Your Life Is Significant

Your dog and a stranger are drowning. You can only save one. Who do you choose? Dennis Prager says your answer reveals everything about how you define right and wrong. In his new book, If There Is No God, Prager exposes the danger of emotion-based morality and why without objective truth society descends into chaos. This isn't a religious book. It's a rational case for moral clarity in a confused age. If There Is No God from Dennis Prager. Order now at PragerStore.com.

Hey everybody, Dennis and Julie here. Dennis Prager and Julie Hartman. Hi y'all. I love your commitment to honesty. I was very happy because you acknowledged the good things that you got from Harvard.

So many.

That was, no, no, that was a very important little moment. As much as I have contempt for Harvard, it was still, it was an important thing that you said and means you're just, you're not going to fake anything to make a point. That's a big deal. No. Right, I know. But now I'll tell you why I smiled the whole time. Before you were born, literally, I was saying to audiences, so let me understand, what is the most important thing in your high school child's life? For most of you, it's getting into a quote-unquote good college, which doesn't mean good, it means prestigious. Okay, okay. So to get it— so now let me ask you all a question. Your kid gets into a good or prestigious college, then what is his or her purpose in life? What is the aim then? What is the goal then? What is the purpose? And there are crickets. What I saw happening, and because I never fell for this, including when I was a kid, I never fell for this notion that it is critical to to your self-definition or it is the purpose of your life in high school to get into a good college, quote unquote, that there was no answer. So in effect, I would say this to audiences, you're basically giving your child a raison d'être, a reason for being, a purpose in life, and then what? What happens 4 years after that, assuming that they actually achieve that end? Then what? They're now 21 years old. What do they spend the next 70 years presuming, maybe 80? What do they pursue then? Since it's not what you gave them now as the be-all and end-all of life, getting into a good college. By the way, if you don't agree that that was a fair critique an assessment, say so.

No, I agree with you. And, you know, I actually was Zooming with a former classmate from college who I haven't spoken to since we graduated. And he was telling me that he quit his corporate job in New York City and moved back home. And he is doing a startup, essentially. He worked at a very prestigious corporation. I'm not going to say which, but anybody would know it. And we were discussing that if we could right now, and I'm 2 years out, so it's still pretty early on to make this judgment, but if we could assess the trajectory of our fellow classmates right now, we would divide them into 2 categories. There are most people who continue along the, who continue on the treadmill, as I say it, and they get into Harvard, And they work so hard to get in, and I can't even tell you how in my day, and still now, you have to sacrifice your life on the altar of college admissions in order to get into Harvard. You do. You do not have any kind of life outside of that vocation. But I think there were many people who got into Harvard, and they looked around and they realized, oh gosh, now I'm at Harvard, and there are, How big was my class? I don't know. 1,000 other people in my class who also got into Harvard and 4,000 people in this undergraduate institution who also got in and then thousands of people in the graduate school who got in. Damn it, I'm not that cool anymore for getting into Harvard and now I've got to go to Goldman Sachs and now I've got to go to Harvard Law School or Harvard Business School or Yale Law School or Yale Business School or I need to be a Rhodes Scholar. You see these people and they're just chugging along because they're like, damn it, I thought that was the level I had to clear. And now I realize this is only level 1 of the video game. And so we see people who are kind of continuing on that path. And I think this relates to fame because it does kind of give you a kind of— it does. I mean, I will not deny this. It gives you a kind of fame when you say that you went to a school like Harvard. I see this all the time in my life. I, you know, people ask where I go, I say, and they go, oh, wow, you know, it's a, it's a the H-bomb. The H-bomb. Right. And I don't say that as a brag at all. I say that to explain this, why I am bringing this up in the context of our fame conversation, because this is my, my way that I have especially seen it play out. And so we were saying that a lot of our classmates have fallen into that category because— and I actually feel sorry for many of them because we have been conditioned to believe that this is what brings us happiness. That the more credentials you attain, the more things you have on your resume, that, that it is somehow going to make you happier and more important in the eyes of others. And then we were saying that there are other people who actually get in and then they realize maybe they have a kind of fulfillment, like, okay, I did it, I'm done. But they realize that they're just going to continue on the treadmill unless they get themselves off of it.

Yeah, and I don't know if you— by the way, I just have to tell you, this was— it was an eerie moment for me when you gave that rendition of, hey, I'm here with 2,000 others, or whatever it is. Yeah, my brother. This is— it's, it's actually almost eerie. It was word for word Virtually. My brother got into Columbia a long time ago, obviously, and, you know, it's not Harvard, but it's prestigious, and he got into Columbia. Now, he had been the captain of his high school basketball team, the editor of the school newspaper, and the valedictorian of his class. Okay. So I'll never forget, he comes home one of the first weeks. So he dormed at Columbia during the week and came home— we lived in Brooklyn— for weekends. And I would say after about maybe just maybe 4 weeks, he looks at me, and I'm in 8th grade, and I remember thinking, oh, he's really opening up to me. I'm only in 8th grade. And he said to me, You know what, Dennis? I was just with 1,000 other captains of basketball teams.

Yeah.

President of school, school valedictorians.

Humbling moment.

