1 00:00:01,720 --> 00:00:06,760 Speaker 1: Cool Zone Media, Hello, and welcome to cool people who 2 00:00:06,760 --> 00:00:09,440 Speaker 1: did cool stuff. You're a weekly reminder. Then what Margaret 3 00:00:09,680 --> 00:00:11,920 Speaker 1: is it doesn't have a producer. She forgets to do 4 00:00:12,200 --> 00:00:15,880 Speaker 1: the credits, but not this time because I and Margaret 5 00:00:15,920 --> 00:00:18,639 Speaker 1: Hill Joy. That's one of the credits. Another credit is 6 00:00:18,640 --> 00:00:22,200 Speaker 1: Samantha McVeigh our our guest. I was gonna say host, 7 00:00:22,200 --> 00:00:22,840 Speaker 1: but I'm the host. 8 00:00:23,280 --> 00:00:26,239 Speaker 2: Uh, you're the host. I'm definitely not leading this charge. 9 00:00:26,280 --> 00:00:27,880 Speaker 1: You sure I can send you the script? You could 10 00:00:27,880 --> 00:00:28,520 Speaker 1: just read it to me? 11 00:00:29,000 --> 00:00:32,640 Speaker 2: Oh my god, could you imagine fun? Could you imagine 12 00:00:32,680 --> 00:00:33,320 Speaker 2: what happens? 13 00:00:34,120 --> 00:00:37,440 Speaker 1: Especially because my script is like, I mean, it makes sense, 14 00:00:37,479 --> 00:00:40,680 Speaker 1: but it's not like perfect anyway, whatever, it's not exactly 15 00:00:40,680 --> 00:00:41,120 Speaker 1: what I read. 16 00:00:41,440 --> 00:00:44,640 Speaker 2: Mine is like plot points, and I was like, good luck. 17 00:00:45,800 --> 00:00:48,040 Speaker 1: When I first started doing the show, I was like, oh, 18 00:00:48,040 --> 00:00:49,880 Speaker 1: I'm just gonna do plot points. And Sophie was like, 19 00:00:49,920 --> 00:00:51,639 Speaker 1: you're gonna write a script and I was like, I'm 20 00:00:51,640 --> 00:00:53,960 Speaker 1: gonna write a script and I'm so glad. But it's 21 00:00:54,200 --> 00:00:56,840 Speaker 1: a different it's a slightly different format. You know. 22 00:00:57,280 --> 00:00:59,640 Speaker 2: I was gonna say you were just heavily researched, and 23 00:00:59,720 --> 00:01:03,120 Speaker 2: our heavily research, but not to this level. Right, like 24 00:01:03,160 --> 00:01:05,000 Speaker 2: we have a lot of like quotes and numbers and 25 00:01:05,040 --> 00:01:06,720 Speaker 2: statistics like that's what we have. 26 00:01:06,800 --> 00:01:08,600 Speaker 1: I think totally the kind of thing you can do 27 00:01:08,680 --> 00:01:11,880 Speaker 1: in like several hours as you're getting ready for an episode. 28 00:01:12,400 --> 00:01:14,880 Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, I don't have to read a lot of books, 29 00:01:14,880 --> 00:01:15,479 Speaker 2: although I have. 30 00:01:16,760 --> 00:01:19,280 Speaker 1: Well, thank you for helping me prove my point that 31 00:01:19,319 --> 00:01:22,720 Speaker 1: I will forget the credits. But I remember that was 32 00:01:22,720 --> 00:01:26,399 Speaker 1: just finish the credits, our producer. I mean, there's actually 33 00:01:26,400 --> 00:01:28,080 Speaker 1: literally nothing that says I have to This is like 34 00:01:28,120 --> 00:01:29,800 Speaker 1: the way I do it, and so then I feel 35 00:01:29,800 --> 00:01:31,039 Speaker 1: like I always have to do it the same way. 36 00:01:31,440 --> 00:01:34,720 Speaker 1: Our producer, Sophie Licktraman, who isn't here right now, and 37 00:01:34,800 --> 00:01:35,479 Speaker 1: so it's just. 38 00:01:35,480 --> 00:01:37,479 Speaker 2: Us we miss you, I. 39 00:01:37,400 --> 00:01:43,840 Speaker 1: Know, and our audio engineers Rory Hi, Rory Hi, Rory. 40 00:01:44,600 --> 00:01:47,120 Speaker 1: Our theme music was written for us by Unwoman. And 41 00:01:47,200 --> 00:01:50,080 Speaker 1: this is part two in a two parter. So don't worry. 42 00:01:50,040 --> 00:01:52,520 Speaker 1: You're halfway there or unfortunately you're halfway there. I guess 43 00:01:52,520 --> 00:01:57,120 Speaker 1: depends on how much it's sad, I know, but it's 44 00:01:57,120 --> 00:02:00,480 Speaker 1: a two parter about Bethel House, which is a group 45 00:02:00,560 --> 00:02:04,520 Speaker 1: of mostly schizophrenic folks in Japan who have fundamentally changed 46 00:02:04,880 --> 00:02:07,040 Speaker 1: a lot of understandings around how we can deal with 47 00:02:07,080 --> 00:02:11,280 Speaker 1: psychiatric care and it. If you want more background, you 48 00:02:11,280 --> 00:02:14,920 Speaker 1: can also listen to our Fountainhouse episodes, although that's thousands 49 00:02:14,919 --> 00:02:19,280 Speaker 1: of miles away. But we were just talking about how 50 00:02:19,560 --> 00:02:23,280 Speaker 1: Bethel House has built a perfect slacker worker owner culture 51 00:02:24,160 --> 00:02:27,880 Speaker 1: and one of their core principles, this is the one 52 00:02:27,880 --> 00:02:30,919 Speaker 1: that challenges me the most. One of their core principles 53 00:02:30,960 --> 00:02:36,080 Speaker 1: is meeting before eating. That is to say, everything is 54 00:02:36,120 --> 00:02:38,440 Speaker 1: a meeting. I don't think it's specifically trying to say 55 00:02:38,480 --> 00:02:40,840 Speaker 1: like you can't eat until you finish a meeting. I 56 00:02:40,840 --> 00:02:42,799 Speaker 1: think what they're saying is like meeting is even more 57 00:02:42,800 --> 00:02:45,880 Speaker 1: important than food. But I'm not one hundred percent certain, 58 00:02:45,880 --> 00:02:47,320 Speaker 1: even though I've read a couple different takes on this, 59 00:02:48,520 --> 00:02:51,600 Speaker 1: everything is a meeting at Bethel House. As an anarchist, 60 00:02:51,680 --> 00:02:55,360 Speaker 1: I am used to this. I also dread it, But 61 00:02:55,960 --> 00:02:58,680 Speaker 1: when it's stuff that actually matters to me with people 62 00:02:58,720 --> 00:03:03,359 Speaker 1: I care about, it's not so bad. Every morning they 63 00:03:03,360 --> 00:03:06,079 Speaker 1: have a meeting with whatever members show up. Right, if 64 00:03:06,080 --> 00:03:09,280 Speaker 1: you join the Battelhouse, you're not like forced to come 65 00:03:09,320 --> 00:03:12,799 Speaker 1: a certain forced to do anything. But if you show 66 00:03:12,880 --> 00:03:16,120 Speaker 1: up to the meeting, every person in the room, staff 67 00:03:16,120 --> 00:03:20,160 Speaker 1: and members both will go around and discuss how they're doing, 68 00:03:20,200 --> 00:03:24,560 Speaker 1: both physically and psychologically, and then how many hours they 69 00:03:24,560 --> 00:03:26,000 Speaker 1: feel like working that day. 70 00:03:27,160 --> 00:03:28,360 Speaker 2: They set their own schedule. 71 00:03:28,600 --> 00:03:31,760 Speaker 1: I like it, yeah, and then basically the person who 72 00:03:31,800 --> 00:03:35,400 Speaker 1: facilitates the worker, owner, business or whatever that day will 73 00:03:35,400 --> 00:03:37,720 Speaker 1: then be like, okay, well if you're working from twelve 74 00:03:38,080 --> 00:03:41,280 Speaker 1: thirty to one fifteen, then you know, and they like 75 00:03:41,320 --> 00:03:44,800 Speaker 1: do all the balancing to make it work right. This 76 00:03:44,880 --> 00:03:47,560 Speaker 1: takes a long ass time at this morning meeting talking 77 00:03:47,600 --> 00:03:49,640 Speaker 1: about how they feel and how long they want to work. 78 00:03:50,800 --> 00:03:55,640 Speaker 1: It also means that everyone's health is everyone's business. And 79 00:03:55,720 --> 00:03:58,320 Speaker 1: it also means you know who's really grouchy and wants 80 00:03:58,320 --> 00:04:02,119 Speaker 1: to be left alone that day? And that's really relatable. 81 00:04:02,240 --> 00:04:04,080 Speaker 1: Sometimes when I'm in meetings, I kind of start off 82 00:04:04,120 --> 00:04:06,320 Speaker 1: by being like, I'm grouchy, going to mostly stay off Mike. 83 00:04:09,080 --> 00:04:12,560 Speaker 1: As for those staff members, they have no lanyards, they 84 00:04:12,640 --> 00:04:15,960 Speaker 1: have no uniforms, there's nothing to distinguish them from members. 85 00:04:16,040 --> 00:04:18,040 Speaker 1: These are like the social workers and stuff who they 86 00:04:18,279 --> 00:04:23,320 Speaker 1: hire to to help them. After the check ins, people 87 00:04:23,360 --> 00:04:26,520 Speaker 1: from each business give detailed reports down to reading like 88 00:04:26,600 --> 00:04:28,600 Speaker 1: all the mail order orders that have come in the 89 00:04:28,680 --> 00:04:31,760 Speaker 1: mail and stuff. And the reason for that is that 90 00:04:32,320 --> 00:04:35,200 Speaker 1: this fairly rotating cast of people doing the work right, 91 00:04:35,640 --> 00:04:38,640 Speaker 1: and so you don't want to feel like, well, I 92 00:04:38,680 --> 00:04:41,120 Speaker 1: worked yesterday and if I don't work today, everything's going 93 00:04:41,160 --> 00:04:45,679 Speaker 1: to fall apart. And so there's like really detailed report backs. 94 00:04:46,720 --> 00:04:50,120 Speaker 1: For example, my friend while while he was there, they 95 00:04:50,120 --> 00:04:54,039 Speaker 1: had a radio station and they you know, ran radio broadcasts, 96 00:04:54,720 --> 00:04:56,000 Speaker 1: and he went and he asked and he was like, well, 97 00:04:56,040 --> 00:04:57,679 Speaker 1: what if no one wants to work at the radio 98 00:04:57,680 --> 00:05:01,000 Speaker 1: station today? And then the guy was like, well, and 99 00:05:01,040 --> 00:05:04,520 Speaker 1: then there is a radio station today, that's fine. If 100 00:05:04,520 --> 00:05:06,400 Speaker 1: no one feels like doing the work, then it probably 101 00:05:06,400 --> 00:05:08,600 Speaker 1: shouldn't get done. Eh. 102 00:05:08,720 --> 00:05:10,400 Speaker 2: I was gonna ask that question. What happens when they 103 00:05:10,520 --> 00:05:11,640 Speaker 2: just wake up to say I don't want to do this 104 00:05:11,680 --> 00:05:15,479 Speaker 2: today and no one does whatever needed so they just like, yeah, okay, 105 00:05:15,760 --> 00:05:16,920 Speaker 2: not getting done today. 106 00:05:17,000 --> 00:05:19,640 Speaker 1: Then it doesn't happen, huh, and they just deal with it. 107 00:05:20,000 --> 00:05:21,120 Speaker 2: I like that attitude. 108 00:05:21,320 --> 00:05:23,160 Speaker 1: And this is actually one of the things that differs 109 00:05:23,200 --> 00:05:25,840 Speaker 1: from the clubhouse model the fountainhouse model, which also has 110 00:05:25,920 --> 00:05:29,200 Speaker 1: kind of an emphasis on worker owned businesses and emphasis 111 00:05:29,200 --> 00:05:31,680 Speaker 1: on getting work done and what happens if like a 112 00:05:31,920 --> 00:05:36,560 Speaker 1: Fountainhouse member has a job outside of Fountainhouse, like they 113 00:05:36,600 --> 00:05:39,680 Speaker 1: have a job at like a regular business. Is that 114 00:05:39,720 --> 00:05:42,359 Speaker 1: if they can't work because of their you know, mental 115 00:05:42,400 --> 00:05:45,800 Speaker 1: health issues, then a staff member from Fountainhouse will go 116 00:05:45,839 --> 00:05:48,000 Speaker 1: and do the work, right, like one of the social 117 00:05:48,080 --> 00:05:52,280 Speaker 1: workers who's hired by them will like go. But with 118 00:05:52,279 --> 00:05:54,320 Speaker 1: with Bethel House, it's like, well, it just doesn't get done. 119 00:05:54,880 --> 00:05:57,960 Speaker 1: That's okay, not even as like a passive aggressive like, well, 120 00:05:57,960 --> 00:06:00,120 Speaker 1: I guess we don't have a radio station today. 121 00:06:00,120 --> 00:06:02,120 Speaker 2: You know, Yeah, I guess you can't. 122 00:06:02,120 --> 00:06:04,400 Speaker 1: We can't have that today. Oh well yeah, and whose 123 00:06:04,400 --> 00:06:06,919 Speaker 1: fault is that? And so that way, like the number 124 00:06:06,960 --> 00:06:10,040 Speaker 1: of businesses they have like kind of ebbs and flows, right, 125 00:06:10,400 --> 00:06:12,320 Speaker 1: so it's not even like seen as a failure that 126 00:06:12,360 --> 00:06:14,160 Speaker 1: they like used to have more and they have less 127 00:06:14,200 --> 00:06:16,600 Speaker 1: now or whatever. You know, Like businesses come and go 128 00:06:16,640 --> 00:06:22,120 Speaker 1: as people feel like doing them. It's so interesting, and 129 00:06:22,720 --> 00:06:25,279 Speaker 1: they run a bunch of successful businesses with this model. 130 00:06:26,600 --> 00:06:31,080 Speaker 1: Most of them are supplementing their income with social services 131 00:06:31,480 --> 00:06:37,600 Speaker 1: and things like disability payments and things. But yeah, they 132 00:06:37,680 --> 00:06:43,200 Speaker 1: run businesses interesting. And this doesn't mean they don't have worries. 