Beware Of False Prophets

By Leo Gura - January 19, 2015 | 40 Comments

The dangers of worshipping human personality

Video Transcript

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Hey, this is Leo for Actualized.org, and in this video I want to talk about how to beware of false prophets.

“Eloquence, at its greatest pitch, leaves little room for reason.” – David Hume

This is one of my favorite quotes from David Hume and one of my favorite quotes of all time. When I was growing up and going through high school and college, I really adopted this quote and fell in love with it because I felt that there was something so true with this.

There is so much bullshit, nonsense and disinformation that come when people get sucked into the cult of personality. That’s what I want to talk about in this video, because this is a very dangerous thing that leads many people astray in their personal development. It dooms them for life.

It makes them lost for life. It makes them believe in stupid ideas and buy into dogmas. It makes them angry, resentful, defensive, egotistical, and violent and many more negative qualities like these, which we want to avoid with personal development. Actually, the quote goes on.

Hume’s quote goes on, and it says – “Eloquence, at its greatest pitch, leaves little room for reason or reflection, but addresses entirely to the desires and affections, captivating the willing hearers and subduing their understanding.”

This is exactly the danger of it. When something sounds really nice, flowery and when someone’s really eloquent, a good speaker, can make a really good case or present something beautifully and knows how to pitch something to you, that’s usually when you have to watch out the most.

All of that talk is not letting you come in contact with the truth via direct experience. No matter how well something is said, what you’ve got is hearsay. You’ve got someone reporting something to you. You always have to keep this in mind.

The Cult Of Human Personality

The key to understand here is that there is always a cult of human personality. Human nature is such that your mind and brain are literally programmed and hardwired for following strong leaders. This is just how the human species has evolved.

Presumably, we evolved because, in the past, we used to live in tribes. These tribes were run by leaders. There were always the few who were passing down authority and information to the many.

The many would work for the few and there was a hierarchy, like a cast system. This is just part of our evolution and history. In modern times, we’ve really come a long way and we’ve shed a lot of that, which is great. It’s amazing.

I think it’s one of the most important developments in human history and evolution, the doing away of these cast systems and false authority. Still, our brains leave us very susceptible to giving authority to people very easily and just trusting that authority.

It’s not just like we’re buying in and believing in bullshit from people. I mean, that definitely happens. I’m actually even more interested in this video to talk about a more nuanced case where you’re an intelligent human being, you’re smart, well educated, went to college, you view yourself as very independent and you value personal development, yet you still fall into the trap of the cult of human personality.

This is simply because you’re very persuaded by someone’s likeability and charisma. This is something very difficult to separate yourself out from. For example, you’re watching a video on YouTube. Someone is presenting some sort of information or point to you. Maybe it’s me, or maybe it’s someone else. It doesn’t matter.

You’re listening to this person. This person can have a different manner, style or personality. They can be funny, serious, abrasive or very calm and peaceful. It doesn’t really matter what their style is.

What’s going to inevitably happen is that you’re going to resonate to certain styles and personalities more than you do to others. You’re going to tend to make this mistake by saying – “Well, I really like this person. He really resonates with me. He really understands where I’m coming from or the way she talks is funny and interesting. I really like it. It’s really humorous to me.”

What’s happening is that your tastes are getting played on. That’s fine. There is nothing wrong with liking someone who you’re listening to. I do that too. You have to be very careful because it’s a very slippery slope.

What tends to happen is this. As soon as you fall in love with the style, manner and personality of this person and even fall in love with their ideas, it starts this slippery slope. Sooner or later, you’re just ceding your own authority and mind over to that person.

Suddenly, you’re not being as analytical and critical as you ought to be of their ideas. I say this about myself and I say this about other people. Sometimes, I see someone in the comment section saying – “Oh, you’re a genius! This person is brilliant. Oh, look at this!”

It’s this sense of worship, right? It’s the worshipping of false prophets. That’s basically what it is. You have to be really careful about this whole style thing because the style and manner of what is being communicated to you is irrelevant, even if it’s a serious communication to you.

It really doesn’t matter. If you’re attracted to the style, this will get you very lost in life. Even if you’re attracted to the ideas because you feel that the ideas are cool, you always thought that way yourself, you know this is right or it’s a very beautifully articulated idea, you have to be careful about that too.

Just because an idea is beautiful, it sounds nice to you or it’s simple, elegant and eloquent, it doesn’t say anything about the validity of that idea. Even if that idea is valid, that’s hearsay no matter how you slice it. It’s always hearsay.

Everything I tell you, including what I’m telling you right now, is just hearsay. You have to have independence, your own critical thinking and your own faculties in order to analyze all of this stuff and piece it together for yourself. Do not outsource this to anybody else.

It’s very dangerous. I see people outsourcing this and saying – “You know, let that person handle it.” Usually, they don’t do it consciously. You don’t just say – “Hey, let him do all the critical thinking for me.” Usually, that’s not how it happens because that’s too obvious.

Your brain is very subtle about this in the ways that it gets deceived. Politicians will do it. Religious leaders will do it. YouTube celebrities will do it. Self-help gurus will do it. Spiritual gurus will do it. Leaders at work will do it.

Your business partner might do it. The person in your marriage might do it. It doesn’t really matter. This is how humans work. We try to persuade and influence each other. When it’s persuasion, we always think and tell ourselves – “Well, I get persuaded by logical arguments. I get persuaded by the meat of the matter.”

That’s very rarely the case. Usually, if you’re very self-honest, and this takes a lot of open mindedness and self-honesty to admit, you can see yourself doing it. When you’re persuading someone else and when you want something from them, it’s very difficult to stay objective.

