Episode 60: 50 Reasons To Stay Alive (Part 1 of 2)

After our journey in part 1 into anxiety and depression, we follow Matt Haig’s recovery, as detailed in his fine book ‘Reasons To Stay Alive’, and talk about all the great stuff in life, both big and small, with a little help from some of Antony’s friends and family -thanks again to all contributors- as he approaches his half century (hence the title).   Along the way, we explore regrets of the dying, how a healthy attitude to death can enhance our lives, and those moments of ‘the sublime’ that we experience a lot as children but seem to ‘grow out of’ as we pass into adulthood.   Declutter your soul, travel, take some exercise, express gratitude, stroke an animal, do whatever works…   We hope you enjoy the show! If so, please subscribe, like, share etc...   Feedback to [email protected]   Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/lifeandlife75   Twitter https://twitter.com/lifeonly75   Support the show at: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/antonyrotunno OR https://www.buymeacoffee.com/antonyrotunno   Antony’s website (blog, music, podcasts, life coaching)  https://www.antonyrotunno.com   Antony’s John Lennon podcast https://glassoniononjohnlennon.com   If you are interested in very affordable Life Coaching, or know someone who might be, you can contact Antony on [email protected]   episode links ‘Reasons To Stay Alive’ by Matt Haig https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25733573-reasons-to-stay-alive   Stephen Fry’s 2-part documentary ‘The Secret Life of the Manic Depressive’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FtImgnj5DN0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECv-24Ruu-o    Learning from ‘Regrets of the Dying’ https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/cop-doc/202301/learning-from-the-top-5-regrets-of-the-dying   The benefits of spending time with animals https://travelswithbibi.com/the-benefits-of-spending-time-with-animals   An Uplifting Conversation about depression (LALO 28) https://lifeandlifeonly.podbean.com/e/episode-28-an-uplifting-conversation-about-depression   The link between depression and creativity https://www.verywellmind.com/the-link-between-depression-and-creativity-5094193   Robert Greene on ‘The Sublime’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGMq4T7G0Mk   The universe is way bigger than you think https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iy7NzjCmUf0   Derealisation https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/depersonalization-derealization-disorder/symptoms-causes/syc-20352911   How To Resist Advertising https://www.rationalhumanbeing.com/blog/how-to-resist-advertising-even-when-you-cant-escape-it   F**k It: The Ultimate Spiritual Way https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4837266-f-k-it   Derren Brown’s book ‘Happy’ https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30142270-happy   Alain De Botton on ‘The News’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4aAJrJB6h0   Bill Hicks- It’s Just A Ride https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgzQuE1pR1w

We present the first of two episodes in the lead-up to Antony’s upcoming milestone birthday. The main part of this episode features extracts from the first two sections of Matt Haig’s excellent and popular 2015 book ‘Reasons To Stay Alive’.   This profound, readable and sometimes humorous book details Haig’s recovery from ‘a sustained bout of anxiety and depression’, and Antony interjects with (hopefully useful) observations and ideas for containment of negative feelings and emotions.   This is preceded by a look at anxiety and depression in terms of definitions, causes, symptoms and possible treatments.   We hope you enjoy the show! If so, please subscribe, like, share etc...   Feedback to [email protected]   Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/lifeandlife75   Twitter https://twitter.com/lifeonly75   Support the show at: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/antonyrotunno OR https://www.buymeacoffee.com/antonyrotunno   Antony’s website (blog, music, podcasts, life coaching)  https://www.antonyrotunno.com   Antony’s John Lennon podcast https://glassoniononjohnlennon.com   If you are interested in very affordable Life Coaching, or know someone who might be, you can contact Antony on [email protected]   episode links ‘Reasons To Stay Alive’ by Matt Haig https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25733573-reasons-to-stay-alive   Stephen Fry’s 2-part documentary ‘The Secret Life of the Manic Depressive’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FtImgnj5DN0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECv-24Ruu-o   LALO’s previous explorations of depression (Ep 28) and Life Coaching (episodes 19 & 44) https://lifeandlifeonly.podbean.com/e/episode-28-an-uplifting-conversation-about-depression/   https://lifeandlifeonly.podbean.com/e/episode-19-life-coaching-creativity-communal-experience-mental-health/ https://lifeandlifeonly.podbean.com/e/episode-44-life-coaching-the-inner-game-part-1-of-3/   Treatments for depression in the UK https://mentalhealth-uk.org/help-and-information/conditions/depression/treatment/   The surprising benefits of journalling https://www.verywellhealth.com/journaling-7498123   Robert Greene: Imagined Pain vs. Reality https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=si93W7aO08U   Alain De Botton on ‘The News’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4aAJrJB6h0   F**k It: The Ultimate Spiritual Way https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4837266-f-k-it