133 00:06:44,040 --> 00:06:49,120 Speaker 1: They actually cultivate worry to some degree. Psychiatric hospitals are 134 00:06:49,160 --> 00:06:51,800 Speaker 1: designed to remove your ability to worry. This is a 135 00:06:51,839 --> 00:06:54,760 Speaker 1: way that it gets praised. So Bethel is designed to 136 00:06:54,800 --> 00:06:59,200 Speaker 1: make sure you can worry. Problems should be welcomed and solved, 137 00:06:59,400 --> 00:07:04,440 Speaker 1: not fear and run from. And when they have problems 138 00:07:04,440 --> 00:07:08,479 Speaker 1: socially at Bethel House, which they do constantly, right, these 139 00:07:08,520 --> 00:07:11,400 Speaker 1: are welcomed as well. There's a psychiatrist who works at 140 00:07:11,440 --> 00:07:13,440 Speaker 1: the hospital who also works with Bethel House's name is 141 00:07:13,440 --> 00:07:15,800 Speaker 1: doctor Kawa mura or at least he did. Again, a 142 00:07:15,800 --> 00:07:18,240 Speaker 1: lot of like the book that I'm referencing came out 143 00:07:18,240 --> 00:07:20,520 Speaker 1: in twenty thirteen, and most of the ethnographic work and 144 00:07:20,560 --> 00:07:22,920 Speaker 1: it would happen in two thousand and five. And you know, 145 00:07:23,720 --> 00:07:27,200 Speaker 1: but doctor Kawa Murha, a psychiatrist at the hospital said, quote, 146 00:07:28,320 --> 00:07:32,400 Speaker 1: it's overwhelming the richness of their self expression. They're very loud. 147 00:07:33,000 --> 00:07:34,960 Speaker 1: I think it's important that they are able to express 148 00:07:35,000 --> 00:07:38,040 Speaker 1: anger and get into fights with their peers. When you're 149 00:07:38,080 --> 00:07:41,840 Speaker 1: angry at someone, in reality, you want their love. So 150 00:07:41,960 --> 00:07:45,400 Speaker 1: being able to express your anger is extremely healthy. If 151 00:07:45,400 --> 00:07:48,320 Speaker 1: you aren't able to express anger, what happens is that 152 00:07:48,360 --> 00:07:53,280 Speaker 1: the anger turns into malice in contrast to anger, Malice 153 00:07:53,320 --> 00:07:56,960 Speaker 1: is the desire to destroy the other party and is pathological. 154 00:07:58,640 --> 00:08:00,200 Speaker 2: That sounds very Buddhist. 155 00:08:00,720 --> 00:08:03,960 Speaker 1: Yeah, probably. Yeah. Oh it's interesting, yeah, because it's like 156 00:08:03,960 --> 00:08:05,160 Speaker 1: such a like mm. 157 00:08:05,000 --> 00:08:09,160 Speaker 2: Hmm, it's kind of that whole like balance, yeah, ideals 158 00:08:09,600 --> 00:08:12,800 Speaker 2: and like like if you're true like Buddhism and like 159 00:08:13,360 --> 00:08:15,720 Speaker 2: nothing this level. But but the fact is that it 160 00:08:15,800 --> 00:08:19,480 Speaker 2: has to have a way to have a resolution and 161 00:08:19,560 --> 00:08:22,360 Speaker 2: whether if you how you handle it, what that resolution 162 00:08:22,480 --> 00:08:22,720 Speaker 2: will be. 163 00:08:23,080 --> 00:08:26,480 Speaker 1: Yeah, that's interesting, that's cool. I really yeah, like I 164 00:08:27,320 --> 00:08:29,320 Speaker 1: really like this idea. It really like through me when 165 00:08:29,360 --> 00:08:31,440 Speaker 1: it was like anger means that you want someone to love, 166 00:08:31,480 --> 00:08:33,079 Speaker 1: and I'm like, no, I'm angry at people all the time. 167 00:08:33,120 --> 00:08:36,040 Speaker 1: And then I'm like, I mean one is just words 168 00:08:36,120 --> 00:08:37,880 Speaker 1: being different things depending on the context in which we 169 00:08:37,960 --> 00:08:41,280 Speaker 1: use them, right, but clearly because there are like I've 170 00:08:41,280 --> 00:08:43,719 Speaker 1: been in social circles where we all start yelling at 171 00:08:43,720 --> 00:08:46,360 Speaker 1: each other and arguing and stuff, right, and often that 172 00:08:46,480 --> 00:08:50,200 Speaker 1: is around like I feel isolated and I'm not heard 173 00:08:50,280 --> 00:08:52,800 Speaker 1: because you don't care about me, and so now I'm angry, 174 00:08:53,200 --> 00:08:57,360 Speaker 1: you know. Also, as part of their meeting culture, besides 175 00:08:57,400 --> 00:08:59,800 Speaker 1: just being willing to argue is that they sing a 176 00:08:59,800 --> 00:09:02,640 Speaker 1: whole bunch of songs, including one called the Welcome to 177 00:09:02,679 --> 00:09:04,679 Speaker 1: Bethel Song, and I'm not going to sing it. 178 00:09:05,000 --> 00:09:08,000 Speaker 2: Oh, come on, you're a musicians. Come on, I know what. 179 00:09:08,200 --> 00:09:10,640 Speaker 1: It's not in my head at all. But I have 180 00:09:10,679 --> 00:09:13,880 Speaker 1: the lyrics, okay, and it These are some of them, 181 00:09:13,880 --> 00:09:18,160 Speaker 1: it's not all of them. Isn't schizophrenia terrible? With its hallucinations, 182 00:09:18,240 --> 00:09:21,600 Speaker 1: voices and delusions. You just can't stand not doing anything, 183 00:09:21,679 --> 00:09:25,439 Speaker 1: so you end up cutting yourself. Isn't insomnia terrible? Making 184 00:09:25,480 --> 00:09:27,839 Speaker 1: noise at all hours of the night, you keep your 185 00:09:27,840 --> 00:09:30,240 Speaker 1: family up, no one in the neighborhood slept all night. 186 00:09:31,200 --> 00:09:34,199 Speaker 1: Isn't mental illness terrible? It is our gift from God. 187 00:09:34,520 --> 00:09:37,080 Speaker 1: Even if we're different from normal people, we're all first 188 00:09:37,080 --> 00:09:43,440 Speaker 1: class sickos. I like that. 189 00:09:43,720 --> 00:09:47,840 Speaker 2: Yeah, me too, first class Yeah. 190 00:09:47,880 --> 00:09:50,840 Speaker 1: And you know they're describing that, the fact that they're like, well, 191 00:09:50,880 --> 00:09:53,920 Speaker 1: this is hard. I kind of wish this wasn't the 192 00:09:53,960 --> 00:09:57,640 Speaker 1: way I was, but like, it's all right, this is 193 00:09:57,679 --> 00:10:00,360 Speaker 1: who I am. I'm not trying to fix it. I'm 194 00:10:00,400 --> 00:10:04,559 Speaker 1: trying to live with it. Most of any given day 195 00:10:04,679 --> 00:10:08,400 Speaker 1: is meetings. There's the Friday afternoon meeting in which people 196 00:10:08,400 --> 00:10:13,280 Speaker 1: talk about the entire week. There's also social skills training meeting, 197 00:10:13,320 --> 00:10:15,400 Speaker 1: so it's like meeting is kind of being used flexibly here. 198 00:10:15,480 --> 00:10:18,880 Speaker 1: There's also like workshops and stuff. Right, yeah, so they 199 00:10:18,880 --> 00:10:21,400 Speaker 1: have a social skills training meeting and people can go 200 00:10:21,440 --> 00:10:24,600 Speaker 1: to this. Everything is optional, as I understand it, and 201 00:10:24,640 --> 00:10:27,840 Speaker 1: you can go and then talk about social situations coming 202 00:10:27,920 --> 00:10:30,839 Speaker 1: up and then like workshop them and be like how 203 00:10:30,840 --> 00:10:33,720 Speaker 1: should I handle this social situation? And you can ask 204 00:10:33,760 --> 00:10:36,040 Speaker 1: for help, you can get for feedback about what you've 205 00:10:36,080 --> 00:10:39,280 Speaker 1: already done. They roll play situations and then talk about 206 00:10:39,280 --> 00:10:41,120 Speaker 1: what they could have done better, and then like switch 207 00:10:41,520 --> 00:10:42,839 Speaker 1: and you're like, now you're going to be the guy 208 00:10:42,840 --> 00:10:47,480 Speaker 1: who's talking to you instead. You know. M many, but 209 00:10:47,600 --> 00:10:50,040 Speaker 1: not all of the members live in various group homes 210 00:10:50,080 --> 00:10:52,120 Speaker 1: that work is housing co ops. I don't know about 211 00:10:52,120 --> 00:10:55,160 Speaker 1: the ownership structure, but they're all equals living there as 212 00:10:55,160 --> 00:10:58,679 Speaker 1: far as I can tell. I read one really relatable 213 00:10:58,679 --> 00:11:01,040 Speaker 1: piece by a hardcore shutting who described how she liked 214 00:11:01,080 --> 00:11:03,240 Speaker 1: living in a group home because even when she ignored 215 00:11:03,280 --> 00:11:06,640 Speaker 1: everyone all the time, she still always ate because people 216 00:11:06,679 --> 00:11:08,880 Speaker 1: figured out how to feed each other. She was like, 217 00:11:09,280 --> 00:11:11,160 Speaker 1: I would have starved to death. I was living alone. 218 00:11:11,360 --> 00:11:13,960 Speaker 1: Now people make sure I eat and then I ignore them. 219 00:11:13,960 --> 00:11:20,480 Speaker 1: All Over the decades, Bethel House has expanded, but not wildly. 220 00:11:20,559 --> 00:11:22,680 Speaker 1: So there's about one hundred or one hundred and fifty 221 00:11:22,679 --> 00:11:25,360 Speaker 1: people currently involved in it, depending on which source I'm reading. 222 00:11:26,760 --> 00:11:30,600 Speaker 1: They've bought several properties as people leave the tiny dying town. 223 00:11:31,320 --> 00:11:33,439 Speaker 1: They bought an abandoned print shop and named it New 224 00:11:33,440 --> 00:11:36,959 Speaker 1: Bethel where the meetings are now or were again. I 225 00:11:36,960 --> 00:11:39,720 Speaker 1: don't know, I don't know what's happening today. They also 226 00:11:39,720 --> 00:11:42,600 Speaker 1: bought an old bookstore the owners fled in the middle 227 00:11:42,640 --> 00:11:44,520 Speaker 1: of the night to avoid creditors. That's like how much 228 00:11:44,520 --> 00:11:48,480 Speaker 1: of a dying town it is, you know? The downstairs 229 00:11:48,600 --> 00:11:51,600 Speaker 1: is a storefront called burra braza, which is derived from 230 00:11:51,600 --> 00:11:54,880 Speaker 1: a word for basically like window shopping or loitering, people 231 00:11:54,920 --> 00:11:57,520 Speaker 1: who drop by shops just to wander around, and so 232 00:11:57,520 --> 00:12:00,160 Speaker 1: they like even name it after like, eh, can you 233 00:12:00,200 --> 00:12:02,920 Speaker 1: buy some of you want? I don't know whatever, you know, 234 00:12:03,360 --> 00:12:09,120 Speaker 1: like worker owner members might start with seaweed packing in 235 00:12:09,200 --> 00:12:12,160 Speaker 1: order to practice socializing with just coworkers. Right, You're like, 236 00:12:12,520 --> 00:12:15,560 Speaker 1: I don't talk to anyone, No one understands me. And 237 00:12:15,559 --> 00:12:18,880 Speaker 1: then you're like, okay, well go pack Seaweed. They're like, okay, 238 00:12:18,880 --> 00:12:20,640 Speaker 1: I got kind of used to talking to the people there. 239 00:12:21,679 --> 00:12:25,080 Speaker 1: Now I might go to the store and deal with 240 00:12:25,080 --> 00:12:28,040 Speaker 1: strangers and then be like, Nope, tomorrow I'm back to 241 00:12:28,040 --> 00:12:30,439 Speaker 1: seaweed packing, or tomorrow I'm back to hanging out by 242 00:12:30,440 --> 00:12:35,080 Speaker 1: myself in bed, you know. And then upstairs of the 243 00:12:35,240 --> 00:12:38,040 Speaker 1: no longer bookstore of the everything store is Sunshine House, 244 00:12:38,040 --> 00:12:40,760 Speaker 1: which is a woman only group home of Bethel members, 245 00:12:41,480 --> 00:12:43,240 Speaker 1: and they have a group that I think is really 246 00:12:43,240 --> 00:12:45,440 Speaker 1: cool because it's called They have a weekly group called 247 00:12:45,440 --> 00:12:50,360 Speaker 1: Women Anonymous, which is modeled on Schizophrenics Anonymous, So it's 248 00:12:50,360 --> 00:12:52,960 Speaker 1: basically just being like, we're going to have our like 249 00:12:53,520 --> 00:12:57,760 Speaker 1: group therapy talk for just women, and they talk about 250 00:12:57,800 --> 00:12:59,880 Speaker 1: women's issues, like how to deal with the patriarchy within 251 00:13:00,120 --> 00:13:05,960 Speaker 1: Bethelhouse because it's not fucking perfect. And I even like 252 00:13:06,000 --> 00:13:08,360 Speaker 1: with that, I get annoyed because I mean a lot 253 00:13:08,400 --> 00:13:10,280 Speaker 1: of the work that has been done around this, like 254 00:13:10,320 --> 00:13:13,400 Speaker 1: a you know, a woman wrote the primary book on this, right, 255 00:13:13,640 --> 00:13:17,960 Speaker 1: but it's like mostly primarily naming you know, a male doctor, 256 00:13:18,000 --> 00:13:21,200 Speaker 1: a male minister, but other women are heavily involved in 257 00:13:21,440 --> 00:13:24,559 Speaker 1: even the initial shaping of the culture, and like, as 258 00:13:24,559 --> 00:13:27,120 Speaker 1: has happened so many times on episodes, I've done like 259 00:13:28,040 --> 00:13:31,360 Speaker 1: a little less likely to be the