Placeholder Image

Subtitles section Play video

  • What you're about to watch is an animated chapter from a book I'm working on called

  • Sailing on the Seas.

  • If you're looking for the central concept from this video, here it is:

  • The Golden Judgment: Can I overcome the present obstacles, without creating a bigger one,

  • for myself or others, in the future?

  • The Golden Judgment is a concept that encourages me to consider the largest number of perspectives,

  • across the longest possible time.

  • But to really get the full power of the concept, we have to understand the stories and ideas

  • surrounding it.

  • Now that you know the central idea of this video, I hope that you can lower your guard,

  • enjoy the journey towards it, and appreciate all the other ideas that come along with it.

  • My boat sailed towards the end of the world while I slept.

  • And by divine luck, or perhaps a divine curse, cold water splashed on my face.

  • I awoke, for the first time, to thousands of lights fighting against an infinite darkness.

  • The mighty jaws of darkness were not powerful enough to swallow even the smallest light

  • without disintegrating.

  • I grabbed the edge of my boat and got up, but my vision darkened.

  • I grew dizzy and stumbled towards the mast, resting my body against it to prevent myself

  • from falling.

  • As I took a few deep breaths, my vision returned, and I looked out at the river ahead.

  • The green, luminescent waters split into two directions.

  • On the left, the river flowed gently.

  • Lush sycamore trees adorned the riverbank, and a single vine with golden flowers grew

  • across it.

  • Off in the distance, I heard a chorus of angels humming a lullaby.

  • But on the right, the river raged downwards into darkness.

  • I grabbed my oars and desperately paddled towards the left, against the dominant current.

  • I wanted to hear that sweet lullaby and return to sleep.

  • But as I approached the gentle path, my oars caught the vine with the golden flowers.

  • I inhaled deeply and pushed, but the vine stubbornly held on to the riverbank.

  • I pushed and pushed, until finally, the vine snapped in half.

  • I exhaled and continued paddling towards the music.

  • But all of a sudden, the wind picked up and caught my sail.

  • With enormous force, it blew me towards the dark path.

  • I resisted.

  • I paddled against it, but my lungs were no match for The Wind's.

  • My boat descended into the darkness.

  • I wrapped my arms and legs around the mast and closed my eyes.

  • The wind howled past me as I fell further and further into blackness.

  • The violent waters shook and twisted the boat, trying to knock me loose.

  • And after minutes of falling, the boat abruptly hit a large body of icy water, drenching my

  • clothes before levelling out.

  • I opened my eyes and saw nothing but darkness above.

  • The green river, however, still glowed beneath me.

  • I thought I had entered a cave since I saw no lights above, but I couldn't have been

  • sure.

  • I got up and yelled out.

  • Hello!”

  • No response.

  • In fact, other than the gentle sloshing of waves, I heard nothing.

  • It was dead silent.

  • If I had entered a cave, it was a really large one.

  • I sat back down and noticed a white light in the corner of the boat.

  • I never saw that before, I thought.

  • I crawled towards it.

  • It was a book.

  • I picked it up and analyzed the cover.

  • A single word had been scrawled across it: Essays.

  • I skimmed through the book and saw nothing but blank pages.

  • How strange.

  • But when I got to the first page, words started appearing, and I began to read them.

  • I walk along an infinitely forking path.

  • Each split represents a moment of decision, and each decision leads to an alternative

  • version of myself.

  • Well, who do I become, and how do I decide which path to take?

  • I plan to retell and examine the story of three brothers who encounter a similar problem,

  • and see if I can walk away with some insight.

  • Once upon a time a King lived in a castle with his three sons.

  • Each day he entered his garden, strolled to his favourite tree, and counted the number

  • of golden apples it held.

  • But one day he noticed an apple had disappeared, and to discover what had happened, he ordered

  • his eldest son to watch the tree overnight.

  • The eldest son sat under the tree and waited, but as the darkest hour approached, he fell

  • asleep.

  • The next morning the King counted the apples and discovered that another had disappeared.

  • So he ordered his second eldest son to watch the tree overnight.

  • The second son sat under the tree and waited, but as the darkest hour approached, he too

  • fell asleep.

  • The next morning the King counted the apples, and again, he found one missing.

  • The youngest son begged the King for a turn to keep watch, and although the King thought

  • him foolish and useless, he agreed.

  • The youngest son sat under the tree and waited, and as the darkest hour approached, his eyelids

  • grew heavy, but he refused to fall asleep.