It’s very difficult to stick to the issues. You usually start to diverge and talk about all sorts of irrelevant stuff. Basically, you’re building up that cult of personality. You’re trying to persuade people.

Persuasion Happens Through Emotional Appeals

Usually, persuasion doesn’t happen through logical arguments. It’s hard to persuade someone through a logical argument. It’s a lot easier to persuade them through emotional appeals, and that’s how persuasion usually happens. What are some examples of this?

I read a lot of comments. I pretty much read all of the comments you guys leave me under the videos and on my website. I hear stuff like who likes what and who doesn’t like what, what you guys are into, who you’re watching and who you’re following.

I follow some of these people too. I think some people are really great. I love learning from experts. This is not to say that you shouldn’t learn from experts. There are literally thousands of experts and if I could just send you to all of those experts, and you actually committed to studying from all of them, then that would be amazing.

If you put the time and effort into it, I would send you to all of those experts. Most of you don’t have that time. The point here is this. Experts are cool, but don’t cede everything to them. Don’t put them up on a pedestal or idolize them. This is not necessary. In fact, this is very dangerous to you. Here are some examples.

Many of you who watch my videos also watch RSD videos. RSD videos are great! I have watched many of them, but RSD is definitely a cult of personality that you have to be really careful about.

A lot of the RSD instructors are charismatic, funny and have interesting and cool ideas. A lot of that stuff blows your mind and it’s great. However, I also really see this kind of cult of personality happening there. I’ve noticed it in myself because I’ve watched a lot of their videos.

I really start to get sucked into it to the point where my mind stops working independently. This is a very bad thing, as much as RSD talks about group think. That’s a really big theme through a lot of RSD content, group think and how dangerous it is.

Actually, RSD is a very dangerous pit of group think. Be careful about that. I personally know many people who are involved with RSD. I’ve pretty much met all of the instructors face to face. I know these people.

I know the people who follow these people. There’s this definite tendency to kind of buy into the group think. Also, another example is Elliot Hulls.

I love Elliot Hulls, but don’t idolize him. If he gives you good ideas, that’s great. The ideas are great. Let the ideas stand on their own merit, but not on his personality. He’s got a great personality.

That personality is very attractive. That personality is like this. “Oh, I want to be like him or he really inspires me!” That’s great, but separate that out. You can be inspired by Elliot Hulls, but separate that out from the merit of what he’s talking about.

I think he talks about a lot of great stuff that has amazing merit. I have no real bones to pick with him, other than this. You can take Elliot Hulls’ material and turn it into crap by turning it into this false prophet situation.

I think Eckhart Tolle is a big one too. Many people talk about Eckhart Tolle like this. “Oh my god, it’s Eckhart Tolle! It’s amazing! Read the Power of Now and read all of his other books! It blows your mind. It’s so enlightening.”

Eckhart Tolle is an amazing human being. He’s an enlightened human being. You can watch his videos and read his books. It’s great and I recommend it. Again though, don’t turn him into a false prophet.

By the way, all of these people I’m talking about will tell you the same thing themselves. They actually faced this problem themselves because they have a lot of followers and viewers. They will tell you this themselves.

At least they will, if they are very honest. They should be telling you this. They should be sensitive to this kind of stuff. Many people love Tony Robins. People talk about him because he’s kind of like the father of modern personal development and self-help.

He’s an easy example to use, and that’s great. I love Tony Robins. I watch a lot of his stuff. I started on Tony Robins material. The first self-help book I read was a Tony Robins book. Actually, it was a CD program of his.

I mean, that’s awesome. Again, don’t think that Tony Robins has every aspect of life nailed and that he understands every aspect of life. He doesn’t. I can find you areas were Tony Robins is deficient in understanding life.

That’s fine. I’m not trying to say I’m better than Tony Robins. I honestly don’t care. I’m not going to compare myself to these people. I’m just saying not to cede blind authority to these people, even if you know they have amazing accomplishments.

The stuff Tony Robins has accomplished, I probably wouldn’t in ten lifetimes. He’s a very achievement oriented guy. He has had amazing talent. He’s an amazing speaker and he can do amazing things on stage.

I’m sure he helps a lot of his clients in really powerful ways. Don’t turn him into a false prophet. You can also go back to the old school prophets – the actual prophets like Jesus, Buddha, Mohammed or whoever else you want to follow based on your religion, tradition and culture.

You might think these guys are the original prophets. No, they are not. The way that these guys have been false prophesized or turned into false prophets by people who came after them thousands of years, has really turned into a travesty.

It’s a real travesty. For example, if you read the writings of Buddha, you can see that he’s very much against this kind of stuff. He’s very much against it. I’m pretty sure Jesus would have been appalled by what has been done with his teachings after 2000 years.

It’s been turned into complete nonsense. These kinds of people don’t want you to take them as prophets. Actually, it’s a very egotistical thing to want to be a prophet, to be put on some sort of pedestal, to think that you’re special and to use this kind of authority to influence people.

A self-honest and intellectual person is never going to want to do that. It’s a very disgusting way to lead others. It’s not that they are trying to fool you. I think that what actually happens here is this. Not any of these people we talked about are fooling you in any way.

Most of them are pretty honest individuals. They are doing the right thing. The problem is with you, and not really with them. You’re the one who likes their personality so much that you want to idolize them.

You want to think they are amazing, special and unique. You want to think that there is something about them that makes you think they are a genius. There is something about this person! For instance, Albert Einstein is a genius! “I could never be like that! He could never match that!” This is the stuff you really need to be careful of.