We conclude our conversation with Peter Seal, the author of ‘The Self-Help Delusion: A Manifesto For Genuine Change’, a self-development book that seeks to help the reader evolve their way of thinking and inspire real and long-lasting life changes.   Once again, Antony and Peter discuss a range of topics, this time including anger/fear, hypnosis, NLP (neuro-linguistic programming), narratives, roles, beliefs, love and happiness.   Are us humans really just making it all up as we go along? Listen on…   We hope you enjoy the show! If so, please subscribe, like, share etc...   Feedback to [email protected]   Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/lifeandlife75   Twitter https://twitter.com/lifeonly75   Support the show at: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/antonyrotunno OR https://www.buymeacoffee.com/antonyrotunno   Antony’s website (blog, music, podcasts, life coaching)  https://www.antonyrotunno.com   Antony’s John Lennon podcast https://glassoniononjohnlennon.com   If you are interested in very affordable Life Coaching, or know someone who might be, you can contact Antony on [email protected]   episode links Peter’s book https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25593619-the-self-help-delusion   What is Neuro-Linguistic Programming? https://practicalpie.com/neuro-linguistic-programming/   An introduction to Transactional Analysis and recommended book https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ByUZI-DCiSM https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49176.Games_People_Play   The Art of Happiness https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38210.The_Art_of_Happiness   Derren Brown on hypnosis and happiness (Joe Rogan podcast) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFeL7XGwJTs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3DigsvZCXo   Marlon Brando on life and acting https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slU3ATbH1Vg   The true scale of the universe https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iy7NzjCmUf0

After entering dark territory with the previous episode, we return to lighter material with the first of a two-part conversation with Antony’s friend Peter Seal, the author of ‘The Self-Help Delusion: A Manifesto For Genuine Change’, which is a self-development book that seeks to help the reader evolve their way of thinking and inspire real and long-lasting life changes.   In this part, Antony and Peter discuss a range of topics, including human behaviour, time, the past-present-future relationship and NLP (neuro-linguistic programming). In addition, if you want to know why the sky may not be blue, listen on…   We hope you enjoy the show! If so, please subscribe, like, share etc...   Feedback to [email protected]   Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/lifeandlife75   Twitter https://twitter.com/lifeonly75   Support the show at: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/antonyrotunno OR https://www.buymeacoffee.com/antonyrotunno   Antony’s website (blog, music, podcasts, life coaching)  https://www.antonyrotunno.com   Antony’s John Lennon podcast https://glassoniononjohnlennon.com   If you are interested in very affordable Life Coaching, or know someone who might be, you can contact Antony on [email protected]   episode links Peter’s book https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25593619-the-self-help-delusion   What is Neuro-Linguistic Programming? https://practicalpie.com/neuro-linguistic-programming/   The Artist’s Way (a spiritual guide to creativity) https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/615570.The_Artist_s_Way   The Power of Now animated summary https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgGtNgLSCqU   The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*** https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28257707-the-subtle-art-of-not-giving-a-f-ck   Michael Caine on using the difficulty https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GAB89fOdA-I