Yes. What's the big deal? It was fascinating for me to hear. I had to be, you know, to my 8th grade brain, it even made sense. Yeah, that's true. So what you said, it was again almost word for word, but it dealt with, you know, the accomplishments in high school that they all had. And he said, oh, and not only that, some of them were also great violinists.

Oh yeah, no, no, you know, you meet the most accomplished people and you're like, wow, I am not hot shit.

Right. So, all right, so not to lose track, because this is such a great discussion, I just want to reemphasize something. If the purpose, not if, parents who are listening to this, or for that matter, high school kids who are, if the purpose of your life, if the greatest purpose of your life now is to get into a good college, and for vast numbers of American kids it is, and Chinese kids, by the way, in China, they live in a community.

Oh, especially there, yes.

Yes, so I just want to say this is not unique to the United States. In fact, it's worse in the United States because if you don't get into Harvard, you can still go perhaps to Michigan State, which is perfectly, you know, fine place theoretically. But in China and many other countries, if you don't get into college, you don't get into college at all. So anyway, if that is your purpose, what will your purpose be once you got in?

Okay, sorry, if I, if I may interject, because I consider myself to be so lucky because I have been blessed enough in my 24 years of life to be in so many different environments with different kinds of people. And I remember myself so well when I believed different things that I believe now. And your life is your life is really generally so meaningless when you are pursuing this, this great prize. And it's really, really sad, actually.

From the creators of Jesus Revolution comes a new film that's bound to touch your heart, White Bird: A Wonder Story. Discover the moving tale of Julian as he uncovers his grandmother's incredible journey to escape Nazi-occupied France during World War II. Based on the beloved book by the best-selling author of Wonder, this inspiring film demonstrates how one simple act of kindness can create ripples that last a lifetime. Directed by the visionary behind Finding Neverland and featuring stellar performances by Gillian Anderson and Academy Award winner Helen Mirren. White Bird promises to be a cinematic experience you won't forget. Catch it in theaters starting October 4th. For tickets and more details, visit whitebird.movie.

I remember when I was in high school, I would judge my life. I would think of it in numbers. In 9th grade, I'd be like, okay, 4 more years until I get into XY, hopefully, or I apply, you know, 3 more years. Okay, we're gearing up 2 more years, 1 more year, 6 months, you know, and I thought of life in terms of, okay, cross this, you know, keep going, keep going, keep going to cross that finish line in 4 years. And then when you cross that finish line, you realize that you wasted a lot of precious days of your life. These were, every single day is precious. You missed out on opportunities, you know, I mean, I think like, I was living at home with my parents. And now that I'm older, I don't live at home with my parents. But, you know, that was a cool time of life. You're young, you have a freedom and, you know, a unique opportunity to be in high school and have that kind of experience. And it just, it makes it, it renders the rest of your life moot. Is that the right way to say it? Moot?

Yeah, more or less.

Yeah.

It—

until you get what it is that you're getting. And I know people— I know because living in LA, people who are actors and actresses, and they're like, I just need my big break. I just need my big break. Well, you're living life in the meantime. And that's why having an internal life— and that is what I believe is so important. And that's why I believe so many people want to be famous because they don't have an internal life. Having an internal life makes every day, every moment of your life incredibly meaningful. And that's why I love God. And that's why I'm really grateful to you, to introducing me to God, because it makes me feel important irrespective of what I externally accomplish.

By the way, God is grateful to me for introducing you to him.

Oh, that's so sweet. Well, we'll see about that when we get to the other side. I hope you're right about that. But every single day, I just like every single, every moment is very special. And that's actually, That's actually one of the things that I wanted to bring up because people view themselves, people view their lives as incredibly insignificant, and they don't realize the power that they have over other people. I mentioned on a recent Dennis and Julie that I was in a hotel recently. You're like, welcome to my life every day. You're probably streaming us from a hotel right now. But I was walking into my room and there was a cleaning woman cleaning my room. And I just really appreciated her, for lack of a better word, energy. She, she just had a very nice disposition about her. And I said to her, I hope you realize that you have the most important job in this entire hotel. She was really taken aback by that. And she said, why? And I said, Because you have the power to tank this hotel if you want to. Clean rooms are the basis of a hotel. If a hotel gets a reputation that there were, you know, sorry to be graphic, hairs in the bed or, you know, there's something, that whole hotel's reputation is ruined. The investors are going to lose money. The rest of the people who work here may lose their jobs. The hotel may shut down. "You have the most important job." And I could see that this was revelatory to her. And even just, even—

It's beautiful of you to have said that, by the way.

Well, I—

Go on, it's fine. I just wanted to make that note.

Well, thank you. But I seriously, it's seriously true. And I can't stand looking around at people and seeing how much they view themselves as insignificant. You know, I was talking with a friend the other day who really hates her job. Who doesn't feel like she has any kind of meaning in her job. She said the one thing that gives her meaning is her relationship with her coworkers. And I said, that is a big deal. You are a figure in somebody else's life. You're not just you, you're a daughter, you're a friend. In the case of people who have kids, you're a mother, you're a father, you're a coworker, you're a customer. You are a figure in somebody else's life. And I think when people start to view themselves that way, their every single interaction in their life is imbued with this beautiful sense of meaning, and it removes the desires from their heart to have something like fame or credential, because you realize that those are just external sources of validations that are really just momentary oftentimes. And the real sources of validation is when you can make every day of your life precious.

