@MetrazolElectricity I believe so. Education and the Significance of Life is also another fantastic read. Cool to see another Krishnamurti out there. Shazam .
based off of Gymnopedie No. 1 - Erik Satie. for people looking for the song- it's like 10 pages back in the comments, last i found it, so figured i'd post it again.
I just want to write this out for others to understand better:
Let me tell you "The truth", "The Truth" is "What is". And "What should be" - (as) a fantasy - a terrible terrible lie that someone gave the people long ago.
The meaning of it all - Live your life and live keep your mind and body clear if you don't want the world to bring you down on your knee's and crush you.
@mick3yhula I wrote that when I didn't understand the meaning of it :) Now I see that it means: The reality is what is now, and not what you want it to be. The fantasy world is an illusion and not something to strive for since it isn't real. And I'm far from an idiot so don't insult me in such poor manners
What he is examining is the separation of the ideal world ('oh those poor Ethiopians should be fed; it is such a horrible famine') and the material one ('I'm going to continue spending money on trifles and wasting labour and natural resources which could help those people'). The truth is, how the world is, it is not determinate, it is influx by what the populous want. There is comfort in truth also, people don't need romantic disillusion or religion, they need truth. It's quite beautiful.
The truth is what's going on now and the fantasy is that if you lived a certain way or talk a certain way and act a certain way then you will go to heaven and receive all kinds of presents when you die like christmas morning.
The problem with this kind of pragmatism, cause that's what I'd call it, is that it leaves so little space in one's way of thinking to want to better yourself, or change the world around you ...if even just a little bit. Whereas the desire to dream for better times (past, present or future) is what keeps us going and sometimes it's all that keeps us moving on, cause life can be pretty damn hard at times -as I'm sure everyone knows.
it's an ironic statement, from a man who fought the law tooth and nail the latter part of his life, I'm not sure if what Lenny is saying is about are human frailties or our capacity for compassion as opposed to the finite American dream which has proven to be nothing more then a selfish hoax.
Now, if someone for instance is told - gravity should not be real and tries to jump off a cliff, the scientific truth of the situation will soon become apparent. If someone tells a child that happy endings should be guaranteed then that is also a lie. But every man for themselves is a terrible terrible lie and I feel sorry for anyone who lives their lives from this premise. Peace is not about sitting around bored like good little angels polishing harps in the clouds. That's a lie.
The fact is, is that if we don't have principles by which we live, then there are no standards of living. Often times things change and we must adjust those principles, and this is the hardest thing to accept amongst those who benefit the most from the status quo. But people who break these laws go to jail because they didn't accept things the way they SHOULD be. Don't let anyone fool you into thinking things are the way they are unchangeably. That's the biggest lie of all.
@Zorniod - I disagree with your characterization. People go to jail, after getting caught and convicted, for breaking the law that IS, not for the inability to accept the way things SHOULD be. As far as the root causes of crime, or the inequities and corruption in the justice system, those are larger issues. I don't think Lenny is saying you can't have principles, or work for change, but you need to accept the world that is, and that it will never be exactly what you think it should be.
@themattampa It's a temporal question. If this statement were true, then laws would be invariable. They are not, and can be changed. Science creates "truth" and says sugar is bad for you and splenda is the way, then they come out a few years later with a new "truth" that says that sugar isn;t so bad and splenda could cause cancer (made up example). What "is" in this case changes. Can people be deluded? Sure - and I think a lot more people are deluded about what "is" because they're intimidated..
@Zorniod ...by the scale of society. "Gee, there's so much money being put into commerce, and building, and technology that it MUST represent something that's "real" when really there is no purpose to it all on a larger-than-human scale. Life is what we make of it - has the meaning that we assign to it - is as real as we make it. Form doesn't follow function, or we'd be using forks only to eat with and not to poke someone in the eye. What "is" is a lot more fragile than people think.
@Zorniod - Everyone I know only uses their fork to eat, and not for poking eyes, so does that mean for me, form does follow function? I didn't post the clip to get involved in conversations myself, and usually don't. I am interested in what others have to say, and it seems like you're trying, but it's hard to take what you're saying seriously when I disagree with pretty much every premise you have. To be continued...
@Zorniod - My impressions: 1) He isn't saying 'what is' is unchanging, x=x, whether it changes or not. 2)The distinction is between Is and Should Be, i.e., life isn't fair, shouldn't be like that, people shouldn't do that, but it is, they do. 3) Science doesn't create truth, your example is technology and People trying to sell you a product. However the businessman and environmentalist feel about or interpret what they or the other is doing, what they're doing IS what they're doing.
@themattampa I think I understand where he's coming from, I just don't think it's so pat-and-dry as I said to begin with. Contrast Naive Realism with Representative and Scientific realism on wikipedia. Life is not fair because of something people do, only rarely because of other circumstances - and if it involves people it can change. I have a feeling Bruce was feeling a bit cynical at this part of his life because of his own shortcomings. Thoughtful video though - thanks for posting!
I respect Lenny Bruce a lot, but this statement is one of those pat-and-dry statements that's easy to digest and say "Gee, he's right" but it's not so simple. What he's saying is that the "truth" is what actually is. Well, WHAT ACTUALLY IS??? Can someone tell me that? Can anyone here prove without a doubt that they'r enot living in a dream? No - the statement is false realism. People will get anything by you if you believe it's the only way.
@themattampa I've heard similar statements made by other before him. Also, all our misconceptions do not rise from fantasy and truth usually lies deeper than seeing something for what it is. My thought to you would be, sometimes the most catchy philosophical lines are oversimplifications that people recite in their heads while nodding to make themselves feel as though they are enlightened.
@Zorniod false realism... that isn't an oxymoron at all... and I'm unclear about your distinction between what is and WHAT ACTUALLY IS... if I'm yelling, then what I'm saying must be true... so here is what ACTUALLY IS... just another priest confessing that there is no pie in the sky
@stolenusername4 I must say the caps were for emphasis, I was hardly yelling. Yes, yes - this is my point - the distinction between what is and what isn't isn't as clear as people would like it to be. To a manic depressive life is a series of endless disappointments. To a big-businessman it's all about exploiting materials for profit. To an environmentalist what is, is that big-businessmen are killing the forests. It all depends on your point of view.
@Zorniod There are certainly some hard rules - just go try standing in front of a bus and believing with all your heart and soul that it will pass through you. Actually, I don't recommend this. But where mankind is concerned there's very little IS. IS can be an ontological nightmare. Mathematicians enjoy the tautology x=x but it's only a premise to agree upon, and most of them never notice their variable changing when they turn their backs so that x=y.
@Zorniod The way I see it is that there's no point in trying to work towards an " ideal" life. That sounds dark, but the "truth" he's referring to, in my opinion, is that we should be living in the present (no matter what that entails) instead of working towards "what should be." If we work towards "what should be" we just might be deluding ourselves into thinking that what we have at this very moment ("what is") isn't good enough.
