Freedomain Radio by Stefan Molyneux

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Stefan is the only person I know that is laying down, for all of us, a modern-day philosophical foundation, derived from the best works of thought of previous generations. And he also practices what he preaches!

The core of his ideology takes from Anarchism, and the practical value of Capitalism. On the one hand, no person must ever be forced against their will - other than in self-defense, and on the other hand, the best approach to financial success is through free & voluntary trade.

The 47 year-old Canadian host of Freedomain Radio.

Surprisingly, even now, almost ten years into the existence of the podcast, Stefan only has three team members: Mike, James, and Stoyan. This leads me to think that the endeavor, while beneficial to millions of viewers, and true in its' ideology, is an impossible mission.

There is much evidence to say that almost the entirety of his audience treat the show solely as entertainment. The show is run by donations, at an estimated request of $0.5 a podcast, and even BitCoin is accepted.

However, it appears that less than one-percent of the audience actually donate anything. At all. Even much less than one-percent, if I have the right impression.

Ironically, Stefan, similarly to Dr. Phil, also puts emphasis on achievement through work; something he had experienced extensively in his own life. This goes in stark contrast to the likelihood that most of his audience are either living on welfare, or like many young adults in dysfunctional economies, living through their parents' funding.

Why is the Freedomain Radio so important?

Stefan is a radio-show host, author, and public-media spokesperson. He addresses & practices topics such as BitCoin, Relationships, Morality, and Liberty.

Renowned for talk shows and call-in shows.

I have personally enjoyed a better understanding of these topics, by being a listener and participating community member. The amount of positive feedback from listeners is vast, so there is no doubt that this is a good endeavor.

So, how come Stefan does not grow his business?

The show is not a charity! However, its' current business-model is a sort of honesty box. Sadly, most people are not honest, even if they want to be, and so this strategy is too futuristic - if we assume future people to be more honest.

I look at history, contemporary societies, and modern advancement, and intuit that only successful business-models actually make a positive long lasting impact. Charismatic and socially-adored people, who have not managed to also go beyond normal finances, usually impact a generation, and then lose relevance; because people aren't satisfied with ideologies, only.

People want success. Moral success is part of it, but morality is meaningless without sustenance & prosperity. A true leader leads on all accounts; moral and economic.

I would guess that Stefan will eventually expand his business model to include the [paid] training of more philosophers, who can mimic his success, and continue the cycle of benefit to themselves, and to their audiences.

I hope he does that earlier, rather than later.

How To Get Satisfaction

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We each give our own meaning to life. Some of us may be unaware of what drives us onwards, or what holds us back, while others are yet busy questing for answers. I propose a method of gaining satisfaction out of your life, through the identification of emotions & needs, and the apparent conflicts that arise between them and your behavior.

This idea is presented in three short parts, each a necessary logical step on the way to culmination.

Part I            -  Priorities Among Emotions.
Part II           -  Unidentified Emotions & Needs.
Part III          -  Mismatching Behaviors and Emotions.
Conclusion    -  How to Plan for Your Needs!

We can all recognize that some emotions take precedence over other emotions, or needs, at any given time. While this is a fluctuating phenomenon, its' patterns can be identified and described very well. For example, a hungry person who is exhausted and needs sleep, may feel a greater need for sleep than for feeding, and so will retire to bed.

However,  we are not always able to clearly identify the emotions that most strongly direct us. And so, a person may feel tired, and even though they had planned on going directly to bed previously, find themselves guzzling down hamburgers at the kitchen table, at a very late hour.

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This mismatch between the behavior that person expected - being tired and thus going to sleep, and actually going to eat greedily, tells us that it is likely that they were simply unaware of their accumulating hunger, until they had finally reached their home. When the choice between food or sleep presented itself, the stronger emotion ruled the hour. The price to pay is in being unprepared for this turn of events, sleeping late, and even sleeping heavy.

Through this process of identifying such patterns, that person is then able to meditate on the conflict in needs - find out which emotions and needs were actually in conflict, and plan a future strategy to avoid the repercussions. Such strategy may be as simple as eating something earlier, or getting back home earlier. It is a process of trial and error, yet the solutions are usually simple, when we know ourselves, and then choose for ourselves, for best results.

Much thanks go to my friend Vins, who had spent several long hours today debating this topic with me, and negotiating how best to represent it in an orderly & thinker-friendly manner. :-)