Yeah, I, I wonder if people listening to this, I, I are, are being affected because it's so important to knock out the, the ephemeral from people's lives, the, the meaningless, and how much people are attracted to it. Do you know, for example, I mean, there's so many proofs of this, how many famous actors or actresses who have written their memoirs, are they happy? In fact, I always used to say I have a debt of gratitude to Hollywood stars for writing their memoirs to warn people, don't believe that being famous, and there's nobody as famous, generally speaking, as Hollywood stars. Do we associate almost any of them with a happy life? But see, it's funny that I'm having this reaction, Julie, because it's somewhat of— I'm having a sort of sad reaction Like, are people persuadable that this is not the route to follow?

I wasn't persuadable when I was younger.

Okay, but you are very young and you are persuaded, so there is hope. But, you know, but the Julie Hartmans of the world are rational thinkers, and you put two and two together and realize, wait a minute, I need an inner life to be happy. The outer stuff is not going to do it. Look, you know me. See, here is a rare example because I can speak about the issue of fame and people can say, well, yeah, but if he were famous, what would he say? Okay, so I'm not a household name, but I'm pretty famous. And, but you know, probably as well as anyone, ironically, how little it means to me. I would say I have two reactions to fame, only two. One, the only use it has is that it will draw people to read my works and listen to my talks. That matters to me a great deal because I really believe I could touch people for the better. So fame is a vehicle for me solely, not an end. Secondly, I get a kick out of it. It's funny. I have funny— I have funny things happen to me. Tell about strangers. It's like, it's like the— oh, that's right. This is precious.

It's such a good—

so I had it. I was in the first time in a half century I was in this. I was in a real car accident. I'm fine. Obviously, I'm fine. I walked away from it, but my car was totaled and so was the tree I hit. So anyway, I'm standing there. There are police there, there are firemen there, and there are people just walking by asking for selfies with me.

No, Dennis, I'm sorry. This is not the story. It's the—

which story?

Um, uh, what do you call it? Oh God, what is it called? The rear end. Um, you were hit.

Oh, that's another one called— you're right. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But I, I was, um, I was rear-ended.

Yeah, rear-ended.

All right, I'll tell you that one too. Yes, yes. So Julie's perfectly right. But so you did— I don't know if you knew this story, that there, there were people stopping me. I just got out of, out of a a totaled car. Oh, Dennis Prager, could we get— could I get a selfie? Including one of the firemen. And by the way, of course, needless to say, I— there's zero resentment. I'm just saying it's a funny moment. I don't get off on it, but it is— I get a kick out of it. If you're still waiting to buy gold, sitting on the sidelines might cost you precious gains. This is Dennis Prager for AmFed Coin and Bullion. That's my choice for precious metals. The current economic climate could make buying gold a very desirable safe haven commodity. The government's overprinting of money, the fluctuation of interest rates, and high inflation can all impact the value of gold, and it's why you should seriously consider buying now. I've been working with AmFedCoin and Bullionz owner Nick Grovich for years. I'm glad that I jumped into the precious metals market when I did, but it's never too late. Nick's been in the industry for over 42 years, and he's proud of providing transparency and fair pricing to build long-term relationships. Nick and his team have my back, and they will have yours. They recommend what's in my best interest, not theirs, and I never worry about hidden commissions or huge markups. If you're interested in buying or selling, call AmFed Coin and Bullion for a free coin performance review 800-221-7694. AmericanFederal.com. AmericanFederal.com. Then the even more dramatic. So it seems when it rains, it pours. On one of the LA highways, there was a massive traffic jam in my lane, and I stopped. I had to stop. The guy in front of me stopped suddenly. I stopped suddenly. The guy behind me didn't stop suddenly. And rear-ended me. Okay, it wasn't big damage to my car, it was big damage to his. So he gets out and he starts saying, oh, it's your fault, you stopped suddenly. I said, I'm sorry, you have to have distance behind the car. It's your fault. And a guy who was there who was a tow truck operator happened to be there, said to the guy, that is the law. You're at fault. Not, not this man. Then the guy who was, I would say, maybe 30 years old, a black guy with either Jamaican or African accent, but not, not an American accent, looks at me and he goes, hey, oh my God, I love your podcast. Oh, I can't believe it. Dennis Prager. The guy's demeanor completely changed.

So sweet.

Oh, we're now corresponding on email.

Lucky guy. Boy, is he happy he rear-ended you.

Oh, that's what he wrote. He wrote, God made me have this accident in order to meet you. He actually wrote that.

Oh, oh, oh, I believe in this so much. I really do. I know somebody who got hired because he rear-ended somebody. He was outside the Hollywood Bowl and he rear-ended somebody and he got hired.

So that's funny. Yeah, but it's not a good idea to rearrange.

No, no, no, no.

That's terrible.

You're endorsing.

