In this week’s edition, I discuss the symbolic nature and historical context of Christmas, the Christmas story, and the hope of the Christmas season.


** Mondays of Meaning
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December 25th 2023 | Dr. Jordan B. Peterson
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Hello,

In this week’s edition, I discuss the symbolic nature and historical context of Christmas, the Christmas story itself, and the hope of the Christmas season. Then, I talk with podcaster and author Michael Malice about anarchism, utopian visions, and other philosophical topics. From the archives — and in the spirit of the Christmas season — I revisit a conversation about Jesus, specifically involving sacrifice and peace. Merry Christmas to you and your loved ones.

Advice

Celebrating Christmas

I have spent a lot of time over the last three decades trying to understand Christianity — what the rituals, routines, and stories mean. The hero emerging at the darkest point of the year is a very old mythological idea. Of course, you do not need a hero unless the darkness is intense, so it makes sense that would call forth a hero. That is part of what is celebrated at Christmas; the lights on the tree are symbolic of the return of illumination because the sun is starting to come back. One of the things that has struck me studying Christianity is that so many levels of meaning stack on top of and support one another in an isomorphic manner. There is the cosmic story that is associated with Christmas, which is the death and rebirth of the sun (the actual solar orb), and then there is the more prosaic story of the birth of a baby which is of course a miraculous event in everyone’s life.

Even in the Christmas story itself, Christ is the eternal infant and hope of mankind, but he is born in lowly circumstances and extreme peril because the firstborns are essentially under death sentences. The archetypal element to that is, even if the hero is divine, he is always born in the extreme danger that characterizes existence itself. So, in some sense, the balance among tragedy, catastrophe, tyranny, and hope that typifies Christian Christmas in reality for day-to-day people is also built into the story. Christ is born in a manger and they are in a stable, so their circumstances are pretty unstable. Plus, there are radical political events going on.

What we hope is that the time around Christmas gives us a glimpse into what human relations could be like if we organize them very carefully. I think that can happen — but you do not get peace and goodwill towards man merely by having the time of year. It is something you have to work at, and it is hard. Christmas is the point of the year where hope and reality can war most viciously, and it can be very hard on people. Christmas brings out the best and the worst, and I suppose that is useful because you need to have the worst brought up so you can deal with it.


** New Tour Announced
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I’m excited to announce my "We Who Wrestle with God" tour. I’ll be traveling all across the U.S. in the first half of 2024. I’m going to be discussing some of the ideas I’ve been working through in my forthcoming book. Tickets are now available. Click below to find out more information and purchase tickets.
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A new show is coming out on DailyWire+ called “End of the World.” It’s narrated by my friend and colleague, Jonathan Pageau. In this new four-part series, Jonathan provides an instructive framework for understanding these tumultuous times and offers a roadmap to restoring much-needed order. He offers hope — and the opportunity to anticipate a new beginning. I hope you’ll tune in because I believe you will find it as illuminating as I did. Consider becoming a DailyWire+ subscriber to watch.
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Throughout the past year, Jordan has delved into challenging and thought-provoking topics, and the content he has created represents the peak of his work so far. This content is available for you to watch, including “On Marriage”, “Logos & Literacy”, “Vision & Destiny”, and “Exodus”, to name a few. You will also find a complete library of all of Jordan’s podcasts and lectures. Don’t miss out. Watch now by becoming a DailyWire+ member today.
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** Article Spotlight
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Introduction To The Idea Of God

The Book of John begins, “In the beginning was the Word.” This is what John says about Christ, which relates back to Genesis 1 — “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Three sentences like that take a lot of unpacking because none of that seems to make any sense whatsoever.

So, the first question might be, what in the world does that mean, “In the beginning was the word”? That is the logos, and the logos is embodied in the figure of Christ. There is an idea in John that whatever Christ is, the son of God, is not only instantiated in history at a particular time and place as a carpenter in some backwoods part of the world, but also, something eternal that exists up, outside of time and space, that was there at the beginning.
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** On The Podcast
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Discussing Communism In All Its Glory | Michael Malice | EP 407

In this episode, I have a conversation with Michael Malice, podcaster and author of “The White Pill”. We cover many topics, including the philosophy of Ayn Rand, anarchism, and the history and rebranded atrocities of Czarist Russia. We also discuss why utopian visions cyclically entice generations, despite leaving each one devastated by a lack of actual utopia.
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** From The Archives
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The Paradox Of Jesus Christ

In the spirit of the Christmas holiday, this is a segment of my conversation from a couple years ago with Bishop Barron, who explains that “the Father is pleased by the Son’s entry into our fallen situation.” We talk about Jesus bearing the sins of the world, divine love and forgiveness, and Jesus’ peace.
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Thank you for reading,

Dr. Jordan B. Peterson

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