Welcome back to the show, My fellow extraordinary Americans. Today’s guest, Asaf Raz, 

Asif Raz immigrated from Israel to Venice Beach, California, in his early 20s and began the journey to citizenship in a country he had long studied and revered. He built his American dream through real estate for more than two decades. And a handful of other entrepreneurial pursuits. After his spiritual rebirth in his early 30s, he found the woman of his dreams, started a family, and began to write.

First, he wrote a short memoir about his awakening rite of passage and then released a book on Amazon called Descent: Lockdown 2020 (Old Glory Saga). Sarfraz is an extraordinary American, and I’m glad to have him on the show, Asif. Are you there?

I’m here.

Also, thank you so much for taking the time to do the show with me. I’m honored to have you on the show. So, can you tell me in the audience a little bit more about yourself, your background, your path in entrepreneurship, and how You got started?

I’ll give you the Cliff Note version, and if you want me to add meat to it, I can do it later, but I’ll give it to you. You have the synopsis.

OK.

So basically, I moved to the States. Not even a week after I finished my military service in Israel, I was born and raised in Israel. And less than a week after following an old dream of mine, I moved to the States. I moved straight to Venice Beach, California, which was an old dream of mine, too. That started with the second season of the MTV series The Real World. It was in Venice Beach, and I was excited about that place and dreamed about it for a long time.

So, as I said, less than a week after the war was over, we were there. I have many friends from high school in my hometown—a bunch of country boys, in a sense, in the big city. And you know, the road was not, even though the road was, in some regard, entrepreneurial since the first day, I have crushed and burned many different businesses and things. 

Eventually, I got myself acquainted with real estate. That was my first break. I lost everything in real estate, but I had a lot of knowledge, and a buddy of mine, God bless him, said, Listen, you have all this knowledge; you might as well start selling real estate. It’s opposed to just doing it yourself. And that’s it. I entered the real estate industry as a broker. I’ve done that for many, many years. I’ve done it for about 17 years, eventually building my firm. And then there was a spin-off.

Eventually, I got into the restaurant business. Not by an almost divine design or by liking the restaurant business. And I got into that, too. And that was kind of crazy, right? And that’s led me to develop in many business venues nationwide. Across the spectrum, including cryptocurrency, which I love dearly, and other investment vehicles.

So, it was by no means a straightforward road. It was more about falling on your face seven times a week and then rising once and recording it in your journal than doing that again and hoping for a better result. But that’s the cliff-note version of it; it is a true immigrant journey. With all the pitfalls and successes, I’ll end by saying everybody tells you the United States Is the land of endless opportunities, right? 

Nobody tells you that you’re going to have to work. It was hard for them when you heard about them. Endless opportunities like, oh, my God, somebody will give me everything on a platter, which does not work this way, but I’m fine with that because I was always a merit-based person. I never wanted to be given something that did not belong to me.

So, I just eventually had to figure it out. Hopefully, I have answered your question.

No answer, like it’s basically what you’re talking about, which is basically what many Americans in the 18th and 19th centuries looked like when they came to America looking for opportunity and the American dream. But they had to work hard, and they had to go through a lot of ups and downs to get to where they are.

So, what was your overarching goal concerning your career? I know you started with entrepreneurship, then went into real estate and the restaurant business. How did that trajectory take place exactly?

So, the trajectory began with the cassette. Yeah, back in the day, they were cassettes. I’m 46 years old. I saw the end of the cassettes. And I was working at that time. I had no business aspirations; I was a DJ. I love DJ; I was working in a furniture store. I didn’t have any business sense, and then a gal, an old mentor, gave me a cassette, and she told me I had to listen to it. And that was Robert Kiyosaki, the guy who wrote Poor Dad Rich Dad.

Wow, that is so awesome.

That reached that like a little cassette. I’m putting it in my Walkman. And I’m listening to Robert Kiyosaki explain about business, and in some regards, I’m very, I should say I’m. I’m blessed because, unlike some folks, I don’t know how familiar you are with the book, but many of us get the advice of poor dad, drain it, or poor mom. It doesn’t matter. The point is that it is so common to be given advice. Poor dad. That only leads you to be a bee or cog. Now, I have nothing against COG. I’ve been a cog myself—Russian military. Robert Kiyosaki opened my eyes to understand Advice from Rich Dad: Where? You can’t trade your time for money. I mean, like, constantly. This is not a life.

