Before Pursuit of Wonder was a YouTube channel, it began as a book—a book that got turned down by
publishers and literary agents. The inspiration for the book was born out of the sense that so
many of us, including myself, feel as though we have been given a carcass of life, of meaning,
in which important aspects of how to potentially live fulfilling, authentic lives, understand the
mind and the self, introspect and deal with the often-disquieting absurdity of it all, are rarely,
if ever, truly addressed and discussed. I wanted to see more of these topics engaged with in an
enjoyable and accessible way; and I wanted to contribute to this through pursuing and sharing
wonder; through interesting and thought-provoking philosophical ideas. I was repeatedly told,
however, that without being a known author or public figure, that this particular book would
be a tough sell. And so, since I couldn’t get traditional distribution and marketing, I took
the issue of getting my work to the world into my own hands. I took the manuscript of the book
and began creating videos out of it, and then, started this YouTube channel with those videos.
Pursuit of Wonder has now developed and evolved into something that is beyond my ability to even
comprehend. In full circle, under the Pursuit of Wonder umbrella, I have now begun writing
and publishing books. And today, I have just released a brand-new book that essentially
encapsulates the purpose and vision of that original book that catalyzed Pursuit of Wonder.
It is my collected works of fully updated and revised essays on various ideas and schools
of philosophy, titled, The Art of Living a Meaningless Existence: Ideas from Philosophy
That Change the Way you Think, which you can find the link to purchase in the description below.
As soon as we gain self-consciousness and an ability to inquire about the world, we are fated
to ask questions like: how does the world work? Why does it work this way? What does it mean to
be me, to be alive? And how do I deal with these questions and their seemingly unanswerable nature?
In more recent times, a history-long effort of constructing towers of meaning with collective
and religious foundations have seemingly begun to fall more and more. Many of us are now left
with a sense of the individual need to construct our own homes of meaning out of the debris. This,
of course, is no easy task. However, philosophy and literature have helped provide me with a
way to do so—a stack of blueprints and materials to consider and build anew.
Throughout history and across the globe, there are thinkers and writers who have understood
and thought deeply about the underbelly of existence. They have and continue to attempt
to confront concerns, thoughts, questions, and doubts about life and its meaning, without the
tiptoeing and masquerading often found in other areas of popular culture and self-development.
I have found that the conversations I have had with these individuals through their
books and art, separated by time and space, of whom most I have never and can never meet,
have changed the way I think in ways that has been essential to the quality of my life.
The Art of Living a Meaningless Existence is an organized collection of essays from the channel
that journey through philosophy in an attempt to share these ideas and conversations—ideas
that grapple with the complexities of life and the increasingly relevant problem
of finding meaning in what appears, for many of us, to be an inherently meaningless existence.
The book pulls from concepts in Stoicism, Existentialism, Nihilism, Absurdism, Buddhism,
Taoism, and more, attempting to create accessible and thought-provoking takeaways that change the
way you think about yourself, existence, and how to appreciate the absurdity of it all.
Not only have the essays been improved and revised, but I have also added additional
essays containing deeper insights about the overarching subjects and why I personally find
them valuable. Again, if you’re interested, the book is available now through the links
in the description below. It is currently available in both paperback and eBook formats.
Pursuit of Wonder started as a longing to relentlessly pursue my curiosity toward wonder and
truth. Then, it turned into a sense of obligation to create the most interesting and useful content
I could, based on what I found. And now, it has turned into a source of great meaning for me.
I hope you find something in my new work, or in my work more broadly, that assists you in
your own process of discovery just the same. If you do choose to grab a copy of the book,
thank you sincerely in advance. Regardless of whether you do, thank you sincerely for watching
and for supporting the channel in any and all the ways you do—your viewership, your subscribership,
your sharing of the content, your messages, comments, moments of time and thought,
and all the rest; I truly appreciate it all. Into the future, I hope to continue to create
and build on this channel, while also beginning to more frequently create and release other forms
of media and longer forms of work, like books, digital downloads, and whatever else the world
has in store. All your viewership, purchasing of my work, and support in general help contribute
to the realization of these goals and the evolution of the pursuit of wonder. And so,
again, as always, thank you so much for watching in general, and see you next video.