Hello,
In this week’s edition, I explain how to detach yourself from thoughts and opinions that are not your own, so you can be authentic. Then, I talk with Mosab Hassan Yousef about his history as a Palestinian ex-militant who defected to Israel in 1997, his life since then, and the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. From the archives, I revisit a lecture in which I explain the importance of proactively choosing to make sacrifices.
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Advice
Be Your Authentic Self
Most of what you think and say are the opinions of other people — what you have read or what people have told you. In some ways, that is beneficial because you retain thoughts that other people have spent a long time formulating, but it is a disadvantage in that they are not exactly yours. If you detach yourself so that you are no longer your thoughts or what you say — or maybe you are no longer all of them — then you can find out which of the thoughts you think and things you say are actually you. Maybe you will find that you cannot utilize the rest, or maybe you can correct the rest because they are not representative of you as an integrated being.
You can tell when you are saying something that is not authentic by sensing whether it makes you weak or strong. Maybe you are saying things to impress someone or remain part of a political or social group. Or perhaps you have personal attributes that you are ashamed of, so you are not going to speak about them. In those instances, there is a falseness about your self-representation.
I think the effect of feeling weak is an autonomic phenomenon, as though you have just stepped off solid ground and onto something that does not support you well. It feels like self-betrayal. So, make a rule that if you start to say something and it makes you feel weak, you will stop talking. Then, find some words you can say that do not produce that sensation.
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I am pleased to announce that Father Mike Schmitz will be my special guest on May 7th in Pittsburgh, PA, for my “We Who Wrestle With God” tour.
Get your ticket to an upcoming show by clicking the button below. I hope to see you there.
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In “Chaos and Order,” episode 3 of the 17-episode Exodus series, Jordan and the roundtable of scholars discuss the many strong women in the Bible’s narratives. They focus on chapters three through six of Exodus, discussing Moses’ relationship with God and God’s transcendent quality.
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A Practical Approach To Living Longer With Improved Health
A long while back, I was looking at interventions to improve people’s lives, and I knew at that point cognitive decline was a major problem, especially in terms of productivity and general competence. If you want to maintain your cognitive function, both cardiovascular exercise and weight lifting seem to do a pretty damn good job. Maybe that is because the brain is such an oxygen demanding organ. It is energy demanding and resource demanding in other ways, and if you can keep yourself cardiovascularly fit, interestingly enough, that is the best pathway to cognitive health.
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The Brutal Reality Of The Middle East | Mosab Hassan Yousef | EP 443
In this episode, I sit down with Mosab Hassan Yousef, a Palestinian ex-militant who defected to Israel in 1997 where he worked as an undercover agent for the Shin Bet until he moved to the United States in 2007. We discuss the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, Mosab’s time as a prisoner, and the far-from-paved road going forward.
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Choose Your Sacrifice
There is a sacrificial element to maturation. You have to sacrifice the potentiality that exists in childhood for the actuality of a frame. Why would you do that? Because it happens to you whether you do it or not. While it may be possible to put off sacrifice without suffering immediate penalty, the penalty will accrue. You can either choose your limitation or let it take you unaware.
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Thank you for reading,
Dr. Jordan B. Peterson
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