I mean, and God bless you. If you want to do it, do it. But I got into the idea. That I have if I want to reclaim it. I have the most finite resource, which is time. Then, I will have to make sure that money works for money, as opposed to me working for money. Now, this is good on paper. I had all those theories in my head, but, you know, I have to go through them. You know the struggles of making that advice work, but I would say that the road began with understanding how business and investing work.

And to view it not from the perspective of, you know, the dry fact of how to make money, but rather how to create meaning. What is your reason? One of the things that led me to start my career was finding something I could be passionate about. And do it. Good, because you can make money from anything and everything. I remember I had a friend in real estate. He was back in the first meltdown of 2008. He calls me. And he’s like a soft listener. I’m making a lot of money from this. The new thing, and he was in. Sometimes, real estate doesn’t matter what or who you ask. What are you doing? And? He’s like, “I’m installing waterless urinals.” 

And I’m making so much money with these waterless urinals now. I heard his story. I bet there’s a lot of money in waterless urinals, especially at the beginning when they just came out, right? They’re saving money. They’re saving on water, and all the blah blah blah point was… I could only install waterless urinals if I were passionate about them.

So, I know that it has to be something like that I’m ultimately passionate about it. And the beauty thing—the beautiful thing about real estate—and that’s how I got my mind fixated on real estate. For most of us, especially as long as we have a corporate body, the real estate around us makes so much sense. It’s such an important thing, right? The four walls Even right now, I’m speaking with four walls around me and a roof.

And somebody’s stopping him from getting into something meaningful to us as human beings, our shelter. I told myself, “If I already do something, let me do something that has a meaning that I can.” Say that it’s a product that will be very needed, and I can help both myself and other people navigate themselves. So that was the trajectory of Robert Kiyosaki eventually meeting what I’m passionate about.

Wow. Yeah, no, the book Rich Dad, Poor Dad. It has inspired a lot of people, and it has gotten them into a business mindset. And what you’re talking about regarding being passionate about, like making money out of the things you are passionate about, is so relevant because you see many people who have hobbies. They’re things that they’re passionate about. They have their careers in one hand, but they’re just doing that. Like, pay the bills. But then there are these things that they’re passionate about but need to learn how to monetize their passion. 

And that’s one of the key ingredients to living a happy and successful life. Right, like. Building a career around things you’re passionate about won’t work if you’re not working. It’s no longer like doing the hours because it’s just part of who you are. But many people need to learn how to monetize it or transition from a career to this thing. But do you have any opinions on bias regarding that matter?

My best advice in this situation is to have a healthy mixture of education and action. It was famous. Scene. Have you ever watched How I Met Your Mother?

Yeah, I’ve seen. I’ve seen that. Yeah, like all.

Yeah, I love that show. I mean, the ending was horrible. Eventually, they had an alternate ending, which kind of changed things. Thank God. But anyway, there’s this one episode where Ted is the main guy in the show. Right. He was an architect—an inspiring architect. Study. He became an architect, right? That’s the education part. And then he builds an office and a home. Office, right? And he builds the office. He puts on a perfect chair. Then, one day, Rob and his friend come in, and he looks at his office. You have a great office. Have you used the phone?

And he’s like, Ah, nope.

So, you didn’t call anybody for your services? You’ve studied, and you created the office. If you put the phone back, you’ll know it’s not a cell phone, right? It’s like, you know, the landline. But you didn’t make the call. And that’s the key thing that is so missing, and it can be said in reverse too, but at least in reverse, those who are the men of action or women don’t matter. But those are the people in action. You are lacking education. Eventually, they’re going to figure it out. 

They have an advantage because they will bust their heads again on the wall. But if they can remain in action, they will eventually learn. But the people lack education. Whoever doesn’t take action will never succeed. And that’s it. They will become professors, and then they will give it to you. Those lectures are those of people who never left—the confines of universities, yet they think they know. 