figures that are 260 00:13:31,400 --> 00:13:33,439 Speaker 1: focused on, and so I usually have far less information 261 00:13:33,480 --> 00:13:37,000 Speaker 1: about them. Right. One of the things that they've worked 262 00:13:37,040 --> 00:13:40,640 Speaker 1: hard to do is honor the voices that people deal with. 263 00:13:41,360 --> 00:13:43,199 Speaker 1: And this is again it's not like a hooray, we 264 00:13:43,280 --> 00:13:45,640 Speaker 1: have issues, but it's a way to say, like, you 265 00:13:45,679 --> 00:13:49,520 Speaker 1: know what, there's something interesting here too. People who hear 266 00:13:49,640 --> 00:13:52,440 Speaker 1: voices are honored, and they sell a bunch of merch 267 00:13:52,520 --> 00:13:56,000 Speaker 1: festooned with their visions, right, which I think is just 268 00:13:56,000 --> 00:13:57,280 Speaker 1: a cool way to do it. 269 00:13:58,480 --> 00:13:59,160 Speaker 2: Technowledge it. 270 00:13:59,280 --> 00:14:05,600 Speaker 1: Yeah. Yeah. Hallucinations are personified as Gensho sons honorable voices, 271 00:14:06,320 --> 00:14:09,120 Speaker 1: which is a way to separate them out from the 272 00:14:09,200 --> 00:14:12,240 Speaker 1: people who see them. Right. So it's like that wasn't 273 00:14:12,280 --> 00:14:15,160 Speaker 1: you that did that? That was a Genho son, And 274 00:14:15,600 --> 00:14:18,400 Speaker 1: their main brand icon is a Genho son presented as 275 00:14:18,440 --> 00:14:21,560 Speaker 1: a pac Man figure. And one of the things is 276 00:14:21,560 --> 00:14:23,920 Speaker 1: like running to eat that guy who's like sort of 277 00:14:23,960 --> 00:14:29,000 Speaker 1: the mascot, you know, right right, I love that. Yeah, 278 00:14:29,040 --> 00:14:32,480 Speaker 1: And these are contrasted with okiakusans, which are honorable visitors, 279 00:14:32,640 --> 00:14:36,160 Speaker 1: which are negative self thoughts, and these are seen as 280 00:14:36,200 --> 00:14:40,680 Speaker 1: coming from inside the person. Everyone gets okiakusans, but schizophrenics 281 00:14:40,680 --> 00:14:42,560 Speaker 1: are the ones who get genho sons. Is the way 282 00:14:42,560 --> 00:14:44,920 Speaker 1: that they present it, right, So the people who get 283 00:14:45,200 --> 00:14:47,960 Speaker 1: visions are sort of honored for that, but not in 284 00:14:47,960 --> 00:14:51,000 Speaker 1: a way where you're like, Oh, everything's totally real, don't worry, right, 285 00:14:51,200 --> 00:14:54,160 Speaker 1: you know hm. And they teach techniques about how to, 286 00:14:54,280 --> 00:14:56,840 Speaker 1: for example, get the positive voices in your head to 287 00:14:56,880 --> 00:15:00,280 Speaker 1: fight back against the negative voices in your head, because 288 00:15:00,280 --> 00:15:02,440 Speaker 1: everyone has voices in their head, including you, because you're 289 00:15:02,440 --> 00:15:04,920 Speaker 1: listening to a podcast, and some of those voices you're 290 00:15:04,920 --> 00:15:09,560 Speaker 1: about to hear aren't our voices, but instead other voices, 291 00:15:10,160 --> 00:15:12,280 Speaker 1: and it's up to you to determine whether you think 292 00:15:12,280 --> 00:15:16,760 Speaker 1: they're positive or negative influences on your brain space. Here's 293 00:15:16,800 --> 00:15:29,920 Speaker 1: your test, and we're back. And so all the while 294 00:15:30,960 --> 00:15:35,120 Speaker 1: people are not cured, they're learning that they can participate 295 00:15:35,160 --> 00:15:38,040 Speaker 1: in their own corner of society and interact with mainstream 296 00:15:38,080 --> 00:15:42,000 Speaker 1: society as kind of a block. Take Kiyoshi, one of 297 00:15:42,040 --> 00:15:44,120 Speaker 1: the founding members, the guy Who's chased by pac Man. 298 00:15:45,760 --> 00:15:48,760 Speaker 1: As a kid and young adult, Kiyoshi was hospitalized for 299 00:15:48,760 --> 00:15:51,720 Speaker 1: seizures and hallucinations on a number of occasions. It's actually 300 00:15:51,720 --> 00:15:54,880 Speaker 1: interesting because he's like, he's more or less called schizophrenic, 301 00:15:54,920 --> 00:15:58,000 Speaker 1: but as he's pointed out, he's like, that wasn't really 302 00:15:58,040 --> 00:16:01,840 Speaker 1: the right diagnosis for what he had had psychiatric problems, 303 00:16:01,960 --> 00:16:05,160 Speaker 1: you know, right, And while he was at Red Cross Hospital, 304 00:16:05,280 --> 00:16:07,120 Speaker 1: he started helping out of the church. This is before 305 00:16:07,160 --> 00:16:09,720 Speaker 1: Bethel House is the kind of the founding of Bethel House. Right, 306 00:16:09,760 --> 00:16:12,040 Speaker 1: He would like, go and chop firewood and shit, right, 307 00:16:12,480 --> 00:16:14,440 Speaker 1: And when he was discharged, he moved into the church 308 00:16:14,480 --> 00:16:17,160 Speaker 1: with a few folks and then kept helping out, including 309 00:16:17,200 --> 00:16:19,800 Speaker 1: he was one of these first people packing seaweed. And 310 00:16:19,800 --> 00:16:21,720 Speaker 1: this didn't cure him. He wasn't like, oh now I 311 00:16:21,720 --> 00:16:24,440 Speaker 1: can totally get a regular job. He was still troubled. 312 00:16:24,680 --> 00:16:26,640 Speaker 1: This is according to his own sort of autobiography that 313 00:16:26,680 --> 00:16:28,600 Speaker 1: he wrote about Its actually, okay, there's a tangent. It's 314 00:16:28,640 --> 00:16:31,040 Speaker 1: not in my script. There's this whole interesting thing where 315 00:16:31,800 --> 00:16:34,920 Speaker 1: it's presented as sort of a cultural difference that psychiatric 316 00:16:35,240 --> 00:16:38,920 Speaker 1: treatment and therapy is much less talk therapy and much 317 00:16:39,120 --> 00:16:42,680 Speaker 1: less about the past, and so Bethel House is like 318 00:16:42,760 --> 00:16:45,160 Speaker 1: not very focused on let's talk about what happened in 319 00:16:45,200 --> 00:16:48,280 Speaker 1: the past, except as a way to study the patterns 320 00:16:48,280 --> 00:16:52,440 Speaker 1: of how we can move forward. And now I don't 321 00:16:52,480 --> 00:16:54,720 Speaker 1: remember why that was related, but I remember finding it 322 00:16:54,720 --> 00:16:55,480 Speaker 1: really interesting. 323 00:16:55,800 --> 00:16:56,000 Speaker 2: Yeah. 324 00:16:56,080 --> 00:16:59,880 Speaker 1: Yeah, And so he's he's still troubled. He picks fight, 325 00:17:00,120 --> 00:17:03,320 Speaker 1: he screams, he has seizures, he has all kinds of issues, right, 326 00:17:03,720 --> 00:17:06,680 Speaker 1: but he's able to get by a little bit. He's 327 00:17:06,680 --> 00:17:10,120 Speaker 1: able to live a slightly a life that suits him more. 328 00:17:10,920 --> 00:17:13,280 Speaker 1: He started teaching at Sunday School and leading some of 329 00:17:13,280 --> 00:17:16,520 Speaker 1: the prayer groups. And this is his first experience with 330 00:17:16,600 --> 00:17:18,719 Speaker 1: real responsibility in his life. And this is kind of 331 00:17:19,119 --> 00:17:24,199 Speaker 1: part of what leads into Bethel House existing. And he 332 00:17:24,440 --> 00:17:27,240 Speaker 1: found joy and meaning and community in his life and 333 00:17:27,320 --> 00:17:30,640 Speaker 1: was part of a project that has radically changed society. 334 00:17:30,680 --> 00:17:34,480 Speaker 1: Even though he still got so anxious that he picked 335 00:17:34,480 --> 00:17:37,400 Speaker 1: fights and flailed around and got seizures like decades later, right, 336 00:17:38,359 --> 00:17:41,320 Speaker 1: it ruined his romantic relationships. Every time he got serious 337 00:17:41,320 --> 00:17:43,440 Speaker 1: with somebody, the anxiety would kick in. He'd have to 338 00:17:43,520 --> 00:17:47,000 Speaker 1: check himself into the hospital for a few days. Early 339 00:17:47,040 --> 00:17:50,879 Speaker 1: antipsychotic medications gave people dry mouth and without saliva, his 340 00:17:51,000 --> 00:17:56,520 Speaker 1: teeth rotted out but he lived a really full and 341 00:17:56,680 --> 00:17:58,320 Speaker 1: I don't know anyway. I actually I couldn't find out. 342 00:17:58,320 --> 00:17:59,560 Speaker 1: I kept trying to find out whether he was alive 343 00:17:59,640 --> 00:18:00,959 Speaker 1: or dead. Then I didn't succeed. 344 00:18:01,240 --> 00:18:01,800 Speaker 2: Oh okay. 345 00:18:03,080 --> 00:18:05,280 Speaker 1: Like most members, he lives off of his very modest 346 00:18:05,280 --> 00:18:08,400 Speaker 1: income from the worker cooperatives and also from disability benefits 347 00:18:09,520 --> 00:18:13,240 Speaker 1: Japan has or again pad I don't know whatever had 348 00:18:13,240 --> 00:18:16,199 Speaker 1: a voluntary program that provided the elderly and disabled with 349 00:18:16,240 --> 00:18:19,240 Speaker 1: financial planning to make sure they aren't scammed, which is 350 00:18:19,359 --> 00:18:23,320 Speaker 1: cool as shit like because we like constantly try and 351 00:18:23,320 --> 00:18:24,600 Speaker 1: figure out, like, well, what do you do about the 352 00:18:24,640 --> 00:18:26,879 Speaker 1: fact that old people keep getting scammed out of their money? 353 00:18:27,000 --> 00:18:32,159 Speaker 1: Right right? Well, currently you could do financial planning with 354 00:18:32,200 --> 00:18:34,879 Speaker 1: them and help them take care of their money so 355 00:18:34,920 --> 00:18:37,280 Speaker 1: that no one can scam them out of it. It's cool. 356 00:18:37,720 --> 00:18:38,400 Speaker 2: That's amazing. 357 00:18:39,640 --> 00:18:43,280 Speaker 1: And there's a Bethel Bank that provides loans to its members. Wow. 358 00:18:44,520 --> 00:18:47,240 Speaker 1: They have a complicated relationship with the rest of the town. 359 00:18:48,200 --> 00:18:50,960 Speaker 1: It started off rocky and not everyone loves them still. 360 00:18:51,400 --> 00:18:56,800 Speaker 1: They are rather neuroatypical and often contentious people, but they 361 00:18:56,800 --> 00:18:59,880 Speaker 1: provide a lot for their community, including just like raw 362 00:19:00,040 --> 00:19:02,480 Speaker 1: tourist dollars like every town on some levels, like, well, 363 00:19:03,359 --> 00:19:05,280 Speaker 1: a lot of people come here because you I guess 364 00:19:05,280 --> 00:19:09,879 Speaker 1: we don't hate you that much. Really, thousands of people 365 00:19:09,920 --> 00:19:10,920 Speaker 1: come visit every year. 366 00:19:11,680 --> 00:19:15,920 Speaker 2: They actually come to visit, like the organized methyl the organization. 367 00:19:15,680 --> 00:19:18,560 Speaker 1: To come like to the shops and stuff, to come 368 00:19:18,600 --> 00:19:22,040 Speaker 1: to the workshops that they lead. And they talk about 369 00:19:22,160 --> 00:19:23,920 Speaker 1: we're gonna get to the self study thing, I keep 370 00:19:23,920 --> 00:19:26,120 Speaker 1: promising him, dangling self study in front of you. 371 00:19:26,119 --> 00:19:27,320 Speaker 2: You really are. I love it. 372 00:19:27,600 --> 00:19:31,000 Speaker 1: And so once self study as a concept starts spreading 373 00:19:31,040 --> 00:19:33,480 Speaker 1: around Japan, people want to go to where it started. 374 00:19:34,400 --> 00:19:36,560 Speaker 2: Does it become like the new like yoga retreat? 375 00:19:38,960 --> 00:19:41,560 Speaker 1: Well, it's funny is that they still like the housing 376 00:19:41,600 --> 00:19:44,480 Speaker 1: that they offer that Bethel House itself offers is like 377 00:19:45,040 --> 00:19:48,879 Speaker 1: really cheap, like ten dollars a night to sleep on 378 00:19:48,920 --> 00:19:50,320 Speaker 1: a futon in a room full of people. 379 00:19:50,840 --> 00:19:51,000 Speaker 2: You know. 380 00:19:51,920 --> 00:19:58,440 Speaker 1: Yeah, once again we value our lack of profits. These 381 00:19:58,480 --> 00:20:03,400 Speaker 1: people absolutely could turned into like a money cult, you know. Yeah, 382 00:20:03,440 --> 00:20:06,080 Speaker 1: and they just didn't. They didn't turn into a cult 383 00:20:06,080 --> 00:20:08,960 Speaker 1: and they didn't turn into like a scam. You know, 384 00:20:10,119 --> 00:20:12,440 Speaker 1: my friend, a social worker at a clubhouse. Person keep 385 00:20:12,440 --> 00:20:16,159 Speaker 1: talking about when for a while, for example, right, he 386 00:20:16,200 --> 00:20:17,879 Speaker 1: wanted to see like, how are these people doing this? 387 00:20:17,880 --> 00:20:20,280 Speaker 1: This is amazing work that's comparable to his own work. 388 00:20:20,720 --> 00:20:22,400 Speaker 1: And he would go in and sit on a sit 389 00:20:22,480 --> 00:20:26,240 Speaker 1: in on meetings. And they also and this brings hundreds 390 00:20:26,280 --> 00:20:29,280 Speaker 1: of Taurus all at once. They throw a Bethel Festival 391 00:20:29,320 --> 00:20:33,480 Speaker 1: every year. One of the main events at the Bethel Festival. 