Ready to begin or deepen your meditation practice? Join Dan Harris and world-class meditation teachers on the 10% with Dan Harris app here: https://app.danharris.com/membership There's a bit of Josh Johnson's that went viral where he tries to meditate and immediately spirals into thinking about the gold standard, currency-as-economic-enslavement, and the theoretical collapse of the dollar. It's very funny, and it's also a reasonable question — sometimes the anxiety isn't unfounded and can't just be breathed away. Which turns out to be a great starting point for a much bigger conversation about meditation, acceptance, comedy, and one very unhappy take on AI. Josh Johnson is a comedian and one of the rotating hosts and correspondents on The Daily Show on Comedy Central. His HBO Max special Symphony is excellent. He also has an extraordinary work ethic — three years of a new hour of comedy every single week on his YouTube channel, Josh Johnson Comedy. Catch him on his new tour, “Comedy Band Camp” touring across the country right now (tickets at joshjohnsoncomedy.com). In this episode: – Josh's failed-meditation bit — and how the joke actually reflects his real relationship with meditation – "Sometimes those emotions are just right" — anxiety and depression aren't always overreactions – Acceptance vs. resignation — the argument Josh had with a friend that mirrored Dan's whole philosophy – Why anxiety may be the American resting state (with the school-shooter-drill example) – Contentment gets confused for settling — and why that's a trap – Josh's actual practice for a hard patch — "Will I care about this a year from now?" – News anxiety, cycles of Trump-says-X-and-doesn't-do-X, and the "TACO" pattern – The privilege of a war you can turn off vs. one you can't – Where Josh's grounding comes from — earnest parents, real faith, and not separating the Old and New Testaments – "It's easier to throw a rock than to love someone through addiction" – The Basquiat quote at the top of Symphony — comedy as the decoration of reality – The role of comedy in tumultuous times — and the RFK-Jr.-as-a-sick-school-nurse bit that lands the argument – Why some subjects Josh deliberately doesn't touch (making certain news "go down easy" is a disservice) – Three years of weekly hour-long specials — the obsession, the practice, and the "artists finish" advice that lodged in his head – Reading the comments (yes) – Comedy Band Camp — the new tour designed as an antidote to the loneliness epidemic (with a personality quiz that assigns you to a troupe) – Josh's very unhappy take on AI — theft, unkept promises about cancer cures, lobbyist capture, and comparisons to Apple Vision Pro and the metaverse – "You can't steal from me and sell it back to me and expect nothing will happen" – What $1.5 trillion could actually be doing right now Subscribe to watch more 10% Happier videos: https://www.youtube.com/tenpercenthappier Follow Dan Harris on Social Media: https://www.instagram.com/danharris/ https://www.tiktok.com/@danbharris https://www.facebook.com/DanHarrisABC https://twitter.com/danbharris https://www.linkedin.com/in/dan-harris-91ba5716b/ #10PercentHappier #JoshJohnson #Symphony This episode is brought to you by iRestore. iRestore has been leading the way in red light therapy for over two decades, with clinically backed devices trusted by over 500,000 customers worldwide. The iRestore Elite is their most advanced laser hair growth system, and the Illumina Face Mask targets fine lines and dullness with triple wavelength light therapy. Head to https://www.irestore.com and use code HAPPIER to save on the iRestore Elite and Illumina Face Mask This episode is brought to you by Cash App. The Cash App Card is available to teens 13 to 17 with sponsorship by an eligible parent or guardian, with intuitive educational tools and instant access to money from family and friends. Download Cash App today and sponsor your teen. Cash App is a financial services platform, not a bank. Banking services provided by Cash App's bank partners. Prepaid debit cards issued by Sutton Bank, Member FDIC. See terms at cash.app/legal/podcast.