00:09welcome i am ben horowitz and this is
00:17thank you do you like it I mean
00:26would you tell other people about it
00:30good it's thanks I'm glad everybody like
00:36the show would have made the interview a
00:38lot harder otherwise so kind of getting
00:44right into it and in the very first
00:47segment of the very first episode when I
00:51when I first watched it I felt like you
00:54know having the story of the girl who is
00:58raped and lost her faith and lost her
01:00way kind of was you letting me know as
01:04as the audience that this wasn't just
01:06Oprah coming and reporting the news or
01:08telling a story but it was it was kind
01:11of deeper and more important than that
01:12what did it what does this mean to you
01:14to put out a series like this well first
01:20of all thanks for doing it you and
01:21Felicia thank you thank you Steve thank
01:24you for coming thank you for sharing it
01:28y'all are the people to know in this
01:35it feels like as I was saying in
01:39introducing it it feels like an offering
01:42you know my whole life my entire life's
01:45work in television has been about trying
01:48to connect people through stories so
01:51that you see yourself in that story and
01:54see the best of yourself and the
02:00opportunity to offer this series to the
02:04world is to me it feels like literally
02:09an offering and it's it's not about
02:12ratings and it's not about you know
02:14trying to make a lot of money from it or
02:19all the other thing reasons why people
02:21do television it really is for me to say
02:24to whoever chooses to be open-hearted
02:29enough to to watch it and view it to see
02:33how we're all connected because that's
02:34that's my goal that's that's really what
02:37I'm here to do is to
02:39inspire people to see the best of
02:41themselves and using this tool of the
02:44leaf seemed like a really good way in
02:48because every one of us even those of us
02:51who say we're atheists believe in
02:53something even if you just believe in
02:55your value system or you believe in you
02:59know being a good person is racial it
03:01was saying you know that's right so then
03:10I know people are gonna leave going what
03:12do I believe let me see
03:14so if that happens that's good that's
03:16good that's interesting how did you go
03:19about picking the stories and what was
03:23the connection between them well I have
03:26a team I'm not actually sitting doing
03:29sherry salata who's president of own and
03:32one of the presidents and John Sinclair
03:36who's been all over the world looking at
03:39different people we stand up John Lee
03:42everybody see you yep and there's
03:47another whole team behind them of
03:48photographers and producers who we
03:51literally started out with the stories
03:53in in a room looking at what are the
03:55religions of the world and what are the
03:58main religions of the worlds and what
04:00are the core belief systems in the world
04:02and where we wanted to go in the world
04:05and how we wanted to form those stories
04:07and basically auditioned some people
04:12like Mendel we went through a lot there
04:15a lot of young boys have in Bar Mitzvahs
04:17you know I think we got the one I think
04:21we got one I mean I was just watching
04:24them on my iPad and when his little face
04:27popped up and he said it's you know it's
04:29up to you to believe I go you're right
04:30about that brother so so so finding the
04:35stories that we wanted to tell and then
04:37finding the people who could best
04:39manifest those stories was was really
04:41key now when you went and you picked you
04:45just you made the decision to kind of go
04:47pick lots of different religions that's
04:52doing an anthropological kind of movie
04:55or something like that they might do
04:56that but nobody does that when they're
05:00trying to talk about spirituality just
05:02because you know it's just not done
05:04mainly because a lot of people in each
05:06individual religion might end up like
05:08being really mad at you you think theirs
05:10is the only way what do we want to bring
05:14but I wanted to show and I think we as a
05:16team wanted to show was that there are
05:20obviously many rituals and many ways in
05:25which to demonstrate your faith and your
05:28worship but there is a central thread
05:32through all of them and the central
05:34thread in all religions be Hindu
05:37Buddhist Muslim we have several Muslim
05:41stories Catholic stories Jewish stories
05:46Christian stories the central thread
05:48that runs through all of them is the
05:51line of compassion treating others is
05:54the way you want to be treated
05:56the golden rule runs through every