392 00:20:33,560 --> 00:20:35,199 Speaker 1: This is the part I probably should have led with 393 00:20:35,359 --> 00:20:39,200 Speaker 1: because it's so cool. Televised all across Japan is the 394 00:20:39,280 --> 00:20:41,520 Speaker 1: Hallucinations and Delusions Grand Prix. 395 00:20:42,720 --> 00:20:43,720 Speaker 2: What does that mean? 396 00:20:44,600 --> 00:20:47,439 Speaker 1: Members would tell the most outrageous true stories of their 397 00:20:47,440 --> 00:20:52,200 Speaker 1: own delusions and compete. Really, people would describe all the things, 398 00:20:52,640 --> 00:20:55,760 Speaker 1: and as they describe these things, everyone the audience and 399 00:20:55,880 --> 00:20:58,800 Speaker 1: storyteller alike would laugh at this. So it's not like 400 00:20:59,520 --> 00:21:01,920 Speaker 1: they're not being made fun of. There being like you 401 00:21:01,920 --> 00:21:05,040 Speaker 1: wouldn't believe what I thought was happening last week, you know, right, 402 00:21:05,560 --> 00:21:08,080 Speaker 1: And then the audience votes for the best story. But 403 00:21:08,760 --> 00:21:10,960 Speaker 1: because everything has to be the most wholesome version of 404 00:21:10,960 --> 00:21:13,040 Speaker 1: everything that's ever happened in the history of the world, 405 00:21:14,000 --> 00:21:18,520 Speaker 1: best is not defined by the funniest or the like wildest. 406 00:21:19,160 --> 00:21:22,399 Speaker 1: It's defined by the one that involved the most people, 407 00:21:22,960 --> 00:21:25,960 Speaker 1: Not like the delusion that became a communal delusion, but 408 00:21:26,040 --> 00:21:29,160 Speaker 1: that was like handled by the most people. That really 409 00:21:29,320 --> 00:21:33,080 Speaker 1: showed that everyone came together to help the person deal 410 00:21:33,160 --> 00:21:33,960 Speaker 1: with it. 411 00:21:34,119 --> 00:21:37,120 Speaker 2: Oh. Interesting, So the person who needed the most help 412 00:21:37,200 --> 00:21:41,680 Speaker 2: essentially like the most like like resources to bring them back. 413 00:21:41,560 --> 00:21:45,080 Speaker 1: Or like got the most help, you know. Like, Okay, Well, 414 00:21:45,200 --> 00:21:47,679 Speaker 1: the example the only example I've found so far, it's 415 00:21:47,680 --> 00:21:49,280 Speaker 1: in the documentary in the book, and I haven't found 416 00:21:49,280 --> 00:21:51,080 Speaker 1: another example in any of the articles because all the 417 00:21:51,160 --> 00:21:54,040 Speaker 1: articles that I've found mostly referenced the documentary in the book, 418 00:21:54,359 --> 00:21:56,960 Speaker 1: with other exceptions with some original research. But around the 419 00:21:57,000 --> 00:21:59,720 Speaker 1: Grand Prix, I didn't learn that much more. Right, There 420 00:21:59,760 --> 00:22:01,560 Speaker 1: was a man who was convinced that he saw a 421 00:22:01,680 --> 00:22:05,239 Speaker 1: UFO and he wanted to leave on it, and so 422 00:22:05,240 --> 00:22:09,480 Speaker 1: his fellow members right were like, yeah, yeah, no, there's 423 00:22:09,560 --> 00:22:13,760 Speaker 1: totally a UFO, but you actually need a UFO driver's 424 00:22:13,800 --> 00:22:18,080 Speaker 1: license or they're not going to let you on, so 425 00:22:19,280 --> 00:22:22,480 Speaker 1: you should get the driver's Like, we'll take you to 426 00:22:22,520 --> 00:22:26,359 Speaker 1: the Rokawa Space Agency where you can get your driver's license. 427 00:22:27,280 --> 00:22:30,120 Speaker 1: And they took him to the psychiatrist, the friendly one. 428 00:22:30,200 --> 00:22:31,800 Speaker 2: Okay, I was gonna say, did they take them to 429 00:22:31,800 --> 00:22:32,320 Speaker 2: the hospital. 430 00:22:32,440 --> 00:22:33,639 Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, they took them to the hospital. 431 00:22:33,680 --> 00:22:35,320 Speaker 2: Yeah yeah, okay, okay. 432 00:22:36,000 --> 00:22:38,439 Speaker 1: But like a friendly hospital, you know, not just. 433 00:22:38,480 --> 00:22:41,840 Speaker 2: Like yeah I knew what was going on, which is 434 00:22:41,840 --> 00:22:47,680 Speaker 2: an amazing connection to have a supportive, actual hospital with professionals. 435 00:22:47,960 --> 00:22:50,399 Speaker 2: That's got to be a key proponent to that as well. 436 00:22:50,680 --> 00:22:55,440 Speaker 1: Yeah, there's something very there's something very like the balancing 437 00:22:55,520 --> 00:22:58,480 Speaker 1: of opposites to create a whole new interesting thing happening 438 00:22:58,560 --> 00:23:03,480 Speaker 1: where it's like, say, chiatric hospitals are part of Bethel, right, 439 00:23:03,960 --> 00:23:06,600 Speaker 1: and so is this like kind of mad pride vibe 440 00:23:06,840 --> 00:23:09,399 Speaker 1: where they're like hell yeah, Like people who are like 441 00:23:09,440 --> 00:23:12,200 Speaker 1: hearing stuff will wear like a pin that day being 442 00:23:12,320 --> 00:23:15,040 Speaker 1: like I'm hearing stuff today, you know, to like signal 443 00:23:15,080 --> 00:23:18,040 Speaker 1: to everyone like right, and they like they're like all 444 00:23:18,080 --> 00:23:21,159 Speaker 1: into honoring mister and missus voices what they'll call the 445 00:23:21,280 --> 00:23:25,680 Speaker 1: voices sometimes, right, you know. But also still the hospital's 446 00:23:25,720 --> 00:23:26,080 Speaker 1: part of it. 447 00:23:26,800 --> 00:23:30,760 Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean they understand the seriousness and that medication 448 00:23:30,920 --> 00:23:34,439 Speaker 2: is necessary and that all of these things are a 449 00:23:34,520 --> 00:23:38,480 Speaker 2: regular part of treatment. I think that's a constant conversation 450 00:23:38,880 --> 00:23:41,720 Speaker 2: because also they're helping to destigmatize and they're in a 451 00:23:41,840 --> 00:23:45,159 Speaker 2: comfortable zone that they can be and not have to 452 00:23:45,240 --> 00:23:47,240 Speaker 2: hide things which makes things worse, or not feel like 453 00:23:47,280 --> 00:23:50,639 Speaker 2: they have to hide things, which can make symptoms way worse. 454 00:23:51,119 --> 00:23:55,440 Speaker 2: So that's an amazing concept. Yeah, yeah, no, I I 455 00:23:55,520 --> 00:23:58,800 Speaker 2: think it's so cool. Yeah for sure. Also having a 456 00:23:58,840 --> 00:23:59,679 Speaker 2: festival around it. 457 00:24:00,560 --> 00:24:04,119 Speaker 1: Yeah, and then just because they keep doing everything that 458 00:24:04,160 --> 00:24:10,200 Speaker 1: I randomly think is cool. So Bethelhiuse itself doesn't spread, right, 459 00:24:10,240 --> 00:24:13,800 Speaker 1: there's not a Bethel house in different towns now, but 460 00:24:13,880 --> 00:24:17,280 Speaker 1: its ideas are spreading even if they aren't direct clones. 461 00:24:17,320 --> 00:24:19,760 Speaker 1: That there's no direct clones that I'm aware of. Their 462 00:24:19,760 --> 00:24:23,479 Speaker 1: ideas have this major impact. I think most listeners know well, 463 00:24:23,520 --> 00:24:26,560 Speaker 1: especially now because I mentioned it a moment ago last episode. 464 00:24:26,760 --> 00:24:29,840 Speaker 1: I have a particular interest in disaster preparedness and seeing 465 00:24:30,040 --> 00:24:32,720 Speaker 1: that space taken back from like weird right wingers who 466 00:24:32,720 --> 00:24:34,760 Speaker 1: want to build bunkers full of rice and beans. And 467 00:24:34,840 --> 00:24:37,359 Speaker 1: I heard you on your very own podcasts say that 468 00:24:37,400 --> 00:24:38,680 Speaker 1: you're starting to get into this too. 469 00:24:39,480 --> 00:24:41,800 Speaker 2: I'm starting to really look at things and then look 470 00:24:41,800 --> 00:24:44,359 Speaker 2: at things differently and start researching. So I'm here for 471 00:24:44,359 --> 00:24:45,280 Speaker 2: all the suggestions. 472 00:24:45,680 --> 00:24:48,600 Speaker 1: Yeah, the world is a change in place, and it 473 00:24:48,840 --> 00:24:52,800 Speaker 1: surely is. We should be ready. You'll probably be able 474 00:24:52,840 --> 00:24:54,679 Speaker 1: to guess. You know who literally taught all of Japan 475 00:24:54,720 --> 00:24:58,680 Speaker 1: how to do disaster preparedness, especially for disabled people. I'm 476 00:24:58,760 --> 00:25:03,520 Speaker 1: fraid to guess is fucking Bethel House? Was it? Yeah? 477 00:25:03,640 --> 00:25:05,880 Speaker 2: They I was seeing something sinister. I'm not gonna lie. 478 00:25:05,920 --> 00:25:07,800 Speaker 1: Wow okay, oh yeah yeah no no see but now 479 00:25:07,840 --> 00:25:09,320 Speaker 1: you're on cool people, THEYD cool stuff. 480 00:25:09,520 --> 00:25:12,400 Speaker 2: No, it's positive again, this is my thing, okay yeah 481 00:25:12,480 --> 00:25:14,000 Speaker 2: yeah yeah. 482 00:25:13,400 --> 00:25:16,000 Speaker 1: And like I don't think that like every they didn't 483 00:25:16,040 --> 00:25:19,439 Speaker 1: like design the curriculum for the entire country, except they 484 00:25:19,520 --> 00:25:23,200 Speaker 1: kind of did around disability. 485 00:25:22,600 --> 00:25:24,480 Speaker 2: And preparedness, which is amazing. 486 00:25:24,760 --> 00:25:28,439 Speaker 1: Yeah, Urukawa gets hit by earthquakes a lot, and Bethel 487 00:25:28,480 --> 00:25:30,720 Speaker 1: House works hard to make sure that their members are ready, 488 00:25:31,240 --> 00:25:33,200 Speaker 1: and they work with the rest of the community too, 489 00:25:33,280 --> 00:25:37,159 Speaker 1: in cooperation with the town's administration. They work with Mutual 490 00:25:37,160 --> 00:25:41,320 Speaker 1: Aid distribution after disaster, and all of their locations, all 491 00:25:41,359 --> 00:25:43,320 Speaker 1: of the group homes, all of the offices, all the 492 00:25:43,320 --> 00:25:48,080 Speaker 1: workplaces have evacuation manuals and they do trainings and drills, 493 00:25:48,760 --> 00:25:51,679 Speaker 1: making certain to include how to evacuate people who use 494 00:25:51,720 --> 00:25:55,520 Speaker 1: wheelchairs or have other like physical disabilities because for the 495 00:25:55,560 --> 00:25:58,720 Speaker 1: specific thing that they're generally doing right in this particular 496 00:25:58,760 --> 00:26:02,199 Speaker 1: case is preparing to get to high ground, which is 497 00:26:02,240 --> 00:26:06,600 Speaker 1: something that's particularly hard for people with mobility issues, and 498 00:26:07,040 --> 00:26:11,640 Speaker 1: that's what they focus on. Every location has disaster supplies 499 00:26:11,640 --> 00:26:15,199 Speaker 1: for crisis and then after they do these drills, they 500 00:26:15,280 --> 00:26:18,439 Speaker 1: get together and they analyze how well they did and 501 00:26:18,480 --> 00:26:23,800 Speaker 1: what needs improvement. Members with physical disabilities reported feeling like, Oh, 502 00:26:24,600 --> 00:26:27,720 Speaker 1: I won't be forgotten and abandoned in an emergency, and 503 00:26:27,760 --> 00:26:30,480 Speaker 1: I was able to reach higher ground in time. And 504 00:26:30,520 --> 00:26:34,159 Speaker 1: it was this sea change moment, right because a lot 505 00:26:34,240 --> 00:26:36,840 Speaker 1: of people with mobility issues have also told me this. 506 00:26:36,880 --> 00:26:39,440 Speaker 1: They're like, Oh, I'm just expecting to be abandoned. I 507 00:26:39,440 --> 00:26:43,000 Speaker 1: don't wanna get in anyone's way or whatever. And they're like, no, 508 00:26:43,080 --> 00:26:47,120 Speaker 1: we all got to safety because we tracked who had 509 00:26:47,160 --> 00:26:49,320 Speaker 1: what kind of mobility needs, and we took them into 510 00:26:49,359 --> 00:26:52,840 Speaker 1: account and we accommodated them and we did it right. 511 00:26:53,840 --> 00:26:58,639 Speaker 1: And so the Japanese National Rehabilitation Center for Persons with 512 00:26:58,680 --> 00:27:02,720 Speaker 1: Disabilities at their model and adopted the nationwide. 