The issue of authority is important as well. Authority is important because of this. All the people who influence many people have something in common. They have authority.

The Real Authority Is Truth

The thing I understand about authority is that there is only one real authority. All other authorities are fake. Real authority is truth. It’s Truth with a capital T.

I will talk about this in other videos because this is a very important idea and many people are confused about what Truth with a capital T actually is and what it means. Briefly, Truth with a capital T is direct experience.

It’s personal and direct experience by you. It’s not even that you can trust yourself to analyze the experience. That’s already a step removed from the truth, although that would be much better than what most of you guys are doing, which is living your life based on hearsay.

Hearsay is what other people are telling you. Truth is direct experience. It’s the direct insight of the question and matter at hand. Even scientific knowledge, which you might say has the pinnacle of truth, doesn’t really qualify as truth.

It’s not real truth. It’s hearsay which is masqueraded under an assertion of truth. It’s really a form of persuasion. That’s what scientific truths are. The real truth is the direct experience of it.

For example, if you sit down and actually complete the science experiment yourself, you see what is happening there and you see the truth of it, there you have the taste of the real truth. That’s real authority.

Notice that real authority is impersonal. There is nothing personal about it. It has nothing to do with human nature or human beings. It’s impersonal. It isn’t even contained in language.

Language does not carry truth very well. Of course, we have to rely on language and hearsay because there is just so much stuff to know and experiments to run that we couldn’t possibly run them all in our own lives. It would take us a million lifetimes to do it.

We have to rely on hearsay. Then of course, there is the whole game of which hearsays are accurate and which of them are not. That’s a whole field of study. You can go in there and start to analyze and compare all of this stuff.

This is a passion of mine. I spent many years comparing and studying different ideas and philosophies. I was a philosophy major because of this reason. I was really interested in dissecting, comparing and contrasting all of these different ideas, cosmologies, ways of thinking, metaphysics, religions and philosophies.

It was just very fascinating to compare and contrast all of this stuff. You’ll do that, but don’t trick yourself into thinking that just because you do some analysis on the hearsay, you’ve actually got real authority. Real authority comes from direct experience.

This means that any authority you give to a human being is false and fake authority, even if this human being is a very nice and stand up honest guy, really funny, charming and telling you true and accurate things. That’s still a fake authority.

Sometimes, it’s him who appropriates this authority. However, many times it’s you who gives him that authority. This is because your mind is designed to follow. Sometimes it leads, but many times it’s designed to follow.

Even leaders are also great followers. Just having a leadership position doesn’t make you immune. There is probably still someone else out there who you’re idolizing. You turn them into this false prophet because you want to give them authority.

It’s like a constant battle in your mind. You have to stay vigilant through your entire life to this thing. It never goes away and you have to stay vigilant. What I see are people who just aren’t vigilant.

They want to relinquish their vigilance and say – “Oh, whatever! I’ll just kind of coast through life.” They end up coasting through life and getting themselves stuck in a lot of philosophical and mental masturbation, a quagmire of conceptual bullshit. This also creates dogma.

This creates firm and trenched beliefs, which close your mind down so that your mind isn’t open enough to explore other areas in life you haven’t considered before. You might think this. “This isn’t too impactful to my result, development and success in life.”

Let me tell you that this is incredibly impactful. One of the missions of Actualized.org that I’m going to be promoting more, as I shoot more videos, is really open mindedness and getting away from the dogma.

Dogma and closed mindedness are one of the most dangerous things. They are things that really cripple your personal development the most. It’s really dangerous on a personal level. It’s also dangerous on a social level. It can cause real disasters on a social level.

The other interesting thing I’ve been experiencing last year is this. I’ve been getting more followers and my YouTube Channel has been growing. That’s kind of cool. I never thought of myself as having some celebrity status or anything.

Actually, when I go out now, sometimes people recognize me and say – “Hey! You’re that guy! I know you from somewhere!” That’s always funny to me. I always can’t believe that someone would recognize me, but I’ve had people recognize me at the gym and stuff like that. It’s funny and it’s cool.

One thing I’ve recognized in studying how people develop followings, build YouTube channels, websites, political followings and stuff, is that authority is very easy to manufacture.

Authority Is Easy To Manufacture

It’s really easy to manufacture it. The shocking thing is that people don’t realize how easy it actually is to manufacture this stuff. It’s really easy because your mind is very quick to jump to assumptions about people who you perceive out in the public, but you don’t actually know.

For example, it’s funny because I’ll watch people watching my videos and they will leave comments where they say something like this. “Oh, Leo! He’s got this part of his life handled. He’s got all of it handled.”

For example, I have this video named How To Stop Caring About What People Think Of You. It’s really one of my most popular videos. People love that video. In the comments, people write something like this. “Oh, I shouldn’t be thanking Leo because he doesn’t care what other people think of him.”

This is so ridiculous. I can’t believe people would just assume this. Because I shoot a video called How To Stop Caring About What People Think Of You and I talk about it, where I bring up some good points and understand the topic doesn’t mean I literally don’t care what people think of me.

That would be a very difficult state for me to achieve. I’m always chipping away at it. A lot of the stuff I talk to you guys about, I’m not perfect at. You understand that, right? I’m not perfect at it at all!

If you watch a meditation video of mine where I tell you to sit up straight and meditate for 20 minutes and I tell you to clear your mind of ideas and thoughts, you tend to assume Leo does that perfectly. When I tell you to stop caring about what people think of you, you will think Leo does that perfectly.

When I tell you to go exercise and eat healthy, you’re going to say – “Oh, he’s telling me because he’s got it nailed! He’s got it locked down!” I’m pretty good at some of this stuff. I’ve worked really hard on some of this stuff and developed good habits.