This is a rare true crime episode, trying (in vain) to understand the horrific crimes of Axel Rudakubana in Southport last summer. There is also some discussion of the Lucy Letby case and brief mention of John Lennon’s reviled killer Mark David Chapman, in terms of the psychology of crime and society's relationship to it.    We hope you enjoy the show! If so, please subscribe, like, share etc...   Feedback to [email protected]   Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/lifeandlife75   Twitter https://twitter.com/lifeonly75   Support the show at: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/antonyrotunno OR https://www.buymeacoffee.com/antonyrotunno   Antony’s website (blog, music, podcasts, life coaching)  https://www.antonyrotunno.com   Antony’s John Lennon podcast https://glassoniononjohnlennon.com   If you are interested in very affordable Life Coaching, or know someone who might be, you can contact Antony on [email protected]   episode links   Axel Rudakubana BBC Children In Need advert 2018 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5wc1WqGScg   BBC Panorama documentary https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0027x2z   Taxi ride and arrest https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hI7Hx995ks https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5ye387OZYM   Joel Verite testimony https://news.sky.com/video/man-describes-coming-face-to-face-with-southport-knife-attacker-13187561   LBC caller on Alphonse Rudakubana https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqsaTpvp5Dc   Rob Ager deep dive on the 2024 post-Southport riots https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umVQpAer1BU   The Psychological Effects of Bullying on Kids & Teens https://mastersinpsychologyguide.com/articles/psychological-effects-bullying-kids-teens/   Lucy Letby Was There Ever A Crime? (podcast series) https://www.podbean.com/podcast-detail/bdrfd-25f224/Was-There-Ever-A-Crime-The-Trials-of-Lucy-Letby-with-John-Sweeney-Podcast   Full interview with prosecution ‘star witness’ Dewi Evans https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQleiz5P05k&list=PLisbmqPbVDrYRuFmluXVm5YDQhoRo5Pw2&index=3   Press conference of ‘new evidence’ conducted by Dr. Shoo Lee (Feb 2025) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DT8CO15IHMs   ‘According To Carl In The UK’ on Lucy Letby possible release https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6Y9iUcbLRk

Completing our foray into advertising, mostly using Antony’s talk on Julian Charles’s excellent podcast ‘The Mind Renewed’ back in 2015, we dive deeper into Edward Bernays’s work and then segue into the darker underbelly of the craft, including the engineering of a military coup and the truly egregious and unethical snaring of innocent hearts and minds involved in advertising to children. On a lighter note we mention a few points made in Neil Sanders’s very entertaining presentation called ‘The Art of Creating Reality’ (see show notes). From there we talk about an excellent short video called ‘Your Lifestyle Has Already Been Designed’ (see show notes again) and how we have been trapped into a certain way of life. There are a few words from Antony at the end of the talk on this subject, and Antony and Julian offer some advice for combatting the controlling force of advertising.   See you on the other side for another episode soon   We hope you enjoy the show! If so, please subscribe, like, share etc...    Feedback to [email protected]   Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/lifeandlife75   Twitter https://twitter.com/lifeonly75   Support the show at: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/antonyrotunno OR https://www.buymeacoffee.com/antonyrotunno   Antony’s website (blog, music, podcasts, life coaching)  https://www.antonyrotunno.com   Antony’s John Lennon podcast https://glassoniononjohnlennon.com   If you are interested in very affordable Life Coaching, or know someone who might be, you can contact Antony on [email protected]   Link to Julian’s website/podcast and our original talk in full https://www.themindrenewed.com https://www.themindrenewed.com/episodes/2014-15/717-ep020   episode links Edward Bernays: A Brief History https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdQ6HIzaSm4   ‘Company Store’ by Dissident Prophet (with lyrics) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcx3T_UoHsU   Consuming Kids: The Commercialisation of Childhood (2008 doc) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tMaRsR7orTk   How Advertising Rewires Kids’ Brains https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGN1ZEABk_Y   Neil Sanders - The Art of Creating Reality https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXIRBU0LVWI   Your Lifestyle Has Already Been Designed https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ufeavz7d0GU   A Parent’s Guide to Resisting Television Advertising https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UdQYMG0JnWw   Rory Sutherland’s superb TED talks ‘Perspective Is Everything’ and ‘Life Lessons of an Ad Man’ https://www.ted.com/talks/rory_sutherland_perspective_is_everything https://www.ted.com/talks/rory_sutherland_life_lessons_from_an_ad_man   Stephen Fry can’t stop shopping! (go to 44.55) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECv-24Ruu-o