513 00:27:03,520 --> 00:27:06,040 Speaker 2: That's amazing. Yeah, I think we need to look at 514 00:27:06,040 --> 00:27:08,240 Speaker 2: their model. I mean that's the little thing that's popped 515 00:27:08,320 --> 00:27:11,280 Speaker 2: up recently, obviously with all the crisis that have happened 516 00:27:11,720 --> 00:27:15,760 Speaker 2: around our country alone with the wildfires. I know, that's 517 00:27:15,800 --> 00:27:18,720 Speaker 2: a huge conversation and the disability community about the fact 518 00:27:18,720 --> 00:27:21,000 Speaker 2: that people have been left behind and so many people 519 00:27:21,040 --> 00:27:26,240 Speaker 2: have been forgotten, and it's because of the discrimination and 520 00:27:26,280 --> 00:27:30,639 Speaker 2: the lack of awareness in including this disabled people in 521 00:27:30,680 --> 00:27:34,480 Speaker 2: this conversation and preparing. I mean, to be fair, they 522 00:27:34,480 --> 00:27:37,160 Speaker 2: still didn't prepare for anyone. Let's just be real honest, 523 00:27:37,200 --> 00:27:40,479 Speaker 2: like totally. Yeah, it is bad all around, but the 524 00:27:40,680 --> 00:27:45,840 Speaker 2: lack of awareness and the fact that people they're invisible 525 00:27:46,000 --> 00:27:48,520 Speaker 2: havel to time. People with disabilities are invisible most of 526 00:27:48,560 --> 00:27:51,720 Speaker 2: the time, especially when it comes to crisis moments. That's 527 00:27:51,760 --> 00:27:56,959 Speaker 2: amazing and that is lovely to hear. That is amazing inspiring, 528 00:27:57,200 --> 00:27:59,560 Speaker 2: and that we need to learn what they did and 529 00:27:59,600 --> 00:28:00,640 Speaker 2: we need this manual. 530 00:28:01,160 --> 00:28:04,359 Speaker 1: Yeah, desperately. Yeah, I am curious because I think that 531 00:28:04,359 --> 00:28:06,720 Speaker 1: it gets into specifics of like I read, I read 532 00:28:06,720 --> 00:28:08,400 Speaker 1: a transcript that it's going to be in the sources 533 00:28:08,640 --> 00:28:10,399 Speaker 1: for people want to look. I read it like a 534 00:28:10,480 --> 00:28:13,240 Speaker 1: I think it was a transcript of a talk given 535 00:28:13,400 --> 00:28:17,400 Speaker 1: by someone outside from Bethel speaking outside of Japan about 536 00:28:17,520 --> 00:28:21,359 Speaker 1: their disaster preparedness, and like you know, I think it 537 00:28:21,359 --> 00:28:24,840 Speaker 1: has to do with things like keeping track of each 538 00:28:24,840 --> 00:28:28,600 Speaker 1: other and knowing who has what needs and then making 539 00:28:28,600 --> 00:28:31,639 Speaker 1: sure that your plan includes those things. And yeah, making 540 00:28:31,640 --> 00:28:33,399 Speaker 1: sure that you have a plan at all, you know, 541 00:28:33,560 --> 00:28:36,560 Speaker 1: is like, right, the biggest step. And so when there's 542 00:28:36,640 --> 00:28:41,520 Speaker 1: no plan, people who are very able, you know, like 543 00:28:41,600 --> 00:28:43,680 Speaker 1: twenty five and workout all the time and have no 544 00:28:43,800 --> 00:28:46,600 Speaker 1: other problems, they are going to be do better than 545 00:28:46,640 --> 00:28:50,240 Speaker 1: everyone else, right, right, But if we, if we start 546 00:28:50,240 --> 00:28:53,280 Speaker 1: doing some preparedness around it, we can do so much better. 547 00:28:54,040 --> 00:28:56,480 Speaker 2: Right. One of the things that they, I'm sure is 548 00:28:56,560 --> 00:29:00,280 Speaker 2: key is that recognizing everyone and allowing everyone have a 549 00:29:00,360 --> 00:29:05,440 Speaker 2: voice those meetings that it puts faces on these individuals 550 00:29:05,440 --> 00:29:07,720 Speaker 2: and you remember who they are personally, and that makes 551 00:29:07,760 --> 00:29:11,440 Speaker 2: a whole different conversation in what you're trying to do 552 00:29:11,520 --> 00:29:15,000 Speaker 2: and who and who you need to include in these conversations, 553 00:29:15,000 --> 00:29:17,800 Speaker 2: you know, And I think that's an amazing feed that 554 00:29:18,440 --> 00:29:21,760 Speaker 2: As an introvert myself, hearing about these meetings made me 555 00:29:21,880 --> 00:29:25,920 Speaker 2: tired totally just scaring about it. I was like, oh God, 556 00:29:26,360 --> 00:29:29,440 Speaker 2: another one and another one, Like I'm glad, but no, 557 00:29:30,200 --> 00:29:32,120 Speaker 2: I'm gonna be the one that's like just feed me. 558 00:29:32,800 --> 00:29:34,920 Speaker 2: I don't want to talk to you. If I'm having 559 00:29:35,360 --> 00:29:38,080 Speaker 2: a day that's full of visions, I got enough people 560 00:29:38,080 --> 00:29:39,720 Speaker 2: to talk to. We don't I just need you to 561 00:29:39,760 --> 00:29:44,240 Speaker 2: give me food. But that type of togetherness, that type 562 00:29:44,240 --> 00:29:47,880 Speaker 2: of accountability, that allowing them to work there through their 563 00:29:47,960 --> 00:29:51,880 Speaker 2: own situations brings a lot to the autonomy, as well 564 00:29:51,920 --> 00:29:55,280 Speaker 2: as being visible and given voices. But I think that 565 00:29:55,360 --> 00:29:58,960 Speaker 2: says a lot to that, which again there are ten steps, 566 00:29:59,160 --> 00:30:01,840 Speaker 2: one hundred steps, a thousand steps ahead of so many 567 00:30:01,880 --> 00:30:06,240 Speaker 2: other mental health treatment centers. So that's often again medication 568 00:30:06,400 --> 00:30:11,240 Speaker 2: only and or don't know how to allow autonomy for 569 00:30:11,360 --> 00:30:13,280 Speaker 2: people with disabilities totally. 570 00:30:13,680 --> 00:30:16,600 Speaker 1: And like, you know, it's funny because when I was 571 00:30:16,640 --> 00:30:18,680 Speaker 1: reading about like oh everyone was locked up in their 572 00:30:18,720 --> 00:30:20,440 Speaker 1: home back in the day, and I'm like, wow, that 573 00:30:20,480 --> 00:30:22,000 Speaker 1: sounds terrible. And then I'm like, I mean there's a 574 00:30:22,800 --> 00:30:25,480 Speaker 1: like people with disabilities sort of deal with that anyway, 575 00:30:25,560 --> 00:30:28,280 Speaker 1: like like all kinds of disabilities like still and like today, 576 00:30:28,360 --> 00:30:30,960 Speaker 1: you know, people with mobility issues often don't. I mean 577 00:30:31,040 --> 00:30:33,360 Speaker 1: many people do. I'm not trying to make huge generalizations, 578 00:30:33,360 --> 00:30:36,080 Speaker 1: but there's like more of a struggle because the society 579 00:30:36,160 --> 00:30:39,480 Speaker 1: at large doesn't accommodate people with me. You know, mobility 580 00:30:39,520 --> 00:30:44,960 Speaker 1: needs and so like people are left out right, and 581 00:30:45,000 --> 00:30:48,120 Speaker 1: so it's like a group of people who all experience 582 00:30:48,200 --> 00:30:51,400 Speaker 1: that or some version of something right, you know, people 583 00:30:51,400 --> 00:30:54,200 Speaker 1: who deal with psychiatric issues or whatever are able to 584 00:30:54,200 --> 00:30:57,000 Speaker 1: then be like, well, of course we don't leave anyone behind, 585 00:30:57,040 --> 00:30:58,680 Speaker 1: even the people I can't stand. I yell at them 586 00:30:58,720 --> 00:31:00,800 Speaker 1: all the time that probably should, but they do, you know, 587 00:31:00,840 --> 00:31:02,640 Speaker 1: But of course we're gonna help get the wheelchair up 588 00:31:02,640 --> 00:31:04,160 Speaker 1: the hill, you know, or whatever. 589 00:31:04,160 --> 00:31:05,960 Speaker 2: But we can work through it. At the Friday meeting 590 00:31:05,960 --> 00:31:07,920 Speaker 2: when I tell them it wasn't you, it was the 591 00:31:07,920 --> 00:31:11,400 Speaker 2: pac Man, Yeah, totally. Which again, like I said, I 592 00:31:11,480 --> 00:31:13,880 Speaker 2: envisioned a blue Why was it a blue pac Man 593 00:31:14,000 --> 00:31:15,840 Speaker 2: that I envisioned when you said pac Men to me, 594 00:31:16,200 --> 00:31:16,600 Speaker 2: I don't know. 595 00:31:16,680 --> 00:31:19,040 Speaker 1: I mean, it's a yellow pac Man and the things. 596 00:31:18,840 --> 00:31:22,200 Speaker 2: That I I know it's a yellow pac Man is yellow, 597 00:31:22,200 --> 00:31:26,480 Speaker 2: but in my head it was blue. Yeah, speaks to 598 00:31:26,600 --> 00:31:29,360 Speaker 2: my own conversations in my head. But I think it's 599 00:31:29,400 --> 00:31:33,440 Speaker 2: also an amazing like when we talk about other ring 600 00:31:33,520 --> 00:31:37,080 Speaker 2: people and having them being so unique and then making 601 00:31:37,120 --> 00:31:40,360 Speaker 2: it making them ostracized for that. But in this portion 602 00:31:40,600 --> 00:31:43,200 Speaker 2: and there's in this community, they love that and they 603 00:31:43,240 --> 00:31:45,560 Speaker 2: celebrate that, and then they celebrate that in a way 604 00:31:45,600 --> 00:31:49,560 Speaker 2: that all gives them a willingness to share a yeah, 605 00:31:49,640 --> 00:31:52,200 Speaker 2: and then a willingness to sit in it. Yeah, and 606 00:31:52,480 --> 00:31:53,960 Speaker 2: it allows them to sit in it. And I think 607 00:31:53,960 --> 00:31:56,440 Speaker 2: that's one of the biggest problems we have. Like you 608 00:31:56,520 --> 00:31:58,720 Speaker 2: continue to talk about how it's not a cure, we 609 00:31:58,840 --> 00:32:00,960 Speaker 2: know a lot of we have now finally come to 610 00:32:00,960 --> 00:32:03,040 Speaker 2: the point of understanding this is not a cure thing. 611 00:32:03,360 --> 00:32:05,960 Speaker 2: This is a treatment thing. And but that treatment does 612 00:32:06,000 --> 00:32:09,680 Speaker 2: not mean you have to make suppress everything and for 613 00:32:09,760 --> 00:32:13,600 Speaker 2: you to be the status quo. That's not what it 614 00:32:13,640 --> 00:32:16,800 Speaker 2: should be, because that's too much, that's too overwhelming, that's 615 00:32:16,800 --> 00:32:18,760 Speaker 2: too hard for a person who does who may not 616 00:32:18,800 --> 00:32:22,080 Speaker 2: have these diagnoses, who you would consider being on the 617 00:32:22,120 --> 00:32:24,000 Speaker 2: more on the. 618 00:32:24,160 --> 00:32:25,560 Speaker 1: More neurotypical side of things. 619 00:32:25,800 --> 00:32:28,960 Speaker 2: Yeah, thank you. I think a moment with that. But 620 00:32:30,080 --> 00:32:33,320 Speaker 2: this conversation of allowing them to be, which gives them 621 00:32:33,320 --> 00:32:38,680 Speaker 2: a lot more freedom to destigmatize again these types of diagnosis, 622 00:32:38,720 --> 00:32:42,120 Speaker 2: which is part of the problem. Yeah, rant done. 623 00:32:42,520 --> 00:32:44,440 Speaker 1: No, No, I just I was thinking about because I 624 00:32:44,560 --> 00:32:46,600 Speaker 1: just get so excited about it. But you know what, 625 00:32:46,680 --> 00:32:50,720 Speaker 1: I also get excited about coming up with cynical ways 626 00:32:50,720 --> 00:32:51,800 Speaker 1: to transition to ads. 627 00:32:52,000 --> 00:32:54,200 Speaker 2: Oh that okay, I'll give you that. That's not you're 628 00:32:54,200 --> 00:32:56,400 Speaker 2: just going to say ads. I'm like, don't lie to me. 629 00:32:56,600 --> 00:32:59,160 Speaker 1: No, no, I'm done. I used my one liar earlier 630 00:32:59,280 --> 00:33:02,320 Speaker 1: and I claim it. Advertisers are good or whatever, but 631 00:33:02,440 --> 00:33:04,480 Speaker 1: some of them might be. I love when we have 632 00:33:04,560 --> 00:33:07,640 Speaker 1: the like ads that are like gopher walks in the forest. 633 00:33:08,120 --> 00:33:09,840 Speaker 1: You know what, I'm going to go free one go 634 00:33:09,920 --> 00:33:12,120 Speaker 1: for walks in the forest, Bring people you care about, 635 00:33:12,920 --> 00:33:17,120 Speaker 1: don't get lost, bring supplies, bring supplies, and then whatever 636 00:33:17,160 --> 00:33:29,280 Speaker 1: else is being advertised, and we're back. So I've been 637 00:33:29,280 --> 00:33:32,360 Speaker 1: holding out this whole time on self study. 638 00:33:32,520 --> 00:33:33,600 Speaker 2: Yeah, I'm still waiting. 