This book will likely go down as one of my favorite books of all time. It is full of important and useful tips as well as relevant information about the world and about us. WISDOM. Martinez tackles multiple important topics and makes them easy to digest and understand.

If you’ve been curious as to why things are the way they are, or why you are the way you are, then this is a must read. This book leads to a better understanding of the world, and furthermore, how to move forward towards a better future.

Below are some interesting takeways I thought I would share. For the record, this is a nearly 400 page book and I read it back in May. I reviewed my notes, but there are clearly way more takeaways than what I have written below. Do yourself a favor and read this book. Seriously.

Some Key Takeaways

1. “The More We Understand the Limits on our Freedom, the Better Placed we are to Transcend Them”

Raoul Martinez prefaces the book with a brief discussion of freedom and its implications on the current state of the world. More specifically, Raoul discusses the language of freedom and it’s power of control and influence.

In Part One of the book – entitled “The Lottery of Birth” – Martinez reveals that we in fact, have no control over who we are and what we do. First, we did not ask to be born. Further, we had no choice in the matter. Assigned random DNA instructions, we are thrust into an environment we have no control over. These two arbitrary elements combine to create YOU!

This understanding exposes the delusion of free will. Our thoughts and actions in fact are not our own. Martinez acknowledges that this concept isn’t so easy to grasp:

“It can seem hard to reconcile the fact that we are not truly responsible for the lives we lead with the countless choices we make every day – what to eat, what to wear, whether to lie or tell the truth, whether to stand up for ourselves or suffer in silence. After all, I’m choosing to type these words and you’re choosing to read them. However, the act of making a choice does little to confer responsibility. The reason for this is simple: we make choices with a brain we didn’t choose.”

pg. 4

How can we punish those who break the law due to a brain tumor, hormone imbalance, or mental illness? The assumption of freedom and free will has allowed for an acceptance of the way things are. Martinez establishes this foundation before conveying issues with society and ideas for solutions later in the book.

2. Problems With Society

In Part 2 of the book, Martinez exposes a number of societal truths that some may otherwise have been unaware of. Some examples include:

Prison Industry: NOT GOOD

If you are unaware of the current state of the prisons in the United States, then this is an eye-opener. Martinez addresses the growing investment in prisons made by the government, instead of funding public education.

“The annual cost of incarceration in the US is about $63 billion. Criminal justice expenditure in some US states outstrips funding for public education…Across the US, spending on prisons has risen six times faster than on higher education”.

Martinez affirms that spending resources on understanding and addressing the conditions that cause crime is far more beneficial to society than the growth of the prison industry.

Government/Corporate Corruption

Here are just a few examples of the rampant corruption Martinez reveals in the book:

• Financial/Housing Market Crash of 2008: Banks authorized fraudulent transactions (bonds betting on mortgages) which led to the crash. Instead of banks bearing the responsibility of their criminal activity, the government – aka the taxpayer – bailed out the banks with $700 million.
• Federal Reserve/ Big Bank Money Creation: “Banks lend money they don’t have, bringing it into existence by typing some numbers into a database”.
• Corporate Lobbying: Big corporations use portions of their profits to lobby for new laws that benefit them.

Gaining a clear understanding of the blatant disrespect of citizens by the government and big corporations is vital. As a result of this awareness, we find agency instead of complacency.

Climate Change: The Ultimate “Wake Up Call”

Martinez makes it abundantly clear how pervasive society’s problems are. What better way to demonstrate the failings of our society’s systems than the inability to prevent global environmental degradation.

For example: Capitalism (and our economy in general) is built on continuous growth. However, when growth equates to overpopulation, rising sea levels, endless toxic waste, mass extinction and deforestation, there is a problem. A blind allegiance to an unsustainable system will only result in disaster.

More information: My blog about environmental issues

3. Positive Change is Possible! It’s Been Done Before

Raoul Martinez brilliantly uses this book to describe the way things are and why they are. Finally, in Part Three of the book – “The Fight for Our Future”, he demonstrates how positive change can be made.

“Compassion, truth, and freedom are not distant goals to be won once we destroy a system or vanquish an ideology. They are tools for creating the world we desire. Outbreaks of collective empathy have overwhelmed corrupt regimes, ended wars and abolished slavery, expanding the liberty of millions of men, women and children in the process.” p381

Martinez declares that creativity and empathy are a few of the ways we can make a difference. Each person has a unique set of experiences, and creative expression gives each person a voice. Creative expression leads to a more empathetic society. It is far easier to relate to others when we can better understand one another. Martinez brings this message home: each one of us has the power to create our own freedom!

More of My Favorite Quotes from the Book

“The more divorced from reality our beliefs are, the more vulnerable we become” p. 241

“…for curiosity is deadened by the illusion of knowledge” p. 244

“It is easy to be lazy, callous and ungenerous, but to learn what it means to act in our own interest, to be truly selfish, is one of life’s great challenges: it requires that we know what we really value and how to dedicate ourselves to it. The hordes of deeply unhappy, dissatisfied, disillusioned people in the world – including many with wealth, fame and power – are a testament to this challenge. In life, the default outcome is not that we act in our self-interest but that we change ourselves to meet the games we are taught to play” p.256

This quote particularly resonates with me. It was the theme of an entire blog I wrote last month entitled “Examining the Authentic Self”. It can’t be overstated how important it is to find out who you are and then to ensure your behavior reflects your authentic self. This book helps to liberate. After all, what better reason to live authentically than the true fact that you aren’t responsible for who you are!

“…labour is only virtuous if it helps others. Stated this way it becomes clear that a lot of the most useful work in society goes unpaid anyway: the work of mothers, fathers, carers, and friends. The aim of society should not be to produce more jobs but to enable better lives” p.337

“Empathy is the ability to identify what someone else is feeling and thinking, and respond to them appropriately” p. 349

More on Raoul Martinez

• His documentary “The Lottery of Birth”
• His podcast episode with Russell Brand on “Under the Skin”
• Check out the Book!

I’m Looking For Guests/Contributors

Interested in podcasts/blogging? Reach out to me! I would love to have you as a guest on the podcast or would like to hear your ideas for a blog. I’m hoping to add more frequent podcasts and blogs to the website.

Email: inspirewirepod@gmail.com