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April 30, 2023 - Freedomain Radio - Stefan Molyneux
43:18
Going Back on Twitter!
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Well, good morning, everybody.
Hope you're doing well. It's Stéphane von Bottiment from Freedom Aid, and welcome to your Saturday of philosophizing and all kinds of brain-thinky stuff.
If you have questions, issues, comments, criticisms, I am...
Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears.
I will toss my ears to you like tiny little curly frisbees.
Easier than throwing potato chips.
So if you have a question, comment, issue, I am super happy to hear from you.
Just raise your hand and I will unmute you.
And, you know, boy, I tell you, I tell you, I know it's, you know, it's a topic that kind of goes back and forth quite a lot.
And I appreciate people's interest.
But in the chat, if you could do me a favor, just do me a wee, tiny favor.
Hit me with a why if you still want me to go back on Twitter.
Or if you think it's the...
If you think it's better or right or good or positive or something like that for me to start going back on Twitter.
I'm just kind of curious.
We've got a yes and no, a yes and...
A yes, a no.
A yes, a no.
Interesting. So we've got an N and a no with four exclamation marks.
You know, it's funny. Back in the tandem days, I still remember this code.
I had a programmer friend who used to use bang for exclamation mark.
And I remember DQ bang A. That was delete everything.
So what are people saying?
No, Twitter is cancer. Yay, back on Twitter.
Yeah. And it gives you a bigger audience.
So yes, not on there.
Don't think it's worth it.
It is what it is, plus Elon Musk now controls it, so it's better.
They don't deserve you.
Wow! That is a hog-tie split down the middle, isn't it?
That is pretty interesting. Where is the restitution?
Where is the promise it won't happen again?
I would say it's not worth your soul.
Well, that's a fairly high-stakes statement, but that's all right.
I appreciate the passion. I do.
I do. I do. Listen, I'm not going to lie.
I'm not going to lie.
It's tempting. It's tempting.
I just saw that, you know, you can get an income stream from Twitter.
And as you know, deplatforming targets your reach.
It also targets your income stream.
And, you know, I don't mind making a bit of coin like anybody else.
So... I do like that.
And if I want to go different places in the world in the long run, having a viable business is a good thing in terms of getting places.
So, yeah, I mean, I like an income.
And Lord knows it has been a couple of blows over the last couple of years.
Well, a whole series of blows. So, I don't know.
I don't know. I don't know.
So, yeah, I'm not going to lie.
It's tempting. I enjoyed debating with people who really, really disliked what I had to say.
I really enjoyed that.
I mean, that's the whole point of debate, right?
It's that you talk to people who really, really have strong opinions against what it is that you're doing.
And so I do kind of miss that.
I miss the thrust and parry of debating, and that was a lot of fun.
And of course now, I mean, all of this stuff's on Twitter that wasn't on there before.
Like there's Twitter Spaces, which is sort of audio.
You can audio debate and interact with people and so on.
I mean, of course it would be troll-heavy and all of that, but...
You know, I gotta tell you, I kinda love the trolls as well.
So maybe that's a personality defect.
I don't know. But StephBot done lovey the trolls.
I love them. I love them long time.
All night, if necessary.
So... Yeah, I mean, I could talk to people, it's easier to post videos, and there's a way of monetizing a Twitter presence and so on.
So yeah, I'm not going to lie.
I'm not going to lie, of course, right?
I mean, the idea that integrity is without temptation is this, I mean, this is this Howard Rourke and John Galt fantasy.
I don't know about you, but yes, it is tempting.
I miss the reach.
I miss the... Conflicts because they're productive.
I mean, useless conflict is cancer, but productive conflicts where I can learn.
I mean, listen, I learn a lot from this audience.
I really do. But I would like to face more people who really strongly disagree with me and get their arguments as well.
So, yeah, it is.
So, let's just hear what people say.
And it's interesting because when was I restored?
Gosh, when was I restored?
Oh, actually, I have a note of it somewhere here because somebody told me way back in the day when that happened.
