Big Questions No Answers

0:0:00 Introduction 0:07:00 The Big Question: Do We Seek Experiences or Do Experiences Seek Us? 0:09:00 Kyle goes for an Adventure and gets more than he bargained for 0:32:00 Do We Attract Some Experiences? 0:47:00 Traumatic Experiences 0:58:00 Dune Discussion 1:02:00 Dealing with Grief while in Lockdown 1:13:00 Kyle the Sommelier 1:30:00 Do Aliens walk among us? 1:37:00 Poison Oak 1:51:00 Memes 2:04:00 Kyle's Closing Remarks --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/samuel-vila/support

0:00 How not to share your weed 1:20 Big Question- Do you look at life like you're playing a role? 8:00 The Role of Art 18:00 How do you respond to the inevitable fact that you are going to die? 30:00 Have you had any odd or recurring dreams in the recent months? 34:00 Freudian analysis of Matt's Orgiastic dreams 43:00 Being online and getting bombarded with porn 49:00 Zoomers and meme culture 50:30 Doge for Blowj? 57:38 Matt shares a tragically comedic encounter with a man on the Santa Cruz bluffs 1:04:50 Who would you be if you became homeless? 1:11:15 Microsoft Word suppressing artistic freedom 1:17:47 What are the downstream effects of the pandemic going to be? 1:24:30 Pee Break 1:26:16 Matt turns the tables and asks me some questions about my future and my past 1:38:20 Vaccine Homoeroticism 1:42:20 The value of communication and long form conversation 1:55:25 Treeplanting 2.0 2:05 Watch HBO Max's 123 All Eyes on Me to see your boi Matt Kropschot in a short film --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/samuel-vila/support

This week I sat down with my good friend Connor Freitas, Connor is one of the funniest, most light hearted and genuine people I know. He's done it all, from working in almond orchards to lifeguarding to selling beer across the biggest little city in the US, Reno, Nevada. We talk about all kinds of things from getting COVID to experiencing head trauma to the meaning of life. I guarantee that at some point of the podcast you will either be smiling or laughing out loud. I had a great time recording this one, I hope you all enjoy! 0:0:00 Pooping, Crying, and Freezing 0:1:15 Connor Freitas intro 0:2:30 The Big Question: What's the first thing you show an alien? 0:4:40 What's the best part about being an adult? 0:6:05 What's the worst part about being an adult? 0:7:05 Cooking with Freit 0:9:20 A hilarious story about Connor's first concussion 0:21:53 Do you think you'd be a different person if you hadn't had any concussions? 0:26:10 What's a skill you wish you had? 0:34:40 A rundown of Reno, the butthole of the west 0:39:00 A little COVID talk 0:43:45 What was it like being sick with COVID? 0:52:40 What do you want out of life? 0:57:10 Did you ever think you were going to die when you had COVID? 1:07:57 Are you happy with who you are? 1:18:25 If you could only choose one substance to use for the rest of your life what would it be? 1:27:25 What is the meaning of life? 1:35:15 Closing Remarks --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/samuel-vila/support

0:0:40 How old do you want to live to? 0:1:30 Bane impression 0:2:00 Shrek Impression 0:3:00 Apples or Oranges? 0:3:40 Deepak Chopra impression 0:5:00 Allan Watts Impression 0:6:55 What's the job they would have to pay you the most to do? 0:9:30 What is happiness? 0:18:00 A quote from “A Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat” 0:21:00 Chaos looms continually beneath us 0:23:00 What's the first thing you'd show an alien? 0:25:00 Closing --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/samuel-vila/support