So far, the best in the world. It would be best to have a healthy mixture of education and action. And as long as you set foot on a proper path that fits your heart’s calling, you can succeed. Failure is only possible if you stop. You just have the simple ingredient of education, action, and a powerful why. Why am I doing it? Because you’re going to need that. Why?

There’s going to be some struggles ahead. Like, let me tell you something after the meltdown. I came to the office knowing that I had no work. I would still come to the office at the same hour. And my inbox is empty. I have no one. I have no clients who want to sell. I have no clients who want to buy my bank account, which is falling apart. 

And yet you come to the office and make meaning from something, even if it’s a nugget. And that’s why the “why” will keep you going because you have chosen a path. It’s like the Holy Trinity. The reason is education and action.

Man, I said how you talked about it makes so much sense. The last part starts where you talk about it being like a triangle, like education, action, and knowing your why. That’s almost like a formula, you know. 

But I think many people don’t take action out of Fear. They’re so used to their normal environment, and they’re so used to the old ways and habits of doing things that they’re afraid of venturing out and fulfilling their dreams and their passions. 

And so, my question to you would be, how would you overcome Fear? Doing the thing that you’re meant to do in your life.

That’s a great question. Now listen, I don’t know if you’re going to like the answer, but I have only one simple answer, but I’ll. Give it by way of a story. So, back to paratroop school. I was a young paratrooper. There was this non-commissioned officer. The voice of this grizzled non-commissioned officer was raspy from, I don’t know, 15,000,000 cigarettes, right? And we’re right before our first. Jump, and everybody is kind of jumpy like you never have. I mean, like, jumping from a plane. You know none of them. I have done it.

And it’s pretty intense, but Right, exactly. Exactly.

So, they asked him. I asked the instructor if his name was Victor. Are you afraid? I mean, are you still afraid? And he looks. At us and say, boys. I jumped 1500 times, and I’m scared ******** every time.

Right.

Here’s the lesson. You’re not supposed to overcome Fear. You’re supposed to overcome yourself and act despite Fear. It’s a big difference. Suppose you’re just going to wait until you overcome Fear, good luck. But if you’re willing, overcome yourself. 

And when Fear comes at you, you overcome your senses. And instead of being like a bunny at a headlight, not doing anything, just waiting for the car to hit it, you will use it. That time, move your body forward to engage. Then it doesn’t matter, but overcoming your finger—and frankly, it doesn’t matter if you’re talking about overcoming your jealousy, pitifulness, or desire to steal. It doesn’t matter, whatever vice he’s holding you back, whatever small, weak part of you he’s holding you back. Please don’t wait until you reprogram it.

I love it; like some folks do, the seminars have been going on for about 50 years, and they’re still working on them. I love it with the quotation mark. I’m working on myself. Great. What is the action? Because it doesn’t matter. Don’t wait for that thing to get away. Wait for yourself to be able to show the world and yourself first that you can provide the action unrelated to the fact that you are scared ******** inside. Excuse my French.

So, my answer to overcoming Fear is: don’t overcome Fear. Overcome yourself. Despite Fear, it is a bit different, but that’s my method.

Wow, that’s a really deep message. I’ve heard that in my podcast, like Don’t Overcome Fear. It’s like overcoming yourself. And it’s just that it’s like so many deep wells because that’s the hardest thing for people to overcome and conquer—their selves. 

You know, you have to go within yourself, and there are things that you know most people would not want to confront, like people. They don’t mind confronting the world. But when you confront things about yourself and like that’s when that’s. **** gets real, to be honest, you know. 

The hardest thing to overcome is yourself because it’s your identity—all that stuff. So. Yeah, it’s correct. But as if continuing at this point, what is the biggest lesson you learned during your time in, like, during your entrepreneurial journey and also during your time of writing? What is your biggest lesson or revelation besides this Holy Trinity of education and action, and why?

