Tony Robbins is a figure of fun, condemned by the cynics for his tacky book covers, his outlandish dress and his hooting vulgarity. He is the very embodiment of the over the top American self-help guru with his 10 ways to do this and his 7 tips for that. Of late, Robbins has been criticised (as of 7 April 2007 site has now been taken down) for his ruthless moneymaking, his dysfunctional family relations and the alleged side effects of his live sessions.
Scepticism is a valuable human trait. It is what prevents us from signing up for pyramid schemes and giving in to snake oil salesman (although I could not believe the amount of people duped into playing the shell game in Berlin). And sceptics — a clearly identifiable type — do valuable work: being like modern pit canaries that sneer instead of snuffing it. According to sceptics, unless what you say can be scientifically verified then it should be held at arm’s length. No matter if it has practical benefits or accords with common sense, value comes only from being verified.
Robbins would probably say that if you perceive the world sceptically, your life will be skeptical. There will always be reservations and you’ll never allow yourself to truly let go and enjoy. Perception is reality. I am not a sceptic. If I were then I certainly wouldn’t be saying what I am about to say. I understand that I will be mercilessly mocked and exiled from all future intellectual discussions. Nevertheless, as Schopenhauer said: “All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident.”
The ridiculous truth that I have to impart is that Tony Robbins, the ludicrous American self-help guru with the goatee and bermuda shorts, is the greatest philosopher since Nietzsche.
Pause for a second to take that in. Now let me explain.
Nietzsche had the misfortune to be born into the body of a sickly, stern German philologist and Robbins was cursed by being trapped inside the body of a bombastic motivational speaker, but they nonetheless managed to overcome these shortcomings and achieve momentous insights. Both stared long into the abyss and came out the other side advocating a ressentiment free philosophy of joy and magnanimity. Both argued that a vegetarian diet rich in fruit was the most healthy. The parallels are uncanny. The main difference is that Nietzsche spent most of his life wrestling with the past, whereas Robbins grapples with what it is to live in present.
Reading Unlimited Power and Awaken the Giant Within can lead to some cringeworthy moments as one’s inner sceptic rebels against the overwhelming positivity, but if you do persist and look past the garish exterior there are superb insights into the workings of the human mind. Really.
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