I sat down with my partner in crime, Elliott Mcbride, we decided to redux our previous podcast to give the people a real rundown of this wild profession, we aim to answer the most frequently asked questions about treeplanting. If you have no idea what this job is about, this should be a decent introduction for what to expect, and how the industry works. I hope you all enjoy. 0:1:35 What is Treeplanting? How does it work? Where does the money come from? 0:4:25 What Kind of Trees Are You Planting? Why Those Species? 0:6:00 How Is The Timber Industry Involved In Treeplanting? 0:9:00 What is the best part about treeplanting? 0:11:45 What is the worst part about treeplanting? 0:14:00 What are three characteristics that every treeplanter should aspire to have? 0:17:30 How much money can you make treeplanting? 0:19:00 Is treeplanting dangerous? 23:50 Where do you shit? where do you sleep? where do you eat? 0:30:00 What's the treeplanters schedule like? 0:32:00 What do you do on your night off/day off? 0:34:30 Highs and lows of the job 0:45:00 What is tree price? 0:49:00 What's the worst piece you've ever been on? 0:55:00 How do you get into treeplanting if you're interested? 1:02:00 Elliott turns the tables and asks me some questions --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/samuel-vila/support

0:0:00 Intro 0:2:00 Big Question- What are the best and worst parts about being a parent? 0:4:00 Becoming a father for the first time 0:10:50 A guilty cheeseburger 0:16:00 Comparing parenting styles across generations 0:19:00 A shift in priorities or world view? 0:29:20 Did you have a newfound respect for your own parents when you became a parent? 0:38:30 Life is a circle 0:46:00 How much do you let children know about struggles of being a parent 0:53:00 “Get in the Cupboard” 1:00:00 Trying out different accents and finding an identity 1:07 Pee Break 1:14:00 How do you solve the problem of balancing economic need with giving your children a loving childhood 1:19:00 In providing for your children in a soul-sucking job, are you setting a negative example for your them? 1:26:00 The Story of my Great Grandfather Salvador Hernandez Vila --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/samuel-vila/support

This week I sat down with my good friend, Alex Raymond, Alex is currently working from home for a construction permitting company out of our childhood hometown of Danville, California. Our conversation centered around the role of luck in each of our lives and how we interpret its effect on who we are. We discussed the allure of golf, the impact of karma, Alex's unique slang and how that has left a footprint on the lives of the people around him. The audio quality leaves a little to be desired, but despite that I thoroughly enjoyed this week's conversation and I hope you do the same! 0:00:00 Intro 0:01:30 The Big Question: How much of your life has been determined by luck? 0:05:00 Work yourself into luck 0:09:00 Chaos makes life meaningful 0:16:00 The allure of golf 0:21:00 Karma B***! 0:24:48 Why you so Pinnard? Raymond breaks down his own language 0:36:00 Do you think in Pictures or words? 0:45:00 The Butterfly effect of social interactions 0:50:00 I don't have time for people who don't know how lucky they are 0:53:50 Do you worry about the future of humanity? 1:00:00 Staying positive, focus on the things that you can control --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/samuel-vila/support

I sat down with my friend and former teammate Raju Dhaliwal to talk our new found adulthood, Raj is currently living in our childhood home town of Danville California currently working from home for a tech start-up. Our conversation centered around the lessons of young adulthood, imposing standards on yourself vs having them imposed on you, living in a dystopian world, weaponizing identity politics and much much more. I hope you all enjoy! 0:0:00 Intro and song 0:1:30 Big Question: Adulthood: Expectations vs Reality? 0:8:30 How has your perspective of your parents changed through getting older? 0:17:00 The effect of parental standards vs self imposed standards 0:30:00 We are in the dystopia 0:32:00 Are you an optimist/pessimist or realist? 0:39:30 Bowling Alone 0:44:00 Pee Break 0:45:00 Growing up brown in a white town 0:49:30 Weaponizing Identity Politics 0:57:00 YANG GANG Democracy Dollars 1:00:00 Have you ever had a Recurring Dream? 1:05:00 Closing Remarks --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/samuel-vila/support