But no, no, obviously. But anyway, those are the only two things. You— it doesn't matter. What matters is the people in your life. What matters, again, as you put it, the inner life, or what I call your core. They're both They're synonymous, just different ways of phrasing it. And but I want to go to my original point about the guy who gave up so many years of his life so that the child he had would have a father, even though he had no desire to marry the mother. I mean, there, there is heroism we never hear about. There is significance that we never hear about. And I only wish people could understand that. Otherwise, otherwise they'll never be happy. They'll never believe they amounted to anything. Do you know how many people, I mean, just the examples are legion. What percentage of US senators hope at some point they'll be President of the United States? You'd think if you're a senator, right? Every state has just two senators. You'd think you've got it. Yeah, that's right. That's a pretty big "achievement." But they're not thinking that. They're thinking, "Why is so-and-so the vice presidential pick? Why aren't I? Why is so-and-so? I'm smarter than the guy that they nominated or the woman they nominated for president." And it never ends. And then you— so wait, then you get to be president. But how do you know your presidency won't be a calamity? Jimmy Carter gets to be president. Like Joe Biden. He was like Joe Biden. But Jimmy Carter was a peanut farmer and he ends up president of the United States. But then he ends up demolished. How many states did Reagan win? 49? I think he lost 49 states, maybe 48, whatever. And so does he walk— did he walk around the rest of his life, wow, I really made it, I was president of the United States?

Right.

No, it's inconceivable that he did. So this is the lesson for parents about your children.

Okay, I have two things to say and I want to write them down really fast because what you're explaining here is so important. Oh, God, what was the other one? Oh, yeah, I got it. So I think your reputation is a form of fame. One of the things I love about 19th and 18th century novels— nerd alert, but it's true— is that they capitalize certain virtues. Like when they talk about prudence, they put it with a capital P, or when they talk about— and it makes these these things like, like their own individual characters and these, these figures to aspire to. And I think if you take your reputation seriously, that is what gives you a kind of fame. And I think about this so much with Joe Biden. It, to your point, it's such an excellent point. It literally doesn't matter that Joe Biden was the president of the United States, which he wanted for his whole career, decades and decades. What did he run? Like 3 times, 4 times before he became president. It literally doesn't matter because for the history of the United States, literally until the end of— and let's hope it's far away. Let's hope that we're not seeing an imminent end of the United States. But for as long as the United States will exist, people will look at Joe Biden's presidency as a catastrophic comic show. They will. So it actually ruined Joe Biden that he became the president of the United States because it was so embarrassing for him. And so people have to really contemplate. And this is, this is the thing. Like, once you achieve the thing that you, you think you're— you want to achieve, you realize that on the inside it's very, very different from on the outside. I know this from, from being a talk show host when I was younger. I thought, oh my gosh. And by the way, I love this job. But being a talk show host every day must be so much fun. It is really hard. And there are a lot of behind the scenes things that you would not expect, which are really, really difficult. So that's again, just to say that, that once again, once you get the thing that you think you're going to get, it's not going to end up so well. And also, I do think there's a, on this point of, of fame, you know, Well, actually, you were saying that every day people demonstrate acts of heroism. I think that is so true. And I wish that more people viewed their lives more like a movie. I think people, they think of themselves as very insignificant and they yearn for fame because they somehow think that that is the thing. If they get mass validation in the eyes of others, that will make their lives significant. But you should view your life as your own movie. I realized this when I was, of all things, in the Vatican, standing in front of Michelangelo's Pietà, the very famous one, of course. And I was looking at that and I thought, wow, you know, Mary is the woman who is most famous for losing a child. But can you imagine all of the people who have come through here and seen themselves in Mary? How many people had a miscarriage? How many people gave birth to a stillborn child? How many people lost a child due to an overdose or a tragic accident? Or in the case of my mother, lost a child to a severe disability, autism. And I thought every single person who comes in here and sees themselves in Mary, is that they are— they have demonstrated an act of heroism in their lives, just as that father, by choosing to marry a woman he didn't love and being a present father for this child, was, was doing something just as valiant as the, the famous people who we idolize. And so I, I think if you think of your reputation and your actions and the fact that you are a figure in someone else's lives, as something that is worth something, because it is, it will lead you to more happiness and fulfillment. But people, people don't think that their actions or their lives have any significance if they're not known on a mass scale.

Now, of course, that was my point. The significant are rarely famous and the famous are rarely significant. I think feminism, that's, that's its tragic essence. It used to be that vast numbers— used to be, it was basically all through history, for better or for worse, but it was— women felt that if they raised good children and made a relatively happy home, that it was a magnificent achievement, which in fact it is. It's much harder to do that than, than to run a company. Are you ready to lose weight but not sure where to start? So I'd like to tell you why I chose PhD Weight Loss and Nutrition. First, Dr. Ashley Lucas has her PhD in chronic disease and sports nutrition. The program is science-based. The PhD program starts with nutrition and is much more. They know 90% of permanent change comes from the mind And they work on eliminating reasons you gained weight in the first place. There are no shortcuts, no pills, no injections, just solid science, science-based nutrition and behavior change. If you're ready to lose weight for, I think, the last time, call 864-644-1900, 864-644-1900 to get started. Or online at myphdweightloss.com. myphdweightloss.com. Just make the appointment for your one-on-one consultation. Call today, 864-644-1900. And so it was said to, to women by the feminist movement that barefoot and pregnant, it's a putdown of a woman, but if you are the head of sales at your local pharmaceutical company, then you've really made it. No wonder it's the greatest percentage of depressed young women in American history, because they bought this, they continue, They buy it today more than they bought it in my generation, and my generation bought it. It's a terrible error, and I have no issue with women and careers, zero. But you're fooling yourself. But it's true everywhere. I think about guys, let's say you make, let's say you're, You're a baseball player, right? So in America, you play in the minor leagues and then you, your whole life, you're totally understandably, you hope and pray you'll make it to the major leagues. Then you make it to the major leagues and do you spend your whole career thinking, wow, am I lucky I am in Major League Baseball? Or do you think, I'm on a losing team.

