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The James Altucher Show

499 - Learn to Live in The Maybe: Tim O'Brien on War, Writing & Resting in The Unknown

The James Altucher Show

James Altucher

Education, Business

4.62.7K Ratings

🗓️ 24 October 2019

⏱️ 71 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Tim O'Brien is the bestselling author, "The Things They Carried." Tim wrote this book as a veteran of the Vietnam war. He was drafted. Like everyone else in their 20's at the time. "85, 90% of our casualties came from land mines," he said. "Not gunfire. Not the typical battle you'll see in movies. Landmines were the killing force." Every step he took was a mystery. People died all around him. ""I'll never know how close my foot was to a land mine," he said. Now he's 73. And has a new book. It's called "Dad's Maybe Book." His son came up with the title. But I look at this book as a sequel to "Thinks They Carried." Because both books include the idea of "maybe." "Will I live another day?" "every day has maybe," Tim said. "But that's true for everyone. We all write our maybe books. Maybe my dreams will come true. Maybe not. Maybe I'll change my dream, amend them or qualify them..." This episode is about learning to get comfortable with the maybe. Settling in. And seeing the story unfold.  I write about all my podcasts! Check out the full post and learn what I learned at jamesaltucher.com/podcast. Thanks so much for listening! If you like this episode, please subscribe to "The James Altucher Show" and rate and review wherever you get your podcasts: Apple Podcasts Stitcher iHeart Radio Spotify   Follow me on Social Media: YouTube Twitter Facebook Linkedin Instagram   Check Out The Altucher Book Club Series: Apple Podcasts YouTube Instagram   ------------What do YOU think of the show? Head to JamesAltucherShow.com/listeners and fill out a short survey that will help us better tailor the podcast to our audience!Are you interested in getting direct answers from James about your question on a podcast? Go to JamesAltucherShow.com/AskAltucher and send in your questions to be answered on the air!------------Visit Notepd.com to read our idea lists & sign up to create your own!My new book, Skip the Line, is out! Make sure you get a copy wherever books are sold!Join the You Should Run for President 2.0 Facebook Group, where we discuss why you should run for President.I write about all my podcasts! Check out the full post and learn what I learned at jamesaltuchershow.com------------Thank you so much for listening! If you like this episode, please rate, review, and subscribe to "The James Altucher Show" wherever you get your podcasts: Apple PodcastsiHeart RadioSpotifyFollow me on social media:YouTubeTwitterFacebookLinkedIn See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

This isn't your average business podcast and he's not your average host.

0:06.4

This is the James Altiger Show on the Choose Yourself Network.

0:12.5

Today on the James Altiger Show.

0:15.7

We hated not the enemy, but we hated the land, Vietnam, the soil, the place.

0:22.9

Every step was maybe.

0:26.1

Maybe I'll die.

0:27.1

Maybe I won't.

0:28.6

And then another step.

0:30.0

Maybe.

0:31.2

It was with all of us.

0:32.9

85, 90% of our casualties came from land mines, not gunfire or not the typical battle

0:38.3

thing.

0:39.3

You'll see in movies it was land mines with a killing force.

0:43.3

They were an inanimate.

0:44.6

You couldn't kill them back.

0:46.9

And that may beness for the life I live or die.

0:49.8

When you're 21, 22 years old, it lasts.

0:54.2

It doesn't go away.

0:55.2

I've carried it through my whole life and now I've carried it into, into fatherhood where

0:59.6

I'm getting old and now 73.

1:02.8

And every, just like in Vietnam, every day is, maybe there'll be a tomorrow.

1:08.2

Maybe there won't.

...

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