0:00 Intro 0:1:10 If you could be any animal what would it be and why? 0:5:30 John Lilly's Ketamine inspired Dolphin Experiments 0:10:20 Gaurav's Master's project: Impact of agricultural systems on animal movement 0:20:30 Why Should we Care? 0:25:00 What is a characteristic you look for in other people? 0:35:40 How to influence people on a mass scale? 0:43:00 Have you ever had a recurring dream? 0:49:00 Sam almost dies choking on water 0:56:00 Is there a collective consciousness guiding our dreams and realizations? 1:00:00 Understanding animals in their terms not ours 1:08:00 The power of human animal interactions 1:14:00 Closing Remarks --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/samuel-vila/support

This Week I sat down with Valentine Roland Ssebuyungo. This is Valentine's second appearance on the podcast, he is an ambidextrous, electrical engineer, currently working with a company called Form Athletica that creates goggles using augmented reality technology for swimming. Valentine is incredibly intelligent and introspective and we had a wonderful conversation. Our talk centered around optimism vs pessimism but we covered it all, the potential alien invasions to come in the future, the roles of signs, omens, and superstitions on our behavior, the corruptive property of power and much much more. I hope you all enjoy! 0:0:00 Intro/Fun Fact 0:3:30 Big Question, A Case For Optimism? 0:10:45 The Difference Between Realism and Pessimism 0:18:00 The 3 Body Problem and Potential Alien Invasions 0:26:00 Does Absolute Power Corrupt Absolutely? 0:37:00 Fraternities and What They Say About Group Psychology 0:45:00 The Pessimism that comes out of Anxiety and Depression 0:51:00 The Initial Conditions for Optimism 0:58:00 Coming of Age Ceremonies 1:04:50 Signs, Omens, and Superstitions 1:10:00 What If You Are The Universe? 1:15:00 Closing Remarks --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/samuel-vila/support

This Week I virtually meet with my good friend Luke Goldstein, currently working in a marketing position from his home in California. We discuss the crumbling empire of the USA, the American dream, moral dilemmas, Tik-Tok, and formative experiences. I hope you all enjoy as much as I did. 0:00 Intro 0:02 The Big Question- What does “America" mean to you? 0:08 Is The American Dream still alive? 0:15 The self-serving nature of humans and corporate greed 0:20 Luke faces a moral dilemma in his professional life 0:32 How do you weigh following your passion with the reality of making ends-meet? 0:42 There's no straight-line path to where you end up 0:47 The phenomenon that is Tik-Tok 0:53 The practice of understanding where people are coming from 0:58 I ask Luke for a formative experience, something that he looks back on as a turning point or defining moment and he returns the question 1:10 One of My favorite topics: Languages and Accents and how they shape your identity 1:18 Future plans? 1:22 Closing Remarks --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/samuel-vila/support

This week I sat down with my good friend, Taby Marin. Taby currently works as an educator for kids between ages 5 and 6 and is currently pursuing certificates in Childhood education and Sexual health education. We had a great conversation about childhood, family dynamics, and role of education and educators contributing to the societal straight jacket. I hope you all enjoy! 0:00 Basic Intro 0:06 The Big Question, How Much of Who We Are As Adults Is Based On Our Childhood Experiences? 0:10 Childhood themes and The impact of siblings 0:20 Learning Empathy from working with kids 0:35 A self-esteem exercise goes awry 0:40 Re-examining biases 0:50 School as a tool for society's straight jacket 0:58 The effect of COVID on kids 1:02 Taby Turns the Tables and asks me about my childhood 1:12 Taby talks Hitting Rock Bottom and climbing out of the abyss 1:22 Taby's closing Remarks --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/samuel-vila/support

This week I sat down with Aylin Daniela Benavides or Dani. Dani is studying industrial design at Emily Carr. She has had a very close relationship with hard work all of her life and we sat down to talk about it. The trials and tribulations she has gone through on her journey from Costa Rica to Houston and then on to Vancouver are a testament to the power of work ethic and drive. I hope you all enjoy the conversation as much as I did. 0:00 Intro 1:23 The BIG Question 6:00 Personal responsibility 13:30 Dani's life journey and introduction to work 20:40 Working 90+ hours per week 27:50 Shit customers 31:00 Immigration interrogation- CRAZY story 39:00 Feeling bad for saying no 45:00 Planting talk 57:00 Closing Remarks --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/samuel-vila/support