Mm.

You know, I didn't even make the playoffs. I want to be traded. I want to go to a team that wins.

It never ends. It literally never ends.

That is— that's the point. It doesn't end.

You think it ends when it doesn't.

No. And even when it ends, so the next season, it doesn't repeat.

By the way, I'm sure this happened to you. You've never said this to me, but when you wrote your first book, did you feel the need to write a second?

Yeah, but I didn't write my book. My first book was The Nine Questions People Ask About Judaism. I repeat, it was pure idealism. I didn't write a book about Judaism to make money or to become famous. Neither is it. It is not the route to either. But I was thrilled I wrote it because it touched people's lives. And that's all I wanted to do. I— you talk about this inner life. I'm blessed. I had an inner life at such an early age. So many people don't. Oh, they don't. And I don't know why I had one. I thank God, or I thank my parents, or I thank my genes, but I had one. That's why I didn't give a damn about what college I got into, and it drove my parents crazy. Dennis, you're very bright. Your brother went to Columbia. You should go to Columbia. And I said, I don't care where I go. And, and turns out I was right. I'm not blaming my parents. They thought like normal people. I knew, I knew it didn't matter. I was doing what I wanted, like learning, teaching myself how to conduct orchestras, which ended up working out for me. I do conduct orchestras. But what high school kid studies, you know, the scores to a Beethoven symphony when he's in high school? I was abnormal, but I knew I was abnormal and I marched to my own drummer. I didn't march to society's or my parents' drummers. And that was major.

But also, I think this harkens back to the fact that you viewed your life as significant. To use movie terms, you viewed yourself as the main character, the protagonist in your life.

That's a good point.

Few people do that, and I know that I am totally on one with this sperm and egg thing. Like, I bring it up every single Dennis and Julie, but I swear to God, it has transformed the way I view the world. It is incredible that we are here. I know this seems cheesy. I know, really, it's incredibly cheesy, but I never viewed my life this way. There are 8 billion people in the world. We think that's a lot. That is not a lot at all. Your chances of being born are 1 in 400 trillion. Think about all of the things that needed to happen. Your great-great-great-great-great-grandparents meeting, and then your, you know, those children meeting. And then, I mean, my God.

And then the exact time that you were conceived.

The exact, if you're, forgive me, if your parents waited a millisecond later to be intimate with one another, you would not be here on this world. By the way, with— in the case of me, I think about this all the time. I am an IVF and a surrogacy baby. Thank God my mom struggled with conceiving. Thank God she had so many of the challenges that she did because I would not be here. I am an IVF and a surrogacy baby. And so I want people so badly to view themselves as the protagonist in their own lives because they are. It is a cool— I look around now, I swear to God, I know this sounds so weird. I look around and I go, okay, why was I born in 1999? Why was I born in America? Why was I born as an IVF and surrogacy baby? Why was I born as a woman? Why was I born to someone with— in a family where I have a sister with a severe disability? What is, you know, why did God kind of bloop, put me right in here. And I look around at other people. I was in a cigar store last night and I walked in and I was looking around at them and I was thinking, why are we all here on earth together right now? Why are we all in the same city? Why did we all choose to come to the cigar store tonight?

This is kind of interesting. Cigar lounge.

Cigar lounge. That's right. Cigar lounge. Very important, important distinction. And every person that came in, It was sort of like I was in a movie and I was like, okay, great, really?

But so, oh, okay, you will be so happy I tell you about this. Did you ever hear of the, of the novel The Bridge of San Luis Rey?

No.

Okay, you're gonna read it next week. I know, I know you will.

I'll read it.

Yeah, so I think, I think it was Thornton Wilder. I think, I don't remember the, the, but it's a classic novel, which is obviously not well known. If you don't know about it, it's certainly not well known. But he asked the question— there were a few people crossing a, a very, you know, frail little bridge, just walking bridge, and it collapsed. And he tried to figure out why did those— I don't know, 4 people converge at that very moment and die at that very moment.

Oh, and what's the reason?

Okay, well, I'm not gonna tell you.

No, come on, can you give a hint? Can you give like a—

No, I actually, I'm not sure I even remember. I just know that that is what— it was just so up your alley of asking this great fascinating question. So, I mean, that raises another question for another time, and that is, if we didn't do it already, and even if we did, it's worth revisiting, how much is God really the engineer of what happens in our life. I don't think God tends to be the engineer of what happens in our life, and I'm a big believer in God and that God knows me and God knows you and God knows everybody. But that's another subject. But your celebration of every moment, is that fair to say that about you?

Yes. That's so, yes.

Okay. That's a really wonderful trait that you have and one that you have worked developing. It's not just— I don't— it's— I don't— I give you credit for that one. That's not built in.

No, it's not.