That is a wonderful question—eventually, the lesson and I hinted about it a bit before when I was talking about the why. The reason is the Holy Grail. I must admit that. I’ll be there. I succeeded in real estate, and I succeeded in my other ventures. I mean, I failed too. I failed quite a bit, but that was good in everything I’ve done before writing. But I did not. I didn’t provide the best version of myself. It provided quite a good version. 

And for folks: Looking from the side, it might say, Hey man, you. Have I got all these things? Right. You got dizzy at that. This, you know, is almost like it—metals on your chest. But there was one medal that was always missing, and I didn’t understand it until my writing began.

The one missing thing was to find the purest purpose of my life and follow that. That didn’t happen until the year 2020. To be fair, in May 2020, I’d already created businesses, bought and sold properties, and started whatever. But I didn’t understand what it meant to find your purpose.

I should be humbler about finding the path leading to my purpose, right? as opposed to all other routes. I did it one time in my life. Before that, I didn’t translate that into business for like or creation. I found my wife because of the one time I did before that. 

And that’s something I can do. The case is that all the ingredients for finding my beloved were from this exact lesson. It’s just that it took me a few years. To find and take the same energy and purposefulness for finding my wife. And to translate it into what my hands and mind are all doing.

So, finding your purpose in this and finding your purpose is a scary one. Because when you find your purpose, you can’t shy away from it. It’s the door that cannot be—closed no more. It’s the calling that you cannot turn off in your heart and mind, and it will drive you up the wall if you don’t be on it—a path for your purpose. I mean, in some regard. Have you seen the first one? Hola means ****, but the first one.

No, I’ve seen, yeah.

Do you remember when the trader met with Agent Anderson in person?

Sniper, yeah.

Right, right. Remember when he sent him, you know? I know that this steak is fake. I know. I’m not sitting in a restaurant, but I’m so tired. Connect me. There’s something very calming about connecting the Mediocracy to the lie. The lie and the warm embrace of the lie are wonderful. 

It makes you dim your light or never turn it on because life is in the sewer. Of the free men and the free women, it’s hard, right? When Neal woke up from the matrix, he did not wake up until he woke up in a nightmare. But it would be best if you asked yourself a question. 

It is being awake in the nightmare where I’m serving my highest purpose. It is better than being in the lie in the machine when I am turned off. But the suffering It’s gone. I don’t have to feel the suffering anymore.

So, finding the purpose, finding your purpose—there’s a way of doing it, right? I’m talking here in big sentences. But, you know, there’s the There is a lack of time, but there is. There is a formula for how to find your purpose, and there is a way to know that you’re doing it or how you’re on your path. 

And that is the key ingredient, and I can if I look back at my life. I might not have acted the way I did. If you had sent me back right now, I probably would have acted completely differently since I found my passing in 2020 and figured out that it was not about building businesses and buying homes; it was about something different. 

But I guess I had to go through what I went through to find it; it’s like a chicken and an egg. You know, I don’t regret anything. It led me to ponder these questions and change my life.

So, to answer your question, finding your purpose or, at the very least, finding the route to her purpose would lead you to the best life you can. I oppose the life you have, and I’m kind of paraphrasing an old quote.

When you talk about the matrix, it reminds me of what most entrepreneurs are. When you people are trying to start a business, right? It’s like they leave the corporate world and then tell us what the media tells us because it’s mediocrity. 

As you mentioned, it’s all mediocrity. You’re doing a nine-to-five job. With inflation, you’re getting a ship pay like now; the wages don’t match up with inflation and then. You’re under a boss and everything, and some people try to go. They try to escape. 

But then they’re in the entrepreneurial trenches, but many wouldn’t make it because they’re like, man, the old job. The old way of doing things was so much simpler. But this is the one place where I wouldn’t say that the suffering is gone. It’s more like long-term, low-key suffering. Like if it’s if you would be suffering from 1:00 to 10:00. It’s like three to four, but over an extended period.

Entrepreneurship is like an eight or nine, but it becomes blissful if you reach the other end. And that’s what came to mind because entrepreneurs are like the people who take the red pill and then get out of the matrix.