Coming at you solo on a Wednesday morning with somethings on my mind 0:00 The Big Question 6:00 Anxiety Dreams 10:00 Hidden Life of Trees 16:00 Humanity in the long run 20:00 You ARE A GOD and Scottish Rant --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/samuel-vila/support

This week I sat down with my friend, Ahmed Hatem, originally from Egypt, Ahmed came to UBC to study computer science and microbiology and I regard him as one of the smartest people I know. We dig into the potential pitfalls technology has to offer us in the coming years, the lack of self-reflection from humanity as a whole, God algorithms and much more. It was incredibly enlightening for me and I hope you all enjoy! 0:0:00 Intro 0:2:20 The Big Question 0:10:00 Impending Cyber Doom? 0:15:00 Human's obsession with abstraction 0:23:00 Figuring out where we fit in to nature 0:30:00 Taking time to think about what we're doing 0:40:00 The role of young people 0:51:00 Causal algorithms 1:00:00 The problem with the higher education system 1:09:00 Closing remarks --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/samuel-vila/support

Produced with help from Quarantine fever --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/samuel-vila/support

This week I sat down with one of the most introspective humans I've had the pleasure of talking to, Valentine Roland Ssebuyungo. Originally from Uganda, He's currently working while studying engineering at UBC and has found passions in philosophy and psychology. Our conversation focused on one of the biggest of topics, human nature, whether it exists, how it's commonly defined and how we defined it for ourselves. We meandered into all kinds of topics but mainly focused on how we treat ourselves. I also want to give a huge shoutout to Saurav Saha for producing the intro and outro song I'll use for the podcast going forward. 0:0:00 Intro Song (Prod. by Saurav Saha) 0:1:57 The Big Question 0:10:57 Pushing each other forward 21:05 Does everyone need mushrooms? 31:30 Neurosis and Human Growth 44:30 The Role of Negative Emotions 55:00 Tricking ourselves 1:05:00 The Tests we face 1:16:00 Don't Focus on the Should 1:23:00 Closing Remarks --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/samuel-vila/support

After a long month of sobriety, I took a Tuesday night to go deep into the abyss of drunken conversation with my friend, forestry major, and tree-planting extraordinaire, Elliott McBride 0:0:20 Intro 0:0:45 First Question, If you could turn into any animal, what would it be? 0:2:48 Second Question, If you were diagnosed by a psychiatrist with a mental disorder what do you think it would be? 0:12:15 Third Question, Do you think that ADHD exists? 0:18:26 Fourth Question, If you had to pick one substance to use for the rest of your life and abandon all others, what would it be? 0:24:05 Fifth Question, Why do we lie? 0:28:00 Is a dream a lie? 0:29:19 Who was the last person who you felt like punching in the face? 0:33:20 Are we alone in the universe? Whatever your answer, if we were alone what would that mean? --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/samuel-vila/support

I'm joined once again by Matt Kropschot, actor, film-maker, and creator, our conversation centers around creativity, getting silly, a bit of philosophy and how to deal with existential angst. 0:00 Opening Scene to Reservoir Dogs 0:06 The Big Question 0:15 The Importance of Silliness 0:30 Is life despair? 0:40 The disconnect between the media we consume and our behavior 0:59 A message from our sponsor @cream0fthekrop 1:15 The inevitable demise of homo sapiens 1:30 The impact of a sober month 1:40 "Matthew, What kind of porn do you watch?” 1:55 COVIDIOTS 2:03 Closing Remarks --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/samuel-vila/support

