Kierkegaard talks about the idea of being a knight of faith.
He puts forward a proposition that I think is akin to the idea that undergirds marriage, which is:
You cannot find out whether creation is Good or Evil without being all in on your bet. Just like you cannot be married without saying, “I am shackling myself to you and I am not going to run away no matter what. So we better get to know each other and get along because this is how it is going to be.”
Without that, you cannot be deeply committed enough to the marriage to make it work. So, it seems to me, that at the forefront of faith, you have to act in the world with courageous trust—not naïve trust, but courageous trust—in the potential goodness of being to discover whether or not that faith is justified.
And that is partly why it is faith; you have to put the cart before the horse.
Romance requires trust—and the deeper the trust, the deeper the possibility for romance.
He puts forward a proposition that I think is akin to the idea that undergirds marriage, which is:
You cannot find out whether creation is Good or Evil without being all in on your bet. Just like you cannot be married without saying, “I am shackling myself to you and I am not going to run away no matter what. So we better get to know each other and get along because this is how it is going to be.”
Without that, you cannot be deeply committed enough to the marriage to make it work. So, it seems to me, that at the forefront of faith, you have to act in the world with courageous trust—not naïve trust, but courageous trust—in the potential goodness of being to discover whether or not that faith is justified.
And that is partly why it is faith; you have to put the cart before the horse.
Romance requires trust—and the deeper the trust, the deeper the possibility for romance.
The following is an excerpt from my forthcoming book, ‘We Who Wrestle With God’, set to release on November 19th, 2024.
The U.S., CAN, and UK pre-order links are now available here: https://www.jordanbpeterson.com/books/
The U.S., CAN, and UK pre-order links are now available here: https://www.jordanbpeterson.com/books/
When we bargain with the future, we produce variants of our future selves, alternative visions of who we could be, and project the real-world outcome.
When we sacrifice, we are bargaining with the future (alternatively: establishing a covenant with the future): we will give up this set of possible selves/possible futures now to propitiate God and ensure success for ourselves and those we value as we move forward.
We offer up something valuable, concretely valuable—self-evidently valuable—here and now, taking the chance that if we do so the future will make itself manifest in a more positive manner That is quite the risk, given the self-evident current value of the thing-to-be-sacrificed—one that carries with it a further mystery: with what or Who are we bargaining?
With the future, certainly; with our future self, certainly—but even more deeply, with potential itself, or the spirit of potential.
Furthermore, such bargaining has to be predicated on faith. That is ensured, not merely suggested, by the fact of our ultimate, unbounded and finally irreducible ignorance.
You have to move forward in faith.
When we sacrifice, we are bargaining with the future (alternatively: establishing a covenant with the future): we will give up this set of possible selves/possible futures now to propitiate God and ensure success for ourselves and those we value as we move forward.
We offer up something valuable, concretely valuable—self-evidently valuable—here and now, taking the chance that if we do so the future will make itself manifest in a more positive manner That is quite the risk, given the self-evident current value of the thing-to-be-sacrificed—one that carries with it a further mystery: with what or Who are we bargaining?
With the future, certainly; with our future self, certainly—but even more deeply, with potential itself, or the spirit of potential.
Furthermore, such bargaining has to be predicated on faith. That is ensured, not merely suggested, by the fact of our ultimate, unbounded and finally irreducible ignorance.
You have to move forward in faith.
Here are the remaining dates for my tour in February and thereafter.
On my tour, I am discussing ideas that are closely related to my 2017 Biblical Lecture Series—ideas I’ve been working through in my forthcoming book.
Links to purchase your tickets for each show can be found here: https://www.jordanbpeterson.com/events/
On my tour, I am discussing ideas that are closely related to my 2017 Biblical Lecture Series—ideas I’ve been working through in my forthcoming book.
Links to purchase your tickets for each show can be found here: https://www.jordanbpeterson.com/events/
You’re Morally Obligated to Do Remarkable Things. Why?
Well, partly because life is so difficult and challenging that unless you give it everything you have, the chances are very high that it will embitter you. And then you'll be a force for darkness. That’s not good.