Let's see here. January.
Was it January? It was early this year, right?
So, yeah, a couple of months ago, four months ago, whatever, right?
And, of course, I thought about it a lot, and I made my case, and I consulted with friends, family.
I talked about it on the show.
I got people's feedback. And, you know, I was really kind of going round and round in my head until, as is generally the case, I sort of calmed down and just said, okay, what is the principle involved here?
This is a company that did me, in my view, of course, grievous wrong.
And not just by banning, but what they said about the banning and so on.
So it wasn't just banned and radio silence, right?
So it's pretty bad.
And so the principles are the same.
The principles are the same in personal relationships and...
The principles are the same in business relationships and the principles are the same...
In public relationships, I mean, they're just the principles.
That's the glorious thing about universalism is you don't have to create wrinkles and exceptions, you know?
Like, well, if someone really wrongs you, but then they just kind of pretend nothing happened and you can profit from them.
It's like, I get that it's tempting.
I really do. And I get that it's tempting because it is.
Because it is tempting, without a doubt.
But... It also could be kind of demonic, in a way, right?
I mean, it could be construed as or perceived as kind of a demonic situation, which is, I will give you reach, I will give you money, I will give you access to the public, I will give you some restoration of fame, I will give you all of this, and what do you have to do in return?
What do you have to do in return?
Well, you just have to give up your principles and say well if somebody wrongs you then an apology
Restitution promises it won't happen like a way in which it's not going to happen again
That can all be thrown aside if they have some material value to offer you
I mean, are your principles for sale?
That's sort of a fundamental question, right?
If this was some tiny platform or whatever, then it wouldn't be much of an issue because a tiny platform couldn't offer me that kind of reach, couldn't offer me that kind of income, couldn't offer me that kind of publicity and interaction.
So, it is the size of the platform and so on.
And, you know, for the people who are saying, and I'm not saying you're wrong, I'm just saying, like, look at this as a potential argument that if the primary difference is the reach, publicity, interaction, and income, then you're saying that a principle, that a principle can be cast aside from For money and fame.
Money and fame. Now, of course I can say, as everyone can say, no, no, no, it's not about the money and the fame, it's about all the good you can do.
Well, I understand that.
But can you do good if you look in the mirror and you say, my principles were sold for a couple of hundred thousand followers and a bigger reach?
Because this is what...
I mean, devilish, right?
This is the devilish offer.
Sell your principles and you can do real good in the world.
And it's like...
But can you, if you sell your principles?
I mean, this is a really foundational question.
Can you sell...
Your principles and still do good in the world.
I don't think you care. I mean, obviously, you can do something in the short run, but in the long run, right?
I mean, remember, I have a 500-year business plan, just so you understand it.
I have a 500-year business plan.
I have like a Chinese silk emperor length of time for a business plan.
So let's just so you understand, let's play this out.
I'm not looking at how many people can I reach on Monday.
I'm looking at what is going to be said about me in 500 years.
And by that, I don't mean it has anything to do with me or whatever, right?
But I put forward these principles, I put forward these arguments, I put forward these ideas and these morals.
And I am a moralist.
Now, I already see, for better or worse, and I think it's for better, but for better or worse, I put forward for many years the statement that says, if somebody wrongs you, then you need an apology, restitution, and some assurances is not going to happen again.
Right? That's what you need.
Now, I have said this, I mean, I have applied this principle To my own immediate family members, right?
And my mother and my father and so on, right?
Now, if I'm looking at a 500-year business plan, people look at any excuse to discredit moralists, right?
They look at any excuse to discredit a moralist.
And I'm also aware I don't have a Plato, I don't have a Darwin's bulldog, like somebody who's going to take up my case in the public sphere.
It's me. And, of course, I'm sure you know the story of Ayn Rand.
People say, well, Ayn Rand was such a hypocrite because she took Social Security.
Now, she had her arguments for taking Social Security.
I paid into the system.
I'm just getting back what was mine and so on.
And if it wasn't picking up...
And so she had good...
I don't think it was a break of integrity for her to take Social Security.
Again, she had paid into the system.
She was getting back what was hers and so on.
But it's a pretty easy way to discredit people.
And the philosopher, the moral philosopher in particular, finds precious little love in his own time and his own lands.
Because the more right you are about virtue, the more hated you are in the present.
I mean, people don't hate me.
They just... They hate the fact that my words provoke their conscience and they don't want to deal with their conscience so they pretend that the source of their discomfort is me as a person rather than their conscience.
Uniting with my words to rebuke their lack of integrity.
I'm not talking about anyone here.
It's the world as a whole, right?
So, one easy way to discredit me for the next thousand years.
One easy way to discredit me.
And listen, I could be right, I could be wrong.
I think I will have particular influence over that time.
That's what I'm aiming for. I don't have any control over whether that occurs other than to try and live with as much integrity as possible.
But one way that I could be discredited is people can say, oh yeah, no, that was the guy who said that if you're wronged, here are the things that you need to get in order to maintain the relationship.
And he counseled that to people and people make big decisions in their own lives.
Oh yeah, but then, as it turns out, when he could make a couple of bucks and get some followers back on Twitter, he threw all of that to the four winds and he was easily bribable with access to the public and a couple of bucks.
To throw up everything and throw away everything he held dear.
So you understand it's a devilish temptation.
No, no, no. Think of all the good you can do now.
Now you can do it. You can promote peaceful parenting to a wider audience.
You could... Right?
All of this stuff. And I get that.
And that's not false.
That's not false. But...
The people who are counseling me to do it without taking into account my arguments have not thought things through, in my view.
Do I want to have a bigger audience now or do I want to be more credible over the next few centuries?
Again, people can say this is vainglorious.
I totally understand that.
I sympathize with that.
But... I aim for the top.
I aim for the top.
That's my goal. Otherwise, the sacrifice really isn't worth it.
I mean, I'll burn up income and reputation and opportunities and all of that.
I'll be chased through the streets. I'll be tear-gassed.
I'll do that to aim to further philosophy to the top or to be Top G for spreading philosophy.
I'll do that. I won't do it for, you know, just having a kind of middling impact footnote in some oddball in the early 20th, 21st century.
Like, I won't do it for that, right?
So the only reason that I'm willing to make sacrifices is...
To really further advance the cause of philosophy.
And honestly, though you may not believe me, it has nothing to do with my ego or, you know, I would much rather be able to forward philosophy with nobody knowing who I am, but that's just not really a possibility.
So it's not about my ego or anything like that.
It literally is for the good of the world that philosophy is spread.
I'm willing to take those hits, and those hits have been, you know, obviously quite considerable, as those who followed for a long time have known.
So if I have these principles and...
I throw away those principles.
I betray those principles.
For the sake of a couple of bucks, some Twitter spaces, and a couple of hundred thousand followers, and who knows, of course, how many of those people would still engage.
I mean, it could be that I would go back on, break principles, and most people would, oh my, I'd forgotten I was even subscribed to this bad, bad person and unsubscribed.
Like, it might end up being a kind of nothing burger.
I mean, that's not particularly relevant, but...
I don't want to hand people an excuse to dismiss me for the next thousand years or the next 500 years or the next hundred years.
I mean, that's just not a good deal.
That's not a good deal.
A philosopher, in my view, you don't do what the present wants you to do.
You do what the future needs you to do.
What the present wants you to do is reinforce all of their crap and tell them they're doing a great job and pat them on the head and call them good and fine and noble.
That's what the people in the present want.
But you do what the future needs you to do.
I mean, I view myself as a parent to the future.
And if you're a parent, of course, you don't do just what your children want you to do.
Give me some candy. Let me stay up late.
You don't do what your children just want you to do.
You do what their future selves need you to do.
As I said to my daughter, but she wanted more candy, I'd say, no, I'm sorry.
My job is to deliver your mind and body and spirit to your adulthood in good shape.
