Food Magick Podcast by Hilly

Hilly goes on camera to discuss topics close to his heart. This is the first edition of what Hilly hopes will be a series, so he gives us an introduction to his journey in life and an outline of his plans for the future.

This kind of stuff makes my day, for several reasons.

The magic(k) of ‘modern’ ‘technology’

One of the reasons why I am so thankful for Hilly’s video is related to this thing we call ‘technology’ and what it can allow us to do. Hilly is a man I have never met in ‘real life’ and yet now, thanks to the internet, I have been able sit at a cafe (in Thailand) and listen to Hilly’s thoughts as though I am a guest in his house in the US, sitting right in front of him, as though we are in the dining room of his home.

Even though I am more of a listener than a watcher these days, there is something special about being able to ‘see’ the person you are listening to. When somebody records a video in this format (sitting in their own home), the experience for the viewer is the virtual equivalent being a guest in that person’s house. I have been fortunate enough to visit quite a few of the Members of this site ‘in real life’ which is always a thrill, and the internet can’t yet fully replicate the experience. With that said, these sorts of YouTube videos are, for me, the next best thing. There is something very special about YouTube which can be easily taken for granted.

Sure, the internet is full of thoughtless people sharing thoughtless opinions, and it is easy to become jaded by the near-infinite amount of mindless garbage floating around out there. However, videos like this one from Hilly are further evidence that you can find can intelligent and thoughtful people, who will virtually welcome you into their home, to share with you their life story and current ideas and beliefs. And anybody can do this.

That is amazing to me. And I hope it is always amazing to me; I hope I never go back to taking for granted just how awesome this time and place truly is.

Content creation = thinking about thinking

Another reason why I am so appreciative and supportive of Hilly’s efforts is to do with what some people refer to as ‘content creation’. As you can see for yourself, Hilly has now started his own YouTube channel and begun what may turn out to be a life-changing journey for him. Getting into YouTube changed my life and, as far as I can tell, most of that change has been for the better.

Among other things, it forced me to seriously reevaluate my own beliefs, because now, all of a sudden, I found myself broadcasting those beliefs to the rest of the world, and anybody could listen — now or at any point in the future. This led to an almost-paranoid sense of self-skepticism, which comes with its own problems, but led to one particular benefit: I had to truly think about my own thinking like never before.

Of course, content creation is not the only way to do force oneself to think about thinking. You can think about thinking without ever getting behind a microphone or sitting in front of a camera. But it worked for me, and I have heard similar things from other content creators I know. I look forward to hearing Hilly’s sentiments on the matter over the next period of weeks, months, and hopefully years.

Previous material featuring Hilly

MDC Open House #14 (Hilly’s debut) – here.

MDC Open House #16 (Discussion of food) – here.

Food Magick podcast (Hilly’s first solo recording) – here.

Member Creations

Huge thanks to Hilly, Take No Gnosis, OriginalSimulant and Al for sending through their own content for me to share/promote here at johnlebon.com. Next I am going to upload another terrific write-up from Take No Gnosis, who has taken a closer look at the story of ‘Pliny the Elder’. Then I’ll post a piece regarding LauraMars’ new podcast The Jig Is Up. Stay Tuned.

Remember that if you would like to do something similar, I am happy to help in any way you need. Write an article, record some audio, or do what Hilly did here and make a video. I can then create a post here on johnlebon.com and set it to Members-only or public, whichever you prefer.

Member Creation #06. Posted 13-Mar-2019. Hilly’s video uploaded 10-Mar-2019.