But in the beginning years, it’s a nightmare, you know, because you’re still facing financial risks. There’s all that. But if you make it, it’s blissful on the other side because now you’re nobody telling you what to do, like you have your dignity and self-respect. You are free. And so yeah, that’s what came to mind.

I would amend one thing. You are free from the moment that you set yourself free; don’t be mistaken. It is not the power of your purse that makes you free. You decide to be free. You know, Victor Frankel, who wrote. Man’s search for meaning comes straight out of Auschwitz. I mean, it’s a book. It’s a must for anyone wanting to amount to anything in this world, and it’s a tiny book.

On top of that, it’s easy. I wrote about the horrors of Auschwitz, the death camp, and our responsibility for our state of mind, no matter what. You can be led to the gas chambers with your head up with a smile. This is your last moment. But you will die a free man. It doesn’t matter that they have the power to kill you. You have the power to exit this life until the last second. 

Don’t be mistaken. Nobody should be mistaken because sometimes I hear that I just talked with a dear friend yesterday who never pursued Is blessed. And I asked, and I asked them, you know. I asked him like. Why aren’t you? You know, follow your bliss. 

And he tells me, I saw for you; it’s easy to say that because you can do that. And I told him, “He is so wrong; it has nothing to do with that.” I’ve been on my *** flat broke. More than I’ve been doing well. But it didn’t matter in my position; I treated myself as a free man.

So, I would even tell you something in some regard. Even in the restaurant. That we built and other stuff, some of the craziest, funniest times. Where we’re at is near oblivion; we feel the most alive. It’s almost like when I play video games and love them. Suppose I get the feeling that the computer cannot beat me. I stopped the game. I just stopped the game. I cannot continue unless I die or unless I feel that the machine can kill me. Then there’s no challenge, and I have to stop the game. I need to feel that the challenge of destruction is to the end and don’t get me wrong; I don’t mean that I need to have my family at risk for the rest of my life.

So, I feel passion in my life. That’s not what I mean by any means. And I simply want to convey that we should never wait to be free until we can. That is not freedom. That’s why Ayn Rand wrote and was quoted saying: Take away the people, and leave me the factories, and the factories will fall apart. But take away the factories and leave me the people; they will build them again. It’s very important to understand that. 

And that would lead to strengthening your insides when everything goes wrong. You can look in the mirror and say, “I’m not broken.” Until I break, and even if I break, I can patch up that smile again and get stronger from a broken place. That’s OK, too. It has happened to me many times.

Yeah, it’s. It’s what you just said, and that’s true. Freedom is a mindset, and it’s a state of being. And regardless of your environment, you are already free in your mind. If you’re free in your mind, it’ll eventually come out in your surroundings over time.

That is correct.

There is one thing I wanted to ask you about. I know you talked about purpose, right? And finding your purpose—could you tell me in the audience a little bit more about how they would go about finding their purpose or what they’re calling? I’m sure many people listening to this would want to know how to find their purpose and call if they haven’t already.

Fair enough. Just like in karate, kids, you know, vaccines are off. You know I’m sorry. I’m. You know, I’m that age, right? So, I’m using the karate kid as an example, right? He goes to Mr. Miyagi. He wants to beat up another guy or whatever. 

Then, Mr. Miyagi says, “No, and I’m talking about the old karate kid.” I didn’t see the new ones. And he tells him bucks in bucks off you. I know, and he doesn’t understand why. But Jordan Peterson said it differently: “Speak before you change the world.” First of all, clean your room.

So, the first thing: Before you go out there and try to fix it, the world will find out why. Clean your room. Make sure that things at home are intact. You have to, first of all. Represent the example of the change that you’re looking to inspire. It doesn’t matter in what field it truly isn’t. Become somebody worthy enough, so when? You look in the mirror. You know yourself to be a good person striving to do well.

And that is the road. Whatever that road is, it is for you. First of all, fix the things that weigh you down. It’s the equivalent of cleaning your room. Now, as you clean your room, you become stronger with yourself, right? Both mentally, emotionally, and physically, sports are very important. We wake up more in the early mornings, do sports, meditate, and inspire ourselves on all levels and quadrants. Then it comes. 

Then comes a simple question. What is my dream? What moves me?