639 00:33:34,240 --> 00:33:35,040 Speaker 1: Well, now it's time. 640 00:33:35,600 --> 00:33:36,600 Speaker 2: Okay, tell me about it. 641 00:33:37,600 --> 00:33:39,160 Speaker 1: There's the thing that they are doing that seems to 642 00:33:39,200 --> 00:33:42,520 Speaker 1: have the widest impact. Now, again, this is not creating 643 00:33:42,600 --> 00:33:45,000 Speaker 1: direct clones, but people looking at parts of their model 644 00:33:45,040 --> 00:33:48,480 Speaker 1: and being very inspired. And there's a word that comes 645 00:33:48,480 --> 00:33:51,920 Speaker 1: out of Bethelhouse from the early two thousands, tojisha canq 646 00:33:51,960 --> 00:33:56,040 Speaker 1: you Tojisha is an older part of that. It's the 647 00:33:56,080 --> 00:33:59,320 Speaker 1: older word out of that, and it's a word for 648 00:33:59,360 --> 00:34:02,440 Speaker 1: people who are marginalized in Japanese society. It's sort of 649 00:34:02,520 --> 00:34:06,840 Speaker 1: self identifier that's hard to translate directly, kind of what 650 00:34:06,840 --> 00:34:09,439 Speaker 1: you're saying earlier about people who are othered. You know, 651 00:34:09,760 --> 00:34:12,560 Speaker 1: this is a word for people who are othered, and 652 00:34:12,600 --> 00:34:15,239 Speaker 1: it's a self identification word for it. It comes out 653 00:34:15,280 --> 00:34:17,759 Speaker 1: of court proceedings as a legal term for someone who 654 00:34:17,840 --> 00:34:22,480 Speaker 1: is dealing with discrimination. In the nineteen seventies, disability activism 655 00:34:22,560 --> 00:34:25,920 Speaker 1: in Japan was picking up steam. People with physical disabilities 656 00:34:25,920 --> 00:34:28,239 Speaker 1: were able to say like, hey, we need accommodation. A 657 00:34:28,320 --> 00:34:30,919 Speaker 1: related movement of people with mental health issues started saying 658 00:34:31,000 --> 00:34:34,279 Speaker 1: us too, but had a harder time clarifying exactly what 659 00:34:34,320 --> 00:34:39,640 Speaker 1: was needed in terms of accommodation. And during this time, folks, 660 00:34:39,680 --> 00:34:43,960 Speaker 1: including sexual minorities started identifying as toojisha, And so it's 661 00:34:44,000 --> 00:34:46,799 Speaker 1: kind of a cool word that includes like all of 662 00:34:46,840 --> 00:34:49,080 Speaker 1: these different people who are struggling, even if it's like 663 00:34:49,680 --> 00:34:53,160 Speaker 1: entirely different. It's not just ability or disability. It's like 664 00:34:53,640 --> 00:34:56,760 Speaker 1: all these different groups of people. There's actually a genre 665 00:34:56,840 --> 00:34:59,799 Speaker 1: called tojisha manga right now, which is comics about mental 666 00:34:59,800 --> 00:35:03,640 Speaker 1: health issues. But thanks to Bethel House in the early 667 00:35:03,680 --> 00:35:06,239 Speaker 1: two thousands, there's a phrase or word or whatever it's 668 00:35:06,280 --> 00:35:07,960 Speaker 1: a typhonate it. I don't know I accounts as a word 669 00:35:08,040 --> 00:35:09,760 Speaker 1: or not. I don't know enough my own English grammar 670 00:35:09,800 --> 00:35:13,879 Speaker 1: to tell you tojisha kenk you. And this gets translated 671 00:35:13,920 --> 00:35:21,719 Speaker 1: to the science of the self or self supported research. Basically, 672 00:35:22,480 --> 00:35:25,480 Speaker 1: a schizophrenic member of Bethel set his own house on 673 00:35:25,560 --> 00:35:28,680 Speaker 1: fire in the early two thousands and then kept asking 674 00:35:29,400 --> 00:35:32,160 Speaker 1: himself and the therapists and stuff like why do I 675 00:35:32,239 --> 00:35:34,840 Speaker 1: keep doing shit like that? I don't really want to 676 00:35:34,920 --> 00:35:38,880 Speaker 1: set my house on fire, you know, And the social 677 00:35:38,920 --> 00:35:42,400 Speaker 1: worker responded that maybe he should begin to study himself seriously, 678 00:35:42,560 --> 00:35:46,560 Speaker 1: like start a serious study of the self, and the 679 00:35:46,600 --> 00:35:51,480 Speaker 1: idea spread around the Bethel community. As aon magazine put it, quote, 680 00:35:52,480 --> 00:35:55,520 Speaker 1: instead of being passive patients who felt they needed to 681 00:35:55,600 --> 00:35:58,160 Speaker 1: keep their heads down and be ashamed for acting differently, 682 00:35:58,640 --> 00:36:01,960 Speaker 1: they could now become active researchers of their own ailments. 683 00:36:02,400 --> 00:36:06,200 Speaker 1: So jisha kenk allowed these people to deny labels such 684 00:36:06,200 --> 00:36:11,440 Speaker 1: as victim, patient, or minority and reclaim their agency. And 685 00:36:12,239 --> 00:36:15,440 Speaker 1: this is similar in some respects, but goes beyond when 686 00:36:15,480 --> 00:36:19,120 Speaker 1: I learned in cognitive behavioral therapy, which if I'm do 687 00:36:19,200 --> 00:36:20,799 Speaker 1: you every want to hear me shout out a thing 688 00:36:20,840 --> 00:36:22,279 Speaker 1: that did me a lot of good in my life. 689 00:36:22,280 --> 00:36:25,920 Speaker 1: It was cognitive behavioral therapy. It doesn't work for everybody. 690 00:36:26,000 --> 00:36:28,600 Speaker 1: That's a kind of whole thing about it, but sure 691 00:36:28,640 --> 00:36:31,840 Speaker 1: helped me with anxiety. And a study of the self 692 00:36:31,880 --> 00:36:33,919 Speaker 1: sort of is a weird part of that, and it's 693 00:36:34,120 --> 00:36:36,879 Speaker 1: based a little bit on that, but it doesn't end 694 00:36:36,920 --> 00:36:40,440 Speaker 1: at the self. These self studies are then shared in 695 00:36:40,480 --> 00:36:45,560 Speaker 1: a community to keep quoting aon about it quote. At 696 00:36:45,600 --> 00:36:48,360 Speaker 1: Bethel House, members found it liberating that they could define 697 00:36:48,360 --> 00:36:52,000 Speaker 1: themselves as producers of a new form of knowledge, just 698 00:36:52,120 --> 00:36:55,239 Speaker 1: like the doctors and scientists who diagnosed and studied them 699 00:36:55,239 --> 00:36:59,480 Speaker 1: in hospital. Wards. The experiential knowledge of Bethel members now 700 00:36:59,520 --> 00:37:03,120 Speaker 1: forms the basis of an open and shared public domain 701 00:37:03,200 --> 00:37:07,320 Speaker 1: of collective knowledge about mental health, one distributed through books, 702 00:37:07,520 --> 00:37:13,360 Speaker 1: newspaper articles, documentaries, and social media. And so it's a 703 00:37:13,400 --> 00:37:17,359 Speaker 1: sort of citizen science around mental health. By sharing their 704 00:37:17,400 --> 00:37:20,640 Speaker 1: experiences and findings, they're able to then look around the 705 00:37:20,719 --> 00:37:24,400 Speaker 1: room and be like, how generalizable is this thing that 706 00:37:24,440 --> 00:37:28,880 Speaker 1: I'm experiencing? And I feel this all the time. With writing, 707 00:37:28,960 --> 00:37:31,160 Speaker 1: I will talk about some experience or feeling I've had 708 00:37:31,160 --> 00:37:34,360 Speaker 1: that feels like real dang unique to me, right, And 709 00:37:34,400 --> 00:37:35,799 Speaker 1: I'm like, well, no one's going to resonate with this 710 00:37:35,840 --> 00:37:39,799 Speaker 1: weird shit, and then find out that people do. 711 00:37:40,520 --> 00:37:40,840 Speaker 2: Mm hm. 712 00:37:42,360 --> 00:37:46,040 Speaker 1: So Jisha kenk you started spreading. And this is when 713 00:37:46,080 --> 00:37:48,560 Speaker 1: more of the tourists started coming to Bethelhouse because they 714 00:37:48,560 --> 00:37:52,719 Speaker 1: were like, this idea has meant so much to us. 715 00:37:53,600 --> 00:37:56,640 Speaker 1: These self studying people started giving talks around the country 716 00:37:56,640 --> 00:37:58,960 Speaker 1: and the world about what they'd learned, and this is 717 00:37:59,000 --> 00:38:02,719 Speaker 1: also what led to the hallucination and delusion Grand Prix mm. 718 00:38:03,600 --> 00:38:05,680 Speaker 1: And it's no longer a Bethel House thing or just 719 00:38:05,719 --> 00:38:10,080 Speaker 1: a Bethel House thing. In twenty fifteen, it started up 720 00:38:10,320 --> 00:38:13,000 Speaker 1: at the Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology at 721 00:38:13,040 --> 00:38:16,839 Speaker 1: the University of Tokyo, who have further sort of systematized it, 722 00:38:16,920 --> 00:38:19,799 Speaker 1: developing ways to run the knowledge produced by this self 723 00:38:19,840 --> 00:38:24,480 Speaker 1: study through tests basically and kind of create this whole 724 00:38:25,320 --> 00:38:30,759 Speaker 1: alternative parallel science structure, but not one that's just like 725 00:38:30,840 --> 00:38:34,239 Speaker 1: based on vibes and feelings, like it's like, actually, it's 726 00:38:34,239 --> 00:38:36,720 Speaker 1: like a rigorous study of the self and then applying 727 00:38:36,719 --> 00:38:39,440 Speaker 1: it to be like it's the like who else feels 728 00:38:39,480 --> 00:38:42,239 Speaker 1: the way that I do? But in a like But 729 00:38:42,280 --> 00:38:45,520 Speaker 1: then you take notes then you like do studies on it, 730 00:38:45,600 --> 00:38:50,960 Speaker 1: you know, And it started largely by this schizophrenic group, 731 00:38:51,400 --> 00:38:53,880 Speaker 1: but it is being used by people with autism, people 732 00:38:53,920 --> 00:38:58,040 Speaker 1: with addiction, kids with learning disabilities, people with physical disabilities, 733 00:38:58,080 --> 00:39:02,200 Speaker 1: people with mental disabilities, all kinds of people. And then 734 00:39:02,719 --> 00:39:07,600 Speaker 1: because it's the study of outsiders, right, they've even worked 735 00:39:07,600 --> 00:39:11,319 Speaker 1: with people who are outsiders for being incredibly lonely in 736 00:39:11,360 --> 00:39:15,560 Speaker 1: competitive fields, Like this has been used by an Olympic 737 00:39:15,640 --> 00:39:19,640 Speaker 1: athlete and an astronaut, you know, like because you're you're 738 00:39:19,680 --> 00:39:22,680 Speaker 1: isolated if you have those jobs, right, Yeah, so like 739 00:39:23,120 --> 00:39:26,680 Speaker 1: the idea that the isolation is the thing. So then 740 00:39:26,680 --> 00:39:28,560 Speaker 1: you have people who are isolated by even being at 741 00:39:28,560 --> 00:39:35,160 Speaker 1: the top. Right, I got really excited about this. How 742 00:39:35,160 --> 00:39:37,160 Speaker 1: did this compare to what you're expecting out of Yeah, go. 743 00:39:37,120 --> 00:39:41,600 Speaker 2: Ahead, I'm wondering, like because it does like in a 744 00:39:41,600 --> 00:39:44,839 Speaker 2: way of like being a social worker myself and being 745 00:39:44,920 --> 00:39:48,200 Speaker 2: in that world. When I think about we would always 746 00:39:48,239 --> 00:39:52,239 Speaker 2: laugh about the fact that all social workers diagnose themselves, Yeah, 747 00:39:52,320 --> 00:39:54,560 Speaker 2: in such a harsh manner. And then like every time 748 00:39:54,600 --> 00:39:57,479 Speaker 2: they find out a new diagnosis or a new type 749 00:39:57,480 --> 00:39:59,719 Speaker 2: of symptom, like yeah, that could be me. Oh god, 750 00:40:00,080 --> 00:40:02,759 Speaker 2: I am like how often we will do that for 751 00:40:02,880 --> 00:40:06,160 Speaker 2: ourselves and then have to like regroup and be like wait, wait, wait, yeah, 752 00:40:06,200 --> 00:40:09,080 Speaker 2: but does this mean this? So like it makes me 753 00:40:09,160 --> 00:40:11,800 Speaker 2: kind of laugh in that level of like it's really 754 00:40:12,680 --> 00:40:16,480 Speaker 2: especially for people who are on that level of studying 755 00:40:16,480 --> 00:40:19,719 Speaker 2: this helping in these industries or fields and then coming 756 00:40:19,840 --> 00:40:23,040 Speaker 2: and just seeing that that you're just diagnosing or you're 757 00:40:23,080 --> 00:40:27,800 Speaker 2: just analyzing every damn person and yourself and you're analyzing 758 00:40:27,800 --> 00:40:31,520 Speaker 2: yourself in that situation. For me, I analyze so much 759 00:40:31,560 --> 00:40:32,840 Speaker 2: of like, oh my god, I think I said this 760 00:40:32,920 --> 00:40:35,759 Speaker 2: wrong and this word is this this like so in 761 00:40:35,800 --> 00:40:38,640 Speaker 2: my head. So in my head it is like have 762 00:40:38,760 --> 00:40:40,359 Speaker 2: I always been doing this? And I just don't come 763 00:40:40,400 --> 00:40:46,600 Speaker 2: with a solution like right for me, I need to 764 00:40:46,640 --> 00:40:47,560 Speaker 2: go to this place, I think. 765 00:40:48,280 --> 00:40:50,920 Speaker 1: But then if you're doing self study in a like 766 00:40:51,000 --> 00:40:53,600 Speaker 1: rigorous way, you would know the answer of have I 767 00:40:53,640 --> 00:40:54,520 Speaker 1: done this before? 768 00:40:54,719 --> 00:40:54,919 Speaker 2: Right? 