@Quixotic1018 If it's a matter of living in the Here and Now instead of the Past or the Future, then I agree completely. But the only reason mutually beneficial or destructive things have come about in this world is because people imagined it could be that way and made it happen. If you believe that what IS is that you can't play piano because you suck, then you will never get up off your ass and work to become a better player. We should be mindful of the past/future, not live there.
@Zorniod he gave his qualifying statement & your answer is in it: "and what "should be" is a fantasy, a terrible, terrible lie".
"the truth is, what is"... example: you "should" always be honest & tell the truth but in reality, very many people lie. the truth is A LIE (meaning that in reality, you will be lied to). here is another terrible, terrible LIE: it's okay, it's going to be okay, you'll be fine. err, WRONG. those things are lies.
in order to know the truth, you have to know the lie.
@Zorniod I think what he means is the "truth" is what's happening now. The only permanent truth in your life is that it is always now. never yesterday or tomorrow or last year or ten years from now. its always now. And the "what should be" is an inability to accept this fact. Which means you look to the past to define your self or to the future to complete your self. But that completion is ultimately a "fantasy" Because by denying the only thing u ever have, this moment, u will never feel whole.
Of course, this short excerpt was part of a larger show; thus, if you want to treat LB as philosophy, you need the rest of the argument. That's why there were complaints (Ralph Gleason?) about the terrible way LB's early albums were edited - pastiches of segments from various shows, roughly organized by theme.
The problem with this, LB's bits evolved over time; the bits in any given show were often organized into larger arguments; thus, a bit might mean diff things in diff shows.
@Zorniod | Cont' from prev comment - although LB made logical & even legal arguments, I'm not sure a philosophical analysis is the best way to get at him -- he was a satirist, a humanist, an artist... so, there may be things like arguments implied by juxtaposition, contrast...
In any case, I do not intend to suggest that LB should not be submitted to logical or philosophical analysis. Just that his greatest value might be realized from that view, in addition to other kinds of critique.
I both agree and disagree with you, which is just the kind of statement that backs your point lol, "what is" and "what should be" are both relative. If you live in a third world country what is might be very very hard and what should be might be much more simple such as i should be able to have clean water enough food etc where as in america idk about when Lenny Bruce was alive but now "what is" and "what should be" are much harder to define due to the vast differences even between,,,
I would say what is as in what Lennys saying and what is as in what you want to know are two totally different things neither of you are wrong The truth what is and what should be in my opinion are relative to where you live what year it is how much money you have and so many other things that I agree no one can say what is true for everyone They can only say what is true for themselves I think Lenny saw a dark truth because of all that was going on in that era Your truth is different As is mine
@Zorniod what he means is that something that looks wrong is probably wrong and something that looks right is probably right. Your thinking about this way to hard i mean if you see someone beat the crap out of an old lady regardless of what she did something about that is most defiantly wrong, thats the truth, not the political one or the personal one but the general truth because its just that...true. (aka. metaphysics has no practical use so leave it out of this...).
@Zorniod@Zorniod He is not making a metaphysical statement or questioning reality, he is stating the difference between desire and reality; the difference between a person saying, "This is not fair, things should not be this way," and the way that things are in actuality.
Can anyone please tell me what he's saying means? IS he saying "the truth" is a comncept wich were given to people long ago as a big lie, and that we still relate to and seek - something that doesn't exist? something like that, with some words that I added obviously... please someone.
What Lenny is trying to say is this.The truth is WHAT ACTUALLY IS and not WHAT SHOULD BE.people go around thinking oh the world should be at peace, everyone should be friends with their neighbors, everyone should have a roof over their head, everyone should be wealthy.. But in reality it is every man for himself. You have to fight and work hard to get that dough so you can buy your house and have your roof over your head. The truth is how the world really is, and not how SHOULD be.
@YouAreWeak - That's a fine interpretation, but it is yours. Better to say that is what you think, clearly based on your own political views, rather than presume to know what Lenny is trying to say.
I won't call observational humorists such as Hicks or Carlin copycats, just people passing along the message. If only people could see that. If only they could graciously accept useful information instead of remaining willfully ignorant, as a famous quote once read.
People are weird...if you describe to them what is...or as close as you can come to what is, they'll call you an asshole and ignore you. It's like walking into somebody's apartement and telling them that there's a huge pile of dogshit on their white carpet and them getting mad at you for telling them.
Brilliant statement, on the money! Truth requires no introduction because it is always already the case. And all egoic striving for truth is a heartbreak that leads to sorrow. Wow!
@ZanyAnton One answer is "The music is 'It Never Entered My Mind' by George Shearing. The piece is based on Gymnopedie #1 but the outro of the piece has different phrasing from Satie's original."
I won't call observational humorists such as Hicks or Carlin copycats, just people passing along the message. If only people could see that. If only they could graciously accept useful information instead of remaining willfully ignorant, as a famous quote once read.
well this world is not horrible its society that's horrible what man does its what makes this society corrupt . comedy can something make u laugh and it can make u angry even cry but it can also make u think and realize what is the real deal in society .yes Lenny was a realistic bad taste in humor but real if only he use that bold realism for God's purpose yes i know he ain't perfect head of his time rip Lenny
well to make a long story short. Lenny Bruce was the first stand up comedian to use profanity, and was a strong social commentator. he did dark humour,political satire, and so fourth. The Authority in New York was after him, and after a series of arrests because of his views and use of profanity, eventually he was taken to court, stripped of his license to perform. bars/comedy clubs refused to book him. He sankd into a deep depression, and later killed himself by taking morphine.
thanks to bright human people internet doesn't have owners (and i can be able to watch this from chile).
Comedy its not always laughs, comedy takes what you always thought to be normal, truth, routine or any structured concept, to destroy it (deconstruction) and then you realized that it's all a joke, comedy breaks the glass wich you see the world. Use it on politics, religion, life matters, love, anything is available to be destroyed, cause everything is a historical construction.
I've listened to this several times and the greatness of his words are haunting. Only if people truely listened. If your going to tell people the truth at least make them laugh. I also suffer from extreme lonliness....I cannot connect to modern/average human, not because I do not want to but rather because most are so bought into conforminity of the mind and lifestyle, that they have not opened their minds to knowledge of themselves. Ego, greed and self-fishness roam free in this horrible world.
@missaquaboogie You are so right. I suffer from the same affliction. So (to borrow Mr. Bruce's words) I am alone. However, I think it's better to be a little disconnected from the human race and be true to oneself (not conform, as you mentioned, like the "sheeple" tend to do). I wholeheartedly agree with your last sentence also. The 21st century, the century of universal selfishness and lack of concern for fellow human beings. (continue)
@cyphrinfinity (continued)..."From 'Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?' (song around time of the Great Depression) to "Brother (or sister, for that matter), can you spare a kind word?' ". (My personal analysis of both the similarities and the differences between the 1920s/30s and this time now)
@missaquaboogie If you find a way to communicate great ideas in an accessible manner you may overcome this, that is what comedy is really, when done well. Also it helps to learn to except the mundane nature of life at least part time, or you'll just fuckin burn yourself out.