05:58religion and also a sense of what you
06:04feel when you look at mindle and his
06:06rabbi father and what you feel and since
06:11when you look at Terry and his grandson
06:14Lucas is really the same thing that's
06:18why those stories were put together and
06:19the thread that runs through them all is
06:22love is love is love I'm looking at some
06:29people who believe in that whole
06:31unconditional love thing in the front
06:35Reverend Cecil Williams glide memorial
06:43the loved Church yes yes
06:47so Terry who who passed away I guess two
06:51months after yes you shot it you and I
06:54were sitting there and like he spirit of
06:57fish with a stick just now you know I
07:00could go to called on the fish spirit
07:02yeah you know cuz I could go to the gym
07:05forever and like studying now to be able
07:08to spear a fish with a stick and it two
07:10months before he died he do you think
07:12there's a there's a super power that
07:15goes with that kind of faith you know
07:17what moves me so much about this story
07:19and I've seen it and seen it and edit
07:21and you know color correct I've been
07:23through many versions of this story and
07:26I still just sitting there tonight
07:28teared up when he says I have to pass
07:32these stories on to my grandson or our
07:35people will lose their way our people
07:40will lose their way makes the hair stand
07:44on my head because I think of my
07:48generation in the generation before that
07:51didn't pass on to so many kids were in
07:54the streets right now and that's why
07:56they're in the street because there was
08:01no one to pass the stories on and to
08:04understand how the song line whatever
08:08how how if you don't know who you are as
08:12a people then you won't know who you are
08:15as a person right that's that's the
08:18thing and and you know what he gets that
08:21he got that and he's an Aboriginal
08:24grandfather who never was on Twitter and
08:29there he didn't have all of the
08:32amenities and access to technology that
08:35we do but but he got that and understood
08:38that so that's why I think that's such a
08:40powerful story and you see there's a
08:42tiny little moment that I love in that
08:45story you know when this story starts
08:48buckle your seatbelt buckle your
08:51seatbelt - his grandson you see that the
08:54rabbi who is who loves his his son and
08:57wants his son to and one and questions
09:00whether or not I'm trying to live my
09:01life through my son that love and that
09:03pride is the same across continents
09:07nations ethnicities races it's the same
09:11and because this is such an interesting
09:16point so you've probably you spend a lot
09:21of time talking to people interviewing
09:24people helping people who are lost how I
09:28thank God for the loss to dysfunctional
09:30people yeah how's the Oprah show we
09:34wouldn't have had no guests if everybody
09:36was already healed well he thrived on
09:42dysfunctional people and it was so great
09:47let me just tell you this bin when I
09:48first started doing talk shows I was so
09:51surprised cuz I grew up you know poured
09:54Negro child Mississippi the whole thing
09:57so I was watching television on my life
10:00and I thought white people were like all
10:02white families were like the cleavers so
10:06when I grew up and started doing the
10:08talk show and realize y'all got some
10:09problems too great revelation to me yeah
10:16there are very few white people like the
10:18cleavers they were pretty darn happy but
10:24you know what is the path you know when
10:29people get that disconnected and and
10:31that broken and are so lost how do they
10:35when you think about making something
10:37like this what do you hope that that
10:40people will find well I think that one
10:43of the things that race moe says racial
10:45who's here raise ma where are you
10:49Reshma come up here there might be a
11:01I think what Ramos says when she's in in
11:04in the Ganges with 40 million people on
11:08one day is that every soul and every
11:15soul has a yearning to know itself and
11:20that which is beyond itself and so you
11:24get to say hi I just we just met
11:27backstage you get to see this through
11:29through through through the multiple
11:31stories that we tell and I think Rashmi
11:35is is a is classic and that there are
11:38lots of young people out there because
11:40you know according to the Pew studies
11:42there like two-thirds of Millennials who
11:46don't believe in anything they say don't
11:48believe in anything and there are people
11:50who just feel like okay is being a good
11:54person enough and I think everybody at
11:58some point in their life no matter how
