JASON SILVA: There's a great line by the philosopher Alain
JASON SILVA: There's a great line by the philosopher Alain

de Botton where he says, we don't
de Botton where he says, we don't

cry because something is sad.
cry because something is sad.

We cry because something is more beautiful
We cry because something is more beautiful

than we expected it to be.
than we expected it to be.

So essentially, we are moved to tears
So essentially, we are moved to tears

in order to address, to correct an imbalance,
in order to address, to correct an imbalance,

a cognitive dissonance between what we expected
a cognitive dissonance between what we expected

and what we actually found, to realize
and what we actually found, to realize

that what you found was more conducive to your needs
that what you found was more conducive to your needs

than what you thought you were looking for,
than what you thought you were looking for,

the sort of the serendipity of melancholy,
the sort of the serendipity of melancholy,

of aesthetic experience, when it feels like something
of aesthetic experience, when it feels like something

is unexpectedly so much more moving than you thought
is unexpectedly so much more moving than you thought

it would be.
it would be.

This is such a mystery.
This is such a mystery.

These moments in which we are moved
These moments in which we are moved

to the point of tears, that define
to the point of tears, that define

our lives, these moments of aestheticized,
our lives, these moments of aestheticized,

italicized experience, these moments
italicized experience, these moments

pregnant with significance, these moments
pregnant with significance, these moments

of revelatory ecstasy, ecstatic signification.
of revelatory ecstasy, ecstatic signification.

It's such a cool idea.
It's such a cool idea.

I love it when music does it to me, when theater does it
I love it when music does it to me, when theater does it

to me, when films do it to me, when
to me, when films do it to me, when

staring into the iris of a lover's eye does it to me.
staring into the iris of a lover's eye does it to me.

You get the goosebumps.
You get the goosebumps.

You get the shivers down your spine.
You get the shivers down your spine.

These moments.
These moments.

Mmm.
Mmm.

You don't cry because something is sad.
You don't cry because something is sad.

You cry because it is more beautiful
You cry because it is more beautiful

than you expected it to be.
than you expected it to be.