JASON SILVA: So there was an amazing documentary
called "Flight From Death," which
distilled the human condition down to its bare bones,
unbearable awareness of mortality, like that
is the agitation of mankind.
And the production company that made the film
is called Transcendental Media, and they actually
say that their slogan is "to agitate the sleep of mankind."
Now, what does this hint at?
Well, it hints at a kind of calling.
it hints at a kind of responsibility.
To people that make films, they're
going to encode the human experience,
to create narratives that imbibe themselves,
that incept themselves in our minds to provide context
for who and what we are.
The storytellers are the ones that
craft the narrative "that awaken the mind's
attention from the lethargy custom,"
as Coleridge used to say, and instead redirect it
towards the wonders of existence so, again, to agitate
the sleep of mankind.
And today we live in a world where everybody makes media.
Everybody shares media.
The barriers of entry have been lowered.
All of us now have a responsibility then
to output content that reflects the best
of the human condition.
If media is a drug, are we going to create narcotic drug that
stupefies its audience with mindless entertainment,
or are we going to treat media as a entheogenic that
dissolves boundaries, that transfigurates modalities
of thought?
Perhaps this is the kind of media
that we should be celebrating-- media that agitates,
media that transforms, media that inspires.
Because, again, to agitate the sleep of mankind
should be all of our goals.
Hey, guys, if you want to take a look at "Shots of Awe"
behind the scenes, how it all comes to life, well,
then check out his episode I shot on "Seeker Stories," which
explores my daily rituals and how we make "Shots."