You know what's funny? In Lenny Bruce's day, if you practiced free speech you were persecuted by society. Today, anything goes. However, in this day of the corporate mass media, your voice is swallowed up by the sheer volume of it all. You are not persecuted, you are ignored. That's a much more subtle and effective way to control people.
I dis agree, mainly because people still are persecuted, and for the same things, racism violence, also, people have to go to greater lengths, what would send shock waves around the worls in lenny bruces day? a bimg bomb? in ours, drving two airoplanes in to the twin towers?
So you se nothings really changed, but i think its just means, people are making 'louder' noises to be heard over that ever growing 'sheer volume'
@UprightBoltUpright That is probably the single greatest most insightful commonet I have ever seen on youtube, and Lenny would be proud to have inspired it.
If I could, I would hug you. Due to the constraints of the virtual world, I cannot, but you can have a mental hug sent through the digital network. Sorry, that sounds kind of dirty...
@UprightBoltUpright actually now free speech is stifled by anti americanism. if you don't agree with the massive, then you're a terrorist sympathizer. if anything thats worse than being called a communist, cuz u can change political ideology, but not the internet.
@edwinshap1 hi edwin, hell no I'm not a terrorist sympathizer, I'm a vet and my son is a Blackhawk crewchief, he'll be home in 19 days and he's gettin married on Oct 3 rd. Now Edwin, does that make me sound like a commy terrorist sympathizer. However, I stand by my comments on Lenny Bruce. I'm a vet and my daddy and both my uncles were WW11 vets and my son's fighting right now so that I can have the right to say just about anything I want. I want to nuke them Islamic bastards, are we friends?
@UprightBoltUpright Edwin wasn't calling you a terrorist sympathizer, man. He's saying that today people get labeled as terrorists if they disagree with the mass consensus.
@UprightBoltUpright Damn, that sure is a whole lotta thumbs up; I've been gone quite awhile. Sure is nice to come back and see all of them thumbs a pointin up instead of down. Y'all sure is a bunch of nice folks. BOLT
@UprightBoltUpright wow that's true. I wouldn't say I'm dumb but I've never heard anyone put it like that. Also, being persecuted for practicing free speech would start a domino effect amongst people, especiallt if they ageed with what was being said in the first place. Ignoring people however is much more effective way, since the point of what ws being said never gets in to the spotlight and so people never get to know about what others think and what's wrong, so they think they're lonely.
@UprightBoltUpright i think you are correct, UBU ... and maybe the thumbs up says it all but i just can't resist having something needless and useless to say......... oh the irony :)
The music is 'It Never Entered My Mind' by George Shearing. The piece is based on Gymnopedie #1 but the outro of the piece has different phrasing from Satie's original.
This comment has received too many negative votesshow
that guy in the background is such a fucking idiot. so many people go through their live giving over personal information to who? the government? the its people like this that crucified lenny bruce for talking about judaism in the
don't always like his comedy. but here's the thing. i'm not sure it matters. whether he was trying to or not, hypocrisy just went to pieces the second he entered the room
too bad he died raving, as opposed to still ranting.
comedians are really among the deepest thinkers .....they just outlet themselves through jokes.....but in reality they are worrysome and unhappy due to the fact thier intellengence forces them to choose truth instead of happyness....as bruce did here....their happiness.....they give away freely in their jokes
@thompboy31 Though they may not have been fully gratified with the truth, they wouldn't have wanted it any other way. As Socrates once said, "The unexamined life is a life not worth living."
i agree. there is only so much a man or a person can do. Usually the less skilled overcome the gifted because of their strong efforts whereas the gifted dibble dabble in their worlds slightly unconscious of what surrounds them. The dreamer can fantisisze and doze off away from reality and come up with fantastic ideas, and the active world person can build kingdoms, wealth or fame, but all in all we humans fall short of the actual glory of being a god. Why? Because we came from soft pussies.
A lot of people- BUT many are hypocrites. Honestly they're only fucking themselves over in the long run. Same with the nonbelievers. People need to be more independent. Tons of people out there are living their lives to the next orgasm or paycheck. With their abnormal perceptions on life they only express self hate that leads to a disordered lifestyle. Like Lenny Bruce. Conforming to a life of cynicism based on emotions is just a hollow meaningless cause.
How do I label Lenny Bruce as a Comic? Lenny labeled himself a comic, after all it was his profession, comparing lenny to Socrates is like comparing Dan Quale to J.F.K though Quale and kennedy shared the same profession, and if Socrates told a joke or two..No I don't think it would be a problem, However if he chose to stop Philosophy and tell jokes only there would be a problem.Also nearing the end I feel Lenny was not telling jokes. I liked old Lenny before Heroin got the better of him.
crying is probably a neurological effect acute to what we , in our mind's without awareness (at early age , which might result is a seemly finite definition ) define "something worth crying for " , usually this "something worth crying for " is defined by cultural conditioning i.e. marketing , educational institutions , pretty much just social interactions altogether , just like some kids raise their hands in class and others snap their fingers in other countries .
My generation doesn't care about anything. We are sedated by trans fats and hypnotized by electrons rearranged into pretty pictures and sounds. What should I do?
Very true, And I would like to think that the fact that some must be reminded that he in fact is not Socrates is compliment enough to this magnificent man and comedian.
I enjoyed his comedy. but I guess my point was. I like comics to do Comedy,not social commentary with no punch line. George Carlin was inspired by Lenny and both were great comics when they did comedy.. but I saw Carlin live several times, and one show when he spent the show doing social commentary and not comedy, I felt ripped off! as I went for a comedy show.. I don't look to comedians or entertainers for social, Political, or philisophical views. Both were great as COMICS.
just because u in particular don't find something funny doesn't mean its not comedy to other people- but u bring a valid point & i know what u mean. Its like turning on the news but instead getting a comedy show; however, in a politically skewed privately owned news monopoly of major media sources, counter-political views exploit stand up comedy, where people are gathering around to listen to speeches for entertainment, to instead broadcast social commentary
ya got it all wrong dude... and that is the man's point...we focus on the wrong things
we focus on who is right and who is wrong, we focus on reality tv and what the hottest celebrities are doing and wearing, we focus on the yankees being awesome and the red sox sucking...
americans no longer seek fulfillment in ourselves but outside us, and we judge how fulfilled we are based on the certainty we seek from others, not from our own mind... we think/talk about things that don't really matter
then again, NOTHING really matters in the end, so everything we stress about is over a petty attachment, its our mindless minds attempt to distract ourselves and make us feel like somethings have meaning in this overwhelmingly uncertain and mysterious existence we call human life
All paths are the same, leading nowhere. Therefore, pick a path with heart!