Following on from the propaganda multi-parter at the end of last year, this time we dive into a topic with quite a lot of overlap, namely advertising. The bulk of the content comes from a talk that Antony did on Julian Charles’s excellent podcast ‘The Mind Renewed’ back in 2015. Despite the time that has passed since the talk, most of the general thrust of advertising has been in place for a long time so we are confident that the information is still relevant and hopefully useful. In Part 1 we talk about what advertising is and some of the techniques employed by advertisers to sell products. Towards the end of this part, we begin to discuss the work of Edward Bernays, ‘the most influential man you’ve never heard of’ (more on him later).   We hope you enjoy the show! If so, please subscribe, like, share etc...    Feedback to [email protected]   Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/lifeandlife75   Twitter https://twitter.com/lifeonly75   Support the show at: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/antonyrotunno OR https://www.buymeacoffee.com/antonyrotunno   Antony’s website (blog, music, podcasts, life coaching)  https://www.antonyrotunno.com   Antony’s John Lennon podcast https://glassoniononjohnlennon.com   If you are interested in very affordable Life Coaching, or know someone who might be, you can contact Antony on [email protected]   Link to Julian’s website/podcast and our original talk in full https://www.themindrenewed.com https://www.themindrenewed.com/episodes/2014-15/717-ep020   episode links What is advertising (wiki) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advertising   ‘Company Store’ by Dissident Prophet (with lyrics) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcx3T_UoHsU   Most common advertising techniques https://localiq.com/blog/advertising-techniques/   Cadbury’s Gorilla ad https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rs2z7OA3XKI   Noam Chomsky- real vs created needs & wants https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3CFwSQiTu3I   Manufacturing Consent (book & documentary) https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12617.Manufacturing_Consent https://archive.org/details/manufacturing_consent   Julian Charles- Holding Things Lightly https://www.themindrenewed.com/episodes/2012-13/118-serm001

And so we bring an end to another fine journey through a fascinating topic and indeed another year of this podcast.   Part 3 of this series looks at ‘positive propaganda’ in the field of public health, multiple examples of negative propaganda by way of the demonising (sometimes literally) of political rivals and rival nations, and finally a look at how technology has brought propaganda, along with the world, into a very new landscape in the 21st century.   If nothing else, this series should get you thinking about propaganda and whether it is all bad or simply becomes that in the wrong hands (ref- the outro clip is Bill Hicks talking about the first Iraq War and President George H.W. Bush)     We sincerely hope you enjoy the show! If so, please subscribe, like, share etc...   See you in 2025!   Feedback to [email protected]   Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/lifeandlife75   Twitter https://twitter.com/lifeonly75   Support the show at: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/antonyrotunno OR https://www.buymeacoffee.com/antonyrotunno   Antony’s website (blog, music, podcasts, life coaching)  https://www.antonyrotunno.com   Antony’s John Lennon podcast https://glassoniononjohnlennon.com   If you are interested in very affordable Life Coaching, or know someone who might be, you can contact Antony on [email protected]   Link to David Welch’s book ‘Propaganda: Power & Persuasion https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17674209-propaganda   What is propaganda? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Propaganda   25 powerful propaganda posters https://www.emlii.com/25-most-powerful-propaganda-posters-that-made-all-the-difference/   episode links Roger Stahl’s ‘Militainment Inc’ (how the 2003 Iraq War was sold to the public) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt31080465/   Bill Hicks on war and weapons https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRy5znLg1f8   Iraq War lies https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgfzqulvhlQ   Edward Bernays and female smokers https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdQ6HIzaSm4   Adam Curtis’s ‘The Power of Nightmares’ and the truth about Al Qaeda’s origins https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Power_of_Nightmares https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WEjRcwDxvEY   Review of ‘Downfall’ on The Mind Renewed podcast https://www.themindrenewed.com/episodes/2022-23/1572-ep070   ‘Propaganda Watch’ on the Corbett Report website/podcast (James Corbett) https://corbettreport.com/category/propagandawatch/   John Pilger on how to see through propaganda https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvF3d8hhoJo&t=213s

