Sacred Lessons: Masculinity, AI, and the Great Law of Peace (with Mike de la Rocha)

What if the story we inherited — that being a man, or a nation, means holding it all together alone — is exactly backwards?

Recorded live at the BOOST Conference in Baratunde's adopted hometown of Palm Springs, this is his conversation with Mike de la Rocha on Mike's podcast Sacred Lessons. They get into masculinity and America's founding story, the doctrine that justified conquest, and the much older democratic wisdom that was already here: the Haudenosaunee Great Law of Peace, and what changes when you put peace, care, and women at the center of how we govern ourselves. Then they follow it into the present: broken men in power, the men building our AI, and whether this technology pulls us apart or finally forces us to reconnect.

Before you listen: Baratunde is co-hosting a virtual gathering, Declaring Interdependence, with Valarie Kaur and Indigenous elders José Barreiro and Katsi Cook on Tuesday, June 9 (5pm PT / 8pm ET) — the live companion to everything in this episode. Register below.

CHAPTERS

00:00 Welcome back — and an invitation to Declaring Interdependence
03:49 Sacred Lessons begins: the story we inherit about being a man
07:31 America's big awkward birthday party
08:07 The country as a story — and the doctrine of discovery
10:20 The Haudenosaunee and the Great Law of Peace
16:55 The book: American Indigenous Democracy
19:25 The five principles, starting with women at the center
24:34 Spirit, the unseen, and what his mother taught him
29:30 Practicing interdependence (yes, even with the moths)
31:07 Broken men, power, and refusing to mirror the cruelty
36:55 AI, Elon, and the trap of control
44:25 A better use of the tech: self-knowledge as a shield
48:14 Living with AI: agency vs. power
55:25 For the young man who idolizes the billionaire
57:55 Prepping for the apocalypse — with guns, or with neighbors
01:01:50 From a declaration of independence to interdependence
01:02:39 The Sacred Five
01:13:00 Closing: the book, June 9, and what's next on the feed

LINKS

Declaring Interdependence (virtual, June 9, 5pm PT / 8pm ET): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/declaring-interdependence-a-gathering-for-the-250th-tickets-1990529062008
American Indigenous Democracy: A Call for Interdependence (foreword by Baratunde): https://americanindigenousdemocracy.com
Sacred Lessons with Mike de la Rocha: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-sacred-lessons-with-mike-304426528/
Life With Machines: https://lifewithmachines.media
Everything Baratunde: https://baratunde.com

Recorded live at the BOOST Conference. Next up on the feed: my friend Jon Alexander, ahead of his turn on TED's democracy stage in Philadelphia.

Sacred Lessons: Masculinity, AI, and the Great Law of Peace (with Mike de la Rocha)
What if the story we inherited &mdash; that being a man, or a nation, means holding it all together alone &mdash; is exactly backwards?
Recorded live at the BOOST Conference in Baratunde's adopted hometown of Palm Springs, this is his conversation with Mike de la Rocha on Mike's podcast Sacred Lessons. They get into masculinity and America's founding story, the doctrine that justified conquest, and the much older democratic wisdom that was already here: the Haudenosaunee Great Law of Peace, and what changes when you put peace, care, and women at the center of how we govern ourselves. Then they follow it into the present: broken men in power, the men building our AI, and whether this technology pulls us apart or finally forces us to reconnect.
Before you listen: Baratunde is co-hosting a virtual gathering, Declaring Interdependence, with Valarie Kaur and Indigenous elders Jos&eacute; Barreiro and Katsi Cook on Tuesday, June 9 (5pm PT / 8pm ET) &mdash; the live companion to everything in this episode. Register below.
CHAPTERS
00:00 Welcome back &mdash; and an invitation to Declaring Interdependence 03:49 Sacred Lessons begins: the story we inherit about being a man 07:31 America's big awkward birthday party 08:07 The country as a story &mdash; and the doctrine of discovery 10:20 The Haudenosaunee and the Great Law of Peace 16:55 The book: American Indigenous Democracy 19:25 The five principles, starting with women at the center 24:34 Spirit, the unseen, and what his mother taught him 29:30 Practicing interdependence (yes, even with the moths) 31:07 Broken men, power, and refusing to mirror the cruelty 36:55 AI, Elon, and the trap of control 44:25 A better use of the tech: self-knowledge as a shield 48:14 Living with AI: agency vs. power 55:25 For the young man who idolizes the billionaire 57:55 Prepping for the apocalypse &mdash; with guns, or with neighbors 01:01:50 From a declaration of independence to interdependence 01:02:39 The Sacred Five 01:13:00 Closing: the book, June 9, and what's next on the feed
LINKS
Declaring Interdependence (virtual, June 9, 5pm PT / 8pm ET): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/declaring-interdependence-a-gathering-for-the-250th-tickets-1990529062008 American Indigenous Democracy: A Call for Interdependence (foreword by Baratunde): https://americanindigenousdemocracy.com Sacred Lessons with Mike de la Rocha: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-sacred-lessons-with-mike-304426528/ Life With Machines: https://lifewithmachines.media Everything Baratunde: https://baratunde.com
Recorded live at the BOOST Conference. Next up on the feed: my friend Jon Alexander, ahead of his turn on TED's democracy stage in Philadelphia.

How To Citizen with Baratunde reimagines the word “citizen” as a verb and reminds us how to wield our collective power. So many of us want to do more in response to the problems we hear about constantly, but where and how to participate can leave us feeling overwhelmed and helpless. Voting, while critically important, simply isn’t enough. It takes more to make this experiment in self-governance work! Listen in to learn new perspectives and practices from people working to improve society for the many. Join writer, activist, and comedian Baratunde Thurston on a journey beyond politics as usual that will leave us all more hopeful, connected, and moved to act.

How To Citizen with Baratunde

Masculinity, AI, and Democracy with Baratunde Thurston & Mike de la Rocha

Sacred Lessons in Masculinity, AI, and Democracy (with Mike de la Rocha)

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/597f4c4e-c38c-4a93-830a-b45f006d52a9/transcript