You should check out my channel, and subscribe maybe, I'm about to start adding as much new to youtube Lenny Bruce stuff as I can, stuff from Berkeley 65. Maybe other stuff too.
All I hear are people arguing about things they were taught to fight for, not issues that really mean anything to them. The truth in any area of life is whatever the majority believes, that is human truth. Yet there will always be some group to challenge that. So why waste our time trying to gain the upperhand on any given issue, there is no infinite truth only subjective truth. Bu
wisdom lies deep within these words
brennanthebrown 1 month ago
Fact vs opinion
dontbehave 2 months ago
sounds like he'd been reading J. Krishnamurti
MetrazolElectricity 3 months ago
@MetrazolElectricity Freedom from the Known.
MrBeautifulba1 2 months ago
@MrBeautifulba1 Really? I knew it! :)
MetrazolElectricity 2 months ago
@MetrazolElectricity I believe so. Education and the Significance of Life is also another fantastic read. Cool to see another Krishnamurti out there. Shazam .
MrBeautifulba1 2 months ago
Brilliant.
MuzzafuzzaGaming 3 months ago
"It Never Entered My Mind" - George Shearing
based off of Gymnopedie No. 1 - Erik Satie. for people looking for the song- it's like 10 pages back in the comments, last i found it, so figured i'd post it again.
livingoutloud40 5 months ago 12
I just want to write this out for others to understand better:
Let me tell you "The truth", "The Truth" is "What is". And "What should be" - (as) a fantasy - a terrible terrible lie that someone gave the people long ago.
The meaning of it all - Live your life and live keep your mind and body clear if you don't want the world to bring you down on your knee's and crush you.
Basram 5 months ago
@Basram haha what the fuck are you talking about idiot?
mick3yhula 3 months ago
@mick3yhula I wrote that when I didn't understand the meaning of it :) Now I see that it means: The reality is what is now, and not what you want it to be. The fantasy world is an illusion and not something to strive for since it isn't real. And I'm far from an idiot so don't insult me in such poor manners
Basram 3 months ago
This should be looped for like half an hour...
learrus 5 months ago
There's the way it is....and the way it ought to be. Surely he is commenting on the nature of reality?
roachy333 5 months ago
who composes that piano piece?
skillz139 6 months ago
@skillz139 composed by Erik Satie. not sure who's playing it in this video, though
livingoutloud40 5 months ago
This has been flagged as spam show
ouch....
does any1 else have goosebumps and chills?
skillz139 6 months ago
can someone please explain this quote to me. I'm having a little trouble understanding
Grisha1994 6 months ago
@Grisha1994
He's basically saying that we should see things for what they are, as apposed to what they should be.
Ghos7u 6 months ago
I hate humans too.
SuttonSantiniPaulo 6 months ago
lenny bruce: way ahead of his time. you can even see him in this footage listening to an ipod.
mancheromanchero 6 months ago
Background music? Anyone know what it's called?
learneddoctorpepper 7 months ago
@learneddoctorpepper - See comments for discussion on the music.
themattampa 7 months ago
@learneddoctorpepper its a variation of erik satie, i forget the name, but its his most famous piece
ArchEnemy614 6 months ago
@learneddoctorpepper
Gymnopedie No. 1
danutcase66 5 months ago
holly shit this guy has parables that rival Jesus
EDOM666DEVORE 7 months ago
What he is examining is the separation of the ideal world ('oh those poor Ethiopians should be fed; it is such a horrible famine') and the material one ('I'm going to continue spending money on trifles and wasting labour and natural resources which could help those people'). The truth is, how the world is, it is not determinate, it is influx by what the populous want. There is comfort in truth also, people don't need romantic disillusion or religion, they need truth. It's quite beautiful.
tuxy56 8 months ago
The truth is what's going on now and the fantasy is that if you lived a certain way or talk a certain way and act a certain way then you will go to heaven and receive all kinds of presents when you die like christmas morning.
Lennybrucelee13 8 months ago
The problem with this kind of pragmatism, cause that's what I'd call it, is that it leaves so little space in one's way of thinking to want to better yourself, or change the world around you ...if even just a little bit. Whereas the desire to dream for better times (past, present or future) is what keeps us going and sometimes it's all that keeps us moving on, cause life can be pretty damn hard at times -as I'm sure everyone knows.
Bluzme 9 months ago
I could see billy hicks saying that.
SicklickalProduKts 10 months ago
There is no comedy in utopia.
Buildaburgerdurka 11 months ago
it's an ironic statement, from a man who fought the law tooth and nail the latter part of his life, I'm not sure if what Lenny is saying is about are human frailties or our capacity for compassion as opposed to the finite American dream which has proven to be nothing more then a selfish hoax.
SidewalkFrequencies 11 months ago
Now, if someone for instance is told - gravity should not be real and tries to jump off a cliff, the scientific truth of the situation will soon become apparent. If someone tells a child that happy endings should be guaranteed then that is also a lie. But every man for themselves is a terrible terrible lie and I feel sorry for anyone who lives their lives from this premise. Peace is not about sitting around bored like good little angels polishing harps in the clouds. That's a lie.
Zorniod 1 year ago
The fact is, is that if we don't have principles by which we live, then there are no standards of living. Often times things change and we must adjust those principles, and this is the hardest thing to accept amongst those who benefit the most from the status quo. But people who break these laws go to jail because they didn't accept things the way they SHOULD be. Don't let anyone fool you into thinking things are the way they are unchangeably. That's the biggest lie of all.
Zorniod 1 year ago
@Zorniod - I disagree with your characterization. People go to jail, after getting caught and convicted, for breaking the law that IS, not for the inability to accept the way things SHOULD be. As far as the root causes of crime, or the inequities and corruption in the justice system, those are larger issues. I don't think Lenny is saying you can't have principles, or work for change, but you need to accept the world that is, and that it will never be exactly what you think it should be.
themattampa 1 year ago
@themattampa It's a temporal question. If this statement were true, then laws would be invariable. They are not, and can be changed. Science creates "truth" and says sugar is bad for you and splenda is the way, then they come out a few years later with a new "truth" that says that sugar isn;t so bad and splenda could cause cancer (made up example). What "is" in this case changes. Can people be deluded? Sure - and I think a lot more people are deluded about what "is" because they're intimidated..
Zorniod 11 months ago
@Zorniod ...by the scale of society. "Gee, there's so much money being put into commerce, and building, and technology that it MUST represent something that's "real" when really there is no purpose to it all on a larger-than-human scale. Life is what we make of it - has the meaning that we assign to it - is as real as we make it. Form doesn't follow function, or we'd be using forks only to eat with and not to poke someone in the eye. What "is" is a lot more fragile than people think.