We continue our exploration of the fascinating and contentious topic of propaganda, using as our basis David Welch’s 2013 book ‘Propaganda: Power & Persuasion.   In Part 2, we look at the propaganda of nationhood and leadership before taking a deep dive into the chapter of the book on war propaganda. Is propaganda good or bad? Or does it just depend on who’s propagating the information? Part 3 will be out in December   We sincerely hope you enjoy the show! If so, please subscribe, like, share etc...   Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/lifeandlife75   Twitter https://twitter.com/lifeonly75   Feedback to [email protected]   Support the show at: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/antonyrotunno OR https://www.buymeacoffee.com/antonyrotunno   Antony’s website (blog, music, podcasts, life coaching) https://www.antonyrotunno.com   Antony’s John Lennon podcast https://glassoniononjohnlennon.com   If you are interested in very affordable Life Coaching, or know someone who might be, you can contact Antony on [email protected]   Link to David Welch’s book https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17674209-propaganda   episode links What is propaganda? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Propaganda   25 powerful propaganda posters https://www.emlii.com/25-most-powerful-propaganda-posters-that-made-all-the-difference/   You’re not immune to propaganda https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dl2fnWIlDZg   How to Get a Country to Go to War https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88Ev1gM0nt8   Frank Capra’s ‘Why We Fight’ film series (war propaganda) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Why_We_Fight   Country Joe & The Fish at Woodstock https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ft0vkKCadgk   ‘Propaganda Watch’ on the Corbett Report website/podcast (James Corbett) https://corbettreport.com/category/propagandawatch/   John Pilger on how to see through propaganda https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvF3d8hhoJo&t=213s   Noam Chomsky propaganda lecture https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9shpeKIXCMc&t=1181s   Theaters of War (Hollywood propaganda) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theaters_of_War

To round off the year, we present another multi-part series, this time on a fascinating topic that I have come to see as something of an art form. The main material being used is David Welch’s very accessible and even-handed book ‘Propaganda: Power & Persuasion, which accompanied an exhibition on the topic at the British Library in 2013.   Is propaganda good or bad? Or does it just depend on who’s propagating the information? In Part 1, we look at definitions of propaganda, some of the history of it, and we begin to build up a picture of its place in our society. Part 2 will be on its way soon   We sincerely hope you enjoy the show! If so, please subscribe, like, share etc...   Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/lifeandlife75   Twitter https://twitter.com/lifeonly75   Feedback to [email protected]   Support the show at: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/antonyrotunno OR https://www.buymeacoffee.com/antonyrotunno   Antony’s website (blog, music, podcasts, life coaching) https://www.antonyrotunno.com   Antony’s John Lennon podcast https://glassoniononjohnlennon.com   If you are interested in very affordable Life Coaching, or know someone who might be, you can contact Antony on [email protected]   Link to David Welch’s book https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17674209-propaganda   episode links What is propaganda? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Propaganda   Edward Bernays’s seminal book https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/493212.Propaganda   25 powerful propaganda posters https://www.emlii.com/25-most-powerful-propaganda-posters-that-made-all-the-difference/   Noam Chomsky propaganda lecture https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9shpeKIXCMc&t=1181s   Theaters of War (Hollywood propaganda) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theaters_of_War   Top Gun’s crude/clever propaganda https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9XqeE21bAU   Rory Sutherland’s superb TED talks on advertising https://www.ted.com/talks/rory_sutherland_perspective_is_everything https://www.ted.com/talks/rory_sutherland_life_lessons_from_an_ad_man   Muhammad Ali on the black/white issue in culture (1971) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RI6X386lc9A&t=9s