12:00wealthy you are no matter what your
12:02square footage is no matter what is
12:04going on in your life you ask is this
12:07and is there something more and you're
12:10looking for that which is deeper which
12:12is divine which is greater than yourself
12:16which is what was what's going on with
12:18you we all want to know what's happened
12:21after it's been a while I'm actually boy
12:26your answer that I want to know what did
12:27that smell like III just I just got to
12:37say 40 million people and I did not see
12:47that the the crew originally I was still
12:51shooting The Oprah Show at the time they
12:52originally because it was in January I
12:54think of 2012 they wanted me to go and
12:56now when they say I said how many people
12:58did you say it was and did you say where
13:02is the nearest hotel did you say it what
13:05alright so what was that like it was
13:09actually this is the first time I'm
13:10seeing it so that was pretty amazing and
13:12I felt like I got to relive the whole
13:13experience yeah it was incredible it was
13:20it's hard to describe in words you saw
13:22how crazy it could be the commotion
13:25yeah just sleep at night on cots uh-huh
13:29so I had a tent uh-huh but yeah the
13:32amenities were very very little other
13:34people in the tent with you yes mmm did
13:36you know them I met them there I made a
13:42good decision but yes the smell is
13:49something I definitely don't care to
13:51remember but it was it was just
13:55mind-blowing and honestly there were
13:57moments as you saw that I felt like I
13:59was trying to pierce the surface like it
14:01was very easy to get caught up in the
14:03sensory stimulation and so I had to keep
14:07digging and just trying to pierce
14:08through that and when you saw me sitting
14:10with that family that is the rawest
14:12moment like I remember the entire world
14:14just disappeared and I felt like it was
14:17just us sitting there talking there were
14:19no cameras it didn't even feel like the
14:21khumba Mela was happening at that moment
14:22because I felt so connected to that
14:25family and I still to this day I think
14:27about them all the time like I'm like
14:29man next time I go to India I hope
14:30somehow I can find them and just tell
14:33them what what an incredible moment that
14:35was for me so and so what you say at the
14:39I'm not taking over Ben I'm really not
14:42you're it I've heard you're good at this
14:54so when you say at the end that you
14:57realize that there is there is a Power
15:01greater than ourselves I call that God
15:04you say there's a Power greater than
15:06ourselves you feel yourself in that
15:07power and it's a part of you and you're
15:11part of it did you know that before you
15:13left or did you realize that there it's
15:17interesting because Ben you were when we
15:19were watching it just now you said I
15:20don't think it's the water I think it's
15:22the people yeah yeah yeah yeah I think
15:25it was one of those things that I knew
15:26on a like a logical level like you hear
15:28it a lot from people and in you know
15:31when people are preaching about the
15:33divine whatever you call it you know it
15:36but when you actually feel it and
15:39experience it it's a whole different
15:40thing and what was it you were
15:42experiencing the connection to all of
15:44those people it was just that in the
15:46water all at the same time learning for
15:48that which is great yeah and the energy
15:51there was just incredible like that many
15:53people it didn't matter who you were
15:55where you came from what your background
15:57was in that moment we were all the same
15:59there was no difference yeah that was
16:03the biggest church ever in the river
16:05thank you thank you thank you are you
16:08glad you did it yes yeah absolutely
16:10the question I wanted though to know is
16:12have you been sustained by that and been
16:16able to go deeper yes so the biggest
16:20thing for me is I did end up going back
16:22to my IT career but it's the energy
16:25around it has totally shifted because
16:26now I'm doing an empowerment project for
16:29women and kids in India and my IT
16:31project is now what is fueling that so
16:34it was belief my experience with the
16:36Kumbha Mela that really just was the
16:38catalyst for me to go after what I
16:39really wanted to do and and maintain
16:41that connection with my roots and my
16:43heritage and feel like I'm still giving
16:46back to the world and and I found the
16:48meaning that I was looking for so
16:56did you have this much poise before like
17:00it's amazing you've just come up here a
17:02big audience Dan is sitting next to