Zorniod 11 months ago
@Zorniod - Everyone I know only uses their fork to eat, and not for poking eyes, so does that mean for me, form does follow function? I didn't post the clip to get involved in conversations myself, and usually don't. I am interested in what others have to say, and it seems like you're trying, but it's hard to take what you're saying seriously when I disagree with pretty much every premise you have. To be continued...
themattampa 10 months ago
@Zorniod - My impressions: 1) He isn't saying 'what is' is unchanging, x=x, whether it changes or not. 2)The distinction is between Is and Should Be, i.e., life isn't fair, shouldn't be like that, people shouldn't do that, but it is, they do. 3) Science doesn't create truth, your example is technology and People trying to sell you a product. However the businessman and environmentalist feel about or interpret what they or the other is doing, what they're doing IS what they're doing.
themattampa 10 months ago
@themattampa I think I understand where he's coming from, I just don't think it's so pat-and-dry as I said to begin with. Contrast Naive Realism with Representative and Scientific realism on wikipedia. Life is not fair because of something people do, only rarely because of other circumstances - and if it involves people it can change. I have a feeling Bruce was feeling a bit cynical at this part of his life because of his own shortcomings. Thoughtful video though - thanks for posting!
Zorniod 10 months ago
I respect Lenny Bruce a lot, but this statement is one of those pat-and-dry statements that's easy to digest and say "Gee, he's right" but it's not so simple. What he's saying is that the "truth" is what actually is. Well, WHAT ACTUALLY IS??? Can someone tell me that? Can anyone here prove without a doubt that they'r enot living in a dream? No - the statement is false realism. People will get anything by you if you believe it's the only way.
Zorniod 1 year ago
@Zorniod - Sometimes the most profound statements seem simple on the surface.
themattampa 1 year ago 16
@themattampa - Gee, you're right...
Jonteeboy 9 months ago
@themattampa I've heard similar statements made by other before him. Also, all our misconceptions do not rise from fantasy and truth usually lies deeper than seeing something for what it is. My thought to you would be, sometimes the most catchy philosophical lines are oversimplifications that people recite in their heads while nodding to make themselves feel as though they are enlightened.
Archetype77 6 months ago
@themattampa
"We are reflections of Reality."
=P
learrus 5 months ago
@Zorniod false realism... that isn't an oxymoron at all... and I'm unclear about your distinction between what is and WHAT ACTUALLY IS... if I'm yelling, then what I'm saying must be true... so here is what ACTUALLY IS... just another priest confessing that there is no pie in the sky
stolenusername4 11 months ago
@stolenusername4 I must say the caps were for emphasis, I was hardly yelling. Yes, yes - this is my point - the distinction between what is and what isn't isn't as clear as people would like it to be. To a manic depressive life is a series of endless disappointments. To a big-businessman it's all about exploiting materials for profit. To an environmentalist what is, is that big-businessmen are killing the forests. It all depends on your point of view.
Zorniod 11 months ago
@Zorniod There are certainly some hard rules - just go try standing in front of a bus and believing with all your heart and soul that it will pass through you. Actually, I don't recommend this. But where mankind is concerned there's very little IS. IS can be an ontological nightmare. Mathematicians enjoy the tautology x=x but it's only a premise to agree upon, and most of them never notice their variable changing when they turn their backs so that x=y.
Zorniod 11 months ago
@Zorniod The way I see it is that there's no point in trying to work towards an " ideal" life. That sounds dark, but the "truth" he's referring to, in my opinion, is that we should be living in the present (no matter what that entails) instead of working towards "what should be." If we work towards "what should be" we just might be deluding ourselves into thinking that what we have at this very moment ("what is") isn't good enough.
Quixotic1018 10 months ago
@Quixotic1018 If it's a matter of living in the Here and Now instead of the Past or the Future, then I agree completely. But the only reason mutually beneficial or destructive things have come about in this world is because people imagined it could be that way and made it happen. If you believe that what IS is that you can't play piano because you suck, then you will never get up off your ass and work to become a better player. We should be mindful of the past/future, not live there.
Zorniod 10 months ago
@Zorniod he gave his qualifying statement & your answer is in it: "and what "should be" is a fantasy, a terrible, terrible lie".
"the truth is, what is"... example: you "should" always be honest & tell the truth but in reality, very many people lie. the truth is A LIE (meaning that in reality, you will be lied to). here is another terrible, terrible LIE: it's okay, it's going to be okay, you'll be fine. err, WRONG. those things are lies.
in order to know the truth, you have to know the lie.
mindnumber9 10 months ago
@Zorniod My interpretation of this is that what is accepted as the truth isn't what it is, it is what it should be.
shadylurker138 10 months ago
@Zorniod I think what he means is the "truth" is what's happening now. The only permanent truth in your life is that it is always now. never yesterday or tomorrow or last year or ten years from now. its always now. And the "what should be" is an inability to accept this fact. Which means you look to the past to define your self or to the future to complete your self. But that completion is ultimately a "fantasy" Because by denying the only thing u ever have, this moment, u will never feel whole.
MRLaRoy86 10 months ago
@Zorniod
Of course, this short excerpt was part of a larger show; thus, if you want to treat LB as philosophy, you need the rest of the argument. That's why there were complaints (Ralph Gleason?) about the terrible way LB's early albums were edited - pastiches of segments from various shows, roughly organized by theme.
The problem with this, LB's bits evolved over time; the bits in any given show were often organized into larger arguments; thus, a bit might mean diff things in diff shows.
DailyBrusher 9 months ago
@Zorniod | Cont' from prev comment - although LB made logical & even legal arguments, I'm not sure a philosophical analysis is the best way to get at him -- he was a satirist, a humanist, an artist... so, there may be things like arguments implied by juxtaposition, contrast...
In any case, I do not intend to suggest that LB should not be submitted to logical or philosophical analysis. Just that his greatest value might be realized from that view, in addition to other kinds of critique.
DailyBrusher 9 months ago
@Zorniod
I both agree and disagree with you, which is just the kind of statement that backs your point lol, "what is" and "what should be" are both relative. If you live in a third world country what is might be very very hard and what should be might be much more simple such as i should be able to have clean water enough food etc where as in america idk about when Lenny Bruce was alive but now "what is" and "what should be" are much harder to define due to the vast differences even between,,,
CthulhuTheDesolate1 9 months ago
I would say what is as in what Lennys saying and what is as in what you want to know are two totally different things neither of you are wrong The truth what is and what should be in my opinion are relative to where you live what year it is how much money you have and so many other things that I agree no one can say what is true for everyone They can only say what is true for themselves I think Lenny saw a dark truth because of all that was going on in that era Your truth is different As is mine
CthulhuTheDesolate1 9 months ago
@Zorniod what he means is that something that looks wrong is probably wrong and something that looks right is probably right. Your thinking about this way to hard i mean if you see someone beat the crap out of an old lady regardless of what she did something about that is most defiantly wrong, thats the truth, not the political one or the personal one but the general truth because its just that...true. (aka. metaphysics has no practical use so leave it out of this...).
