Understanding Survival - Part 1 - The Metaphysics Of Being Human

"It never occurs to the squirrel that it is an oak-murdering machine."

• Understanding Survival's Foundational Role : Leo highlights the foundational importance of understanding survival for personal development and spiritual work, positing that all human behavior is rooted in survival.
• Influence of Peter Ralston and Peter Ouspensky : Leo credits Peter Ralston for pioneering work on the importance of survival and shares a quote from Peter Ouspensky that frames humans as mechanical reactors to external forces, suggesting a lack of will or control.

• Survival as a Metaphysical Question : Leo encourages contemplation of metaphysical questions about survival, such as its definition, the necessity of struggle, defending certain things, the pursuit of change, and the choice of persistence.
• The Story of Survival's Origin : Leo provides a narrative on survival's emergence, starting from a non-self-aware cloud of particles to the development of forms that desire to persist and manipulate the environment—marking the beginning of survival as a conscious endeavor.
• Key Understandings about Forms and Existence : Leo underlines that forms do not need to care about persisting, there's no inherent logic in existing, and survival hinges on the crucial distinction between self and environment.
• Survival as a Defense Against Change : He explains that survival aims to maintain order and a static arrangement of form amid constant change and disorder, positioning freedom as a danger due to its potential for disintegration.
• Survival's Metaphysical Aspect : Leo argues that survival is not just physical biological process but has profound metaphysical implications, with each form deciding its own distinction and nature of persistence.
• Defining the Self and Manipulating Identity : He emphasizes that survival involves manipulating both self and environment and that forms are free to define themselves—highlighting the complexity of human self-definition beyond mere physicality.
• Survival and Mechanical Behavior : The transcript concludes with the relation between survival and mechanicalness, suggesting that increased consciousness is necessary to overcome inherent automated behavior patterns in humans.
• Conceptual Distinction of Self : Leo explains that the distinction between self and the environment is a mental construct, not physical. The perceived physical separateness is a result of a conceptual distinction created by individuals.
• Creation of Virtual Partitions : Survival, from a universal perspective, involves maintaining virtual partitions within infinite consciousness. Leo uses the analogy of hard drive partitions to describe how these distinctions come into being and are removed upon death.
• Complexity of Human Identity : The boundary that defines self and other is complex and unique for every individual. This line isn't static but rather dynamic, changing with growth or leading to death when altered significantly.
• Reciprocal Relationship Between Survival and Identity : Leo highlights the interconnectedness of the survival drive and the distinction between self and other. Both the drive to survive and the distinctions we draw mutually reinforce each other.
• Survival as a Conceptual Activity : Survival for humans extends beyond physical requirements to the conceptual level, where maintaining a sense of conceptual self becomes paramount.
• Physical Identity as a Projection : Leo challenges the assumption that science provides clear identities, suggesting instead that identification is a subjective process projected onto the physical world.
• Irrational Nature of Survival : Survival is fundamentally irrational and subjective, according to Leo. It takes precedence over logic and reason because the organism’s main concern is maintaining existence.
• Relativity of Threats and Dangers : What is perceived as a threat depends on an individual’s self-definition. For instance, a devout Christian may see the destruction of a Bible as a serious threat, whereas others may not.
• Survival's Impact on Judgments of Importance : The definition of one’s self shapes what needs to be preserved for survival, making threat assessment highly personal and subjective.
• Rationality Hijacked by Survival : Leo suggests that notions of rationality are co-opted by the survival mechanism, with the definition of rationality skewed to support whatever enhances an individual’s survival.
• Zero-Sum Nature of Existence and Identity : For something to exist in a particular form, it must exclude other forms. Leo explains that survival means existing in a very specific manner, which inherently involves not being something else.
• Zero-Sum Game of Existence : To exist as a specific entity involves excluding infinite other forms one could potentially assume. Each form's emergence equates to the death or non-existence of countless other possibilities. For example, one's birth from a single fertilizing sperm necessitated the 'death' of millions of others. Reality, despite its infinite nature, operates within these zero-sum dynamics where survival and death are deeply intertwined.
• Squirrels and Survival : Leo provides the metaphor of a squirrel, illustrating its unconscious destructive behavior towards potential oak trees by eating acorns. Similarly, humans engage in survival activities that affect their environment without always being aware of the consequences.
• Survival in the Pursuit of Self-Improvement : Attempting to change oneself for the better within the context of traditional self-help is paradoxical, as personal development requires a certain level of self-transcendence and the metaphorical 'death' of old behaviors. Ironically, this process is resisted due to the innate human instinct to survive and preserve existing identity.
• Everyday Activities as Survival : Leo lists daily activities such as reading books, taking vitamins, or scratching an itch, emphasizing that everything we do is tied to survival. These activities extend beyond physical needs, nurturing mental, emotional, and spiritual aspects of our identities.
• Entertainment and Identity in Survival : Even leisure activities like reading fiction serve survival needs by providing rest and mental relaxation essential for preventing burnout. Furthermore, activities like reading can shape personal identity, further linking them to the concept of survival.
• Complexity of Survival Goals and Strategies : Survival goals can be large and long-term, deeply nested, and varied. Most survival strategies operate subconsciously, functioning continuously even in small, mundane actions, which together form an elaborate chain aimed at maintaining one's existence.
• Luxury Items and Survival : Leo refutes the idea that survival pertains only to basic needs, arguing that for the wealthy, luxury items like yachts are intertwined with sustaining one's self-image and social status. Our survival strategies evolve with our socio-economic circumstances, illustrating survival's complexity beyond mere subsistence.