However, I’m fallible like everybody else. I don’t always have this stuff locked down. It’s funny because when I see people assuming this stuff about me, in my mind I start to see this. Oh my god, that’s how it happens!

That’s how the false prophet thing works. That’s why it spreads. It’s like a virus that spreads through society. Someone can be very genuine, honest and come up here and tell you all the stuff very precisely, without fabricating anything. Because you don’t really know the person, you’re making unconscious assumptions about this person all the time.

Maybe, when you meet this person face to face, at a dinner or in a more intimate setting where you get to really know them, you would be like this. “Oh, damn! You’re totally different than what I thought you were like.”

You’re watching me through a little screen right here. When I’m standing in front of a camera, that’s almost like I’m wearing a certain mask that I wear. I try to be authentic here. Still, it’s not the authentic me because I am, of course, playing it up a little bit to my audience.

You, of course, have certain expectations of me. Therefore, I have certain expectations of myself. This is also kind of a business of mine. There’s a lot of stuff in here that doesn’t really allow for genuine communication.

You’re also looking at me in a very narrow context – this little window. You don’t see me with my family, girlfriend or doing meditation. You don’t see me doing a lot of this stuff. When I’m doing those things, I’m in a different headspace.

I’m in a different mood and I’m behaving differently. We all do that. You can see this in yourself. When you’re at work, you behave in a different way. You have this mask you put on when you’re at work.

When you’re with your family, you have another mask you put on there. When you’re with your girlfriend or boyfriend, you have a certain mask you put on there. If I just observed you only at work, I wouldn’t really get the full picture of you.

I would have to observe you in all of these different areas to really get a sense of who you are as a human being. When you don’t have direct access to the person, which you usually don’t, this is how the false prophet thing happens.

For example, you don’t really know what Barack Obama is like. You’ve never met him and you’ve only seen short snippets of him on TV, in a very contrived setting. You don’t really know what George Bush was like. You don’t really know what Osama Bin Laden was like. You don’t really know what Hitler was like.

You don’t really know what Jesus was like, or what Buddha was like, or even what Tony Robins is like. You might say you’ve been to a Tony Roberts event and seen him in person. Well yeah, maybe you’ve seen him in person, but you’ve seen him on stage, in a huge and commercial setting with thousands of people watching him.

That’s not necessarily the real Tony Robins. Have you seen Tony Robins when he’s sitting with his wife or his kids? Actually, that would be a very different Tony Robins. Maybe he is very authentic. I believe he is quite authentic.

He’s probably got similarities how he interacts with his wife and kids, and how he interacts with people. Still, who knows? You don’t know. You just assume this. You assume this stuff, but there is no evidence to back it up.

What’s even more interesting is this. The person who you’re assuming about doesn’t even want you to assume that of them. For example, when people assume about me that I don’t care about what other people think of me, I don’t even want that. This is like a burden that I now have to bear.

It kind of feels heavy. Damn! What if someone ever saw me caring about what someone things of me? I would look like a hypocrite. Even though I never went out there and said I literally don’t care what people think about me, it’s still an assumption that someone put upon me.

You know, that’s fine. That’s kind of the burden of being a public figure and having people know you. I’m not complaining about that. I’m just saying to be careful because it’s you who is doing it. It’s you who is doing it.

You’re falling in love with the personality. The bottom line is this. Firstly, no one is truly authoritative. No human being is authoritative. Secondly, no human being is special. Thirdly, no human being is better than you. Fourthly, no human being is unbiased. Every human being is biased. Every human being grows up in a culture, environment and within a group think.

Even if the human being who is communicating to you very honestly and whole heartedly believes that everything they are telling you is true and accurate, this doesn’t mean they’re immune from infecting you with their group think, cultural influences, traditions and all of that stuff.

It’s all still there, in some people less than others. It’s still there. The biases are there. There are commercial biases, social biases, political biases, personal biases, traditions, cultures and religions. There are so many biases that are being communicated to you by these people you watch and admire.

Be really careful about that. Lastly, no one is a genius. I hear people saying things like this. “He’s just so untouchable! This person is a genius! It’s pure brilliance!” This is as though you couldn’t arrive at that situation and place yourself.

You have to see yourself just as capable as these people. For example, I want you to believe that if you dedicate yourself and work hard enough, you can develop yourself within a really high level in personal development. It’s like whatever you think of me.

I don’t think of myself as super self-developed or whatever. Some people will say to me – “Leo, are you self-actualized?” To me, this is funny. Self-actualization is a process that continues for your whole life.

There is no end point that you reach. If you think Leo is pretty self-actualized and you would never be able to live up to him, it’s a really dangerous assumption. You should think like this.

“He’s just a normal guy, who is just shooting some videos and sharing information with me. Some of this information is good; some of it isn’t so good. Let me take the good stuff. Let me try it out myself, field test it and apply it in my life and I can become like him. I could also become a little different than him. I can advance, develop and go even higher.”

That’s how you’ve got to think. You have to really flatten out the whole hierarchy. There is no hierarchy in life. Nobody is above you. There is no magical pope who is infallible. This is a really dangerous and silly idea.

The really bad news here is this. You’re listening to all of this and it’s making perfect sense to you. Everything I’m telling you makes perfect sense. However, you’re still going to get lost. You’re still going to fall a pray to this.

I notice myself falling a pray to it too. Even though I know this stuff, it’s not enough to just know it. You have to agree with it. You have to stay vigilant all the time. Also, really watch out for this cult of personality thing. You have to really watch out for it.

