Level: C1-C2
Topic: Meaning of Life (!), Humanity, US Comedy
Bill Hicks is one of my all-time favourite comedians. If asked who I would most like to have a dinner party with (one of those typical TEFL activities), Bill Hicks would definitely be in there. He most likely wouldn’t like being raised from the dead to attend my social event but I would love to get his take on how the world has progressed since we lost him at the very early age of 33 in 1994.
This video offers some wise words on how we can work to change the world.
Watch the video and answer these questions:
1) According to Bill what is the world like?
2) What to we do with the people who remember, ‘the good guys’?
3) What do the eyes of fear want us to do?
4) How can we change the world?
Transcript:
“The world is like a ride in an amusement park, and when you choose to go on it you think it’s real because that’s how powerful our minds are. The ride goes up and down, around and around, it has thrills and chills, and it’s very brightly colored, and it’s very loud, and it’s fun for a while. Some people have been on the ride for a long time, and they begin to question, “Hey, is this real, or is this just a ride?” And other people have remembered, and they come back to us and say, “Hey, don’t worry; don’t be afraid, ever, because this is just a ride.” And we … kill those people! “Shut him up! We’ve got a lot invested in this ride, shut him up! Look at my furrows of worry, look at my big bank account, and my family. This has to be real.” It’s just a ride. But we always kill those good guys who try and tell us that, you ever notice that? And let the demons run amok … But it doesn’t matter, because it’s just a ride. And we can change it any time we want. It’s only a choice. No effort, no work, no job, no savings of money. A choice, right now, between fear and love. The eyes of fear want you to put bigger locks on your door, buy guns, close yourself off. The eyes of love instead see all of us as one. Here’s what we can do to change the world, right now, to a better ride. Take all that money we spend on weapons and defense each year and instead spend it feeding and clothing and educating the poor of the world, which it would pay for many times over, not one human being excluded, and we could explore space, together, both inner and outer, forever, in peace.”
Transcript:
“The world is like a ride in an amusement park, and when you choose to go on it you think it’s real because that’s how powerful our minds are. The ride goes up and down, around and around, it has thrills and chills, and it’s very brightly colored, and it’s very loud, and it’s fun for a while. Some people have been on the ride for a long time, and they begin to question, “Hey, is this real, or is this just a ride?” And other people have remembered, and they come back to us and say, “Hey, don’t worry; don’t be afraid, ever, because this is just a ride.” But we always kill those good guys who try and tell us that, you ever notice that? And let the demons run amok … But it doesn’t matter, because… it’s just a ride. And we can change it any time we want. It’s only a choice. No effort, no work, no job, no savings of money. A choice, right now, between fear and love. The eyes of fear want you to put bigger locks on your door, buy guns, close yourself off. The eyes of love instead see all of us as one. Here’s what we can do to change the world, right now, to a better ride. Take all that money we spend on weapons and define each year and instead spend it feeding and clothing and educating the poor of the world, which it would pay for many times over, not one human being excluded, and we could explore space, together, both inner and outer, forever, in peace.”
Language Learning and Digital Technology 