• Conception of Wealth and Identity Survival : Leo explains that a rich person's survival is centered around maintaining their image and status, such as owning a yacht to match their peers' lifestyle. This contrasts with a poor person's survival, which may focus on meeting basic needs like food.
• Shopping for Attraction and Partnering : Shopping for lingerie at Victoria's Secret, for example, is a subconscious survival strategy for a woman aiming to present herself attractively to secure a partner, potentially for resources, love, and future family life.
• Delusion of Rationalization in Survival : People deceive themselves with false rationalizations for their survival strategies, convincing themselves that actions like buying lingerie are for personal reasons rather than deeply rooted, subconscious survival mechanisms.
• Dishonesty and Survival Tactics : Survival involves dishonesty, manipulation, and ulterior motives, which humans convince themselves are normal or positive to reconcile the need for survival with the self-image of being honest.
• Survival Activities in Common Behaviors : Ordinary behaviors like gift-giving, caring about appearances, or following a diet are driven by survival. Even selfless acts like charity work or being vegan often serve the individual's self-image.
• Defensive Survival Identity : Defending one’s culture, religion, or adopting a diet like veganism can be survival strategies to maintain an identity, triggering defensive reactions when challenged.
• Survival and Personal Identity : Activities like getting tattoos or being part of a subculture are survival mechanisms to maintain an identity, done automatically, without conscious intent.
• Observation of Survival Mechanisms for Consciousness : Leo advises observing one's actions and emotions without judgement, acknowledging they are survival activities. This process can lead to increased self-awareness rather than immediate change.
• The Role of Emotions in Survival : All emotions—fear, happiness, frustration—are part of the survival process, manipulating the individual's relationship with the environment for the sake of survival.
• Complexity of Intelligent Survival : Leo highlights the intelligence, subtlety, and complexity of survival strategies, especially in human social environments. Acknowledging this sophistication is key to understanding the depth of survival mechanisms.
• Survival Strategies in Corporate and Media Roles : Leo describes individuals in various high-profile roles, such as corporate lawyers or media personalities, as having survival strategies deeply embedded in their brains from early life experiences. These strategies often result from formative environments and can include dysfunctional behavior patterns.
• Consequences of Dysfunctional Survival Strategies : Survival strategies, though unconscious and deeply ingrained, can sometimes backfire, potentially leading to negative outcomes like misery, suffering, addiction, or even depression.
• Survival Strategies and the Psyche : Leo portrays the psyche as a 'ghost' that controls the 'machine' of the body for self-preservation. This ghost is fundamentally trying to survive by maintaining a positive self-narrative and justifying actions to avoid psychic dangers like worldview contradictions.
• Attachment to Beliefs : The ghost is highly attached to its set of beliefs and worldviews, which constitute its body. Changing these beliefs is difficult as it feels like losing a part of the self.
• Psychological Defense Mechanisms : The ghost is on the lookout for threats that could disrupt its self-image or worldview. Something as fundamental as a contradiction in beliefs can pose a psychic danger.
• Micro-Level Survival Strategies : Leo urges viewers to observe minute actions throughout the day, such as sending a text message or choosing breakfast, and see how they relate to survival strategies.
• Specific Survival Demands of the Ghost : He encourages viewers to notice the unique, specific survival demands of their own 'ghost', like the need to wake up at a certain time or have a particular type of breakfast, which contributes to their self-identity.
• Identity in Actions : Leo emphasizes that an individual's identity is expressed through their actions, to the extent that stopping certain actions can lead to changes in identity, illustrating the close relationship between behavior and self-perception.
• Strategy for Self-development : The strategy for personal growth involves close examination of daily minutiae to understand and become more conscious of one's survival strategies, even if it means facing discomfort during the process.
• Process of Self-improvement : Leo advises patience, noting that self-improvement and mastering oneself is a decades-long bootstrapping process due to the deep-seated deception and delusion within us.
• Daily Activities Shaping Identity : He states every daily activity, like texting, trolling, or playing video games, maintains certain aspects of identity and resisting these can lead to discomfort and metaphorical identity death.
• Thoughts and Emotions Hijacked by Survival : Thoughts and emotions are highlighted as crucial to survival, having been completely hijacked to serve it, with all thoughts including those on self-improvement and enlightenment serving ego survival.
• Survival Influencing Work Environments : Leo points out how thoughts and emotions must align with the work environment to maintain employment, with self-delusion often playing a role in justifying one's work.
• Mastering Understanding of Survival : The distinction between being efficient at survival and understanding survival is made, with emphasis on becoming more conscious of survival rather than merely more efficient.
• Survival as a Source of Suffering : Leo argues that our fixation on survival causes suffering and prevents fulfillment, stating that survival's purpose is simply to keep us moving until death.
• Comprehending and Observing Survival : Leo gives homework to carefully study and observe personal survival strategies for a week, urging observation of emotions, thoughts, and individual philosophies without judgment to foster understanding of survival.
• Micro and Macro Survival Strategies : The importance of recognizing both small daily activities and overarching survival strategies is discussed, as is the significance of recognizing and articulating one's own worldview and intellectual positions attached to survival.
• Caution Against Improving Survival : He warns against the trap of focusing on improving or judging survival strategies during the observation process and discusses the potential value of living a life not centered around survival.
• Contemplating Non-survival Aspects of Life : Leo challenges the viewer to find aspects of their life that are not centered around survival, claiming this is difficult due to the pervasive nature of survival strategies.