“It’s freedom from oppression that you have a right to; it’s not freedom from obligation.”

— Sebastian Junger

Sebastian Junger (@sebastianjunger) is the New York Times bestselling author of Tribe, War, A Death in Belmont, Fire, and The Perfect Storm, and codirector of the documentary film Restrepo, which was nominated for an Academy Award. He is also the winner of a Peabody Award and the National Magazine Award for Reporting. He’s based in New York City and Cape Cod. His newest book is titled Freedom.

For more Sebastian, you can find our first conversation from 2016 at tim.blog/sebastian.

Please enjoy!

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Stitcher, Castbox, Google Podcasts, or on your favorite podcast platform.

Brought to you by Mack Weldon premium men’s basics, Wealthfront automated investing, and Oura smart ring wearable for personalized sleep and health insights. More on all three below.

Listen onApple Podcasts

Listen onSpotify

Listen onOvercast

This episode is brought to you by Mack Weldon! Mack Weldon is reinventing men’s basics. They believe in smart design, premium fabrics, and simple shopping. I’ve been focusing on their underwear and have been wearing their AIRKNITx 5-inch boxer briefs for a while now, and I absolutely love them. They are engineered to keep you dry, cool, and comfortable to the end of your workout (or workday). The fabric is soft, lightweight microfiber, which maximizes airflow and stretches in every direction. It’s breathable, moisture-wicking, and odor-fighting.

To get 20% off your first order, visit MackWeldon.com/TimTim and enter promo code TIMTIM. Mack Weldon—reinventing men’s basics.

This episode is brought to you by Wealthfront! Wealthfront pioneered the automated investing movement, sometimes referred to as ‘robo-advising,’ and they currently oversee $20 billion of assets for their clients. It takes about three minutes to sign up, and then Wealthfront will build you a globally diversified portfolio of ETFs based on your risk appetite and manage it for you at an incredibly low cost. 

Smart investing should not feel like a rollercoaster ride. Let the professionals do the work for you. Go to Wealthfront.com/Tim and open a Wealthfront account today, and you’ll get your first $5,000 managed for free, for life. Wealthfront will automate your investments for the long term. Get started today at Wealthfront.com/Tim.

This episode is brought to you by Oura! Oura is the company behind the smart ring that delivers personalized sleep and health insights to help you optimize just about everything. I’ve been using it religiously for at least six months, and I was introduced to it by Dr. Peter Attia. It is the only wearable that I wear on a daily basis.

With advanced sensors, Oura packs state-of-the-art heart rate, heart-rate variability, temperature, activity, and sleep monitoring technology into a convenient, noninvasive ring. It weighs less than 6 grams and focuses on three key insights—sleep, readiness, and activity.

Try it for yourself. The Oura Ring comes in two styles and three colors: Silver, Black, and Matte Black. For $299, you can give or get the gift of health by visiting OuraRing.com.

What was your favorite quote or lesson from this episode? Please let me know in the comments.

SCROLL BELOW FOR LINKS AND SHOW NOTES…

Want to hear the last time Sebastian was on this show? Lend an ear to our conversation in which we discussed Thomas Paine and Stoicism, how to develop a writing style, the psychiatric effects of war, the lonely nature of society, how to really “support the troops,” and much more.

SELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODE

• Connect with Sebastian Junger:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

SHOW NOTES

• Sebastian shares how he barely survived a recent experience he wouldn’t wish on anyone: an undiagnosed aneurysm in his pancreatic artery. [06:15]
• What profound truths were made clear in the aftermath of this traumatic brush with death? [09:21]
• Sebastian has always been willing to take risks (like reporting from war-torn countries). Did becoming a father and surviving the aneurysm change this? [12:48]
• What lessons did Sebastian learn from picking up two hobbies no ordinary 51-year-old would pursue: boxing and playing the accordion? What itch does boxing seem to scratch? [16:07]
• What compelled Sebastian to pick up the accordion, and how has it rewarded him? [18:37]
• How successful have Sebastian’s efforts to raise his two daughters in an “elemental, mindful, tribal manner” been thus far, and what is his foray into fatherhood teaching him? Why does he think he’s getting more from the experience in his 50s than he would have in his 20s? [21:54]
• How does Sebastian relate to the aging process of a warrior, and how did Crow chief Plenty Coups come to understand the role as one of protection rather than ego-driven aggression in order to ensure the survival of his own tribe into the 20th century? [28:42]
• What prompted Sebastian to write his new book, Freedom, and why is it divided into three sections: Run, Fight, and Think? [39:26]
• Why is the inclusion of women in insurgencies crucial to their success? [47:47]
• Sebastian shares the story behind The Last Patrol, and how walking hundreds of miles along American railroad tracks gave him an unparalleled sense of freedom. [52:05]
• Did the structure of Freedom change from conception to finished product? [57:44]
• While studying history and witnessing firsthand how terrible human beings can be to other human beings, how does Sebastian refrain from withdrawing into full-blown nihilism? [1:00:48]
• As an atheist, why did Sebastian choose to preface Freedom with a verse from the Bible? [1:07:21]
• On the mental trick that humans have used throughout history to downgrade people from “other” groups to subhuman status in order to remorselessly exploit, subjugate, torture, or kill them. [1:09:28]
• What is the Gini coefficient, and how does it tie in with the discomforting etymology of the word “freedom” and the relative inequality of history’s most dominant empires? [1:12:13]
• What does Sebastian hope people will take away from Freedom or perhaps ponder more closely after reading it? [1:19:07]
• As free individuals, what do we owe our society? [1:24:42]
• An ask of the audience: figure out what you owe. [1:30:51]
• Sebastian’s advice, as a new father, to aspiring parents. [1:34:31]
• Parting thoughts. [1:36:39]

PEOPLE MENTIONED

The Tim Ferriss Show is one of the most popular podcasts in the world with more than 600 million downloads. It has been selected for "Best of Apple Podcasts" three times, it is often the #1 interview podcast across all of Apple Podcasts, and it's been ranked #1 out of 400,000+ podcasts on many occasions. To listen to any of the past episodes for free, check out this page.