I have to deliver you a healthy set of teeth.
I have to deliver you a strong, healthy body.
I have to deliver to you...
A powerful, wise mind.
That's my job. I have to, like, when you're 18, you become an adult, you're going to look at me and look down at your body and you're going to look at your teeth and you're going to look at your health and you're going to look at all of this and I want you to say, I'm thankful that you didn't give me all the candy I wanted and let me stay up late and do whatever, right? So I view myself as a parent to the future.
I'm doing what the future needs, not what the present wants.
Now, you in the present want me to get back on Twitter.
And I think you really, this is an opportunity.
And I'm not saying that you're wrong.
I'm just saying, look at this as an opportunity.
This is an opportunity, my friends, to really, really, really dig deep and figure out what your motive is for wanting me.
Like, people are very passionate about this.
And I appreciate the passion.
I really do.
But... People are very passionate about me going back on Twitter, but they don't address the arguments that I've made.
I mean, they say the same thing.
Oh, you'd have a bigger audience.
Well, duh. Yeah, I'm aware of that.
You could do more good in the present.
Yeah, I mean, that's somewhat debatable, but I can certainly see that case.
Well, Twitter is owned by a new guy, so it's not the same.
I get all of that.
I really do. I really do.
But let me ask you something.
Is it my integrity that bothers you?
Or is it me not being on Twitter?
Are you trying to convince me to do something that goes against my principles?
And I think these are reasonable rational principles.
They aren't just like my principles.
Are you asking me to do something that goes against good principles?
Because you need me to break principle.
You need me to break integrity.
Because then the standard is lowered for you.
Are you trying to tempt me?
And listen, I get the temptation.
You're not wrong.
It's tempting. Are you trying to tempt me because it lets you off the hook?
Because there's a real aggression in the...
going back on Twitter...
There's not a, you know, I completely understand the arguments.
Let me make my case. It's like, you're just staying off Twitter out of spite or, you know, you could just do so much good.
You got to stand up. There's a different company.
Like this kind of aggressive, just do it.
Don't be ridiculous. It's obvious, right?
And that to me is the clue that it's not about what's best for me or what's best for philosophy.
People, why do you want me to go back on Twitter?
Why? Why do you want me to break principle?
Why do you want me to break principle?
Why is it so important to you?
Because I view it, I'm not saying you are, I view it as kind of devilish.
If you love your wife, if you love your wife, and A really mean grandmother of yours says that she's going to cut you out of her will unless you publicly say that you hate your wife.
She's going to cut you out.
I mean, there could be a lot.
Whatever amount of money is tempting for you, $100,000, $1 million, $10 million, a Bitcoin in three years, like whatever, right?
Whatever amount of money is really tempting to you.
I say, and you know, people say to you, oh, just say it.
Nobody's going to believe it. Just say it and take the money and then tell your wife that you love her, of course, and it was about the money.
Think of all the good you can do with the money.
You can donate it to charity.
You can travel and you can have peace of mind.
You can get out of that job that compromises you at times.
Like, dude, just say it.
Take the money. Disavow it.
Blah, blah, blah, right? You understand?
That's tempting. To say you hate your wife publicly, you get a million dollars.
And somebody says, I don't care if it's a billion dollars.
I'm not saying that. I don't care.
Why would I want to give up?
Like, why would I want to publicly betray my wife?
And, you know, you could say to your wife, even if you want, no, I do love you.
I'm just saying that I hate you to get the money.
Look, come on. To break principle?
To betray what you treasure?
For the sake of money?
For the sake of popularity?
For the sake of reach? Either I would have to say, like, and I would have to address this.
If I just ignored it, it would be weird, right?
And people would lose respect for me, whether consciously or unconsciously.
I'd have to address this and say, yes, well, I do have all of these principles and I have advocated this for 17 years and I did, before that, do that privately with friends and family members and everyone in my life.
So this has been a central guiding principle of mine for decades.
But I'm going to betray that because I could get a couple of thousand people on Twitter spaces.
