WEBVTT - is it better to be a human or a lizard?

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<v Speaker 1>Hey, folks, this is a little bonus episode that I

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<v Speaker 1>originally filmed as a video for my YouTube channel as

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<v Speaker 1>part of a series of these mini documentaries I'm trying

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<v Speaker 1>to do once a month. And if you're hearing this

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<v Speaker 1>right now, it means that you're not listening on Spotify,

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<v Speaker 1>which means I can't upload the video on whatever podcast

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<v Speaker 1>platform you are listening on. So you can either go

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<v Speaker 1>to the link in the episode description to watch this

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<v Speaker 1>as a video, or you can stick around and I

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<v Speaker 1>have edited a version of this video that works to

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<v Speaker 1>listen to as just audio. Okay, And with that context given,

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<v Speaker 1>let's play the thing. Would you rather be a human

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<v Speaker 1>or a gecko?

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<v Speaker 2>Human? For sure? Why would you rather be a human?

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<v Speaker 2>The human experience? I mean, would you rather be a lizard?

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<v Speaker 2>I mean, obviously, I guess huh, Well.

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<v Speaker 1>I was thinking about it, right, because like there's a

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<v Speaker 1>lot of suffering I think that comes with like just

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<v Speaker 1>being conscious.

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<v Speaker 2>We're the only animals that like, like know we're going

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<v Speaker 2>to die.

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<v Speaker 1>You get on this, Oh yeah, we're the only animals

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<v Speaker 1>that know we're gonna die. It's an interesting burden that

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<v Speaker 1>the human race suffers.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, but we get way cooler stuff because of it.

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<v Speaker 2>That is true.

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<v Speaker 1>I got invited to the opening of a new gecko

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<v Speaker 1>zoo that these two guys are running out of a

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<v Speaker 1>basement in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. It also happens to be right

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<v Speaker 1>next to the Museum of Bones. This was shortly after

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<v Speaker 1>I experienced an existential crisis that sent me spiraling into

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<v Speaker 1>my own brain thinking about death and consciousness and the

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<v Speaker 1>meaning of existence. As I looked at the lizards, I

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<v Speaker 1>thought about the blissful ignorance that comes with being a

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<v Speaker 1>dumb animal with no thoughts. They live a purely objective

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<v Speaker 1>life of eating, sleeping, and mating. We do all that

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<v Speaker 1>stuff too, but we have this added layer of consciousness

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<v Speaker 1>that brings with it both higher highs and lower lows

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<v Speaker 1>than that of a lizard. It made me think about whether,

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<v Speaker 1>if given the choice, would most people prefer to keep

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<v Speaker 1>the high highs and low lows of being human or

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<v Speaker 1>would they rather experience a more stable baseline as a lizard.

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<v Speaker 2>Would you rather be a lizard or a human?

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<v Speaker 1>I want to be a lizard.

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<v Speaker 3>I want to be a covid animal with no emotions,

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<v Speaker 3>well cared for. I'm yeah, e books, it's just hard

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<v Speaker 3>power here for humans, poverty, hunger, unemployment, and also when

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<v Speaker 3>at a hyper capitalistic society and everything's basically spectacle and

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<v Speaker 3>as time grows one gets tired of it.

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<v Speaker 4>Humans are probably the least moral of the animals. They

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<v Speaker 4>start wars, they they do crimes, they do things that

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<v Speaker 4>animals don't. You know, they we don't we'll get into politics.

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<v Speaker 4>We don't want need to get in politics. But you know,

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<v Speaker 4>humans are in way corrupt, right, whereas animals are very

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<v Speaker 4>instinctual and they don't have to deal with those kinds

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<v Speaker 4>of things because they're intrinsically simple or at so they're

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<v Speaker 4>the big scale problems that humans face are not are

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<v Speaker 4>not always present on TV and being like oh shit,

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<v Speaker 4>that's our new president or oh shit, that's going on

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<v Speaker 4>in the Middle East or something. You know, Geckos are

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<v Speaker 4>very simple in that way, and I wish I had

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<v Speaker 4>a gacko brain.

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<v Speaker 1>Is there anything at all that you would miss about

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<v Speaker 1>humanity if you were a lizard, I.

