Discussion on Meaningful Life and Activism

When I read this book, I have to say, I, I had a feeling for you that

I hadn't had before. There's a lot of this

that feels like you don't enjoy

it, that there were moments... You know, you talk about your thyroid gave out-

Mm

... and you lost-

Mm

... 20 pounds-

Mm

... that,

you know, you were squeezing it so hard-

Yeah

... that it felt

torturous-

Mm

... to you to live it. Is that how it felt going through

it?

It's a-

Did you enjoy it?

I've loved every minute. I, it's-

For real?

Pe- people say, "Are you happy?" 'Cause I ask the

question, "Are you happy?"

That's in your book, in Are You Happy?

I would say the following.

Um, first of all, what, what the is happy?

But second of all, I'm satisfied-

Right

... I'm happy, and as my mother taught us when we

were growing up, would you like

to have a meaningful life

or a life of pleasure? I would rather have a meaningful life

because that is a life

of pleasure. And I have had an incredible,

meaningful life. I've enjoyed all of it.

It has been brutal at times, but I have learned a ton.

And-

You did something, speaking of that, meaningful life that can be brutal at

times, you went to... You're being honored at this, uh, Simon

Wiesenthal-

Yeah

... uh, Center-

Yeah

... which is a, a huge Jewish organization-

Yeah

... in August.

In your speech-

Yeah

... you stand up. Was this two years ago?

Yeah.

And you give a jeremiad against Bibi Netanyahu-

Yeah

... and his treatment of Palestinians-

Yeah

... and, and, uh, Israel's complicity in that-

Yeah

... to the point where people are booing you and walking out.

Yeah.

Huzzah. 'Cause that's not an easy thing to do.

Here-

I, I give you 200%

...

here, here, here, here, here, here's what

I...

Go

ahead.

That, that, that goes to my mom and my dad.

They, you know, they took us down to protest civil rights

movements in

Chicago-

Mm-hmm

... three little boys, her walking down there from the suburbs.

But you're like a real... Like, you're a Sabbath Jew.

Like, you do the whole-

Yeah.

Like, if I did that, people would be like, "Well, sure he is.

A bacon, egg, and cheese for sandwich for Passover."

But you, that's your real

deal.

I'm, I'm, I'm w- I'm willing to stand up for what I believe

in, what I, uh, what I,

what I, what I think is right, um, and what I think

is, um, not right. You know, when my brother was in the White House

during the Obama administration, Bibi Netanyahu in a meeting said,

"You're a

self-hating Jew." And I think my brother's speech in Israel

where he talked

about he's not making Jews and Israel safe,

those are things that are important to do, and you have to stand up for yourself,

have your voice, have agency, and those are the things my mom taught me.

Right. Well done. I appreciate that.