You feel me? Would you publicly say you hate your beloved wife to get money?
Because that's what you're asking me to do.
I have these principles which I love and you're asking me to say, to betray these principles for the sake of money, reach, fame, whatever, right?
You understand? That's devilish.
I will give you the world and everything in it.
You are offering me material gains.
And I understand you saying, well, think of all the good you can do.
But that's what the devil does.
He says, you can do all of this good.
All you have to do is give up your principles.
But what happens is, after you give up your principles, you find you can't do any good.
Why? Because you gave up your principles.
It's a bait and switch. The ultimate bait and switch.
People go to the devil.
The devil says, Oh, I'll give you all the things you think will make you happy.
Riches, fame, beauty, talent, success, money, whatever.
I'll give you all the things that you think will make you happy.
You get all of these things, but because you sold your soul to get them, they don't bring you any happiness.
Because you get happiness from things that you earn, not things that you sell your soul for.
So I'm going to push back, my friends, and say to you, look in the mirror, look deep in the mirror.
Why do you want me to break principle?
Why? After everything I have sacrificed to keep principle, you are desperate that I break it.
Why? Why?
Why is it so important to you?
Because you understand, it has nothing to do with me.
After everything that I've sacrificed, money, reputation, fame, after everything I've sacrificed to keep principle, why do you want me to break it?
Do you think this has anything to do with me?
And I say this with passion, with some anger, but with no hatred.
No contempt. I love the fact that you're tempting me.
I really do. I love the fact that I'm tempted.
Because if you're not tempted, where's the virtue?
You want me to betray my principles for all the good I could do.
So much good I could do if I break principle.
I reply to you what good can I do if I break principle
the Twitter spaces will come and go The income will come and go. The followers will come and go.
But the betrayal, ah, the betrayal.
Now that, my friends, that's permanent.
That's eternal. That's not transitory.
My life will come and go, but the betrayal will be permanent.
Why do you feel so compelled to chastise and bully and tempt and urge and scold to get me to break principle?
It's like saying to me, Steph, You can really spread peaceful parenting by publicly hitting your child.
You can spread virtue by betraying your principles.
Now, you can argue that those principles are wrong, but that's not what people are doing.
What they're doing is they're completely vaulting over the betrayal that would be required for me to break principle And they're tempting me with all the goods that are supposedly on the other side of just leaping over my principles and committing to a public life by betraying my values.
You feel me? They're blurring right over the betrayal of myself and my listeners.
Having given this counsel, if I betray it myself, I'm also betraying my listeners.
Wait, this guy said, here's what you need to restore relationships when you've been harmed, when you've been wronged.
And he made this case very strongly.
Oh, but when he can reach more people and he can make a little more money, he's just betraying it.
You understand? Not only could I not do that to myself, not only could I not do that to philosophy, I sure as hell am not going to do it to the people I've given that advice to.
Not in a million years.
Because you're not asking me to just betray my principles.
You're asking me to betray everyone I've given this advice to.
Think of all the good you can do in the world by directly harming and breaking the hearts of people who've listened to your advice.
Come on. You understand that you're taking a flamethrower To some really delicate and beautiful orchids here.
Do you understand what you're instructing me to do?
And do you understand your motives for doing that?
It's not for the good of me.
It's not for the good of philosophy.
It's not for the good of this community.
It's to get a scalp And say, oh, look, even deep down, right?
Oh, even this great moralist.
Oh, he's all about the sacrifice.
He's a great moralist. Boy!
When it came down to fame and reach and pretend virtue and money, he sold himself.
He sold himself.
How am I going to stand in front of the world and preach virtue when I betrayed myself, betrayed my principles, betrayed virtue, betrayed my listeners for the sake of some reach, some income, some fame?
I don't think so, my friends.
And again, I understand the temptation.
temptation I really do and I thank you for pushing on this It clarifies things.
I appreciate it.
I do. I appreciate it.
People say you'll probably get more interview requests if you're back in the spotlight.
