Episode 118: Tyson Yunkaporta

This week, we embark on a wild, meandering convergence of modern and ancient thought, with author, academic, and custodian of indigenous wisdom Tyson Yunkaporta. A member of the Apalech Clan and a senior lecturer in Indigenous Knowledge at Deakin University, Melbourne, Tyson bridges the modern and ancient worlds in his work, and brings a radical perspective to things most of us take for granted. His book Sand Talk: How Indigenous Thinking Can Save the World (https://www.amazon.com/Sand-Talk-Indigenous-Thinking-World/dp/0062975641/ref=asc_df_0062975641/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=459549314552&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=15032400013082504010&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9009751&hvtargid=pla-910090060551&psc=1) is unlike anything I have ever read - mixing imagery, storytelling, academic criticism, and ancient principles of thought to create an exhilarating, mind-expanding experience. You may want to read it before this conversation. Or listen, read, and listen again. Though from an entirely background, Tyson is fascinated by Systema and immediately recognized its power when he first saw a video clip of Mikhail Ryabko 10 years ago. What results is a truly joyful exchange of ideas, where humour and curiosity converge on fundamental truths of being.  Somewhere in there, we touch upon:

* The limits of reductionist logic and science

* Foundational myths around violence

* Systema as a practice of distributed consciousness

* The domestication of humankind - and how to reverse it

A warning: like the book, this conversation was non-linear, cyclic, and highly unusual - arriving at meaning tangentially, and only after considerable wandering. Hang in there, and you may find some gems. If not - no worries :)