Also, the fact that life is short and can be brutal can terrify you into hiding But you can flip that on its head and understand that since you're all in, you might as well take the adventurous risks. That's a very good thing to understand.
What is also useful to understand is that there isn't anything more adventurous than the truth. This is something that took me a long time to figure out. You can craft your words to get what you want.
If you're attempting to say what you believe to be true and attempting to act in the manner that you think is most appropriate, that's genuinely you. If you're trying to live in the truth, you have the force of reality behind you, and that seems like a good deal. You have the reality and the adventure.
So, why is that a moral obligation? Well, if you hide and you don't let what's inside of you out—and you don't bring into the world what you could bring—you become cynical and bitter. Not only will you not add to the world what you could add, but you'll start being jealous of people who are competent and doing well and work to destroy them.
That's the pathway to hell.
Well, partly because life is so difficult and challenging that unless you give it everything you have, the chances are very high that it will embitter you. And then you'll be a force for darkness. That’s not good.
Also, the fact that life is short and can be brutal can terrify you into hiding But you can flip that on its head and understand that since you're all in, you might as well take the adventurous risks. That's a very good thing to understand.
What is also useful to understand is that there isn't anything more adventurous than the truth. This is something that took me a long time to figure out. You can craft your words to get what you want.
If you're attempting to say what you believe to be true and attempting to act in the manner that you think is most appropriate, that's genuinely you. If you're trying to live in the truth, you have the force of reality behind you, and that seems like a good deal. You have the reality and the adventure.
So, why is that a moral obligation? Well, if you hide and you don't let what's inside of you out—and you don't bring into the world what you could bring—you become cynical and bitter. Not only will you not add to the world what you could add, but you'll start being jealous of people who are competent and doing well and work to destroy them.
That's the pathway to hell.
There’s some real utility in gratitude. It’s also good protection against the dangers of victimhood and resentment.
Those who lie do not live or even truly have their life.
They substitute for that life the life of the lie and, in doing so, turn their eternal souls (and that is the right level of symbolic analysis) over to the king of the damned. Those who lie miss the adventure of their life.
So what?
If the use of deception enhances power—if it brings about hedonic delight—if it allows for the avoidance of responsibility, the quelling (however false in some absolute sense) of anxiety, or the circumvention of pain, why not indulge? The world is meaningless anyway, and the liar who wins may lie, but still wins.
Why is this quite rational rationalization unreliable?
First, perhaps, because it is naught but a manifestation of the spirit of the lie, attempting in its characteristic way to justify its default to deception.
Second, however, for a deeper reason: the meaning of life is in adventure, and the adventure that is true is literally to be found in the truth.
Chapter 12 | Truth as Adventure
They substitute for that life the life of the lie and, in doing so, turn their eternal souls (and that is the right level of symbolic analysis) over to the king of the damned. Those who lie miss the adventure of their life.
So what?
If the use of deception enhances power—if it brings about hedonic delight—if it allows for the avoidance of responsibility, the quelling (however false in some absolute sense) of anxiety, or the circumvention of pain, why not indulge? The world is meaningless anyway, and the liar who wins may lie, but still wins.
Why is this quite rational rationalization unreliable?
First, perhaps, because it is naught but a manifestation of the spirit of the lie, attempting in its characteristic way to justify its default to deception.
Second, however, for a deeper reason: the meaning of life is in adventure, and the adventure that is true is literally to be found in the truth.
Chapter 12 | Truth as Adventure
Another excerpt from my forthcoming book, 'We Who Wrestle With God', set to release on November 19th, 2024.
The U.S., CAN, and UK pre-order links are now available here: https://jordanbpeterson.com/books/
The U.S., CAN, and UK pre-order links are now available here: https://jordanbpeterson.com/books/
Is Betrayal Reconcilable?
My observation is that if there is a relationship and one party is betrayed by the other (falling in love with another person), it’s almost always irreconcilable.
I’ve helped people try and struggle through that on both sides of the issue—the person who was betrayed and the person who did the betrayal.
I’ve seen people grow up and not do it again. This was in situations where their partner didn’t know. In a couple of those situations, it seemed that it might even be described as a necessary experience for the person who did it—it helped them develop.
I am NOT justifying that behavior. But life is complicated.
