To listen to my whole conversation with Harari - which delves into AI, the future of work, Harari’s favorite books, and more - subscribe to my podcast, The Ezra Klein Show, on iTunes, Spotify, or wherever you get your fine audio programming, or stream it off SoundCloud. In this excerpt from our discussion, which is edited for length and clarity, we dig deep into Harari’s meditative practice and how it helps him see the stories humanity tells itself. But what I didn’t expect was how central his consistent practice of Vipassana meditation - which includes a 60-day silent retreat each year - is to understanding the works of both history and futurism he produces. Virtually everything Harari says in our conversation is fascinating. I’ve had one big question about him: What kind of mind creates a book like Sapiens? And now I know. I’ve wanted to talk to Harari since reading Sapiens. And it, too, is fantastically interesting. His new book, Homo Deus: a Brief History of Tomorrow, is about what comes next for humanity - and the threat our own intelligence and creative capacity poses to our future. The Israeli historian’s mind-bending tour through the trump of Homo sapiens is a favorite of, among others, Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, and Barack Obama. What are the activities that feel self-chosen – something you want to do, instead of something you have to do? Then go out and do more of that.Yuval Noah Harari’s first book, Sapiens, was an international sensation. Think about what activities and experiences you yourself find most enjoyable, attractive, and elevating. Third, find ways to express and realize yourself. When we are able to feel that our contributions matter, that we have a positive impact in the lives of other people, this makes our own life feel more meaningful. As social animals, we humans tend to experience our intimate relationships and the time we get to spend with our loved ones as highly meaningful. Most people, when asked what makes life meaningful, spontaneously mention their family and friends. Such psychological research has proliferated in the last few decades, and based on my own research and research by others, I recommend focusing on three things. Psychological research can help us to identify the things in life that most consistently tend to make people experience their lives as meaningful. Once we take this experiential approach to meaningfulness, science – the enemy of a God-given meaning of life – becomes our ally.

Yuval harari