Future Chi
Episode 25: Nature

This week’s sketch: the importance of imbuing tools with spirit, as represented by the katana, as well as relentless horses, the king of Chinese medicine Sun Simiao, the ritual of tea making, and the magic of turning mundane tools of creativity into powerful instruments of creation.

The Episode

Many of our systems are moving us further away from our own nature; who we really are and what we’re truly capable of. But the further we move away from nature, the faster we move towards ill health, a lack of drive and optimism, and a loss of purpose. How do we tune back in? How do we find the right path to follow? How do we align with our internal constitutions and connect with nature outside and within?

This week Jost and Leon have a natural conversation about being yourself. Jost talks more about 7th century physician and the father of Chinese medicine, Sun Simiao, and how understanding one’s nature is the key to everything. Jost also talks about the original rebels; the Taoists, who rejected the perils of mundane society, his own experiences as a rebel student, and how fighting for what you believe in is good for your health. Leon talks about the hypocrisy of the hustle hard, sleep-when-you’re dead lifestyle, and how to transform mundane tools into powerful instruments of creation. He also talks about the emptiness of modern design and how to bring spirit back into the equation. Jost and Leon chat about talk about the bummer of reincarnation, tigers vs crocodiles, relentless horses, and the underlying reality of workaholism.

The secret to finding your ‘thing’ is to understand your nature first and then seek to develop the skills to cultivate it. If we ignore, override or suppress our nature we become hollow shells, imitating what’s around us, rendering us unable to be who we really are.

Being here on earth - in the physical - is a double edged sword: it either kills us or it makes us. We have to engage with fear and danger in order to build our energy, stay healthy, and stand up for what’s right. Now’s the time to discover our nature and stick to our guns, even if the odds appear against us. Always outnumbered, never outgunned. 

“To be skilled at treating one’s nature is to treat disease before it arises.” - Sun Simiao