Hello,
In this week’s edition, I address why you should stand up straight with your shoulders back in the face of the catastrophes and tragedies of life. Then, I talk with playwright Andrew Doyle and comedy writer Graham Linehan to discuss comedy becoming a criminal offense in the United Kingdom and the decay of the cultural landscape across Europe. From the archives, I revisit a panel discussion in which I posed ideas on God as the voice of conscience.
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The "We Who Wrestle With God" Tour
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Advice
Face The Catastrophes Of Life With Willful Courage
People experience runs of bad luck and extenuating tragedy in life — unfortunate illnesses, heart-wrenching betrayal, and situations that can be absolutely devastating. There is no shortage of randomness and horror that can decimate you, even if you are doing your best. The world is an onslaught of tyranny of culture, the catastrophe of nature, and your own malevolence and ignorance. Further, you must grapple with the incredibly complicated indeterminate potential of the future.
All these catastrophes come at you, and it is your responsibility to contend with them. You can cringe away from them, be afraid of them, be victimized by them, be bitter and cynical because of them — and no wonder, because they can be painful — or you can face them head-on. Without doubt, nature is bent on our destruction, but there is more to you than there is to catastrophe. The potential that is within you to well up courage, truth, ability, skill, and willingness is more powerful than even the darkest part of your heart.
I studied exceptionally dark material for over 30 years — not only what happened at Auschwitz and in the Gulag, but also the people who undertook the terrible acts the totalitarians required. In the process of making that totalitarian proclivity personal, I discovered there is more to us than there is to the horror.
It is true that what you most want to find will be found where you least want to look, as Carl Jung once taught. That means if you are willing to stand up straight and face the darkness, whatever you discover at the darkest part will be the brightest light. That is something very much worth discovering. If you do not shy away, you will find there is more to you than there is to horror.
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Postmodernists cling to the idea that all motivation stems from power, but as Dr. Jordan B. Peterson and his companions examine the Sermon on the Mount, they find that Christ’s words teach how to incorporate peace, love, and justice in a corrupt world. What if power is actually found in voluntary self-limitation? What if authority should come from mercy and justice? In a world obsessed with control, this group brings topics hotly debated in our culture — like power and truth — to the table. Join the discussion about the Sermon on the Mount in the fourth episode of “The Gospels” to witness these ancient words — celebrating the poor in spirit and love of enemies — chart a revolutionary course beyond both victimhood and dominance. The fourth episode of “The Gospels” is now available on DailyWire+.
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Hope In, Through, And From Miracles — And The Miraculous In Peterson’s ‘Gospels’
As Jesus embarked on his ministerial journey, word of his miracles spread throughout the Holy Land. The accounts of his miracles have since filtered through time and across the world to the point we are still discussing them today. To what degree does spiritual healing change and positively impact an individual’s day-to-day life? How do the stories of Jesus physically healing the sick relate to our society’s need for its own type of healing today? How would witnessing these events, on a micro and macro level, affect a soul in search of rescue? Dr. Jordan B. Peterson, surrounded by nine other scholars, leads a conversation about these questions in the third episode of “The Gospels.” And the tabletalk is real. Each member of this group takes up their knowledge, devoid of pretentious facade, as they vulnerably talk of Jesus’ miracles application to life in the present day and age.
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Europe Imploding | Andrew Doyle & Graham Linehan | EP 505
In this episode, playwright Andrew Doyle and comedy writer Graham Linehan join me to discuss their near-cancellations, the woke epidemic which has made comedy a criminal offense in the United Kingdom, the broader decay of the cultural landscape across Europe, why progressive ideals ruin honest works of creativity, and the totalitarian hellscape awaiting the Brits should they not change course.
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God’s Voice Might Be Your Conscience
In this clip from a panel discussion filmed in November 2022, Bishop Robert Barron speaks on the idea of humans being built to find, hear, and listen to the voice of God. He identifies openness to the good, the true, and the beautiful as one way hearing the voice that calls to us is possible. Similarly, I have observed Moses’ encounter with the burning bush as an example of paying attention to the phenomenon that captures your interest. The pathway for the prophet Elijah, on the other hand, does not beckon; rather, his pathway imposes transcendent limits. After the defeat of Baal, the nature god, Elijah hears a still, small voice — his conscience, per se. Your conscience is another place you will find God, though it is a challenging place to search. The implicit message of the Christian passion story is that you are called upon to sacrifice everything in pursuit of what is highest. Sinning violates your pursuit, and conscience holds you accountable regarding the violation of that sacrificial relationship. Conscience is undeniably associated with Christ in the soul.
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Thank you for reading,
Dr. Jordan B. Peterson
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