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<v Speaker 3>Will miss like the process of studying and acquiring knowledge

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<v Speaker 3>and also making things.

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<v Speaker 2>With my hands.

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<v Speaker 1>And do you feel as though the process of acquiring

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<v Speaker 1>knowledge and making things and whatnot you would give it

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<v Speaker 1>all up.

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<v Speaker 2>To be a lizard.

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<v Speaker 3>Just I'm okay with blissful ignorance.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, just living in my own little world.

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<v Speaker 1>And you would acquire that, but at the cost of

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<v Speaker 1>all the gifts that your human consciousness gives you.

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<v Speaker 3>Again, like I said before, one gets tired of being sentient.

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<v Speaker 1>It's true. Being sentient can be tiresome, and it's made

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<v Speaker 1>even more difficult by the fact that we're constantly inundated

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<v Speaker 1>with an infinite amount of information about the flaws and

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<v Speaker 1>corruptions of our species that the lizards are blissfully unaware of.

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<v Speaker 1>But I did talk to a lot of people who

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<v Speaker 1>believe that despite all the crazy shit it comes with,

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<v Speaker 1>sentience remains worth it. What kind of cool stuff do

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<v Speaker 1>you like about being a human?

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<v Speaker 4>Video games, good food, the ability to travel more than

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<v Speaker 4>like a five mile radius?

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<v Speaker 2>What about art too? Do we know any animals that

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<v Speaker 2>have art? I guess like there's like funny dog videos

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<v Speaker 2>and stuff. Yeah, but the dog isn't taken the video.

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<v Speaker 2>That's true. Would you guys rather be a human or

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<v Speaker 2>a lizard?

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<v Speaker 1>When you stare at the lizard and you see how

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<v Speaker 1>it like as like an absent mind, does that ever

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<v Speaker 1>look appealing to?

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<v Speaker 2>Just have no thoughts. No, honey, no, do you enjoy

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<v Speaker 2>the quality of your thoughts?

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<v Speaker 4>I do?

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<v Speaker 2>What kinds of things do you normally think about it

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<v Speaker 2>throughout the day. We might respect money, but if.

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<v Speaker 1>You were a lizard, you wouldn't have to think about

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<v Speaker 1>money ever.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, it's okay.

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<v Speaker 1>I was getting a little tired of talking about existential crap,

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<v Speaker 1>so I took a break to go to this room

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<v Speaker 1>where they had drinks and snacks. It was a good

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<v Speaker 1>exercise of my human agency. What was his name again, Richie, Ritchie.

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<v Speaker 1>Richie said that he wished he had a lizard brain.

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<v Speaker 1>That's like a that makes a joke. Well, there is

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<v Speaker 1>this desire to have a brain that is totally objective.

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<v Speaker 5>What he meant, essentially is that sometimes having a simpler

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<v Speaker 5>life is a lot easier. With geckos, it's very repetitive,

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<v Speaker 5>they're very habitual. So you know, when he said that,

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<v Speaker 5>he just means that simplicity sometimes isn't a bad thing.

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<v Speaker 1>Do you ever have times where you genuinely do wish

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<v Speaker 1>that you had like a simple lizard brain and you

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<v Speaker 1>didn't have to deal with all this shit?

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<v Speaker 5>No, because if I had a simple lizard brain, I

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<v Speaker 5>wouldn't be able to do this. With every struggle comes

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<v Speaker 5>a lesson. With every struggle comes to newfound knowledge about something.

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<v Speaker 5>You know, there's no such thing as success without struggle.

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<v Speaker 5>That's called luck. That's not success. So being a human,

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<v Speaker 5>it has his ups and downs. With the ups or

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<v Speaker 5>I get to live out a dream.

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<v Speaker 1>I appreciated that this man used his higher human consciousness

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<v Speaker 1>to embrace struggle and find a purpose that he would

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<v Speaker 1>not give up to become a lizard, even if that

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<v Speaker 1>purpose ironically involves lizards.

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<v Speaker 6>Limbers have a beautiful existence. But at the same time,

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<v Speaker 6>do they know they exist?

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<v Speaker 7>As humans were innately aware of our own consciousness, Like,

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<v Speaker 7>look at this guy.

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<v Speaker 2>You think he knows where he where?