Atamask 8 months ago
@Zorniod @Zorniod He is not making a metaphysical statement or questioning reality, he is stating the difference between desire and reality; the difference between a person saying, "This is not fair, things should not be this way," and the way that things are in actuality.
MasterEled 7 months ago
Can anyone please tell me what he's saying means? IS he saying "the truth" is a comncept wich were given to people long ago as a big lie, and that we still relate to and seek - something that doesn't exist? something like that, with some words that I added obviously... please someone.
Basram 1 year ago
@Basram
What Lenny is trying to say is this.The truth is WHAT ACTUALLY IS and not WHAT SHOULD BE.people go around thinking oh the world should be at peace, everyone should be friends with their neighbors, everyone should have a roof over their head, everyone should be wealthy.. But in reality it is every man for himself. You have to fight and work hard to get that dough so you can buy your house and have your roof over your head. The truth is how the world really is, and not how SHOULD be.
YouAreWeak 1 year ago
@YouAreWeak Thank you for your answer, makes me see the brilliance in this sentence. And it's "true" too ;)
Basram 1 year ago
@YouAreWeak - That's a fine interpretation, but it is yours. Better to say that is what you think, clearly based on your own political views, rather than presume to know what Lenny is trying to say.
themattampa 1 year ago
thanks Lenny
sandrez1978 1 year ago
I teared up during this bit of "Swear To Tell The Truth". Also, his poor mother's face. :(
AttackMyAss 1 year ago
now, again, without the piano clinking. That would've made Lenny vomit, by the way
metyuewb 1 year ago
Lenny Bruce is the greatest there EVER WAS.
I won't call observational humorists such as Hicks or Carlin copycats, just people passing along the message. If only people could see that. If only they could graciously accept useful information instead of remaining willfully ignorant, as a famous quote once read.
Boy is it frustrating..
AttackMyAss 1 year ago
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AttackMyAss 1 year ago
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KphexTwin00 1 year ago
People are weird...if you describe to them what is...or as close as you can come to what is, they'll call you an asshole and ignore you. It's like walking into somebody's apartement and telling them that there's a huge pile of dogshit on their white carpet and them getting mad at you for telling them.
mongolenpup 1 year ago
@mongolenpup the whole fight scene on "they live" is based on that fact. people dont want to "put the glasses on".
johnnyappleseedism 1 year ago
The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion.
GG74K 1 year ago 18
@GG74K That was an awesome statement.
JHMichaels 4 months ago
Brilliant statement, on the money! Truth requires no introduction because it is always already the case. And all egoic striving for truth is a heartbreak that leads to sorrow. Wow!
I'm on a fuckin' roll!
Countrychiddler 1 year ago
What song is that?
ZanyAnton 1 year ago
@ZanyAnton One answer is "The music is 'It Never Entered My Mind' by George Shearing. The piece is based on Gymnopedie #1 but the outro of the piece has different phrasing from Satie's original."
unclegusyo 9 months ago
themattampa 1 year ago 3
@themattampa It's beautiful.
AttackMyAss 1 year ago
Lenny Bruce is the greatest there EVER WAS.
I won't call observational humorists such as Hicks or Carlin copycats, just people passing along the message. If only people could see that. If only they could graciously accept useful information instead of remaining willfully ignorant, as a famous quote once read.
Boy is it frustrating..
AttackMyAss 1 year ago
In respect of the time in which he grew up and delivered this message, I agree with him.
And as for the comments of dubby1974 or C64cubed,...all water is holy.
t9o6m3 1 year ago
bravo UprightBoltUpright, very right thought on free speech..
clary6 1 year ago
@themattampa Crazy thing called thinking
draven65 1 year ago
Paula ENJOY!
astrofan777 1 year ago
This cuts to my very soul. My very troubled soul, cast down in the sorrows of traumatic follies.
philochs 1 year ago
does anyone know were i can get this audio without the piano in the backgroud
notevenbass 1 year ago
What he's saying is that holy water is no different from the water in your toilet bowl.
dubby1974 1 year ago 2
@dubby1974 wow, i like that little phrase very much :)
c64c64c64 1 year ago
Lenny forgot about Marx and Christ. They are our hope against "What is..."
Ch10023 1 year ago
That's a disturbing vision of the future.
lucky7monkey 1 year ago
Plinkity plank on the piano that's the best part. Lenny would have loved it. Almost made me wipe some tears. Fuckin idiot
metyuewb 1 year ago
he was a 'wake up call' legally silenced.
tyugh0000 1 year ago
well this world is not horrible its society that's horrible what man does its what makes this society corrupt . comedy can something make u laugh and it can make u angry even cry but it can also make u think and realize what is the real deal in society .yes Lenny was a realistic bad taste in humor but real if only he use that bold realism for God's purpose yes i know he ain't perfect head of his time rip Lenny
meterman432110 1 year ago
The next thing to ask is, how did we come upon the concept of what should be?
lmyshkin 1 year ago
hopes, dreams and fears.
Lotusflowerism 1 year ago
rest in peace. its a shame society drove him to kill himself.
YouriH190 2 years ago 2
@YouriH190 What? Wow, would you mind briefly explaining to me exactly what it was that happened? I'm new to Lenny, and I'd love to know.
ToroTheIllusionist 1 year ago
well to make a long story short. Lenny Bruce was the first stand up comedian to use profanity, and was a strong social commentator. he did dark humour,political satire, and so fourth. The Authority in New York was after him, and after a series of arrests because of his views and use of profanity, eventually he was taken to court, stripped of his license to perform. bars/comedy clubs refused to book him. He sankd into a deep depression, and later killed himself by taking morphine.
TrentH190 1 year ago
ohhh he even wrote a suicide letter on the first amendment.
TrentH190 1 year ago
One of the greatest quotes that I have heard and has influenced me immensely
YouWereTheWooorst 2 years ago
thanks to bright human people internet doesn't have owners (and i can be able to watch this from chile).
Comedy its not always laughs, comedy takes what you always thought to be normal, truth, routine or any structured concept, to destroy it (deconstruction) and then you realized that it's all a joke, comedy breaks the glass wich you see the world. Use it on politics, religion, life matters, love, anything is available to be destroyed, cause everything is a historical construction.
lepulent 2 years ago 2
I've listened to this several times and the greatness of his words are haunting. Only if people truely listened. If your going to tell people the truth at least make them laugh. I also suffer from extreme lonliness....I cannot connect to modern/average human, not because I do not want to but rather because most are so bought into conforminity of the mind and lifestyle, that they have not opened their minds to knowledge of themselves. Ego, greed and self-fishness roam free in this horrible world.
missaquaboogie 2 years ago 15
@missaquaboogie You are so right. I suffer from the same affliction. So (to borrow Mr. Bruce's words) I am alone. However, I think it's better to be a little disconnected from the human race and be true to oneself (not conform, as you mentioned, like the "sheeple" tend to do). I wholeheartedly agree with your last sentence also. The 21st century, the century of universal selfishness and lack of concern for fellow human beings. (continue)
cyphrinfinity 6 months ago
@cyphrinfinity (continued)..."From 'Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?' (song around time of the Great Depression) to "Brother (or sister, for that matter), can you spare a kind word?' ". (My personal analysis of both the similarities and the differences between the 1920s/30s and this time now)
cyphrinfinity 6 months ago
@missaquaboogie If you find a way to communicate great ideas in an accessible manner you may overcome this, that is what comedy is really, when done well. Also it helps to learn to except the mundane nature of life at least part time, or you'll just fuckin burn yourself out.