You, you have worked at attaining that outlook on life.

Well, thank you for saying that, and I love that you did because that is what I want to impart to people. Celebrate every moment. And I know the alternative, as we were talking about earlier in the show. I did not celebrate every moment of my life. I feel like from the time that I was really young, like literally in the single-digit years, to the time that I was 18, I just lived those years to get into college. Really. That doesn't mean I didn't have great friends. I did. That doesn't mean that I didn't have a great relationship with my family. I did. Or great experiences. Of course I did. I'm not saying like my whole life was miserable. Miserable. But the vast majority—

that was the, that was the meaning of your life, the whole purpose.

And I remember thinking in terms of years, and I hate that. I think that's why I have this zest for life now, because it's so— I, I mourn the loss of those years. I really do. As I get older, I go, you know, that was really— that I was in this, this dazzling, cool moment of life, and I didn't take advantage of it in the way that I should.

From the creators With Jesus Revolution comes a new film that's bound to touch your heart: White Bird: A Wonder Story. Discover the moving tale of Julian as he uncovers his grandmother's incredible journey to escape Nazi-occupied France during World War II. Based on the beloved book by the best-selling author of Wonder, this inspiring film demonstrates how one simple act of kindness can create ripples that last a lifetime. Directed by the visionary behind Finding Neverland and featuring stellar performances by Gillian Anderson and Academy Award winner Helen Mirren, White Bird promises to be a cinematic experience you won't forget. Catch it in theaters starting October 4th.

For tickets and more details, visit whitebird And every single day I was so miserable at times. I'm like, okay, just get through junior year. Just get through the, the next 3 months of, of, you know, the swim season. Just get through this. I'm not living my life that way anymore. And I'm a very ambitious person. Sometimes I think like, okay, just get to the point where, you know, your show gets to a certain number of XYZ, or just get to the point where you write a book, or just get to the— I'm not doing that anymore because in the meantime you are living your life. And I swear to God, it's because of this religious worldview, which I credit you so much for, that I realized that every single— you really are the protagonist in your life. One of the things I love about the Torah is it's about people. It's not so much about God as it is about the grand things that people did, as William Shakespeare said, when they graced the stage of life for their moment. It's really, really cool. And I lament that people think that their lives are insignificant. It is so sad. And it's actually a form of ingratitude because life is a very precious gift. I know a lot of people are put in circumstances where they don't believe it as such. But being able to live on this earth for all of its mysteries is a very cool thing that a lot of people don't get to do. What do you think? Is that corny? Do you live your life that way?

It's so good. And, and the opposite is what is imparted to young people. I mean, why? To return to my point about young women in particular, the highest percentage ever recorded since they started recording this issue of young women is depressed today as opposed to at any time that measurements were taken. In other words, there are far more depressed young women today than during the Depression.

I know.

Than during World War II where there was a real chance that your father or your brother would not come home or would come home a wreck. And they were happier people. They were happier women then. Why? So what has gone awry? Maybe the whole message of, of vocation is everything. I mean, they're opting not to marry. They're opting not to have children. So what are they opting for?

It's so sad. I don't even know what they're— I don't think they know what they're opting for.

By the way, and even after all the revelations about the, the moral sickness pervading our elite universities, they have more applicants than ever.

Really?

Yeah.

Wow.

The applications, they— I think at Harvard it went down by 4%, but, but it's, it's, it's negligible. It's, it's irrelevant. It's still the ratio of applications to accept it is still ridiculously one-sided. And in some of the Ivy League, they have actually gone up. You know, did I ever tell you the story of the woman I was sitting next to on a plane?

Yes, with the son.

And I overheard her conversation.

Harvard Medical School?

Yeah.

Oh, it's so good.

I'll just tell everybody. So I was sitting next to a woman on a plane, and before we took off, she was on the phone, and it was obvious. First of all, I couldn't help overhearing it, and it was obvious it was her son, and it was obvious he was distraught, and basically I gathered it. He's burned out, and he wants to leave the most prestigious medical school in America, Harvard Medical School. He wants to drop out. He's burned out. And I felt bad for the kid and I never met him. I felt bad for the mother. But this ties into something you said about living life. I, I do wonder why I have all the energy that I have, which is not one iota less than when I was your age.

You know, I know it's true.

It's true where you are now, right? It is true. Okay. So I actually believe one of the reasons is that I never even came close to burnout because I didn't flirt with burnout in high school. I did what I wanted and I didn't want to study and study and study and study. I wanted to live and live and live and live. And I did. And I lived a full life with a bunch of interests and passions and friends. And I never came close to a burnout. But if you live that way, I remember the kids in my class who got into Harvard and Princeton and Yale and so on. I remember. And none of them impressed me. They were obviously bright, but that's all they were. They were sort of dead. They don't laugh as much as I did. I laughed much more than they did. I laughed for 4 years in high school. I had a ball.

No, it's, it's very true. I mean, when I have this line that when so much goes into the resume, there's not much left in the person.

Well, that was your great— that was your phenomenal insight when we first met, and I I didn't. I did not. Even though I knew the burnout issue and so on, I'd never put two and two together like you did.

How do you—

You can't get into Harvard if you lead a full life. That's basically what you were saying.