In summary, stay vigilant.

Wrap Up

This is Leo, I’m signing off. Go ahead and post me your comments. I would love to hear what you think. Click the like button if you liked this video. Help it spread around. Share it on Facebook or share it with a friend, so that more people can watch free videos and I can release more free content for you.

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The reason you really want to follow along is because I’m really excited about sharing these advanced mindsets with you. They will help you to master and understand your life. I really am passionate about helping you understand life.

I want you to really have this big and cohesive picture, that’s very accurate and practical. You can use it to create whatever you want. Sometimes, we talk about very practical stuff. Sometimes, we talk about more philosophical and abstract stuff that’s immediately obvious how to apply to your life.

For example, this thing here, it’s a little bit more philosophical and kind of profound and deep. You’ve got to trust that all of this stuff is going to come together for you, like a giant puzzle that you assembly. Every little piece comes together. Every week, I am delivering new pieces.

Come and watch these pieces. Sign up, they are free. You’ll be developing this amazing understanding of life. With this understanding of life, you’ll be able to self-actualize and create the success, fulfillment, peace, happiness and relationship you want.

All that stuff starts with a very accurate and deep understanding, which I feel like many people are missing. I know that because I have spent the last five years developing this understanding for myself. Actually, it’s even longer because I was interested in this stuff in school as well.

If you take my schooling into account, it’s probably like 10 or 15 years. I still feel like I’m just scratching the surface of understanding all the stuff I need to understand to really create the kind of life that I want. I’m really excited about sharing that stuff with you. Sign up for that because it’s free.

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Comments
(40)
Aurore says:

Hello Leo.
I’m French so maybe there will be some mistakes in what I’m writing.
Anyway, I wanted to tell you that I find it great that you spend so much time working on these long videos about so many themes concerning personal development. You may not be a “prophet” but I like the contents of your videos. It allows people to think about deep subjects and you express things quite clearly (I’m thankful for understanding and speaking English well by the way!).
Moreover, it’s very generous of you to do this for free!
I guess this gives you a big purpose in Life.
I know there are lots of sources dealing with personal development and I bought some of the books you recommended but in a certain way, you helped me to remind me to work a little more on how to maintain and develop my happiness. And I started meditating “with you”!
I had already watched other videos dealing with personal development a few years ago but I came back to it thanks to your videos.

I know you get lots of messages of that kind but it can do no harm

We need people like you to help others and share their knowledge and experience.

Bye.

Aurore

Iulian says:

Leo, still though, can you tell me how negative can false prophetise affect me? What are the consequences? Is this going to disturb me from being Independent? Is this going to make me losing the values that I have in my self? What else?

Sofia Lucien says:

Leo you are a GENIUS! Just kidding, Im so happy you posted this and grateful for actualized.org. I do yoga daily and no matter how much more centered I am than most of my peers, I still fuck up, get mad, and just might talk some shit that I don’t mean. Everyday we are beginners. No one is perfect!! P.s. when you said you have a girlfriend I was like, booooooooo lucky lady. Take care!

Natalie Hildebrandt says:

Another profound video. Thank you.

I actually had a hard time with a statement you made about relationships in one of your youtube videos that I called a friend crying because I really admire you and take what you say to heart but I disagreed with something you said so It resulted in a lot of confusion.

My friend reminded me what you just stated: you are a man with ideas and opinions and I don’t have to take 100% to heart (as much as I respect you).

Anyway, I respect you even more now for your honesty.

Thank you!

Vikrant Dangi says:

Hi Leo,

you are doing a great job, you give a new purpose for my life but i am still working on my willpower and sometimes its become so hard for me to get rid from the bad things specially smoking, if you can suggest some specific action for this then please do suggest. Right now i am earning $200 per month and i saving my 50% to take classes from you. I am still confuse for passion of my life and i am continuously searching for that.

Thanks a lot.

Mario says:

Hi Leo, your videos are really mind opening in most instances, hower; on this video I’m going to do exactly what you instruct people to do. I really dont understand why you use the term, “false prophet” if I’m not mistaken, that term comes from the bible and hearing your talk, it does not look like you are a believer of the bible in the sense that may only appreciate the literary value of it. And from what I get from you, its that you dont see the spiritual value of the scritures or its authority. Since you mention Jesus, it looks to me that you set him as an example of a false prophet. It really surprise me that you can borrow a term from a book that you dont any value to be a guide in people’s lives. It is contradictory to me. It would have had much more weight in your speech if you had used a term from other sources in which place more value than the one you place in the bible. I hope you understand what Im saying. And believe me, this is not an attack on you. I think your videos are great for the most part, an I see the point you are trying to make in this one, but it looks to me that you you strayed away from the proper way of presenting this issue. I think you fould have done much better. But since you are a person who does not care what others think, this comment might mean not much to you, and thats perfectly fine. I just wanted to say that you have done much better. Thats all. But I sincerely hope you may meditate and see if you did your best or if you could have done better because I want to take away the best from you.
Thank you Leo.

Dylan says:

Do I contradict myself?
Very well then I contradict myself,
(I am large, I contain multitudes.)

Ninos Shiba says:

Great video as usual Leo!!! I agree with you almost every time and you are very insightfull. In the case of Jesus Christ I must disagree with you. I understand you grew up atheist and I would love to know your thoughts on Christianity because you have a great mind.
As far a Jesus Christ is concerned he was the only perfect man, he never sinned, he told us he is god on earth. He never told us not to idolize him, instead he said, “if you don’t believe in me you will surely perish in hell” ( I paraphrase )
Although I have not seen him, I believe him with not only with my heart but also my mind. I have filtered all the religions and beliefs and found jesus teaching to be perfect, flawless as he was and still is.
Just wanted to throw in my two cents, keep up the great work Leo and I pray you get to know jesus like I know him.