17:04Oprah and I'm really impressed you're
17:08like every one of your containing it in
17:10but you know I'm already done a lot of
17:13stuff in public but well thank you
17:15that's a really nice awesome
17:20awesome thank you thank you
17:33really great so we we were talking
17:36earlier about how long this goes back in
17:42the history of humankind and maybe you
17:46could kind of share your thoughts on
17:49well this yearning that that that ratio
17:52was just talking about I think it's been
17:54since you know Neanderthal time I think
17:59that you know rituals when you find
18:04those old graves and anthropologists dig
18:08up you know how men and women lived
18:12thousands and thousands of years ago you
18:14see rituals that indicate that there was
18:18a belief system and that there was there
18:23were ideas and ideals about that which
18:27was greater than themselves and I think
18:29that to be human is to seek that in one
18:34form or another and the exciting thing
18:36about our series is that you get to see
18:39the many forms in which people seek it
18:42yeah and do you think they're kind of
18:47when you stop seeking it that's when you
18:51spiral is that kind of exactly the well
18:55this is what I you won't know what I
18:58yeah yes what do you believe what I
19:01believe is that your power here on earth
19:04your ability to be who you were meant to
19:09whatever you call your Creator is in
19:12direct proportion to how you are
19:14connected to the source and the farther
19:17away you are from the source of that the
19:20center of your creation the center of
19:26why you're here so I really do believe
19:28that if you were to ask me what is Mike
19:32my Creed my Creed is the same creed that
19:35runs through all religions and that is
19:37to do unto others as you would have them
19:40but even deeper than that even deeper
19:45if you ask one of my favorite
19:46definitions on super soul Sunday my
19:49favorite show one of my favorite shows
19:52name - super soul super soul Sunday I
19:55was asking Carolyn mace what I ask
19:57everybody what's your definition of god
19:59and Carolyn Mays who wrote the anatomy
20:02of spirit said God is law and I was like
20:07and what it would believe in Judaism
20:10yeah what do you mean by law all the
20:13laws that rule the universe
20:16and the the number one law for me that
20:21rules my life that I believe is the
20:23third law of motion in physics which
20:27says for every action which is you know
20:33really the Golden Rule on steroids
20:36because the Golden Rule says do unto
20:38others as you would have them do unto
20:39you in the color purple remember color
20:42purple That moment when miss Celie says
20:48everything you even try to do to me is
20:54already done to you that's the third law
21:00of motion that is phys that's physics
21:02it's the moment the energy goes out from
21:05your brain the moment the energy goes
21:08out that energy can do nothing else but
21:11return so for every action there's an
21:15equal and opposite reaction and as we
21:17were talking in the car beyond even the
21:19action and reaction is the intention
21:22behind the action so you have to not
21:25just be responsible for your actions but
21:29be responsible for the intention behind
21:32the action and and and in doing that you
21:36do unto others you do unto others
21:38because that is that is a law that's a
21:41physical law that it's gonna and it
21:43doesn't just show up you know like if
21:45you're like cut somebody off in traffic
21:47doesn't mean they're gonna cut you off
21:49in traffic right it just means that
21:51somebody may hit you down the street
21:53delayed lady opposite reaction it just
21:57means it just means that the energy of
22:00whatever it is that caused you to cut
22:01them off that energy is coming back to
22:03you all the time so watch out you you
22:09touched on something there the that
22:12that's interesting which is it's kind of
22:14it's the intention and the action and
22:16there's a lot of I think I'll you see a
22:20lot of people sometimes in certain face
22:23go well like my heart is good even
22:26though like what I did was wrong
22:29my heart is good and how do you think
22:31about that when you've got bad actions
22:32or at least you believe you have good
22:34intentions because that's a I don't
22:37understand that well no you don't
22:40understand what I said or you don't
22:42believe that you believe that because
22:44either because you know good good
22:46actions come from good and good
22:49intentions right yeah right yeah right
22:51yes and sometimes good actions come
22:55because you're trying you have an agenda
