Things we're looking forward to in 2024
Here are some of the books, movies, and events we are excited about in the coming months.
THINGS TO READ
1) Mattias Desmet’s latest
We recently spoke to Dr. Desmet about mass formation and its antidotes: truth and sincere speech. He told us he’s working on a new book on the ‘Psychology of Truth,’ which we are really looking forward to reading in 2024.
Our conversation with him will be released on the Collapse Life podcast in the first weeks of January, so be sure to tune in for it! Until then, have a read of his Substack for more of his thoughts on what truth is and why it is so essential:
Truth, by definition, from a psychological point of view, is resonating speech, it is speech which connects people, from core to core, from soul to soul, speech that penetrates through the veil of appearances, through the ideal images we hide behind, the imaginary shells we seek refuge in, and reconnects the shivering and disconnected soul of one human being to that of another human being.
2) Matt Smith and Doug Casey’s new book
Another book we’re keeping our eyes out for is from the legendary Doug Casey and his podcast co-host (and a renaissance man himself) Matt Smith. If you’re not familiar with this duo, head on over to Doug Casey’s Take now and get caught up. It’s a lot of fun, and also extremely informative. Their forthcoming book will sketch out an alternative strategy toward education and how to acquire it — basically what skills a young person can learn instead of going to college.
Check out the Doug Casey’s Take podcast here:
3) Catching up on some classics
We have a stack of books we’ve been wanting to dive into and 2024 is the year we plan to finish them. Among the stack are titles like The Gulag Archipelago (Solzhenitsyn), The Story of My Experiments with Truth (Gandhi), and Ordinary Men: Reserve Police Battalion 101 and the Final Solution in Poland (Browning). Not exactly light beach reads! That’s probably why we haven’t tackled them yet.
That last title deals with the banality of evil, a topic we often ponder as we look at the world around us — which leads us to another book in the ‘to read’ stack: Eichmann in Jerusalem (Arendt).
THINGS TO WATCH
4) The Zone of Interest
Speaking of the banality of evil, we recently heard about this film, which opened in limited release in December 2023 and will debut nationwide in January 2024. ‘The Zone of Interest,’ like Arendt’s book, explores the human capacity for committing, accepting, and normalizing barbaric action. Based on a book by the late Martin Amis, it tells the story of a Nazi commandant, his family, and the perfect life they lead on the other side of the wall from the Auschwitz concentration camp.
The fact that New York Times film critic Manohla Dargis considers the film “vacuous” and “hollow” only increases our interest in seeing it.
5) The Chosen
Season 4 of the historical drama based on the life of Jesus will premiere in February, according to Angel Studios, first in theaters and then online. The show seems to have hit a global nerve — maybe because it’s the right message for the moment. In its first three seasons, the series has become one of the world's most popular, with nearly 1 billion episode views and 10 million followers on social media. If you’re new to the program, you can binge watch to get caught up on all three seasons, which are available to stream for free.
EVENTS TO ATTEND
6) Freedom Fest
This would be our first time attending FreedomFest, which is described as an “annual festival where free minds meet to celebrate freedom in an open-minded environment.” Sign us up! From what we’ve seen, this independent, non-partisan gathering that attracted speakers like Mike Rowe, George Foreman, and John Cleese in past years, looks like a great event very aligned with our values. We hope to see many of you there.
7) PorcFest
PorcFest — The Porcupine Freedom Festival — is a multi-day celebration of liberty in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. It’s a week of interesting speakers, panel discussions, presentations, movies, music, crafts, and demonstrations. There’s dogs, and guns, and yoga, and naked Olympics. There’s gold, too.
We attended last year before starting Collapse Life, and are very much looking forward to being there again, this time to represent our nascent brand. Stay tuned for more information as our plans firm up. Our hope is to present some of our own guest speakers (John Rubino, if you’re reading, come join us! You’ll love Porcfest) as well as thought leaders and open discussions — looking forward to seeing you there.
8) Florida Beef Summit
Our friends at the Beef Initiative are hosting a day-long meeting of the minds in Florida on February 4, exploring key issues related to agriculture, digital finance, and parallel systems. The event will be capped off with a "Cattleman’s Feast," featuring local grass-fed beef and fresh local produce. This is how we are going to build the future — through community, connection, and collaboration. Plan to be there and bring your appetite!
