What is “The A.M. Conversation”?
A) Transcript
Hey there! Welcome to my YouTube channel. In this video I’ll let you know what The A.M. Conversation is about, why I’m even creating this channel, and what you can expect from me in the future.
The A.M. Conversation’s purpose is to shed light on life, to try to make more sense of it. I want to think openly about ideas, discuss them in video essay form, and develop a community centered on the enthusiastic discussion, sharing, and expansion of these ideas. These thoughts will come from all corners of the world, from history, philosophy, science, mathematics, art, and life experience. Ultimately this channel is about continuing the great conversation in good faith and remembering where we come from – that we all stand on the shoulders of giants.
I acknowledge the people who have laid the groundwork to make what I am doing now possible, from the early philosophers to innovative YouTube creators. For as Isaac Newton once said:
“If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.”
So… why am I making this channel? Does it truly need to exist? What purpose does it have when it is surrounded by a plenitude of other channels that do a similar task so brilliantly?
These are all good questions, ones that I have considered, and thought through.
For one, I believe that if people have a spark within them to be creative, it is their responsibility to act on it, to keep it alit. To listen to their heart and not delay what their soul begs them to do. For it is in foregoing our true path where regret starts to build up in our mind, and where our soul starts to fester and rot. So, I’d like to douse that spark with gasoline, and keep throwing wood in the stove to keep myself alive. As Steven Pressfield says in The War of Art the world would be a better place if people listened to their inner purpose, acted on it with discipline, and battled their resistance every step of the way.
“Are you a born writer? Were you put on earth to be a painter, a scientist, an apostle of peace? In the end the question can only be answered by action.
Do it or don’t do it.
It may help to think of it this way. If you were meant to cure cancer or write a symphony or crack cold fusion and you don’t do it, you not only hurt yourself, even destroy yourself. You hurt your children. You hurt me. You hurt the planet.
You shame the angels who watch over you and you spite the Almighty, who created you and only you with your unique gifts, for the sole purpose of nudging the human race one millimeter farther along its path back to God.
Creative work is not a selfish act or a bid for attention on the part of the actor. It’s a gift to the world and every being in it. Don’t cheat us of your contribution. Give us what you’ve got.”
Ever since I can remember I’ve always enjoyed the process of creating videos. Creating this channel is something I’ve wanted to do for a while and just told myself that I didn’t have time for it. But as they believe in the Tao, time is but a created thing, a concept that has given us humans comfort. To say, “I don’t have time,” is like saying, “I don’t want too.” To come to this realization is painful, especially when it means you haven’t been true to yourself. Other times it just means that whatever you didn’t have time for was simply a low priority for you. Which is fine, but it’s up to you to decide which is which. What is more important to you? This channel and the potential I see in it is important to me, that’s why I’ve taken the time to get the ball rolling. Time must just be managed better. Those who want something more than others will make time for it, sacrificing other parts of their life to make it happen.
“The paradox seems to be, as Socrates demonstrated long ago, that the truly free individual is free only to the extent of his own self-mastery. While those who will not govern themselves are condemned to find masters to govern over them.”
My second reason for creating this channel is to learn more and have conversations with others where we may learn from each other. In future videos I’ll be going over books, specific ideas & themes that span many books, and other topics that I’m interested in. However, I wouldn’t want my videos to linger in the air as monologues, so I’d be happy to talk with you guys about whatever the video is about in the comments below, over email, and optimally as a community. Feel free to reach out and start a conversation – even one that doesn’t directly relate to the topic at hand. If you do decide to get back to me or the greater community, all I ask of you in return is to treat the topic at hand with respect and communicate about it in good faith. It takes quite some time to get these videos up, and make sure they’re accurate. All I ask is that you’re not just thinking aloud.
Lastly, I’m creating this channel due to what university has come to represent. I’ve had many discussions with those close to me who have recently finished their formal university education, or are still moving through it, who have voiced their displeasure with what it perpetuates. And I wholeheartedly agree with them, university is not what it once was. It has become bloated with bureaucracy, professors have lost a certain degree of freedom & power that they once held, tuition rates have exploded upward at an alarming rate with little to no difference to the student’s benefit (and in many cases a net negative one), and the replacement of a liberal arts education for a primarily specialized one. Foremost, I lament the loss of literature that has been scrubbed from syllabuses and replaced with second rate substitutions. I don’t wish to see what used to be common knowledge and reference in Western society become something abstract and misunderstood. I also don’t want difficult topics of discussion to be supressed or ignored. In my own humble way, I wish to fill these gaps in common understanding with my videos, through the power of the Internet. It is up to all of us to pick up the torch that was thrown down and continue a beautiful tradition before it is forgotten forever. Some things, and some ideas are just worth preserving.
So how will you carry your tradition forward? What is your passion?
What can you expect of The A.M. Conversation? I’ll be producing a video every month around a book or a topic I find interesting and important. These future videos can be anything from quick one offs about a book or a topic that has no connection with other pieces in the channel’s story, or they might be part of deeper dives into the immense interwoven dialogue of a specific philosophical treatise found in The Great Books of the Western World. Only time will tell.
In the meantime, in between your responsibility and your rebellion, and my videos, you can check out my newsletter – The A.M. Reads Newsletter, where I send out monthly reading recommendations based off of the books that I’ve read in the past month. Hopefully, you can find writing that changes your life for the better.
If you enjoyed watching this video, I’d really appreciate it if you clicked the like button, and left a comment about a book or idea you’d want to see me talk about, as this helps me grow my channel and gives me feedback on what you guys enjoy watching. Also, if you want to see more videos like this in the future make sure to subscribe and click on the notification bell to stay in the loop, and not miss out on anything new!
Thank you for taking the time to watch this video.
My name is Alexei Muravsky, and this is The A.M. Conversation. My mission is to continue the great conversation. I hope you can join me on this adventure.
Peace out.
B) Credits
1. Graphics:
Old Logo & YouTube Banner by Pavel Khassanov
2. Visual Art:
3. Video:
Sourced from Pexels:
Abraham Braun, Adrian Agawin, Burak K, Chris Flaten, Collis, Cottonbro (7 videos), David Bartus, Diego Cobena, Drew Rae, Fauxels, Joel Dunn, Joseph Redfield, Kelly Lacy (2 videos), Lay-Z Owl, Life of Pix, Life on Super 8 (2 videos), Luis Ruiz, Miguel Á. Padriñán, Mixkit – Free Video Assets, Pixabay (2 videos), Pressmaster (4 videos), Ricardo Esquivel, Ruvim Miksanskiy, Yaroslav Shuraev.
4. Music:
Ghost Dance by Kevin MacLeod
Satya Yuga by Jesse Gallagher
Yellow Flamingo by Sarah, The Illstrumentalist
C) Notes
I would like to say a big thank you to everyone who supported me in starting this channel. I’m excited to create more videos for y’all.
THANK YOU!