You can't take it from me. I am the authority on this issue. You can't. You have to sacrifice your entire— and I literally mean your entire life— to get into a place like Harvard. You do. You do. But I want to— I just want to tell you, by the way, forgive me for you. Go ahead.

Don't forget. No, no, don't forget the point you want to make. So I just want to make clear, this is not just Harvard. For example, when I read about any, any American or any, I guess any country, but let's say any American who makes it to the Olympics in track and field, in gymnastics, in anything, swimming, They all say, this has been my whole life. That's all I did was gymnastics.

Oh, they're right.

And so, so it's a very interesting question. If you get a— if you, if you make it to the Olympic team and then get a medal, it may, it may have been worth it. I don't know. I'd have to interview them 20 years later. But let's say you didn't. So you've given up your life to gymnastics or swimming, and I admire the greatness of that. Who doesn't? But is it worth it? That's— it's— what— there are people who give up their lives to take care of a parent. Get back to my very first point. I— so Is it— you, you could say, well, is it worth it to them? Yeah, but look at what they have to show for it, that they, they, they took care of a parent or a child, you know, it, it's who has, who has real issues versus gymnastics or swimming. So these are things people have to think about.

You know, I want to tell you a little bit about my encounters over the past few days in the cigar lounge, which I also have to give you credit for because I really enjoy now smoking cigars. I've actually really stopped because it was affecting my voice, but last night I made an exception and went. And you go in there and you really You, I mean, you have been to probably hundreds of cigar lounges all over the country. This is a new, this is a new hobby for me. I had no idea the kind of diverse people that I would meet there. Is that your experience?

Okay, we could do a whole thing.

No, it's so cool, Dennis.

Oh, I have a picture. I gotta find this picture for you.

Okay.

At a New York cigar, New York City cigar lounge, maybe 10 years ago. I looked around. I was there alone because I'm on the road alone often, and but I go to cigar lounge after my lecture if they're open that late. That's my standard fare in any city. So I know this one, it's on Second Avenue. I could get there blindfolded in Manhattan. I obviously don't live there, but I know this place. Have you heard about Dinesh D'Souza's new movie? It's based on his book by the same name, Vindicating Trump. This movie is a searching examination about the real reasons why the left and the Democrats hate Donald Trump so much. They call him a tyrannical dictator, but in truth, it's the American government's authoritarian regime that's afraid. Afraid that Trump will dethrone them once again. As a charismatic leader, he mobilizes the people, he gets things done, and they don't like it. That's why they're trying to get rid of him. Vindicating Trump. Reveals Donald Trump as the one man who can defeat the tyranny of the left. And that's why we need his leadership. Don't miss Dinesh D'Souza's unqualified defense of Trump, Vindicating Trump, in theaters nationwide starting Friday, September 27th. So anyway, I go there and I look around, and across from me— I'm sitting here, and across from me are 4 guys. There are more women today, but mostly it's guys, and it was then all guys. Anyway, so if I remember correctly, there was a Black guy, a white guy, a Hasidic Jewish guy.

It's so cool.

And a Hispanic guy and an Asian guy. 5 guys. This was the United Nations.

I know, exactly.

And the best part is they're yucking it up.

I think I have a better one for you. I think I could top that. Last night we had a black guy, we had a Syriac Catholic, we had a Syrian— so a Syriac Catholic and then a Syrian guy. We had a gypsy, we had an Orthodox Jew. And then we had some like regular secular guy, and then we had this British guy. And I'm like, what the heck?

Right. And but the point is, right, they're yucking it up.

Yeah, totally.

They're totally— they are so comfortable with each other.

Yes.

It doesn't matter.

It doesn't matter at all. No, Dennis, I swear to God, I want to— I think I'll actually do my Timeless episode on this. People, we started talking about, first we started talking about gypsies. And I said, well, I was just in Romania and the guy was going on about the different, you know, the gypsies in Romania. Apparently there are a lot of gypsies here in the United States. Apparently gypsies are everywhere. I wouldn't know that if I didn't go to the cigar lounge. And then we started talking about the Israel-Gaza war. And I'm thinking like, oh God, like we've, we have, we have people here who are going to have very different opinions. And they did, and it was completely fine. And they're, you know, kind of yelling at each other, and they're like, that's, that's— well, what did it— and I'm thinking like, are they about to start fist fighting? And no, it was totally fine. It was just guys, a very diverse crew.

I'm like, there are no fist fights at Cigar Lounge.