Now, you have to ask that question; think about asking that question. It’s almost like a pin dropping in the. With the sound of sirens, the pin hits the ground like a cave. Is this the question? And you have to be dead silent with yourself and let your heart and mind project the answer. I promise you if you won’t let your little ego start making excuses. An image will come out. 

I bet anyone in this world asks that question instead of silencing yourself. What is my dream? What? What am I? And something will come up. It will be conjured, almost by magic. We all know it. Back when we were kids, kids knew it best. You ask the kid, “What do you want to do?” I want to be president. I want to be this. I want it for kids. It’s so easy. Why kids? Especially small kids don’t have them. Have they yet to? Meet the darkness. 

The darkness of doubt and all the other stuff that adulthood brings, so they’re. So pure. And they are so unrefined that the answer just comes to them naturally. Everybody who is a parent knows that. Just ask. Your kid, what do you do? You want to be. I have to tell you some crazy stuff out loud. This is what they’re going to tell you. You have to have it. It was the pure duty of a child to ask that question. And then, when you hear demons, don’t you dare allow them. 

The eagle started, but no. Hold on to the image that you’ve been given a gift from God or whatever universe you want to call it. I call it God. You’ve been answered. You better follow. That is the formula. It’s not that complicated. We don’t do it because we’re scared of the answer. You could be like the Buddha, married to a child. And that voice is about to tell.

You that you’re about to leave. I’m not saying I’m not advocating breaking families; I’m making an example. A painful example And I always think about the Buddha in that regard—that he’s been given the vision, and I’ve always wondered how we could. He turned his back on his wife and little kid. Leave the palace. I mean, as a father, it’s unfathomable. You would, in my opinion. Leave your child and your wife. But the Buddha followed his bliss.  Bless him. No. The road takes him away from the castle, never to come back.

So I don’t want ever to do that or anything like that. And I do. I do not advocate that, but it’s a strength. And with that strength of knowing, I give you my word. If you went to any person and told that person, listen. God himself is now asking you this question. If you are not telling the truth, everything goes into flames. You, I bet with you, 99.9%. Maybe there’s one idiot who’s going to try God. You know God’s patience, but 90.9% of us do not. We’re warned that the world will go on fire around us. We will tell the truth, and we’re going to blurt it out. I want to be a ballerina. I want to do it. I want to change it a little bit, it will. Because it comes, it’s right here. It’s always been sitting right here in my heart. The idea is how to break that wall. And let the truth come out. It’s not complicated. And don’t wait for the second or third thing to come out. With the first, ask a question. I promise you that. The answer will be given. Am I scared? You fine. That’s probably the hallmark of a great decision. But that’s basically what I’ve always done.

So as a continuation of this, right, like, you know, Americans always talk about the American dream, and you mentioned over here that knowing you is like having a dream. It is the key to finding your purpose. 

So, how would you advise Americans who want to find their American dream and find their purpose in the process? What is your opinion on that?

Specifically for Americans. Is this the same as an American idea, right? 

You know, Americans always talk about the American dream. 

Oh, I know. I better understand. I get it now. Yeah. Please go on.

And then I like you. We talked about how the dream is key to finding your purpose, so I’m asking you about the American dream and how it is key to finding America as an American. So what is your opinion on that matter? Do you know how you go about that?

I understand. Listen. I feel that it’s a bit unfair because she’s an immigrant. The answer is quite easy. Americans are natural-born, American-right, born-and-raised Americans. And so we don’t know that.

No, it did. Because they were born into it

So, they just have it, but from us, they’ve come from all other places but America. You know, we see it. And I don’t want to superimpose—top of the entire immigrant society in America. But, as you know, this immigrant is right here. I saw that Manifest Destiny made the country. This is a land that I either like it or don’t like it. The government did not create it. It was not created by the grand design of central planning. This is a country where dreamers have conquered the wilds, both metaphorically and truthfully. Back in the day. Things that Americans sometimes don’t. And somewhere, somewhere, somewhere, somewhere, it was lost in translation. Maybe the country got so rich.