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<v Speaker 7>This little man is right now that he's sitting on

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<v Speaker 7>someone's hand coseplaying as a giant gig day gecko.

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<v Speaker 1>No, do you think that lizards are happier because they

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<v Speaker 1>don't know that they exist?

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<v Speaker 2>Yes?

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<v Speaker 6>Because Dandrew's literally just here. If you're here and you

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<v Speaker 6>don't know that tomorrow is gonna bring sad? Is what

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<v Speaker 6>tomorrow is gonna bring? Any and what's smallw is gonna

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<v Speaker 6>bring anything? This makes you automatically happen.

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<v Speaker 1>Do you think humans can develop the braining of a

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<v Speaker 1>lizard in that sense of like trying to always be

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<v Speaker 1>in the present.

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<v Speaker 2>You can try what.

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<v Speaker 6>You might have to get like motom eyes or something,

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<v Speaker 6>because how are you gonna stop yourself from thinking about

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<v Speaker 6>their future or even the past. The past and the

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<v Speaker 6>future always hants us. So that's part of even human.

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<v Speaker 6>But that's the beautiful point about being human. I love

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<v Speaker 6>knowing that I'm here. It's beautiful that we actually know

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<v Speaker 6>we have a past.

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<v Speaker 2>Let me know we have a future.

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<v Speaker 7>We are aware of our own existence, and that's both

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<v Speaker 7>scary yet beautiful.

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<v Speaker 1>You would take the beautiful curse over the ignorant lizard stuff.

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<v Speaker 2>A million a million funds in the paints.

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<v Speaker 1>I liked this perspective that the knowledge we have of

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<v Speaker 1>our own existence is a gift to be appreciated rather

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<v Speaker 1>than a weird, scary thing to be burdened with. It's

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<v Speaker 1>a choice of how you want to view it. Would

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<v Speaker 1>you rather be a human being or a lizard?

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<v Speaker 2>Take a human more freedom?

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<v Speaker 1>Do you think consciousness is more freedom or more restrictive? Right,

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<v Speaker 1>because a lizard has like freedom from a lot of

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<v Speaker 1>the kind of difficulties the humans have.

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<v Speaker 2>You know, true, all you gotta do is eat and poop.

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<v Speaker 2>That's it, right. Do you ever envy that lifestyle or

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<v Speaker 2>would you still want to be a human? I think

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<v Speaker 2>i'd be a humor. I could drive, Yeah, you can't

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<v Speaker 2>drive as a lizard. Yeah, you can't drive as a lizard.

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<v Speaker 1>Have you traveled any places recently that you really liked

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<v Speaker 1>that you couldn't have gone to if you were a lizard?

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<v Speaker 6>New Mexico it's kind of far, especially from here to

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<v Speaker 6>get down there, and it travel a whole year, that's true.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, it would take a whole year. It's a walk

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<v Speaker 2>as a lizard from year to New Mexico.

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<v Speaker 1>I guess the lizards don't even want that because they

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<v Speaker 1>don't even lizards don't even know that New Mexico exists.

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<v Speaker 4>Nah.

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<v Speaker 2>Is there anything about being a lizard that you envy

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<v Speaker 2>that you wish you could? Uh? Who you could do?

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<v Speaker 2>Who she could be?

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<v Speaker 1>Lizard?

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<v Speaker 5>Ah?

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<v Speaker 1>I don't know, to be honest.

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<v Speaker 2>Never thought about that. I guess you don't have to

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<v Speaker 2>think about it. I'm good the way I am no lizard.

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<v Speaker 1>After the event, I journaled on my phone about my

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<v Speaker 1>conclusion from these interviews. While the human experience can be

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<v Speaker 1>very challenging. It can be improved by having purpose, appreciating

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<v Speaker 1>the little things I feel like. I read that Redemption

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<v Speaker 1>two would be one of the reasons for me why

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<v Speaker 1>I would want to be a human instead of a lizard.

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<v Speaker 2>Absolutely, there you go. If that's all it.

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<v Speaker 1>Is, choosing to view the bigger things as beautiful instead

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<v Speaker 1>of scary, maintaining good quality of thoughts, and going to

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<v Speaker 1>to New Mexico. And at the end of the day,

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<v Speaker 1>I would also choose to remain a human. It is

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<v Speaker 1>an honor