Conversations with Tom | Thomas Chatterton Williams on How You Pull Yourself Out of the Matrix

On this episode of Conversations with Tom Bilyeu, Thomas Chatterton Williams tells his own story of unlearning poisonous stories about race through extensive reading, living in a new country, and reflecting on his own family. As the discussion progresses, he confronts the challenges we face in getting past mere anger to build the beautiful society that we ought to be able to live in. This episode is brought to you by: Wagner Spray Tech: https://bit.ly/2WNICDs PeopleReady: Visit peopleready.com/impacttheory Better Help: Get 10% off your first month at https://betterhelp.com/impacttheory SHOW NOTES:  Thomas talks about a novel that he tried to write that he had to give up on [1:00] Fiction is a very different medium from non-fiction writing and requires different skills [5:17] Nothing is ever wasted, and the best of the lost novel ended up in his non-fiction work [9:00] Thomas credits his father as being the first guy who “pulled himself out of the Matrix” [13:01] Thomas tells the story of the poet he is named after [18:47] Thomas then explains how he and his wife chose his daughter’s name [21:20] Thomas describes how stepping out of America caused him to view race differently [24:26] Thomas discusses the complexity of his heritage, ethnicity and ancestry [28:52] Thomas hopes for a society where the skin color is as unimportant as hair color [32:00] Do people want progress, or do they merely want catharsis and anger? [35:27] The blanket of identity we throw over every issue obscures deeper problems [41:49] Tom tells the story of how he started mining for astronauts in poor areas [48:14] Should we focus on helping children? [56:08] Children are never in a vacuum and you have to affect the whole family [1:00:55] Thomas talks about how he and his brother pursued completely opposed paths [1:06:22] Thomas discusses how he raises his kids [1:13:30] Thomas defines the good life as autonomy, as living according to his own values [1:19:27] Tom and Thomas discuss Hip Hop in the 90s and today [1:23:35] How can we get past anger towards the beautiful society on the other side? [1:32:36] What happens when people’s efforts are channeled in very limited ways? [1:40:26] Building desire is one of life’s most important quests [1:52:45]  FOLLOW THOMAS: INSTAGRAM: https://bit.ly/2Z94PvI  FACEBOOK: https://bit.ly/31dgnAu  TWITTER: https://bit.ly/3esJJyP  Are You Ready for EXTRA Impact? If you’re ready to find true fulfillment, strengthen your focus, and ignite your true potential, the Impact Theory subscription was created just for you. Want to transform your health, sharpen your mindset, improve your relationship, or conquer the business world? This is your epicenter of greatness.  This is not for the faint of heart. This is for those who dare to learn obsessively, every day, day after day. Subscription Benefits: Unlock the gates to a treasure trove of wisdom from inspiring guests like Andrew Huberman, Mel Robbins, Hal Elrod, Matthew McConaughey, and many, many, more New episodes delivered ad-free Exclusive access to Tom’s AMAs, keynote speeches, and suggestions from his personal reading list You’ll also get access to an 5 additional podcasts with hundreds of archived Impact Theory episodes, meticulously curated into themed playlists covering health, mindset, business, relationships, and more: Legendary Mindset: Mindset & Self-Improvement Money Mindset: Business & Finance Relationship Theory: Relationships Health Theory: Mental & Physical Health Power Ups: Weekly Doses of Short Motivational Quotes  Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3PCvJaz Subscribe on all other platforms (Google Podcasts, Spotify, Castro, Downcast, Overcast, Pocket Casts, Podcast Addict, Podcast Republic, Podkicker, and more) : https://impacttheorynetwork.supercast.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices