The School of Life

Not that I ever had a particularly big problem with alcohol, but I was a party boy, so I'd drink every two weeks, but very heavily.

And then start meditating and start doing breathwork and really take things seriously, and it's the same coalescent time that Jordan Peterson and Sam Harris and Alain de Botton from The School of Life are coming online and, like, I'm listening to more Rogan, and I get introduced to Naval Ravikant and, like, all of this stuff starts happening at the same time that sort of pushes me in this, in, in this direction toward paying more attention to myself and being sel-more self-investigatory.

Um, so yeah.

Is Love Island a strange way to talk about rock bottom? Yeah, I suppose, but from an existential standpoint, like, it really fucking felt like it.

My connection with you, Hugh, is also a personal one.

Back in 2017, not long after I'd started Heart and Soul Story, I went to hear you speak at the School of Life event and afterwards invited you for a coffee and incredibly kindly, you said yes.

And that coffee has... became the beginning of what I think can probably be described as an informal mentorship.

Over the years, Hugh's generously shared many an email and conversation with me as I've tried to make sense of my own work and intergenerational connection and community.

That's what I was going to say.

I heard an analysis, I think it was in a School of Life video by Alain de Bontaine, I think is how you say his name, from the School of Life, and he was talking about Matisse.

And he did so many late in his life, just colorful flowers and

pots and things

A breakup is also a way to complete a relationship.

Uh, uh, I have to credit The School of Life for this-

Oh.

Uh-huh, uh-huh

In this way, the greater your success, the fewer people you can share it with.

And I was playing with this quote from Alain de Botton from the School of Life for ages, which was loneliness is a kind of tax you have to pay to atone for a certain complexity of mind.

And I'm really not sure, because since I've been in Austin, the complexity of mind thing, which is that hasn't stopped, but the loneliness changed.

And I figured that that was a big function of change of environment and maybe like whatever embracing or acceptance of what was going on.

I sent you an email summary of it.

Um, The Ingredients of Emotional Maturity by The School of Life-

[laughs]

... taps into exactly this point of we can become physically mature just by being alive, but being physically mature doesn't mean you become emotionally mature.