Prince Constantijn & Princess Laurentien - When Humanity Outshines Royalty

Sometimes, while traveling around the Netherlands, you end up seated in front of a prince and princess of the Dutch Royal House. And sometimes, you realize, they couldn't be any more different than what you'd expect from a royal. In fact,  they are two of the kindest, humblest, and most authentic people I've met yet.

Prince Constantijn & Princess Laurentien were kind enough to host me in The Hague at their Number Five foundation, where we recorded (and filmed) this episode. I felt a deep admiration for their efforts breaking through the restrictions of royal life to show a truly human face. When I published Scary Smart last October, I met with the Prince (thanks to the efforts of our tireless head of the One Billion Happy foundation, Sonja Dippel) to talk about AI. After our chat, he left, got into a very normal car, and drove himself to his next destination. I thought to myself, "This is a prince?". After later meeting Princess Laurentien, and learning of her own tireless efforts to make the world a better place by empowering women, expanding literacy, caring for the environment, among other pursuits, I became a fanboy of these two.

Ego is the cause of human suffering. Being a royal was exactly the test the Buddha faced in combatting his own ego. Here, we have two more examples of people in power recognizing the true nature of royalty and flipping the script for good.

When humanity shines more than royalty.

Listen as we discuss:

• How I met the Prince and Princess.
• The genius of a wet grass carpet, and how they work for their son.
• Establishing boundaries when it comes to social media.
• Princess Laurentien's evolution to feeling like a kid again.
• The strange request of asking to be treated normally.
• How this prince and princess fell in love.
• Dealing with scandal in the Netherlands and the greater role of government.
• It is crucial to look for wisdom from people that aren't at the top.
• Defensiveness is one of the top red flags for development.
• The exponential value of admitting ignorance.
• What is listening?
• Enabling the development of tech for good.
• Princess Laurentien's top tip for happiness?  Alignment with your values and imagining.
• Prince Constantijn's top tip for happiness? Analyzing the self and finding patience.

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Website: mogawdat.com

Don't forget to subscribe to Slo Mo for new episodes every Saturday. Only with your help can we reach One Billion Happy #onebillionhappy