Futurist, philosopher and filmmaker Jason Silva is heading to Kelowna.

This will be the first time National Geographicsa国际传媒檚 BrainGames host will offer his perspective in a public format during his tour at the Hack Your Reality event at Summerhill Winery, Oct. 17.

sa国际传媒淢y presentations are a journey that walks you through my own response to the human condition. Itsa国际传媒檚 based on this idea that what are we meant to do with our unique situation?sa国际传媒� said Silva.

His presentations are inspired by American anthropologist Earnest Beckersa国际传媒檚 book Denial of Death.

sa国际传媒淗e was saying the source of human neuroses and existential dreadsa国际传媒� is that people are starved for meaning or purpose, which is obvious, but the question is why?sa国际传媒� said Silva.

According to Becker, the source of anxiety and dread in humans is that no matter how successful we are, how creative, how rich, sa国际传媒渨esa国际传媒檙e housed in heart-pumping, breath-gasping decaying bodies,sa国际传媒� said Silva.

So, the question becomes sa国际传媒渨hat are we meant to do with ourselves?sa国际传媒� he said.

A media storyteller, Silva started creating short YouTube videos called Shots of Awe in an attempt to answer his own existential questions.

What he found were others who thought just like him, which made him feel less alone.

sa国际传媒淲hen I say sa国际传媒榟acking your realitysa国际传媒� itsa国际传媒檚 really saying sa国际传媒榳hat are the things that we do in our livessa国际传媒� how do our creative and linguistic choices govern our experiences?sa国际传媒檚a国际传媒� said Silva.

Silva will start with his own response through videos where he said, people can empathize.

The talks will be broad-based to include general topics like technology, love, creativity and more.

Love, he said, is to put a person on a pedestal, making them divine.

sa国际传媒淭o fall in love, is for one person to take on a special meaning for you,sa国际传媒� he said. sa国际传媒淚t is a religious problem ultimately, wesa国际传媒檝e replaced this god in the sky and put them in the body of the person with the same results,sa国际传媒� he said.

One of his first videos to go viral was one about love called Existential Bummer.

sa国际传媒淣o matter how holy, how divine our lovers are, they are tinged with a bit of sadness, the part of us that knows that we are temporarily lying to ourselves. Itsa国际传媒檚 kind of like the part thatsa国际传媒檚 aware that time will keep passing, that love will age and the bummer of that,sa国际传媒� he said.

Silva believes we need our illusions, like the feeling of love, to keep us from going insane. sa国际传媒淥ur illusions are a healthy response to our situations.sa国际传媒�

sa国际传媒淓arnest Becker says people who are insane are suffering from the truth. So not to go mad is a form of madness, but a necessary form of madness,sa国际传媒� he said.

These illusions prevent us from believing all is for nothing, he said.

sa国际传媒淛ust because I know love wonsa国际传媒檛 last forever doesnsa国际传媒檛 mean I wonsa国际传媒檛 consume the drug,sa国际传媒� he said. sa国际传媒淚 like to inhabit both of these levels.sa国际传媒�

The presentations are meant to share his viewpoints and not to be treated like answers to personal questions, he said.

Tickets are available online though .

carli.berry@kelownacapnews.com
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