38:17supply these days do check out the
38:20rationale Bible because I think it'll
38:22deeply affect your life that's why
38:25that's why I wrote ROM writing these
38:27volumes and of course I'll see you
38:31hopefully next week at my next fireside
38:35chat so from I'm Dennis Prager and from
38:38my home to yours god bless you thanks
38:41for watching thank you for watching if
38:43you'd like to keep these fireside chats
38:45free please do by donating to Prager you

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