However, I think society works better, all things considered, when you make a promise, and you stick to it.
My observation is that if there is a relationship and one party is betrayed by the other (falling in love with another person), it’s almost always irreconcilable.
I’ve helped people try and struggle through that on both sides of the issue—the person who was betrayed and the person who did the betrayal.
I’ve seen people grow up and not do it again. This was in situations where their partner didn’t know. In a couple of those situations, it seemed that it might even be described as a necessary experience for the person who did it—it helped them develop.
I am NOT justifying that behavior. But life is complicated.
However, I think society works better, all things considered, when you make a promise, and you stick to it.
A truly responsible people will take it upon themselves to become their own leaders, and protect themselves in that manner from the despair and hopeless nihilism of the desert chaos and from slavish subservience to those who will wield power for their own purposes.
An educated, responsible citizenry dispenses with slavish habits, adopts the mindset of true maturity, looks to the best of the past to guide the future, and forges its own fate.
It is a paradoxical truth, as well, that the voluntary shouldering of precisely the responsibility of self-governance lends to life the meaning that keeps hope alive and despair at bay, even during times of trouble, when simple happiness is far out of reach.
An educated, responsible citizenry dispenses with slavish habits, adopts the mindset of true maturity, looks to the best of the past to guide the future, and forges its own fate.
It is a paradoxical truth, as well, that the voluntary shouldering of precisely the responsibility of self-governance lends to life the meaning that keeps hope alive and despair at bay, even during times of trouble, when simple happiness is far out of reach.
You are not obligated to associate with people who are making your life worse.
It’s okay to surround yourself with people who are helping you be better and to shy away from people who are willing to drag you down.
You’re not obligated to associate with people who are trying to damage the structure of your being.
Move away from people like that.
It’s okay to surround yourself with people who are helping you be better and to shy away from people who are willing to drag you down.
You’re not obligated to associate with people who are trying to damage the structure of your being.
Move away from people like that.
Do you want to be illiterate? Do you want to be inarticulate?
You're going to have to negotiate. You're going to have to lead. You're going to have to convince. You have to be able to think. And you have to be highly literate to do that.
Jocko Willink—he's a good example. That guy's like 3 feet thick, and he's as tough as a bloody boot. He's up at four in the morning every day. He's one literate person.
The great men I've met, they're unbelievably literate. They are compelling when they talk. People listen because they know what they're talking about. And they speak with authority.
You're going to have to negotiate. You're going to have to lead. You're going to have to convince. You have to be able to think. And you have to be highly literate to do that.
Jocko Willink—he's a good example. That guy's like 3 feet thick, and he's as tough as a bloody boot. He's up at four in the morning every day. He's one literate person.
The great men I've met, they're unbelievably literate. They are compelling when they talk. People listen because they know what they're talking about. And they speak with authority.
Don't underestimate the hole your absence would leave.
Each of us, we're remarkable creatures. And we have something to offer to the world—to the people we love and to the world at large.
It's our responsibility to make that manifest. And we move a little farther away from paradise every time that doesn't happen—really.
Each of us, we're remarkable creatures. And we have something to offer to the world—to the people we love and to the world at large.
It's our responsibility to make that manifest. And we move a little farther away from paradise every time that doesn't happen—really.
What if you did nothing but aim high and look within yourself for everything that stopped you from moving forward?
What if you did that full-heartedly, unreservedly, and made that the leitmotif of your life? What would you be like in a year, in five years, or ten or twenty years?
Would you be headed for sainthood itself? Is that not something that is a possibility that resides within you? What if that was the pattern of your existence: nothing but the constant turn for the better.
Then you might also ask yourself, "Would there be any difference between living a life composed of nothing but constant turns for the better and existence in the Kingdom of Heaven itself? A place where everything is good and still getting better."
That's the central, core message of the first four sentences of the biblical corpus.
This is an idea discussed on my tour that continues tomorrow night at 7:30pm in Columbus, Ohio. Get your tickets and view upcoming shows here: jordanbpeterson.com/events/
What if you did that full-heartedly, unreservedly, and made that the leitmotif of your life? What would you be like in a year, in five years, or ten or twenty years?