Iulian says:

Religion( and so is History) is completely changed once the time passed.we have worked our own history.many things that we believe are true, simply are not.

Barbara Fairbanks says:

Hi there! Maybe you could watch Leo’s video again, and really dissect it this time to understand its true meaning. Please open your mind, remove your blinders, and, at the very least, set aside your religious beliefs when you do this because this is coloring everything you are hearing/listening to, and you are hearing what you think you should be hearing, not what is actually being said. The trigger that caused your misperception was the word Christ.

It seems to me that as soon as Leo mentioned Christ, numerous viewers of this video took exception to the TRUE content of what was being expressed, picked up the ball (OMG, he’s dissing Christ!!) and ran with it – completely out into left field somewhere!

Leo did not call Christ a false prophet – didn’t even insinuate it. What he said was (paraphrasing) that Jesus would have been appalled at how the message he tried to bring to the masses in his lifetime (were there ‘masses’ back then? – I dunno! seems like a fitting word, though…), have become so twisted in their meaning over these 2,000+ years since then, that so many of those same ‘messages’ today have come to convey the opposite of what was originally expressed.

Katrijn says:

Dear Leo,

Thank you very much for this video and for pointing out the importance of self-reflection and critical thinking. It is very hard to find your way and be true to yourself in a world dominated by the internet, cultures and ideas. I find it also very important to think independently, although this is a challenge. I especially liked the definition of truth, a direct experience…but we kinda not always experience… Thank you for uploading these videos for free and for spreading your enthusiasm of understanding life.

With kind regards,

Katrijn

Tiffany says:

this is exactly what needed today at this moment!!!!!
I have been thinking of my life at midlife turning point for the last 1.5 years. I am doing well overall, a very good paying job that I like to do, kids are almost grown, which means I have some free time for myself, my husband loves me and is a leader at work. I still don’t want to just settle and coasting, looking ahead into the future. So after quite a bit of reading, asking, investigating what it is that one thing I want to focus my life on to get financial reward up a notch, I have friends recruiting me join the multilevel marketing, selling insurance, consulting for education, … I found myself spinning hard without making a decision and commitment out of two many options that I can do.

This is painful.

This video is so great!!!!!! It takes out of some fantasy I had on certain idea and the confident charming individual persuading you.

It works for them, Because they put in hard work.

I am still bouncing idea to idea on finding that profitable biz that’s also meaningful…I will be more objective and level headed after this video, on my journey of finding out. I am quite disciplined in diet and workout.

My whole-hearted thanks to Leo!
Please keep up the good work.

Lisa says:

I find a good way to try and stay vigilant is to watch for triggers; things that trigger emotional responses for instance. I try to stop – look at it objectively; turn it around, upside down, ask myself, “what just happened here?”. As you said, it isn’t easy, I don’t always and probably never will catch myself each and every time, but it has helped tremendously. This technique has kept me from entering into relationships that are not good for me. It’s helped me see and analyze my “self”. I was in a terrifically abusive relationship for more than 30 years. I still feel a bit of “shame” for not realizing how bad it was for so long. The further away I got from that relationship, the more I realized I’d given myself up to that person, which was fine for him, but I disappeared. I allowed it. That was another entire awakening. Something for which I am grateful.

Aubrey says:

Dear Leo, I have been watching your videos for a few months and recommend them to my friends. This video I starting watching and to be honest I was partially paying attention because I’m was trying to multi task but when you started to use yourself as an example your brought it all around for me. I was brought to emotion with your sincerity and totally understood your point. Definitely one of your best videos yet. I promise to not make you my false profit. Thanks, Aubrey-San Mateo CA

tank says:

how to create a successful life with no college

filipe says:

I don’t know man. This makes me doubt you..

Leo Gura says:

Good!

Suzanne Vinci says:

Hi Leo, I understand what you mean when you sat you don’t care weather someone likes you or not. People don’t like your videos because they think you don’t care what anyone thinks. There is a difference between not caring and genuine kindness, everyone appreciates genuine kindness, if show freely and just for the sake of kindness.

Suzanne

Barbara Fairbanks says:

Kindness for the sake of kindness is nice, and has the added benefit that we are being kind to ourselves at the same time because we are all one. (well, o.k., there really is no self, but how to express that? not sure!). We are kind to another; we are simultaneously kind to ourselves. We are mean or hateful to another, we are mean/ hating ourselves at the same time. We all subconsciously know this; we (most of us) don’t know that we know – like one of those Donald Rumsfeld “known unknowns” riddles, in reverse.

Jon says:

Interesting talk with some good points. The narrative on human social organization and its development is not accurately depicted. Hierarchical social life and the naturalization of “following the leader” is not merited biologically or culturally, and is not found across all societies, spaces, and times in human history.

Barbara Fairbanks says:

Hey Jon – Could you expound on that viewpoint a little more? What resource(s) might you be quoting? Just curious.

nicole says:

I’ve only watched a few of your videos so far but this one makes so much sense to me. It describes me pretty well. I’ve always thought I try to think outside the box but I do have thoughts and ideas that are not truths. I have lots but at least I am aware . I do feel though that being this way I have isolated myself and hardened etc because I never understood and new how to express it. so thank you for this video! I can now move on to work on the other good stuff! although I will always have continue to think about these points. btw ive never commented on anything before very different for me so cheers to the rest of your videos

Adam says:

As you say, it’s hard to stay vigilent, especially when there is so much information on so many topics out there; it is easy to get lost in all the noise. There are many things that can attract a given person’s attention and distract them from their personal path. I suppose it comes down to prioritizing what is important to you and focusing on that. It seems to be that it is inevitable that one will slip into group think, but as long as it is on topics or issues that are of minor signicance to the applicable path, it seems more acceptable.