769 00:40:55,160 --> 00:40:57,520 Speaker 1: You would be able to say, like, you know, I 770 00:40:57,600 --> 00:41:01,880 Speaker 1: think about like I use cognitive behavioral therapy to lessen 771 00:41:02,520 --> 00:41:06,680 Speaker 1: anxiety attacks that I was having that were ruining my life. Yeah, 772 00:41:06,719 --> 00:41:08,319 Speaker 1: And one of the ways that I would do that 773 00:41:09,239 --> 00:41:13,480 Speaker 1: is I would literally track each ebb and flow of 774 00:41:13,560 --> 00:41:17,080 Speaker 1: panic as it was happening, and so I knew going 775 00:41:17,120 --> 00:41:20,040 Speaker 1: into a panic attack that I could be like, well, 776 00:41:20,080 --> 00:41:22,120 Speaker 1: if it starts at about an eight on a scale 777 00:41:22,160 --> 00:41:24,720 Speaker 1: of one to ten, I'm in for about a thirty 778 00:41:24,760 --> 00:41:27,759 Speaker 1: minute ride, right, you know, or actually at a NATO 779 00:41:27,840 --> 00:41:29,279 Speaker 1: was probably starting out about two hour ride. 780 00:41:29,440 --> 00:41:30,839 Speaker 2: But like, let's go say that's a high number. 781 00:41:31,040 --> 00:41:32,560 Speaker 1: You know, if I come in at like a six, 782 00:41:32,680 --> 00:41:34,880 Speaker 1: I'm in for like a thirty minute ride, you know, 783 00:41:35,120 --> 00:41:36,879 Speaker 1: And I know it's going to drop down to a four, 784 00:41:37,000 --> 00:41:38,320 Speaker 1: and then it's going to go up to a seven, 785 00:41:38,400 --> 00:41:39,920 Speaker 1: and then it's going to go back to a three. 786 00:41:40,040 --> 00:41:44,000 Speaker 1: I like you track it. Yeah, so you could say 787 00:41:44,000 --> 00:41:46,640 Speaker 1: to yourself, like, well, how often do I come home 788 00:41:46,680 --> 00:41:51,360 Speaker 1: from social situations completely convinced that everyone hates me? Right? 789 00:41:51,400 --> 00:41:53,560 Speaker 1: And then you'd even be able to be like, upon 790 00:41:53,680 --> 00:41:56,319 Speaker 1: further study, it turns out that everyone does not hate me, 791 00:41:57,400 --> 00:41:57,759 Speaker 1: you know. 792 00:41:57,840 --> 00:41:58,680 Speaker 2: Just these three people? 793 00:41:58,800 --> 00:42:01,480 Speaker 1: Yeah exactly, Yeah, like the person I actually offended. Actually, 794 00:42:01,520 --> 00:42:03,399 Speaker 1: the thing that always happens to me is I will 795 00:42:03,480 --> 00:42:06,560 Speaker 1: leave social situations and be like, oh, I really screwed 796 00:42:06,560 --> 00:42:09,239 Speaker 1: that up. Everyone hates me, and I'll like call to 797 00:42:09,280 --> 00:42:11,399 Speaker 1: like apologize to people. That's something I said, and they'll 798 00:42:11,400 --> 00:42:14,440 Speaker 1: be like, no, I'm not mad about that. I'm kind 799 00:42:14,440 --> 00:42:15,440 Speaker 1: of bad about this other thing. 800 00:42:17,600 --> 00:42:19,919 Speaker 2: But this other thing that you did that was real bad. 801 00:42:20,080 --> 00:42:21,680 Speaker 1: Yeah, why do you leave the dishes in the sink? 802 00:42:21,719 --> 00:42:24,200 Speaker 1: Everyone's mad at you? You know, I'm like, ah, you know. 803 00:42:24,600 --> 00:42:27,399 Speaker 2: Yeah, No, I think it's very interesting. Again, this gives 804 00:42:27,440 --> 00:42:31,919 Speaker 2: a lot of control to where it's not you as 805 00:42:32,040 --> 00:42:34,440 Speaker 2: the patient, you as the person that needs to be 806 00:42:34,520 --> 00:42:38,800 Speaker 2: solved and fixed, as opposed to you recognizing your patterns 807 00:42:39,160 --> 00:42:43,360 Speaker 2: and just finding intervention plans or or not even intervention 808 00:42:43,440 --> 00:42:48,640 Speaker 2: plans necessarily, but just how you can best maintain that situation. Yeah, 809 00:42:48,680 --> 00:42:52,080 Speaker 2: and that's very spot on. I mean, that's the fact 810 00:42:52,080 --> 00:42:54,040 Speaker 2: that they did this this early, that early on is 811 00:42:54,080 --> 00:42:57,640 Speaker 2: significant obviously, Like that's why it's being studied because it 812 00:42:57,680 --> 00:43:00,080 Speaker 2: is this a thing that's again, but they're all all 813 00:43:00,120 --> 00:43:03,600 Speaker 2: of their phrases are so like newer to me, Like 814 00:43:03,800 --> 00:43:07,920 Speaker 2: that is so becoming more accepted today, that whole level 815 00:43:07,960 --> 00:43:10,600 Speaker 2: of like just care for yourself, you know it just okay, 816 00:43:11,200 --> 00:43:12,919 Speaker 2: live in thing that is now, it's not a big deal. 817 00:43:13,080 --> 00:43:15,759 Speaker 2: You hear those voices, Honor those voices, you know, as 818 00:43:15,760 --> 00:43:19,760 Speaker 2: opposed to suppress them. Deny them and pretend like everything's okay, 819 00:43:20,160 --> 00:43:23,600 Speaker 2: which would have been like fifteen twenty years ago to 820 00:43:23,680 --> 00:43:28,560 Speaker 2: see that that's they were obviously leagues ahead, where it 821 00:43:28,640 --> 00:43:34,839 Speaker 2: does show a level of humanity and understanding disability, which 822 00:43:34,880 --> 00:43:37,399 Speaker 2: is again a big portion of what's missing in all 823 00:43:37,480 --> 00:43:38,120 Speaker 2: kinds of treatment. 824 00:43:38,719 --> 00:43:41,400 Speaker 1: No totally, and like by being their own experts, and 825 00:43:41,440 --> 00:43:44,520 Speaker 1: you're talking about how like all social workers are self diagnosing, 826 00:43:44,560 --> 00:43:46,920 Speaker 1: it's kind of like, like all my therapist friends are 827 00:43:46,960 --> 00:43:50,920 Speaker 1: the people who are like the least hinged in their 828 00:43:51,120 --> 00:43:53,400 Speaker 1: sheer therapist friends who are listening to this currently, I 829 00:43:53,440 --> 00:43:56,680 Speaker 1: love you, You're great. The people who are like therapists 830 00:43:56,880 --> 00:44:01,080 Speaker 1: neurospicy in their own lives, you know, and like often 831 00:44:01,120 --> 00:44:05,239 Speaker 1: need to hear their own advice. You know. Yep, But 832 00:44:05,280 --> 00:44:07,000 Speaker 1: it kind of like makes sense, right, It like makes 833 00:44:07,040 --> 00:44:09,360 Speaker 1: sense that people who are like care about this stuff 834 00:44:09,760 --> 00:44:12,920 Speaker 1: might have some relationship to it, whether they're like fully 835 00:44:12,960 --> 00:44:15,560 Speaker 1: in it or not. And then also the fact that 836 00:44:15,840 --> 00:44:18,279 Speaker 1: because they do go beyond just like these are my 837 00:44:18,320 --> 00:44:21,480 Speaker 1: own patterns, they then say, well, now we're creating a 838 00:44:21,520 --> 00:44:25,080 Speaker 1: body of work together. So I don't just say, oh, 839 00:44:25,120 --> 00:44:27,719 Speaker 1: I know what my panic attacks are, Like I can 840 00:44:27,760 --> 00:44:30,000 Speaker 1: go and be like why I can't right now, but 841 00:44:30,080 --> 00:44:32,920 Speaker 1: like you could theoretically be like, what are other people's 842 00:44:32,920 --> 00:44:35,000 Speaker 1: panic attacks? Like right, you know we have this whole 843 00:44:35,040 --> 00:44:37,640 Speaker 1: body of work with charts and graphs of like, right, 844 00:44:38,480 --> 00:44:41,560 Speaker 1: you know what can cause this or whatever? 845 00:44:41,600 --> 00:44:44,719 Speaker 2: Anyway, No, yeah, it is. It lays a lot of groundwork, 846 00:44:44,760 --> 00:44:48,040 Speaker 2: and especially when you again talk about interventions and treatments. 847 00:44:49,239 --> 00:44:52,600 Speaker 2: Nothing is one size fit all, so would this type 848 00:44:52,640 --> 00:44:57,839 Speaker 2: of conversation with everybody doing the self actualization type of thing. 849 00:44:59,200 --> 00:45:03,000 Speaker 2: But it does help he give unique experiences and unique 850 00:45:03,000 --> 00:45:06,919 Speaker 2: pinpoints and give different options of treatment. When you see 851 00:45:06,960 --> 00:45:11,880 Speaker 2: these types of diverse reactions and conversations, because again, like 852 00:45:11,920 --> 00:45:15,040 Speaker 2: the original pac Man dude, I've already forgotten his name, apologies, 853 00:45:15,280 --> 00:45:18,800 Speaker 2: Blue pac Man. In my head, it's okay Kiyoshi Kyoshi, 854 00:45:18,960 --> 00:45:22,000 Speaker 2: like his experience is very different, and he was able 855 00:45:22,040 --> 00:45:25,279 Speaker 2: to do one way to thrive, not completely to the 856 00:45:25,280 --> 00:45:27,359 Speaker 2: point that he wanted to, I'm sure to a certain 857 00:45:27,400 --> 00:45:29,880 Speaker 2: degree about having relationships and doing all of that, but 858 00:45:29,920 --> 00:45:33,400 Speaker 2: he was able to thrive and fill find a community 859 00:45:33,640 --> 00:45:35,640 Speaker 2: like that type of level and being able to do 860 00:45:35,680 --> 00:45:40,600 Speaker 2: that individually and then having that collection as data for 861 00:45:40,640 --> 00:45:44,360 Speaker 2: others who are in similar situations. That is phenomenal and 862 00:45:44,400 --> 00:45:46,720 Speaker 2: it takes a lot of research and money in time. 863 00:45:47,080 --> 00:45:49,560 Speaker 1: Yeah, well it did it with that much money. But yeah, 864 00:45:49,640 --> 00:45:52,120 Speaker 1: they but they had to have resources. They had to 865 00:45:52,160 --> 00:45:56,360 Speaker 1: build their whole own infrastructure to support it for sure. 866 00:45:56,719 --> 00:45:59,560 Speaker 1: And it really it gets at the fact that like 867 00:46:00,480 --> 00:46:02,840 Speaker 1: sometimes a group of people who just get together to 868 00:46:02,880 --> 00:46:05,319 Speaker 1: be like, well, I don't think society is very well 869 00:46:05,360 --> 00:46:08,799 Speaker 1: set up for us. We should do something about it. Yeah, 870 00:46:09,040 --> 00:46:13,120 Speaker 1: can have impacts that are so huge. Again, even Bethel 871 00:46:13,160 --> 00:46:17,719 Speaker 1: House hasn't replicated. Yeah, but some of the things that 872 00:46:17,719 --> 00:46:21,880 Speaker 1: they hundred of them got together and figured out starting 873 00:46:21,960 --> 00:46:25,160 Speaker 1: with the four of them or whatever, you know, like 874 00:46:26,000 --> 00:46:29,560 Speaker 1: have potentially changed the way that science can work, you know, 875 00:46:29,920 --> 00:46:33,279 Speaker 1: like have this like huge impact. And it it's the 876 00:46:33,360 --> 00:46:35,239 Speaker 1: kind of thing that before I started this podcast, like 877 00:46:35,320 --> 00:46:37,440 Speaker 1: you know, there's that Margaret Meade quote. It's like, oh, 878 00:46:37,520 --> 00:46:39,520 Speaker 1: never be convinced that the small group of people can't 879 00:46:39,560 --> 00:46:41,160 Speaker 1: change the world. It's the only thing that ever has 880 00:46:41,280 --> 00:46:44,640 Speaker 1: or whatever, right, And that's always like the quote is 881 00:46:44,680 --> 00:46:48,680 Speaker 1: like overplayed, you know, because it's like usually when ten 882 00:46:48,719 --> 00:46:51,600 Speaker 1: people get together to completely change the world, unless they're billionaires, 883 00:46:51,640 --> 00:46:54,560 Speaker 1: they which cause they're going to make it worse. Right, 884 00:46:55,320 --> 00:46:56,800 Speaker 1: You're not going to change the whole world if you 885 00:46:56,840 --> 00:46:59,400 Speaker 1: set out to change the whole world, but when you 886 00:46:59,440 --> 00:47:03,640 Speaker 1: set out to be like this local thing that we 887 00:47:03,680 --> 00:47:06,879 Speaker 1: want to accomplish, and then accomplish it in a way 888 00:47:06,920 --> 00:47:09,000 Speaker 1: where we can talk to people about how we accomplished 889 00:47:09,040 --> 00:47:11,319 Speaker 1: it to see if other people can do other things. 890 00:47:11,880 --> 00:47:15,960 Speaker 1: You know. Yeah, well, okay, to go back to my script. 891 00:47:16,239 --> 00:47:21,319 Speaker 1: So this framework, the citizen science kind of thing that 892 00:47:21,320 --> 00:47:25,160 Speaker 1: they're doing, it's not one hundred percent unique. It is comparable, 893 00:47:25,400 --> 00:47:29,080 Speaker 1: for example, to the citizen science advocated for by act Up, 894 00:47:29,080 --> 00:47:31,560 Speaker 1: who we did an episode on, which is that Radical 895 00:47:31,560 --> 00:47:37,000 Speaker 1: AIDS group. People living with or dying from AIDS became 896 00:47:37,080 --> 00:47:39,800 Speaker 1: some of the world's most respected and impactful experts on 897 00:47:39,840 --> 00:47:45,080 Speaker 1: their own ailments because no one else was doing it right, 898 00:47:45,480 --> 00:47:47,560 Speaker 1: and even if they had to break a lot of 899 00:47:47,600 --> 00:47:50,879 Speaker 1: laws in order to prove that they knew something about 900 00:47:50,880 --> 00:47:56,040 Speaker 1: their own problems. And I want to give Kiyoshi, the 901 00:47:56,040 --> 00:47:58,799 Speaker 1: founding member we were just talking about, he gets the 902 00:47:58,800 --> 00:48:01,120 Speaker 1: final word in the documentary Bethel, and I think it's 903 00:48:01,160 --> 00:48:05,680 Speaker 1: worth closing out with here too. He said, quote, I 904 00:48:05,760 --> 00:48:10,400 Speaker 1: want viewers to know that people with psychiatric disabilities aren't abnormal. 