This is a slide from the legendary speech given by Dj Fuji at T21C 2009. It’s an extremely popular speech that most of you have probably seen once, twice, or even three times over. I don’t think the speech itself has ever received criticism, other than idiotic mowhawk comments.
While I will not “criticize” the speech today (and have no desire to), I will provide a brief critical analysis of this specific slide — at face value, independent of Dj Fuji’s discussion of it in the speech — which I think, is open to two roads of interpretation.
Point by point …
Not Being Well Rounded
This can be taken to mean
A. Through “society” — the relationships between individuals and the benefits of trade and knowledge there of — man’s capacity for knowledge is unlimited in his given life time. There is literally more to learn than any one person can cram into their head in a given 70-100 years. As such, man’s interests should be ever expanding in his quest for self education — should be because it is in his own self interest to increase the sum of his knowledge in the pursuit of his own happiness and the continuance of his life (the good).
or
B. No one subject is worthy of blinding obsession for a significant period of time. Going out of balance to an ‘extreme” does not provide benefit and should be avoided.
Not Working on Yourself
A. Not becoming more of your self is a pitfall to avoid.
or
B. Not becoming another version of yourself is a pitfall to avoid.
Being Dogmatic
A. Being obsessed with some thing, without just reason, is unhealthy (irrational).
or
B. Being obsessed with some thing is unhealthy by default.
Ego and Overinflated Standards
A. Petty ego and standards incongruent to your ideals are a pitfall to avoid.
or
B. Knowing how to say “I” and absolute, uncompromising standards are a pitfall to avoid.
Focusing on Outcome
A. Not deriving joy from the process of achievement – the doing — and your own ability is a pitfall to avoid.
or
B. The final steps of manifesting achievement in physical reality are a pitfall to avoid.
Guru Worship
A. Providing and practicing the unearned for and to others is a pitfall to avoid.
or
B. Man is not worthy of admiration or worship. Man is not a heroic being — the supreme being on this earth. Ideal man is not the highest symbol of mankind, and cannot (and must not) exist in reality. The ideal man is little more than a literary invention — a tool to be used by others.
Silly wabbit, ideals are for kids. Let’s be “grown up” about it shall we?
– Anthony Dream Johnson
Anthony, thanks for posting this. I had the pleasure of attending Fuji’s presentation and I was very impressed by it, definitely one of my top 5 talks by a PUA I’ve experienced. It was well organized, engaging, and accessible for an audience beyond the typical conference attendee, ie a general viewer.