Not at all. I'm like, this is DEI in the flesh. But, but I just— I'm telling you, like, once you, once you realize it life is so relentlessly interesting if you just allow yourself to partake in it. I learned all about gypsies. I learned all about Syria. I was asking this guy about Bashar al-Assad, his feelings about the Syrian dictator and his father. We were talking about this guy who actually served in the reserves in Israel, and he was saying that he grew up going to Gaza for lunch. He said literally before the first intifada, he would go into Gaza and have lunch. For the food. When else would I learn something like that? And I'll give you another example. This isn't at a cigar lounge, but the other night I went to a clown party. No, I'm not kidding. An actual clown party. I know someone who works in Hollywood and he said, I am going to this party for this clown troupe because clown is a form of improvisational comedy. And he said they're having, you know, a party. They just had a show. Would you like to come? And I said, sure, I'll go to the damn clown party. And I literally went to this clown party and meeting people. This one guy, his clown name was Soup, and I had an hour-long conversation with him about how he just left Christianity. And he's like, he said, you know, my God and Christianity wasn't there for me, and why would he allow so much evil in the world? By the way, we should talk about that. And I was telling him how I feel like I'm really coming into it, and we were coming from this from very opposite sides. And then I was talking with the other clowns about why they do clown, and it was very interesting. They said that clown is a way of being low status and being foolish and being the decoy almost, or being the kind of fool that people can point to or rely on to dispel the any kind of tension, or to divert from status interactions where we're trying to impress other people. Like, it just really levels things and makes things very funny and carefree. And you know what? Some people may disparage that. Some people may think these are unserious people. I relished the opportunity to party with clowns. When the hell else would I party with clowns? And anybody who would go, oh, I'm not going to go to a clown party. Those are stupid people. No, you're the stupid person. Open up your life. I think that's cool. And guess what, Dennis Prager? I'm going to a clown show in 2 weeks. Why wouldn't I? What's the best part about a clown party, Sean? Here we go. I don't get it. Tons of parking.

Tons. Tons of tons of parking. Nobody's going.

No, that's not true.

Oh, they're all— the clowns are in one car.

Why?

Why are all the clowns in one car?

Is that what he's— is that what you're referring to? Sure.

Yeah. Now he's cracking up.

Yes. So you don't know this. So you— it's Julie. Did you ever go to a circus?

No.

Yeah, they've closed in your time because I don't know exactly why. They felt that the animals were maltreated. Maybe true. I don't know how true it is. Animals are maltreated tragically. I mean, just in eating animals most of the time.

Can you find—

range and so on. But anyway, what one of the features of the circus was, like, a car would come, you know, into the arena and it would empty out and there were like 20 clowns in a little car. And you think, how is that possible?

Oh my God.

Yeah.

So that's why.

That's why I knew what he meant by tons. They're eating the dogs, they're eating the cats. Do we have to hear this? They're eating the pets.

No, do the other remix.

They're eating the dogs, they're eating the cats, they're eating the pets of the people that live.

What's your reaction to my clown party?

You're like, no, you Well, I'm totally with you. The purpose, a purpose of life is to lead a full life, and you're doing that, and it brings me great joy.

And you have things to learn from people. It's fun.

No, no, no. Well, that's why do you think I love talk radio? Because I learn so much from callers. So I'll end actually, I have a really, did I, yeah, I didn't tell you this. So this, To give you— this is a— when I say how much I've learned from callers in all these decades, people probably think it's a sweet thing for me to say. I don't say things to be sweet. I say them if they're true, and then maybe there's a sweetness to it, but that's not the reason. So I— on the Happiness Hour, I discussed the issue which I have often about people envying people who had more than they do. Whatever the more is, more beauty, more money, more house, more kids, more whatever it might be. And then somebody called and said there was a really beautiful, much bigger house on their block. And they envied the people who owned that house. And it stopped one day, all the envy stopped when they noticed that it had a wheelchair plank leading up to the house. And then they sort of, I'm now interpolating, but they sort of kicked themselves. Boy, You know, that was pretty stupid of me. I'll take my smaller house with no, no ramp for a— for not plank ramp, no ramp for a wheelchair. Which is worthy. It's a related discussion that people envy, what people envy. So the question really is Can we convince at least the serious segment of people? Can we give them the tools to lead a happier and more meaningful life? I have bet my life, literally, I bet my life that the answer is yes.

Well, I am proof that you've done that.

Oh, that's very kind. Well, if you are, then I really— then I— well, I did a good job because you're terrific. Okay, let's, let's tell everybody. I'm, I'm tired of telling everybody how to get in touch with us.

Oh yeah, I'm sure you're exhausted of it. It's, it's so taxing on you every episode, every week. You know, let us— and people write amazing emails— but let us know if we convinced you today, if we changed your mind on something. We would love to know.

Yeah, like how to raise a kid, or your own life, or what's important.

Yes, right. You can email me at julie@julie-hartman.com. Please keep it coming. I can't respond to all of you, but I cherish your emails more than you know. And you can also follow me on Instagram and Twitter @JulieRHartman. You can follow Dennis on Instagram @TheDennisPrager and Twitter @DennisPrager and DennisPrager.com and PragerU, of course. And we'll see you next Sunday right here on the Julie Hartman YouTube channel for Dennis and Julie. Shalom.

Bye, everybody.

Your beloved dog and a stranger are both drowning. You can only save one. Who do you save? Every time Dennis Prager asks that question, his audience splits 3 ways. 1/3 chooses the dog, 1/3 chooses the stranger, and 1/3 aren't sure.

Why?

Because we live in an age where increasingly feelings define right and wrong. But if morality is based on emotion, then murder, rape, and theft are just opinions. And if people feel justified, why is rioting or destruction wrong at all? In his new book, If There Is No God, Dennis Prager explains why civilizations cannot survive without objective morality and why Judeo-Christian values shape the moral foundations of the free world.

If you claim that certain things are good, certain things are evil, independent of how you feel about it, you are in effect affirming God.

If There Is No God by Dennis Prager, available now at PragerStore.com. That's PragerStore.com.