905 00:48:11,000 --> 00:48:13,799 Speaker 1: If you have psychiatric disabilities or are ill right now, 906 00:48:14,360 --> 00:48:17,800 Speaker 1: please live life with all your energy. Living life is important. 907 00:48:17,840 --> 00:48:20,160 Speaker 1: Life is something that God has given us. And even 908 00:48:20,200 --> 00:48:22,239 Speaker 1: if you are ill right now, please live life with 909 00:48:22,280 --> 00:48:24,920 Speaker 1: all your energy. Just because you are ill is no 910 00:48:25,000 --> 00:48:28,080 Speaker 1: reason to close your soul to the outside world. People 911 00:48:28,080 --> 00:48:31,760 Speaker 1: with psychiatric disabilities or people with physical disabilities, for people 912 00:48:31,760 --> 00:48:33,920 Speaker 1: who are about to begin life, or people who are 913 00:48:33,960 --> 00:48:36,200 Speaker 1: at the end of their life, I think the most 914 00:48:36,200 --> 00:48:41,359 Speaker 1: important thing is to live now. It is really like that. 915 00:48:41,400 --> 00:48:44,759 Speaker 1: I really like even the whether you're starting or ending 916 00:48:44,800 --> 00:48:47,640 Speaker 1: your life. Like one of the things that I didn't 917 00:48:47,719 --> 00:48:49,800 Speaker 1: end up writing into the script, one of their little sayings, 918 00:48:50,320 --> 00:48:53,080 Speaker 1: was something like I don't mean to be diminutive with 919 00:48:53,200 --> 00:48:54,839 Speaker 1: their little sayings, but you know, they have a bunch 920 00:48:54,840 --> 00:48:56,880 Speaker 1: of little pithy sayings, right, And one of them is 921 00:48:56,920 --> 00:49:00,799 Speaker 1: like celebrate a life and decline or something like that. 922 00:49:01,880 --> 00:49:03,320 Speaker 1: And at first I didn't understand it, but it was 923 00:49:03,360 --> 00:49:07,200 Speaker 1: explained later more that it's like you need to accept 924 00:49:07,200 --> 00:49:09,920 Speaker 1: that sometimes most of the time, most of your life, 925 00:49:10,120 --> 00:49:15,880 Speaker 1: you're past your peak, right, You're past your like physical 926 00:49:16,120 --> 00:49:21,720 Speaker 1: and cognitive, you know, whatever or like things get worse 927 00:49:22,600 --> 00:49:26,320 Speaker 1: and it's okay, Like that is a natural cycle of life, 928 00:49:26,400 --> 00:49:30,480 Speaker 1: is that you like things get harder and eventually they're 929 00:49:30,520 --> 00:49:34,759 Speaker 1: over right, but like that's all right, and you can 930 00:49:34,760 --> 00:49:39,080 Speaker 1: do amazing stuff and like live your best life wherever 931 00:49:39,080 --> 00:49:41,720 Speaker 1: you're at on that scale anyway. 932 00:49:42,239 --> 00:49:45,920 Speaker 2: No, I mean that absolutely makes sense. I think about 933 00:49:46,040 --> 00:49:49,000 Speaker 2: a creator, a disabled creator who talks about the fact 934 00:49:49,040 --> 00:49:52,280 Speaker 2: that being able bodied it's actually very temporary. 935 00:49:52,320 --> 00:49:54,280 Speaker 1: Oh yes, whether it's age or. 936 00:49:54,120 --> 00:49:57,200 Speaker 2: Like you know, age or or accidents or whatever. Yeah, 937 00:49:57,280 --> 00:49:58,520 Speaker 2: you will be a part of that. 938 00:49:59,239 --> 00:49:59,439 Speaker 1: Yeah. 939 00:49:59,600 --> 00:50:04,839 Speaker 2: Community. Now you just have to acknowledge that everyone has 940 00:50:04,840 --> 00:50:07,200 Speaker 2: the right whenever you know, whoever they may be the 941 00:50:07,239 --> 00:50:10,960 Speaker 2: disabilities and or whether it's invisible or not, that to 942 00:50:11,000 --> 00:50:14,400 Speaker 2: be treated as human kindness and like to be prepared 943 00:50:14,400 --> 00:50:17,440 Speaker 2: that you still have to live life like this is. 944 00:50:17,480 --> 00:50:22,000 Speaker 2: It shouldn't have to be like the tragic inspiring tales 945 00:50:22,040 --> 00:50:25,080 Speaker 2: of those people who suddenly get into an accident can't 946 00:50:25,239 --> 00:50:27,000 Speaker 2: walk in so they choose to die like that. That's 947 00:50:27,080 --> 00:50:30,279 Speaker 2: not the story that needs to be celebrated necessarily, Like 948 00:50:30,320 --> 00:50:32,640 Speaker 2: that's kind of like, oh, yeah, why are we talking 949 00:50:32,760 --> 00:50:36,400 Speaker 2: like that? But to live to age, to get to 950 00:50:36,440 --> 00:50:38,319 Speaker 2: that point as a privilege. The fact that you have 951 00:50:38,440 --> 00:50:41,200 Speaker 2: lived that long where you've gotten to this point and 952 00:50:41,280 --> 00:50:44,400 Speaker 2: being able to celebrate that is is a part of 953 00:50:44,440 --> 00:50:47,120 Speaker 2: that journey. I say this as my back is killing me. 954 00:50:49,880 --> 00:50:51,600 Speaker 1: I think anyone who's like done a little bit of 955 00:50:51,640 --> 00:50:55,359 Speaker 1: aging is like on some level a where like when 956 00:50:55,400 --> 00:50:57,600 Speaker 1: you hear that quote, yeah, the idea that you know, 957 00:50:57,640 --> 00:51:01,800 Speaker 1: being able bodied is temporary, Like right, that's like, oh yeah, no, 958 00:51:01,960 --> 00:51:04,359 Speaker 1: I I can see how that's true, and it makes 959 00:51:04,400 --> 00:51:04,960 Speaker 1: it you know. 960 00:51:04,920 --> 00:51:09,000 Speaker 2: Like whether it's your knee, yeah, my knees are popping. 961 00:51:09,360 --> 00:51:13,000 Speaker 2: But yeah, this is an amazing story and everything from 962 00:51:13,040 --> 00:51:16,640 Speaker 2: like the fact that again they've created their own community, 963 00:51:16,640 --> 00:51:20,440 Speaker 2: which again we see throughout history, if something's not there already, 964 00:51:20,560 --> 00:51:22,520 Speaker 2: people are like, well I'll create that, I'll do it. 965 00:51:22,680 --> 00:51:26,480 Speaker 2: And those people are phenomenal because without even trying, they've 966 00:51:26,560 --> 00:51:30,040 Speaker 2: done something incredible that people look at and be like 967 00:51:30,080 --> 00:51:32,840 Speaker 2: oh wow, okay and learn from and then they go 968 00:51:33,000 --> 00:51:37,680 Speaker 2: into being able to provide a community that has a 969 00:51:37,719 --> 00:51:40,080 Speaker 2: lot of life lessons. I need those sayings on a 970 00:51:40,080 --> 00:51:44,360 Speaker 2: poster with Kittie on it, right, those inspirational ones. 971 00:51:44,560 --> 00:51:46,239 Speaker 1: Only it would be like it's okay if you fall 972 00:51:46,239 --> 00:51:48,120 Speaker 1: off the branch. It wouldn't say hang in there and 973 00:51:48,360 --> 00:51:50,759 Speaker 1: be like right, it'd be like hold on, why you can? 974 00:51:50,840 --> 00:51:54,239 Speaker 1: I guess good luck, enjoy that moment, look at the view. Yeah, 975 00:51:54,280 --> 00:51:55,040 Speaker 1: it happens to us. 976 00:51:55,040 --> 00:51:57,479 Speaker 2: All happens to us. All. 977 00:51:58,080 --> 00:52:01,279 Speaker 1: Yeah, well, I guess at that. The equivalent of that 978 00:52:01,400 --> 00:52:03,520 Speaker 1: is the meme where it's a bunch of raccoons and 979 00:52:03,560 --> 00:52:07,919 Speaker 1: it says, uh, death is coming, eat trash, be free free. 980 00:52:09,520 --> 00:52:10,520 Speaker 2: That's metal sounding. 981 00:52:11,040 --> 00:52:12,840 Speaker 1: Yeah, that might be more of a meme in my 982 00:52:12,880 --> 00:52:15,480 Speaker 1: community than the broader community. 983 00:52:15,920 --> 00:52:17,680 Speaker 2: I like it. I love raccoons. 984 00:52:17,680 --> 00:52:21,239 Speaker 1: I need that. Yeah. Well, thanks for listening to me 985 00:52:21,239 --> 00:52:23,440 Speaker 1: talking about Batthelhouse. And if people want to hear you 986 00:52:23,480 --> 00:52:25,279 Speaker 1: talk about stuff, where can they do it? 987 00:52:26,040 --> 00:52:29,080 Speaker 2: You could come listen on stuff mom never told you where. 988 00:52:29,080 --> 00:52:30,839 Speaker 2: We talk about a lot of different things. We talk 989 00:52:30,880 --> 00:52:33,319 Speaker 2: about women in the apocalypse like you were talking about, 990 00:52:33,360 --> 00:52:36,120 Speaker 2: We talk about women in religion. We actually talked about 991 00:52:36,160 --> 00:52:39,879 Speaker 2: why soup is feminine? Apparently. Oh really did you know that? 992 00:52:40,040 --> 00:52:41,400 Speaker 1: I love soup? I do do. 993 00:52:41,440 --> 00:52:42,839 Speaker 2: I've made four different ones this week. 994 00:52:43,200 --> 00:52:43,879 Speaker 1: Amazing good. 995 00:52:45,160 --> 00:52:47,640 Speaker 2: It's soup weather, y'all, it really is. So. Yeah, you 996 00:52:47,680 --> 00:52:50,399 Speaker 2: can hear different conversations about that you can hear old 997 00:52:50,400 --> 00:52:54,480 Speaker 2: conversations from old hosts talking about like why uh pockets 998 00:52:54,800 --> 00:52:57,239 Speaker 2: were not given to women and how it is with 999 00:52:57,360 --> 00:53:00,520 Speaker 2: such anistic Yeah, you know, all the good things. We 1000 00:53:00,600 --> 00:53:02,480 Speaker 2: have a book that's been out for two years, but 1001 00:53:02,520 --> 00:53:04,000 Speaker 2: if you want to go read it, it has a lot 1002 00:53:04,000 --> 00:53:06,799 Speaker 2: of other information as well. And yeah, you can find 1003 00:53:06,840 --> 00:53:10,600 Speaker 2: me on Blue Sky McVeigh sam or on Instagram. 1004 00:53:11,160 --> 00:53:15,320 Speaker 1: I think that's it awesome if you want to hear 1005 00:53:15,719 --> 00:53:18,000 Speaker 1: what I write, I guess read what I write would 1006 00:53:18,000 --> 00:53:20,840 Speaker 1: be the proper verb to use. I have a substack 1007 00:53:20,880 --> 00:53:23,680 Speaker 1: It's Marter Kildro dot substack dot com and every week 1008 00:53:23,719 --> 00:53:27,480 Speaker 1: I post an essay about stuff and holding on to 1009 00:53:27,600 --> 00:53:30,279 Speaker 1: hope or whatever, letting yourself fall off the branch I 1010 00:53:30,280 --> 00:53:34,080 Speaker 1: don't know, and most of the big important essays on 1011 00:53:34,120 --> 00:53:36,200 Speaker 1: that are free. And then every other week I do 1012 00:53:36,239 --> 00:53:39,480 Speaker 1: a more personal essay that's just for paid subscribers, but 1013 00:53:39,800 --> 00:53:42,759 Speaker 1: don't if I think it's like super socially useful, I 1014 00:53:42,760 --> 00:53:45,600 Speaker 1: will make it free so you can check that out. 1015 00:53:45,840 --> 00:53:48,960 Speaker 1: You can go look up The Immortal Choir Holds every 1016 00:53:49,120 --> 00:53:53,040 Speaker 1: Voice on Kickstarter. It'll be launched in March of twenty 1017 00:53:53,040 --> 00:53:54,760 Speaker 1: twenty five. If you're listening to this far in the future, 1018 00:53:54,800 --> 00:53:57,520 Speaker 1: just go buy the book somewhere or scavenge one from 1019 00:53:57,560 --> 00:53:59,839 Speaker 1: what's left of a library in the apocalypse. I don't 1020 00:53:59,840 --> 00:54:02,239 Speaker 1: know if you're listening to like twenty twenty seven, that's 1021 00:54:02,239 --> 00:54:04,120 Speaker 1: going to be your only option. But you know, twenty 1022 00:54:04,160 --> 00:54:06,680 Speaker 1: twenty five, twenty twenty six, you probably still have a 1023 00:54:07,120 --> 00:54:11,000 Speaker 1: regular commerce available to you. And yeah, we kick starting that. 1024 00:54:11,440 --> 00:54:13,279 Speaker 1: It's the third book in the Daniel Kaine series. And 1025 00:54:13,320 --> 00:54:15,480 Speaker 1: you can follow me on all the various social media's, 1026 00:54:15,600 --> 00:54:18,279 Speaker 1: except that's not true, not all of them, Instagram and 1027 00:54:18,320 --> 00:54:20,480 Speaker 1: Blue Sky. I guess I'm technically still on X but 1028 00:54:20,600 --> 00:54:25,520 Speaker 1: I don't. I hate it, so all right bye everyone. 1029 00:54:26,120 --> 00:54:30,680 Speaker 2: Bye. 1030 00:54:32,320 --> 00:54:34,799 Speaker 1: Cool People Who Did Cool Stuff is a production of 1031 00:54:34,840 --> 00:54:36,040 Speaker 1: cool Zone Media. 1032 00:54:36,080 --> 00:54:39,000 Speaker 2: For more podcasts on cool Zone Media, visit our website 1033 00:54:39,080 --> 00:54:42,759 Speaker 2: Foolzonemedia dot com, or check us out on the iHeartRadio app, 1034 00:54:42,800 --> 00:54:48,600 Speaker 2: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.