The type of expectations that start coming up that you’re supposed to have will be given to you. And I don’t. And I know American history. Quite well, including reading those 1500 pages of Democracy in America by Tocqueville, who goes out, you know, in the 1900s, in the early 1900s in America. And it describes what average Americans have to face.

Right.

To build what they built, the thing is, you are asking me what Americans should do to manifest that dream.

And find their purpose.

Yeah, open a history book. And you know what? Don’t try to open the history book to come down on your country. This is not this conversation. America has its share of bad things. And sure, does it have its shares? Good thing. But America is a blessed nation. The grandest nation in this world has ever seen, and if you don’t get it, you do. It would help if you weren’t even listening to my words.

No, ask.

I’m sorry, yeah.

No, go ahead.

But if you know it, if some bone in you knows it, it was your ancestors. It doesn’t matter where you came from, your forefathers. Your answers about this nation have done marvelous things. Marvelous things. Then, your position in this country is to continue along that line in the best place ever. You’re the best. You’re in the cradle of so many of the most magnificent things in this world, beginning with the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. And yes, things must be amended. Yes, things were not perfect back then. I get it.

But you’ve been given, as an American, such an opportunity. To learn and look around you. to understand that you’re standing on the shoulders of giants. And make yourself worthy of what they have done before you take it up because you know what? Billions of people would want to switch their spots with you. How about that? Motivating yourself to wake up in the morning and say, ” I can do more than just ask what the government can do for me would be it. My best advice

As if you’re the perfect person to like, talk with us about it because, you know, Israel has an entrepreneurial immigrant identity, America has an entrepreneurial identity. Then they’re both in their quest to pursue happiness, you know, and then that’s the way we go about it. 

And the reason is even if people are born here. I have to realize that America’s identity is an immigrant identity, and we are all descendants of immigrants who, even if we’re immigrants or descendants of immigrants, that’s who we are, and that’s the central part of how we go About attaining the American Dream because it’s all connected, right? 

It’s manifest destiny, the entrepreneurial immigrant identity, the American dream, and the pursuit of happiness that are all interconnected. And that’s the essence of who we are, regardless of Else, so I could go on and on. But, you know, the clock runs out.

So, I want to ask you about the premise of your book. I know you wrote a book called The Descent Lockdown 2020: The Old Glory Saga. And can you tell me a little bit more about this book and the premise? Of how you wrote this book.

Of course. And. And to be conscientious of time, how much time do I have to explain? Is it done? Am I giving you the Cliff version, like the shortest version?

About 10 minutes, about ten minutes.

The repeat, huh?

Ten minutes, you know.

OK, I’ll do it in less time. So, in 2020, a pivotal year for me and humanity as far as I’m concerned, I was 3 1/2 years into writing this other book. This dystopian sci-fi Roman time novel At that time, I already understood that I wanted to be a writer. I’m making a career change. The story of that is that we can make it another time. But I was already following my purpose on the path. And I saw myself as a writer. It was a long, long road for me, to admit it. 

And I was 3 1/2 years into it. And then 2020 came around. And everything changed. Because I was at that point, I was living in Venice Beach, California, where I lived for twenty-four years in a row. When COVID hit, I started seeing things. That provoked. The worst concerns I had about humanity Now listen; everybody has their way of looking back at 2020.

You know I respect everybody. You have your own opinions. But I saw this type of tyranny. That is rising. Around us, in the name of safety, I love that one. I want to. Do you want to protect yourself by taking your rights? And I got very, very concerned. Even during COVID-19, I had already fought with my partners to barricade our restaurant. And everybody thought I was crazy. I’m like, why are you barking at that? It was in March, right? I said to him:

I have a bad feeling about this, and I’m a big fan of the black-swan theory, which is that you don’t need to predict the future. Ask yourself: Am I ready if the future comes and I get concerned and my concerns become realities? During the George Floyd riots, I will not call them peaceful protests by number. I went to the George Floyd riots and washed the country. We were in a bad spot. And on May 31st, it was a Sunday.