22:57and because you want to make an
22:59impression you know when I I grew up in
23:01the church and I went to church all the
23:03time Sunday School and then afternoon
23:08service and then evening service and
23:10Baptists training the Union I was that
23:12that that kid in church all the time
23:16so I grew up with a strong belief system
23:19you know the real reason I am where I am
23:22and who I am today is because of my deep
23:25profound faith in knowing that that that
23:31yeah first of all when I used to sit in
23:33church and the preacher would preach and
23:37say the God is your father
23:41I actually took that I believed it and
23:43so for a long time because I didn't grow
23:46up with a father when people would ask
23:47me who is my father I would say God is
23:49my father and Jesus he's my brother so
23:52very powerful very powerful I'm not
23:55kidding gives you some self-confidence
23:57gives you some self-confidence so if you
24:00grow up believing that you can do all
24:03things through Christ who strengthens
24:07leaving that you are a child of God
24:10which is how I grew up believing that I
24:13was very I was very much alone and
24:16feeling you know not loved in my
24:20immediate family but I prayed a lot and
24:23I really had a deep connection and I
24:27have been led by the inner voice of that
24:30connection and my whole entire life and
24:33that's why I'm sitting here yeah that's
24:35why I'm sitting here that is a great
24:37story I'm gonna use the word that'll be
24:41an inside joke but half how are you able
24:43to evolve that from you know kind of
24:48that very kind of I don't want to say
24:52trivial but it's kind of almost like a
24:54personification you're you gonna take
24:57that as your father and yeah use your
24:59brother limited view yeah how did I
25:01expand my view of God yes you became
25:03more sophisticated and you understood
25:05there were other religions and you
25:06understood that you know not everything
25:09in the Bible was necessarily the Word of
25:12God and so forth how did that not break
25:14your faith but strength you take it
25:16literally right you didn't take it
25:17literally I didn't take it as literal I
25:20mean like Mendel I didn't believe the
25:22guy you know cuz I started out like
25:23Mendel believing God was I had a beard
25:25Yeah right beard long white beard
25:28Jesus was blond had blue eyes he was on
25:30the calendar he knew exactly what he
25:36wore sandals a lot I think around 22 23
25:43I started to expand my view of being
25:48able to be inclusive and understand that
25:51God wasn't up in the sky and that it
25:56wasn't you know it wasn't it wasn't a
25:59literal man and I was sitting in church
26:03one day this is after after Jonestown
26:07and I was listening to the preacher
26:11preach about the LORD thy God is a
26:14jealous God the LORD thy God
26:17is you know omnipotent all things all
26:21and I in and I started to question how
26:24can you be omnipotent and jealous and
26:26jealous of me and all of at the same
26:29time so my my view the the the questions
26:33that I started to ask caused me to
26:36expand my view and my view is so
26:40expanded that now I see God in all as
26:43all in all things yeah that's beautiful
26:47that's amazing really really great I'm
26:53getting the time signal so I just want
26:58to say one thank you for the courage to
27:03put this out I think it's one of the you
27:07know it's not something that is
27:13guaranteed to have commercial success
27:15and it's something that you know could
27:19easily you know cause people not to like
27:21you and no I'm serious it's scary you
27:26know when yes exists thank you thank you
27:29and you know it's and to share so much
27:33of yourself I appreciate it so much and
27:35I think everybody well I hope you tell
27:38your friends about it I hope you watch
27:39with your children your family members I
27:42hope you share it opus and send out
27:44little clips on your Twitter feed I hope
27:47it causes you to think about what do you
27:50believe and have an open heart to allow
27:53people to believe what they choose to
27:55believe because faith is a very personal
27:58thing you know religion there are
28:02hundreds and hundreds of religions in
28:04the world but how you choose to believe
28:07in what your faith is and your
28:09relationship with that which you call
28:11the higher power your Creator God that's
28:14your personal thing I think Mendel said
28:16it best it's up to you to believe
28:19something's up to you it's up to all of
28:22you thank you thank you so much thank
28:30the Leafs October 18th thank you watch
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