Anyway, great video. Thanks for not beating around the bush. Keep up the good work.

Michael says:

Hey Leo,

it is very interesting to thing about it. When you talk about being careful to take the information and turn it into a valuable inviolability.
To fall in love with a persons idea is very abstract and not intangible .
Finaly when we receive the information or massage, from that person or group, it is our brain and our body how turn it into a answer. We form the fundament of being. Because we are….

Harold says:

“Enlightenment” is an illusion that replaces other illusions. For most beings it is a necessary illusion but in the end it is just another illusion.
You see all the world is a stage and you Leo are just another actor playing his role in this cosmic play.
I hope that one day you realize that you are the actor playing the role of Leo in this cosmic soap opera and not actually Leo.
You still believe that you are Leo and not an actor playing Leo.
Thanks for letting me visit you theatre and watching your acting performance.
My theatre is by invitation only.

Barbara Fairbanks says:

i think you might have missed Leo’s message about the ‘self’ in his Enlightenment vids. You might come away with some useful information in Leo’s video on Jealousy.

james milne says:

Hi Leo Namaste,
I must admit when i first watched one of your videos i came across on youtube, i thought to myself this guy is nuts and who is he trying to con, boy was i wrong haha. I am getting right into your work now and you are answering a lot of deep questions that i had and have where a lot of people that i have approached seemed reluctant to answer or didn’t know the answer, it is best not to go there as it is too deep was a kind of reply i used to get. I am forever searching, i am also waiting to go into hospital to have a kidney removed pretty soon and after watching your videos i will be going in to hospital a lot more positive with a lot to churn over when i come out of surgery while lying on my bed, in a weird way i feel kind of excited now as i am looking forward to getting back to some kind of normal life again thats if there is such a thing haha. Thank you so much for your honesty i have been searching for someone like you for a looong time, you are very down to earth and have given me hope for the future. WOW gratitude to you. James

Barbara Fairbanks says:

Oh, gosh James – Best to you! I see that was 4 months ago for your kidney surgery. I hope all went well with your surgery and that you are in good health, or at least getting there.

I just “discovered” Leo here on the actualized site a couple of weeks ago. Unbelievable that I wasn’t aware of this sooner. I really don’t know how I stumbled upon Leo’s site but stumble I did, and it was a very lucky stumble.

First video I watched was his Law of Attraction video – that’s the one that somehow led me here. I was holding my breath the whole time – because I did think I knew how it worked, and I wanted his explanation to align with what I thought I believed about it. Mine was of the airy/fairy woo-woo sort and didn’t exactly align with Leo’s version, but that’s o.k.. I came away fascinated by his knowledge and his clear communication, and realized that although I felt a little disappointed that the guy had sort of burst my bubble, in a way, about the Law of Attraction, he is definitely a ‘keeper.’ I’ve been marathon watching every few days – not getting much done – and my poor dog has been suffering the consequences. If he could watch along with me, and take this all in, our training sessions would go alot smoother!

I hope you are doing well, James – nice speaking at you!

Sam says:

Hi Leo,

amazing video! It’s interesting that you mentioned RSD, but I definitely agree that there are at least some cult-like tendencies involved in it. But what is this cult of personality that you are talking about? Do you mean cult around some instructor or idealization and admiration of some sort of superior player/alpha male etc lifestyle, or what is it?

I’ve found out that combined with contempt for beta males/chodes/whatever, this latter kind of idealization is unhealthy and very typical in PUA community. PUA’s don’t actually care about sex itself that much, but they care about getting validation from women. And even though RSD talks a lot about not seeking validation, watching their content can make you validation-seeking (happened for me).

You also said that “I really start to get sucked into it to the point where my mind stops working independently”, “RSD is a dangerous group think” and that “you should be very careful about it”. What do you actually mean by this?

Sam says:

And by the way after thinking about RSD, I remember that in the video “how to be a man” you said something like in order to be a man it’s better to have sex with lots of women, do you still agree with it?

Ninos says:

Barbara,
What are Christians today misunderstanding about Jesus? Jesus said, if you believe in him that he is lord our god, we shall have ever lasting life. Jesus is god. What is there to be confused about?

Chris says:

I have noticed people’s propensity to idolize others. Despite this fact, your video has awakened me to the realization that I have fallen victim to this group think mentality. As you stated it is a slippery slope. Moreover, your videos have shook me to the core. I have always thought differently and often been misunderstood, I feel as if your insight and research has awoken an awareness in me I’ve not thought possible. I’m excited to continue my own research regarding spiritual enlightenment.

James milne says:

Thank you Leo, the video has produced a lot of valuable info for me I was in that categeory of being lost and being pulled one way or another, very frustrating trying to figure out what product to try and what not to try, eventually I enlisted on Andy Shaws bug free mind and I now have realised that I have to keep myself dedicated to this program and not be pulled another way. I have put aside the Gita for now as I know I will definitely go back to as it is full of wonderful wisdom which remains inside of me and I still carry it around with me as well for reference.

God Bless, James

LadyLoveRebel says:

Hi Leo,
Thanks for sharing

Someone said to me once, you don’t do all the things you talk about yourself. Whereas I answered; no, but just because I haven’t reached that level yet doesn’t mean I can’t share the information with you. Whether you choose to use it or not is up to you.