MickyG4444 6 months ago
A great human being.
FeelOfFriction 2 years ago 2
You were too good for this earth.
Kizzymorgan 2 years ago 5
You know what's funny? In Lenny Bruce's day, if you practiced free speech you were persecuted by society. Today, anything goes. However, in this day of the corporate mass media, your voice is swallowed up by the sheer volume of it all. You are not persecuted, you are ignored. That's a much more subtle and effective way to control people.
UprightBoltUpright 2 years ago 157
You're right. These days, the only tactic used to create hopelessness is separation. People fail to realise that we're all one.
thegimprevolt 2 years ago 3
Holy shit! It's popping out everywehre!
The implications of this simple wisdom!!!
AirForceJuan3 2 years ago
especially when the media is controlled by the lord almighty dollar
fward101 2 years ago
I dis agree, mainly because people still are persecuted, and for the same things, racism violence, also, people have to go to greater lengths, what would send shock waves around the worls in lenny bruces day? a bimg bomb? in ours, drving two airoplanes in to the twin towers?
So you se nothings really changed, but i think its just means, people are making 'louder' noises to be heard over that ever growing 'sheer volume'
tc1991t9 2 years ago
@UprightBoltUpright That is probably the single greatest most insightful commonet I have ever seen on youtube, and Lenny would be proud to have inspired it.
If I could, I would hug you. Due to the constraints of the virtual world, I cannot, but you can have a mental hug sent through the digital network. Sorry, that sounds kind of dirty...
Fredjim187 2 years ago 2
@UprightBoltUpright very good insight
kinkeezie 2 years ago 2
@UprightBoltUpright Free speech is allowed because no one listens and because no one has anything to say.
volantera 1 year ago
@UprightBoltUpright actually now free speech is stifled by anti americanism. if you don't agree with the massive, then you're a terrorist sympathizer. if anything thats worse than being called a communist, cuz u can change political ideology, but not the internet.
edwinshap1 1 year ago
@edwinshap1 hi edwin, hell no I'm not a terrorist sympathizer, I'm a vet and my son is a Blackhawk crewchief, he'll be home in 19 days and he's gettin married on Oct 3 rd. Now Edwin, does that make me sound like a commy terrorist sympathizer. However, I stand by my comments on Lenny Bruce. I'm a vet and my daddy and both my uncles were WW11 vets and my son's fighting right now so that I can have the right to say just about anything I want. I want to nuke them Islamic bastards, are we friends?
UprightBoltUpright 1 year ago
@UprightBoltUpright Edwin wasn't calling you a terrorist sympathizer, man. He's saying that today people get labeled as terrorists if they disagree with the mass consensus.
BAnders2319 1 year ago
@UprightBoltUpright Damn, that sure is a whole lotta thumbs up; I've been gone quite awhile. Sure is nice to come back and see all of them thumbs a pointin up instead of down. Y'all sure is a bunch of nice folks. BOLT
UprightBoltUpright 1 year ago 3
@UprightBoltUpright What you said was simply beautiful. I gave my "thumbs up"
righteousrat 1 year ago
@UprightBoltUpright
Today, anything goes?
If you missed the PC movement wherever you're residing I'm coming to crash on your couch, man!
lesterclaypool1 1 year ago
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TUItilidie 1 year ago
@UprightBoltUpright wow that's true. I wouldn't say I'm dumb but I've never heard anyone put it like that. Also, being persecuted for practicing free speech would start a domino effect amongst people, especiallt if they ageed with what was being said in the first place. Ignoring people however is much more effective way, since the point of what ws being said never gets in to the spotlight and so people never get to know about what others think and what's wrong, so they think they're lonely.
Basram 1 year ago
@UprightBoltUpright I may have already sent you a message about this, but that is a terrific insight
kinkeezie 11 months ago
@UprightBoltUpright i think you are correct, UBU ... and maybe the thumbs up says it all but i just can't resist having something needless and useless to say......... oh the irony :)
mindnumber9 10 months ago
The music is 'It Never Entered My Mind' by George Shearing. The piece is based on Gymnopedie #1 but the outro of the piece has different phrasing from Satie's original.
unclegusyo 2 years ago
be paranoid now a days and think everything is a lie and you will be on the right track because that really is truth!
MrDouglasfairbanks 2 years ago
The music is Erik Satie, "Gymnopedie 1."
fallingdownforever 2 years ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
see the shmo walking in the background? Lived a life of content complacency giving over personal individual power to who?
sincellablank 2 years ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
that guy in the background is such a fucking idiot. so many people go through their live giving over personal information to who? the government? the its people like this that crucified lenny bruce for talking about judaism in the
tysonmofka 2 years ago
Goddam right
sincellablank 2 years ago
2012dan: I went for a comedy show - not social commentary.
Bill Hicks addressed that thought in an interview where he said, "What, do you want me to individually tickle everyone in the audience?"
Guys like Lenny Bruce are rare. It's nice to listen someone who is sane.
bobbygnosis 2 years ago 17
What did he real meant?
What do you Thing about what He real meant?
What those words REAL means?
what it real means?
-----------------------------------------------------------------
one of the greatests words of all times
And he did not made a book about it he made all that thing in 23 seconds.
Primeyrus 2 years ago
don't always like his comedy. but here's the thing. i'm not sure it matters. whether he was trying to or not, hypocrisy just went to pieces the second he entered the room
too bad he died raving, as opposed to still ranting.
bluebanshee3 2 years ago 5
i agree with ghostmonkeygrape!
bluebanshee3 2 years ago
if laughter is the death of an emotion then great comedians like lenny are murders of unhappiness, so he's ok i guess.
ghostmonkeyrape 2 years ago 3
comedians are really among the deepest thinkers .....they just outlet themselves through jokes.....but in reality they are worrysome and unhappy due to the fact thier intellengence forces them to choose truth instead of happyness....as bruce did here....their happiness.....they give away freely in their jokes
thompboy31 2 years ago 72
You said it man! Lenny Bruce, Bill Hick, George Carlin..
hurtzwolf 2 years ago 6
Wow. That's profoundly accurate.
rodthepimp 2 years ago 3
So I'm unhappy.....not true.