Would you be headed for sainthood itself? Is that not something that is a possibility that resides within you? What if that was the pattern of your existence: nothing but the constant turn for the better.
Then you might also ask yourself, "Would there be any difference between living a life composed of nothing but constant turns for the better and existence in the Kingdom of Heaven itself? A place where everything is good and still getting better."
That's the central, core message of the first four sentences of the biblical corpus.
This is an idea discussed on my tour that continues tomorrow night at 7:30pm in Columbus, Ohio. Get your tickets and view upcoming shows here: jordanbpeterson.com/events/
I am pleased to announce some new dates for my ‘We Who Wrestle With God’ tour.
New Dates Added:
May 14th - Phoenix, AZ - A second show has been added after the first sold out.
The Presale for this show goes live tomorrow at 10:00am PST.
Use Presale Code: JORDAN.
Ticket link: https://concerts.livenation.com/dr-jordan-b-peterson-we-who-phoenix-arizona-05-14-2024/event/19005F88AEC72940
June 18th - Sao Paulo, Brazil.
June 20th - Porto Alegre, Brazil.
June 22nd - Santiago, Chile.
June 25th - Mexico City, Mexico.
The Presale will go live for the above shows on Tuesday, March 12th, 2024.
New Dates Added:
May 14th - Phoenix, AZ - A second show has been added after the first sold out.
The Presale for this show goes live tomorrow at 10:00am PST.
Use Presale Code: JORDAN.
Ticket link: https://concerts.livenation.com/dr-jordan-b-peterson-we-who-phoenix-arizona-05-14-2024/event/19005F88AEC72940
June 18th - Sao Paulo, Brazil.
June 20th - Porto Alegre, Brazil.
June 22nd - Santiago, Chile.
June 25th - Mexico City, Mexico.
The Presale will go live for the above shows on Tuesday, March 12th, 2024.
The fool is the precursor to the savior.
That's one of the things I learned from Jung. It's so amazing that that might be the case.
Why? Because you are a fool when you start something new. If you are not willing to be a fool, then you'll never start anything new, and you will not develop.
The willingness to be a fool is the precursor to transformation—that is the same as humility.
If you are going to write your destiny, you can do a bad first job. Because you're going to get smarter as you move forward.
That's one of the things I learned from Jung. It's so amazing that that might be the case.
Why? Because you are a fool when you start something new. If you are not willing to be a fool, then you'll never start anything new, and you will not develop.
The willingness to be a fool is the precursor to transformation—that is the same as humility.
If you are going to write your destiny, you can do a bad first job. Because you're going to get smarter as you move forward.
I am pleased to announce new dates for my 'We Who Wrestle with God' tour.
New Dates Added:
May 14th - Phoenix, AZ - A second show has been added after the first sold out.
June 10th - Washington, DC - A second show has been added after the first sold out.
June 18th - Sao Paulo, Brazil.
June 20th - Porto Alegre, Brazil.
June 22nd - Santiago, Chile.
June 25th - Mexico City, Mexico.
I am discussing ideas closely related to my 2017 Biblical lecture series on my tour.
Get your ticket, and join me here: https://jordanbpeterson.com/events/
I hope to see you there.
New Dates Added:
May 14th - Phoenix, AZ - A second show has been added after the first sold out.
June 10th - Washington, DC - A second show has been added after the first sold out.
June 18th - Sao Paulo, Brazil.
June 20th - Porto Alegre, Brazil.
June 22nd - Santiago, Chile.
June 25th - Mexico City, Mexico.
I am discussing ideas closely related to my 2017 Biblical lecture series on my tour.
Get your ticket, and join me here: https://jordanbpeterson.com/events/
I hope to see you there.
Why would you not want to make the most out of every possible moment?
There's no difference between making the most out of every possible moment and aiming up with as much vision, love, hope, and faith as you possibly can.
And if you look up towards the highest possible heights, every step you take will have the firmest of all possible foundations underneath it.
If you did that, you would set the world right.
There's no difference between making the most out of every possible moment and aiming up with as much vision, love, hope, and faith as you possibly can.
And if you look up towards the highest possible heights, every step you take will have the firmest of all possible foundations underneath it.
If you did that, you would set the world right.
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