Here’s my assumption; you gotta be a bookworm with all that knowledge that you have

I really enjoy your videos!!

Alan Travers says:

Thanks Leo. I remember your vid, ‘How to stop caring what people think of you’ was the first video that really gave me this aha moment, it was great! I really started to watch your episodes on a regular basis after that!

Your right though because you became a bit of a hero after that but soon I became very aware of this and had to remind myself not to get ‘brainwashed’ by your Ideas. I made a point of putting each method into practice and making up my own mind.

I see you as a great communicator of theories, methods and ideas that you have learnt along the way yourself. A skill I would like to develop more of.
I don’t see you as a Prophet or a God or a perfect human being or even someone who is better than me in anyway. However if I saw you on the street randomly, I’d probably ask if I could shake your hand and maybe even give you a hug as you have helped change my whole life around over the last year and i thank you for that.

Also I keep trying to sign up for your newsletter but there seems to be a problem each time I put details in. Is it cos I’m from the uk? I’ll try again tonight. x

Leo Gura says:

If you have a technical problem with the site, use the contact page to request help.

Samantha Atkins says:

I am confused. You say there are not geniuses. Yet you wish us to believe you have it right after your five years.

In the videos on spirituality you say there is no self. Then what is the meaning and purpose of self-actualization? Surely it is a folly and the wise would go to a gave to meditate instead of pursuing it.

You say the truth is that their is nothing. If there is nothing what is their to care for? Who is their to care?

Your teachings do not seem consistent.

Yann says:

I just see you as an elder brother, or a summer camp instructor, explaining me things. I like these kind of relations very much. Remind me of youth

Max Raoy Gron says:

I was never at any rate attracted to a specific style or idea of anything, or style of religion, religious styles don’t vary that much, the style of every religion is pretty similar, all the religions are the same: it’s all spirituality, religion with rules is only about rules to control you for a master plan of bullcrap, religion without rules is all about acceptance of a faith that has nothing to do with what I should do and what I shouldn’t do but is expected to think it’s good just by its very concept, Taoism is all about control of your very move, as of Christianity, as every way of life is all about controlling you, I don’t have a “way of life”, I haven’t found one where I can be obedient to rules exactly what I want. None of these ways of life is anything I want, vegetarianism isn’t a way of life because it doesn’t effect completely different things, like computer science or what I can write and what I can’t write, it’s a pseudo-way of life, it’s supposed to cover everything but it has loopholes in rules it’s lacking. As for the eloquence of veganism, it doesn’t to me sound like anything a father can love, people hate veganism as the whole system, they say it’s f’ked, I think it’s OK to get away from any love that leads down a dangerous path. If love is what’s upsetting me I’ll make structural changes to my love, it’s as simple as that. I’m not aiming at the perfect, normal person who never gets rejected by society and never in history fought with his mother. The problem is these perfections sound too good to be true, as with perfectionists no one can do that and a perfectionist doesn’t even try, but they would try impossible nonsense that leads them to the very few beliefs that for them, never worked, it’s a disorder, perfectionism is this eloquence, see Leo’s video for details (not on perfectionism, the subject is what’s too good to be true and that we need to stop it). I’m not pretending that I have the charisma to be an authority in right belief, even though I’m very good at being an authority in wrong belief and you would believe me because I know you believe bullcrap, I can do that which is the easiest thing to do: to feed you beliefs you want to hear it’s just what everyone else believes, popular belief, based on beliefs I never could accept, things being hot air because a scientist said so, or your beliefs even if it’s wrong, and never myself getting you wrong, just telling you what you are because it’s your beliefs, if I do that as everyone wants you to talk their beliefs (nobody does, that’s why we get people wrong), I would be lying, saying things that aren’t true, assuming that belief equals correctness of belief and that it must be the gospel. Also I’m an expert at making mind games inside my head, I’m right about everything, anyone who disagrees just point it out to me and tell me where I’m wrong, and don’t try to destroy the truth, I will accept it on a limb, I got more flexible in the truth, not this rigid belief, otherwise I would follow dogma. For someone who questioned my comments too many times I agree with them 99%, I’m not going to argue that Leo’s a fool or an idiot, even though you can decide if he’s a fool/idiot or not. I decided he’s very silly sometimes, he “acts like a dick” to wake us up to enlightenment, that’s his calling.

Max Raoy Gron says:

Honest? Jesus isn’t honest, and a lot of English Christians have lied too, you want honesty? Try being anti-religious for a day, you’ll have 23 1/2 hours of honesty, religion might be wrong and religious people don’t know what they’re talking about. I’m leaving this sect, I hope I eat away at intellectual laziness and start having the intelligence to follow the truth, not knowing anything in my heart, knowing the truth, my heart is a liar, love is too good to be true, only my hate and biases are true, I don’t trust anyone. It’s rather dangerous successfully convincing an arsehole to agree how good you are because arseholes use positive behaviour negatively and think it’s OK. I don’t have the discipline to do actualized teachings or to force you to believe me, it’s not going to happen. See normal-rebellious’s profile in the Is It Normal? website for some mention on psychedelics, I never said anything about inflexibility/rigidity of my acceptance of what I call the truth, I might come back to this website if I promise to get back on track and not suffer corruption as I created gradually turning into a black, mysterious war whereby somebody’s admitting to bullshit, that’s not who I am, I’m skeptical, I equip myself precisely with the objective reality, that is imagination, consciousness, God, love, infinity, awakening, but there’s something there which is fishy, that I find dubious, I can’t explain it but if I put too much energy into it it’s going to get me in the shit.

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Replying To: Yann