October 2nd 2023 | Dr. Jordan B. Peterson
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Hello,

In this week’s edition, I explain how to plan for your future by pondering and taking action steps toward your destiny. Then, I talk with Willie and Korie Robertson, stars of “Duck Dynasty,” and we discuss faith and family values, the show, life behind the scenes, and the impact the show had on viewers. From the archives, I answer a commonly asked question: Are people inherently valuable? 

Advice

Write Your Destiny

You can have what you want and need, assuming you are taking care of yourself and are starting out with the proper attitude toward yourself, which is that you are worthy of care and respect, and there is something to you that is valuable. You need to give yourself that amount of credit — like you would with anyone who you might be willing to attempt to care for and love. 

You can have what you want but you have to specify it, so the next question is, what would you like from your friends three to five years down the road? Then, what would you like your friendship network to look like? How would you like your career to shape itself? How are you going to take care of your family? And what about children and a longterm mate — a wife or a husband? What are you going to do with your time outside of work that is useful and engaging and meaningful and productive? How are you going to take care of yourself mentally and physically? And how are you going to withstand temptation so that it does not take you down in the particular way that temptation might take you down? 

Write a few sentences, not to be obsessive about it, but to sketch it out, like a bad first draft. Then write for 15 minutes: It is three to five years down the road, and you have what you need and want to make your life what it needs to be so that you can be a good person in the face of the suffering of life. What does it look like? 

Join Jordan as he takes you on a tour of the Museum of the Bible in the feature-length documentary “Logos & Literacy.” The documentary explores the Bible's impact on society, including how it shapes our understanding of the world. Experts in history, theology, and philosophy join Jordan as he delves into the fascinating history and influence of the Bible. Don't miss out on the chance to watch “Logos & Literacy,” available only on DailyWire+. 

Is There Reason To Be Hopeful About The Future?

I would say I am hopeful and desperate about the future. I think that is actually the right attitude to have at the moment. For example, between 2000 and 2012, the number of people who were in absolute economic privation in the world plummeted faster than it ever had in history. Part of that was a delayed consequence of the fall of the Soviet Empire; fewer countries around the world were pursuing counterproductive economic visions. As the population radically increased, everyone around the world got much richer. Now, there are still a large number of people who are absolutely poor, and there is an even larger number of people who are relatively poor. But all things considered, we were cruising there for a good while. I see no reason why we could not eradicate absolute poverty pretty much everywhere. I see no reason other than voluntarily willful blindness, stupidity, and malevolence that would necessarily interfere with the eradication of absolute poverty by 2035. We could do that. It is quite obvious.

Faith, Fame, And Adventure: The Reality Stranger Than Fiction | Willie & Korie Robertson | EP 385 

In this episode, I talk with Willie and Korie Robertson, stars of “Duck Dynasty." We cover several topics, including faith and family values as they were presented in the show and how they were preserved behind the scenes, the balance between reality and fiction, structure and playful spontaneity that was captured on the show, and the true positive impact the show had on viewers, as well as the culture of America during and since its phenomenal 11-season run.