This week, I sit down with Sophia Minter, a UBC student in her final year studying Social Work, Sophia has passions in dance, community outreach, social equality, and much more. We chat about the growing problem of isolation, the importance of structure, and the impact of an ever more digital world. 0:00 Intro and Big Question 0:05 Loneliness vs Isolation 0:10 Rural living vs City living 0:20 Fear of losing the spark 0:30 Pushing your own limits 0:40 Getting comfortable with being alone 0:47 "All of humanity's problems stem from our inability to sit alone in a room by ourselves” 0:55 The impact of being focused on a singular goal 1:02 Dumpling Delivery and ASMR Session (*Loud Chewing Warning) 1:05 Digitizing childhood 1:08 Sophia closes us out --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/samuel-vila/support

This week I sat down with Riley Struck, my childhood friend and current project engineer at Tectronic industries. I picked Riley's brain about being a working professional and adulting in general, we talked about the prospect of aging, how much structure we need to function, cultural nuances of the south, and much much more. 0:00 Intro and the Big Question 0:05 How many egg sandwiches are too many? 0:11 Sober November and strange dreams 0:18 Writing things down and imposing order on to the world 0:26 Dreams 0:34 Self Expression and why not put yourself out there 0:45 Cultural differences of living in the South 0:55 Waiting for the microchips 1:06 Quarantine activities 1:13 Riley gives some advice --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/samuel-vila/support

I sit down with my long time friend, Alejandro Arboleda, a personal trainer, kinesiologist and a fellow pandemic grad trying to get his life together. On the eve of one of the most contentious elections in history, we chat about the possibility of the end of the world, trying to find our feet in this strange time, staying grateful, how we can live in the fire, how to develop mental toughness, and much much more. 0-0:03 The Big Question 0:03-0:12 Personal training in COVID times 0:12-0:35 Politics, Conspiracies, Trump and Alex Jones Impressions 0:35- 0:50 What's life without a little bit of risk? 0:50- 1:00 1:00-1:15 Live in the Fire 1:15- 1:30 Ale talks MMA training 1:30-1:35 Closing remarks, Ale leaves you with a big question of his own --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/samuel-vila/support

This week, I sit down with Illia Khomenko, a long time friend and fellow kinesiologist Illia tries to convince me that humans are innately bad, I give him a few reasons that help him climb out of the abyss, we talk losing our faith in humanity and regaining it, differences between East and Western Europeans, and flaws of human consciousness. 00:00-00:10 Individual vs Collective 00:10-00:15 Addressing Stereotypes 00:15-00:20 Adjusting Human consciousness 00:20- 00:29 Is it human nature to abuse power? 00:29- 00:36 Are humans innately good or evil? 00:36- 00:45 What are we spending our years doing? 00:48-00:55 Hope for humanity and closing remarks --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/samuel-vila/support

This week I sit down with my good friend and roommate, Saurav Saha, a computer scientist major currently working as a software engineer in his last year at UBC. Saurav comes from a diverse set of backgrounds, originally from India, growing up in Bangladesh, and then moving to Canada for university. We talk about our shared weirdness when it comes to the world of voices and accents and how they relate to our personal identities. 0:00-0:16 The origin story 0:16-0:23 Relating to others 0:23-0:32 Going home and family dynamics 0:32-0:36 Parent-Child/Master-slave and Conflict Management 0:37-0:42 Everything that happens to you happens because you need to be who you are 0:42-0:47 We need uncertainty to make life matter 0:47-0:58 Good and Bad, How anxiety manifests 0:59-1:08 Wrap up and more --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/samuel-vila/support

I sit down with Caleb Weinhagen, my roommate, an environmental scientist, and favorite perv to talk about beer, our latest forays into the darker sides of the internet, and much more. 0-0:07 Beer Tasting- Persephone Brewing Company- Brew The Change Porter 0:07-0:19 Eating ass and taking names 0:19-0:26 The Big Question 0:26-0:35 The animalistic impulse vs the rational brain 0:35-0:45 Making the world complex for no reason 0:50-1:07 Beer tasting pt.2 Moon Underwater Boys in the Yard 1:07-1:12 Who is Caleb Weinhagen 1:23-1:30 Where do our desires come from? 1:40-1:55 The power of placebo --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/samuel-vila/support