  • He heard fluttering in the distance, and in an instant, the whole sky turned orange, as

  • if lit with the light of a thousand suns.

  • The light emanated from a Golden Bird which flew towards the tree, perched upon a branch,

  • and plucked an apple.

  • The youngest son drew his bow, fired, and grazed the bird with his arrow.

  • A single golden feather fell to the floor, and as he covered it with a cloth, the bird

  • took flight, and the garden receded into darkness.

  • The next morning the King held a meeting with his council.

  • He unwrapped the cloth his son had gave him and revealed the golden feather.

  • It illuminated the room, and the council proclaimed it was worth more than the entire kingdom.

  • Then a single feather won't do,” said the King.

  • “I must have the whole bird.”

  • The eldest son, believing himself to be quite clever, set out to find the Golden Bird.

  • Shortly after leaving the castle, on a narrow dirt road, he encountered a Fox.

  • He raised his bow, drew it back, and took aim.

  • Wait,” said the Fox.

  • If you do not shoot me, I can give you good advice.

  • I know you're on the way to find the Golden Bird.

  • Up ahead, you will come to a village with two inns.

  • One inn will look more pleasing than the other, but you must not stay there.

  • Stay at the less pleasant inn.”

  • What does an animal like you know,” said the eldest son.

  • He fired an arrow at the Fox but missed, causing it to dash off into the woods.

  • Eventually the eldest son arrived at the village and saw the two inns.

  • At one of the inns, the people partied, danced, and drank.

  • The other one looked rundown and not a single sound could be heard inside.

  • Only a fool would stay at the less pleasant inn, he thought.

  • And so he stayed at the good inn and partied, danced, and drank, and eventually, he forgot

  • about his father and the Golden Bird.

  • Months passed, and the eldest son never returned home.

  • And so the second eldest son set out to find the Golden Bird.

  • When the second son encountered the Fox and received the same good advice, he too ignored

  • him.

  • And so when he came to the two inns, like his brother, he chose to stay at the more

  • pleasant one.

  • Naturally, he forgot about his father and the Golden Bird.

  • Months passed, and the second son never returned home.

  • The youngest son begged his father to let him go, and although the King thought him

  • foolish and useless, he agreed.

  • And so the youngest son set out to find the Golden Bird.

  • When the youngest son encountered the Fox and received the same good advice, he listened.

  • Don't worry,” he said.

  • “I won't harm you.”

  • Thank you,” said the Fox.

  • Now sit on my back, and I will take you to the village.”

  • The youngest son climbed on the Fox's back, and they raced off, the wind whistling past

  • them.

  • When they got to the village, the youngest son followed the Fox's advice and stayed

  • at the less pleasant inn overnight.

  • The next morning, after leaving the inn, he encountered the Fox again.

  • The Fox nodded towards the path ahead.

  • Walk straight down this path until you come to a castle.

  • There will be several guards outside, but don't worry: they will all be asleep.

  • Enter the castle, walk past all the rooms, and find the chamber at the end of the hall.

  • The Golden Bird waits there, inside of a wooden cage, but heed my warning: you will see a

  • golden cage there too, but you must not touch it.”

  • The youngest son followed the Fox's advice, walking straight past the sleeping guards

  • and into the chamber at the end of the hall.

  • He saw the Golden Bird inside of a wooden cage, the apples it had stolen, and the golden

  • cage.

  • What a beautiful creature, he thought.

  • Way too beautiful for the wooden cage.

  • Surely it deserves the golden one.

  • The youngest son removed the bird from the wooden cage and housed it in the golden one,

  • but as soon as he did, it began to squawk.

  • The sleeping guards awoke, rushed into the chamber, seized him, and threw him into prison

  • overnight.

  • The next morning the youngest son met with the King in his court, where he was sentenced

  • to death.

  • But I'll let you live on one condition,” said the King.

  • What is it?”

  • Go to the castle down the road and bring back the Golden Horse.

  • If you do that, I will let you live, and I'll let you keep the Golden Bird too.”

  • Deal,” said the youngest son and set out on the road.

  • On the way to the next castle, on a narrow dirt road, he encountered the Fox.

  • “I told you not to touch the golden cage,” said the Fox.

  • But still, I will help you get the Golden Horse.

  • Listen to me.

  • Take this road to the next castle and look for the stable in the back.

  • The groom will be sleeping in front of it.

  • Inside the stable you will find the Golden Horse, but heed my warning: you will see a

  • golden saddle there too, but you must not touch it.”