Yes, I would. I would.
Somebody says, if it sparks that fire in you, I might retract my no.
I kind of do want to see the world's reaction to you again.
Right, so you want to watch a gladiatorial combat from the comfort of your anonymity while I face all the devils in the known universe?
That's what you want? You're entertainment.
Are you not entertained?
Somebody says, I would say that Twitter will drag you into distracting, meaningless, practically fake arguments, so I would wish that you be careful is all.
Somebody says, you're on the right track here.
Somebody says, have you established an absolute minimum amount of restitution that you would be willing to accept in order to maintain the principle?
You can ask Elon slash Twitter if they will meet that request before you go back.
That request can be supported by other content creators to make sure that it has public traction.
I have put out some suggestions.
For sure. He doesn't need to argue back.
back he could just post content and ignore responses.
You underestimate the ability of a person to resist temptation.
No man is above temptation.
So I could just post content and ignore responses, but I would still be utilizing the platform as if nothing happened.
Yes, that's right, Matthew, right?
And he said to him, the devil said to him, all these things I will give you if you will fall down and worship me.
Then Jesus said to him, away with you, Satan, for it is written, you shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.
Yeah. My love is for reason, virtue, the truth.
the joys of philosophy, the challenges I even love, this community.
Why, you know, there are so many people who break principle.
I know them. I know them.
There are so many people who you can see them all over the place on the internet.
There are so many people who break principle.
Why does it bother you that I don't?
Because it creates a possibility that maybe you shouldn't.
That's why it bothers you, right?
It's nothing to do with me. Reframe it as an individual ban you and they are not there anymore.
I think that is a true and valid position.
But it was not an individual who banned me.
It was a corporation who banned me.
See, you're trying to say to me, pretend like It was a totally new company when Elon took over.
I get that. But if it's a totally new company, then I wouldn't have any pre-existing followers, right?
But I do. The reason I would have pre-existing followers is because it has continuity as a company.
I mean look, here's the thing, right?
You understand how this could play out, right?
That I could break principle I could go on there.
I could find most people would unsubscribe from me because of reputation or whatever, right?
Most people would have unsubscribed.
Only a couple of trolls who then laugh from here to eternity about me breaking principle.
I don't gain much out of it, and I can't undo what I did.
Because you all have this fantasy that it's going to be just like it was in 2016, but it's not.
Not the same world. People who got unbanned are already re-banned, though.
So not only was there no apology, there's a demonstration that the same thing could happen again, right?
Right, yeah, yeah, I mean, we can see this, right?
If I started to have a big effect, all the good I could do, let's say that you're right, I could do all this good, start to have a big effect, what happens then?
Well, we know, right? We know because I did it before.
Why is this not on locals?
Oh, yeah. Well, Locals doesn't do voice chat as yet.
I love what Steph is saying here.
You know, Socrates had his daemon, like the conscience...
I know when I'm making the right course because I just relax, right?
So people, they sort of provoke this, oh my gosh, maybe I should do all this good.
And listen, of course, I listen to you guys.
I'm a human being, right?
I mean, I'm not made of stone or steel.
I understand. I'm like, oh, maybe I should, and it's tempting, right?
And I say, oh, you can monetize things, and you can look at all the views at Tucker Carlson.
It's tempting. I get it.
I get it. But when I... Most of philosophy is just putting things the right way.
You put things the right way and the answers are pretty clear.
It's about asking the right questions, not being brilliant in your answers.
Somebody says, money!
Don't care whether you're on Twitter or not.
And I appreciate that.
People a hundred years from now, will they care whether I went back on Twitter against my values?
Will they care? Of course they will.
If I betray my principles, I get erased from the future, and then all of this suffering, all of this challenge, all of this has been for nothing.
No thank you. I also have to honor the courage of my younger self and stick with that, right?
Somebody said I wanted him to go back on Twitter, but after hearing his reasons for not going back on Twitter, I totally get it.
Stefan, what if I just retweet what you post for you?
I'll take the fail, I'll take the fall to get your message out.
Of course you can retweet what I do.
Of course, if somebody just posted a link to the Truth About Daycare presentation.
Fantastic! You can absolutely get people to repost what I did, right?
And, you know, I've checked out Twitter from time to time.
Do you think I'm not aware that all of my old friends are really not posting my material?
I get it. Steph could be wildly rich right now if he broke principle.
Yeah, for sure. I mean, listen, you get well paid.
You get well paid for betraying yourself.
otherwise there would be no such thing as temptation Steph, because if they can get you to break principle it
would give them an out Yes, of course. Right.
If you are going to whore yourself out, I'd rather have you start an OnlyFans.
Yes, that would be more honest.
at least I wouldn't be betraying the principle and advice I've given to others in that way
did he use any specific words to describe how he was wronged?
Thank you very much.
You know, it's not just that I was unjustly banned, it was the reasons they gave for it, right?
Which to my mind were false, right?
I'm just reading the comments here Bye!
Bye!
.
Where is he reading comments from?
Well, from right here. If God told him directly to go back onto Twitter, then that's what he should do.
Otherwise, I would argue that it is not worth dragging himself into soul-draining arguments with people that don't legitimately care.
You see, again, my friend, you're missing the point.
It's not an argument from consequences.
Well, it could be bad things that could happen on Twitter, and it might be a waste of time, and I might get banned again.
That's all just argument from consequences, and I don't Philosophy is not about argument from consequences.
Argument from consequences is eternal self-justification based on prejudice because you don't know what the consequences are going to be.
You don't know because the future is unknowable.
You don't know for certain what the consequences are going to be.
So you can make up good consequences to argue yourself into doing something or you can make up bad consequences to deny yourself from doing something.
All these good things can happen if I go back on Twitter.
Okay, well, I'll go back on Twitter. Oh, all these bad things could happen if I go back on Twitter.
Okay, I won't go back on Twitter.
Trying to divine the future is just a way of bullying yourself with effects that you can't know.
And it lends you to be susceptible to other people's manipulations.
Why do people get so pissed off at principles?
Because principles take away their power over you.
Satan says to Jesus in the desert, Satan says to Jesus in the desert, I will give you the world and everything in it.
Just worship me, not God.
Now, Jesus could say, oh, but think of all the good I could do.
If I owned the world and everything in it, think of all the churches I could build.
Think of all the people. But, nope.
So people will say, you can do all of this good if you break principle.
To which I say, there's no good on the other side of breaking principle.
It's a lie. It's a delusion.
Come to Shangri-La, it turns out to be a hallucination.
You fall to your death.
There is no good on the other side of breaking principle.
And please understand, I'm not a perfect person.
I don't have that as a standard for myself.
I don't have that as a standard for other people.
But there's some stuff that's pretty obvious.
What about YouTube? Same category.
Oh, come on, man.
Do you know what a principle is?
It's not... It's not an alphabetical principle that stops after the letter T. Well, I won't go on Twitter, but YouTube is closer to the end of the alphabet, so I'd totally go back on there if they...
No! If Elon Musk bought YouTube and they unbanned me there, it would be exactly the same principle.
I mean, it would be tempting...
I mean, in my view, if they hadn't throttled me like crazy and kept stripping away my followers so they didn't have to give me that million follower plaque, I'd be at a couple of million people on YouTube and it would be a philosophical revolution.
So, what about YouTube, same principle?
Come on, man. Don't play dumb with me.
Please. Somebody says, but I definitely agree with your principle on why you wouldn't go back.
I wouldn't go back to those people either.
You can look up all the stuff they said.
Where? Yeah, let me do your searches for you.
Yeah, I'll come over there and I'll massage your prostate and take a poop for you as well.
How about that? Does that work for you?
Have you heard of St. Stephen the Martyr in the book of the Acts of the Apostles, Acts chapter 6 and 7?
I'm not a big fan of reading about the martyrdom of virtuous people.
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