I sit down with my long time friend Matt Kropschot, an actor, amateur film-maker, and all around cool dude. We chat about all kinds of things, tackling the questions we know you are dying to have answered. We talk about our species' diminishing attention spans, prompting the big question mentioned in this episode's title. 0:16 The Big Question 0:25 Adapting to a socially distant world 0:41 BTS from an outside perspective 0:55 Costs and Benefits of Anxiety 1:09 America vs Americans 1:44 Adulterated Shepherd's pie

0:00 The cattle prod story, traveling Europe 0:14 If you could go back and give you 23 year old self some advice, what would you say? 0:25 Tree-Planter 0:50 Every moment can be a perfect moment 1:05 Fracking from the front lines 1:09 Truck accident and coming back from adversity 1:30 Alternative Sales 1:45 Final words

I sit down with Elliott a 3rd year veteran tree planter to discuss this crazy occupation. Our conversation centers around our experiences as planters but meanders into what we think of the pandemic, the CCP, slack-lining, and RGB's recent passing

Two talented young artists inspired by quarantine boredom sit down to produce one of the most fire tracks you've ever heard

A short ramble, I think out loud about my future, where I'm going and what I want from life

Passing the time with a few bars over this "Slim Shady" instrumental by Nxnja

This week I'm in the studio with my friend and roommate Brian Carew, a movement practitioner and teacher, respiratory therapist, and health advocate. Our talk ran the gamut. From productivity, to the importance of reflection, finite vs infinite games to the importance of chaos.

Another ramble, this time I talk about lessons I learned reading The Brothers Karamazov, Full Metal Jacket, and the duality of man

Beat is from Layx Prod on youtube- Try it for yourself!

Back in the studio once again, letting my creative juices flow, I open my episode with a short freestyle, I suck at rapping but I do it anyway because it's an awesome mental exercise and I think I get a little bit better each time I try. I talk about the benefits of facing adversity, our life as action towards death, and much more.

This episode, I talk about the role of ego in our lives, how ego relates to confidence in my own life, and the gift and curse of having a semi-British accent.

I sit in front of the microphone, spit some facts, some ideas and some straight up word vomit, it's up to you to decide what's what. I cover some philosophy, share some personal stories and look at the brain. Intro song: Kkallabassass by Spark Master Tape https://youtu.be/asO8OAXLYsI

Josh and I discussed our opinions on free expression, being an introvert vs an extrovert, Josh tells a vaguely sensual story about his experience with a wombat. We discuss meme culture, the future of humanity and much much more. I hope you enjoy

In this episode I sit down with Katya, a philosophy student at UBC, we discuss personal identity, the effect of comparing yourself to others, travel, and much more

Kees is a UBC student in Kinesiology who has been fighting muay thai for the last several years. We talk all things conflict, American imperialism, touch on the light and dark sides of US culture, anime, Japan, and baby porcupine hiccups.

My first solo podcast talking about the randomness of life, loss, and how to deal with tragedy.

Two college students bullshitting about questions that have already been asked by smarter people than themselves.

What do the following have in common: The Spanish Civil War, videogames, Google's spying, conscious neurospheres? No it's not the contents of a fever dream, My good friend Hugo and I talk about all these things and more in this highly entertaining podcast.

A conversation between two friends one, an acting student who also dabbles in everything from drawing to making beats. The other, a kinesiology student, who thinks out loud and pretends to be Joe Rogan.

An Italian and an Englishman walk into a recording studio, the following ensues

A mountain goat and a hybrid british-american man walk into a studio, the following ensues

Faces of UBC podcast Episode 3 with Nil by Sam Vila

Two university students question the absurdity of experience

Episode 1 by Sam Vila