My neighborhood was besieged. The rioters controlled the streets. The police were ordered not to enforce the law; they discovered that later while talking with cops, and you saw it. And we were not under lockdown. Not under, just under lockdown, but the streets were. They belong to the riders. That day I spent with my handgun, my gun outloaded. Ready to protect my family? The police were nowhere. The whole neighborhood was going on fire. Screams. A woman was raped on the right side of our complex.

Oh, man.

United States that I knew was gone that night. And I knew that night that I could not sit still. That was the beginning. That so if, if, if writing. Before, it was like. Sniffing is my purpose, right? What is the road, and I was like, OK, a rider. That night, I realized that I was going to use writing as a way of effecting change. I’m going to mash the tool.

And sadly, I put aside my project for three and a half years. I sat on a journey. To create an alternate reality dystopian saga. It follows the events of 2020 but not our 2020, right? There’s no Biden, and there’s no Trump. There’s a different character. COVID is the dragon pandemic. I’m not. This book is not about specific people. I’m not going after people. I’m going after ideas. It’s a battle of ideas. And I created a manuscript and a saga of books, the first of which is locked down. 2020 is three books that do the year 2020, which goes on until 2025. They are an adventure. I created an alternate-reality adventure for one man. It’s the point of view of his one man. Who goes through these events?

And I created it purposely as an entertaining subject so folks can get entertained, hopefully. While asking themselves tough questions, like some of my friends who are not in my political camp, they read it. They said to me, You know what, Assaf? You caused us with this one book to start thinking about what happened in 20 and ask ourselves some tough questions. The purpose of my book The outside purpose is to entertain. But the inner is to make people. Ask questions because something very awful started in 2020. 

And the time and the countdown have increased like everything is now speeding up. From 2020 on, I can go on and on about how 2020 led to 2023, what’s happening to Israel, and everything. I’m not going to; we don’t have. The time is right for it. But the point of my books is that we have to come back and ask ourselves about 2020. What happened that year? What have we done? Where have we been? What have we told ourselves? My purpose is intertwined with the book; I want to entertain and ask late-to-task questions.

I’m not here to tell the answers as much as to provoke the reader. I mean, like you know, my character has these questions and answers, but the idea is for the readers to come up and ask themselves the same question.

I can tell you that the book saved my sanity as I saw the country that I love so much disintegrate. Step by step in the last few years, in my view, some people think that the country is doing great. Good for them. But I’ve seen the country that I admire. Doubt itself is falling apart. It’s not the country that I moved to 25 years ago. And I decided that I needed to. Could you do something about it?

So, my RD was through with the book. So that’s it. The little elevator pitches around the book, and it’s quite entertaining, and its quite alternate reality, a bit of sci-fi. I was thrown into it. There was a lot of action. It’s not for the faint of heart. Of heart, it’s brutal.

I said I would recommend my audience read your book because like some, books that promote critical thinking are something that I would recommend, you know, and answer. How can our audience connect with you and learn more about you? And I also like your book and all of that. So, it’s quiet.

Easy. I have a website for the book, and all the links are there. All the social media and the book link themselves to Amazon, but it’s Tanner Washington coming to Tanner. On washington.com and all social media, the handle is the same: Tanner Alpha Alfa. So Tanner is at Tanner Alpha.

So the website Tannerwashington.com or on the source on X. Through social media, Instagram, and Facebook, all the same, handle Tanner Alpha. I’m easily found, and I love discussion, whether I agree or disagree—a problem I’m having. First and foremost, I’m a libertarian. And may the best idea win.

No, of course, answer and answer. I want to let you know that, like this episode, I felt it. It’s so amazing, and the way you explained everything is great. Yeah, I appreciate that you took the time to do this episode. I would want you to come back another time for another episode because everything that you’re talking about, like how you say everything and explain things, is just amazing, you know?

I’m honored. And you know it’s a two-way street without your questions. Without your guidance as the leader of the conversation, the conversation won’t be what it is. So, thank you also for allowing me to speak and for your question. I appreciate that.

No, I appreciate you for us. I want to conclude this episode by letting my fellow extraordinary Americans know that, hey, look, there’s an extraordinary within every one of us. And we must awaken it and unleash it until next time. Bye for now.