FeelOfFriction 2 years ago
@thompboy31 Though they may not have been fully gratified with the truth, they wouldn't have wanted it any other way. As Socrates once said, "The unexamined life is a life not worth living."
9ner 1 year ago
@thompboy31 interesting observation thompboy I like it
icwo 1 year ago
And don't we f-ing know it!!?!
PATHOGEN1974 2 years ago
Lenny Bruce is playing the role of captain obvious in a very poetic fashion here. This guy, this philosopher was certainly a pain in the ass.
sketchmavrick 2 years ago
Obvious yet few still seem to get it. Progress doesn't come from soft pussies.
Geministic 2 years ago 4
i agree. there is only so much a man or a person can do. Usually the less skilled overcome the gifted because of their strong efforts whereas the gifted dibble dabble in their worlds slightly unconscious of what surrounds them. The dreamer can fantisisze and doze off away from reality and come up with fantastic ideas, and the active world person can build kingdoms, wealth or fame, but all in all we humans fall short of the actual glory of being a god. Why? Because we came from soft pussies.
sketchmavrick 2 years ago
Good point but really, who cares about the glory of God?
Geministic 2 years ago
A lot of people- BUT many are hypocrites. Honestly they're only fucking themselves over in the long run. Same with the nonbelievers. People need to be more independent. Tons of people out there are living their lives to the next orgasm or paycheck. With their abnormal perceptions on life they only express self hate that leads to a disordered lifestyle. Like Lenny Bruce. Conforming to a life of cynicism based on emotions is just a hollow meaningless cause.
sketchmavrick 2 years ago
How do I label Lenny Bruce as a Comic? Lenny labeled himself a comic, after all it was his profession, comparing lenny to Socrates is like comparing Dan Quale to J.F.K though Quale and kennedy shared the same profession, and if Socrates told a joke or two..No I don't think it would be a problem, However if he chose to stop Philosophy and tell jokes only there would be a problem.Also nearing the end I feel Lenny was not telling jokes. I liked old Lenny before Heroin got the better of him.
2012dan 2 years ago
Actualy I base his insight on what he said and did not his job title
2012dan 2 years ago
Comedy = Laughing = Makes Me Sane
Nike says...where's the next Pre? But I'll say...Where's the next Lenny Bruce?
calwonderman 2 years ago
Possibly but that doesn't necessarily take the beauty out of it, at least not any more than a higher power arbitrarily deciding our behavior would
Ssamonoske 2 years ago
God Bless you Lenny Bruce. You were wayyy ahead of your time. Man I'm tearing up because this video is so beautiful.
BCoriginal1 2 years ago 2
Then why do we cry?
LaMOi1 2 years ago
crying is probably a neurological effect acute to what we , in our mind's without awareness (at early age , which might result is a seemly finite definition ) define "something worth crying for " , usually this "something worth crying for " is defined by cultural conditioning i.e. marketing , educational institutions , pretty much just social interactions altogether , just like some kids raise their hands in class and others snap their fingers in other countries .
boredandwise 2 years ago
We cry because of this insane world we live in. Plastic surgery and or drugs can fix that.
greenpanada 2 years ago
God bless lenny bruce
LaMOi1 2 years ago 2
For me, his words are the best message that anyone could leave to others.
Cause It seems to be the best thought I´ve seen about the essence of the self-deception, that is mental cancer of human animals.
remainthefuture 2 years ago
Music sounds like Eric Satie
lorrdbyron 2 years ago
My generation doesn't care about anything. We are sedated by trans fats and hypnotized by electrons rearranged into pretty pictures and sounds. What should I do?
Moonanite 2 years ago 6
Read the Dao Te Ching....
TiaoShou 2 years ago
we have to disconect from al of that, and work for them like lenny bruce did
ReyesJoseAndres 2 years ago
DO ACID....i'm not even kidding
tafkaleaf 2 years ago 2
a true comedic legend
AvEryBadApPLe 2 years ago
Relax people.. I loved Lenny Bruce.. he was a Comic...Not Socrates!!!
2012dan 2 years ago
Very true, And I would like to think that the fact that some must be reminded that he in fact is not Socrates is compliment enough to this magnificent man and comedian.
Hashishi90 2 years ago
I enjoyed his comedy. but I guess my point was. I like comics to do Comedy,not social commentary with no punch line. George Carlin was inspired by Lenny and both were great comics when they did comedy.. but I saw Carlin live several times, and one show when he spent the show doing social commentary and not comedy, I felt ripped off! as I went for a comedy show.. I don't look to comedians or entertainers for social, Political, or philisophical views. Both were great as COMICS.
2012dan 2 years ago
just because u in particular don't find something funny doesn't mean its not comedy to other people- but u bring a valid point & i know what u mean. Its like turning on the news but instead getting a comedy show; however, in a politically skewed privately owned news monopoly of major media sources, counter-political views exploit stand up comedy, where people are gathering around to listen to speeches for entertainment, to instead broadcast social commentary
CowFever 2 years ago
ya got it all wrong dude... and that is the man's point...we focus on the wrong things
we focus on who is right and who is wrong, we focus on reality tv and what the hottest celebrities are doing and wearing, we focus on the yankees being awesome and the red sox sucking...
americans no longer seek fulfillment in ourselves but outside us, and we judge how fulfilled we are based on the certainty we seek from others, not from our own mind... we think/talk about things that don't really matter
NastyDHL 2 years ago 3
then again, NOTHING really matters in the end, so everything we stress about is over a petty attachment, its our mindless minds attempt to distract ourselves and make us feel like somethings have meaning in this overwhelmingly uncertain and mysterious existence we call human life
All paths are the same, leading nowhere. Therefore, pick a path with heart!
-Carlos Castaneda
NastyDHL 2 years ago 2
I love your thinking.
SiliconBong 2 years ago
I have to agree with "themattampa" I don't see "Drop" saying anything anything than others are dumb. I've not seen his posts elsewhere.
Things are the way they are. That is true but what you do from there is entirely self-defining in how you create meaning.One could say:
Being corrupt I can do better financially, that is self defining. I'll follow some historical "should," that is also self-defining.
I am going to try to reduce suffering, that is self-defining.
Obviously there are other options.
nickwheeler69 2 years ago
makes the will for change look pretty bad
alano74 2 years ago
Lenny Bruce: Swear to Tell the Truth (1998)
Robert De Niro's in it too.
You should check out my channel, and subscribe maybe, I'm about to start adding as much new to youtube Lenny Bruce stuff as I can, stuff from Berkeley 65. Maybe other stuff too.
philochs 2 years ago
Whats this song
Ssamonoske 3 years ago
Lenny set it off...
videolover61 3 years ago
All I hear are people arguing about things they were taught to fight for, not issues that really mean anything to them. The truth in any area of life is whatever the majority believes, that is human truth. Yet there will always be some group to challenge that. So why waste our time trying to gain the upperhand on any given issue, there is no infinite truth only subjective truth. Bu