November 1st, 2021 | Dr. Jordan B. Peterson
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Hello,

This week's edition will discuss fear, meaning and how to choose wisely in relationships.

You lay out what you’re anxious about in detail. Ask yourself, “What it is that I’m afraid of that might happen?” Next, you deconstruct it into smaller increments - into hypothetically manageable problems - and then you expose yourself, gradually, to the thing that you’re afraid of.

The effect of this is not that you become less afraid. What happens instead? You become braver. And that’s not the same thing.

It’s not like, “well, the world isn’t as dangerous as I thought it was, you know, silly me.” What happens, realistically, is, “yeah, the damn world’s just as dangerous as I thought, or maybe it’s even more dangerous than I thought. It turns out that there’s something in me that responds to taking that on as a voluntary challenge and grows and thrives as a consequence.”

To decide to move forward courageously into the land of the unknown. That’s one of the secrets to a good life.

"Do not allow yourself to become resentful." (Share this on Twitter)​

"A man who governs his passions is master of his world." (Share this on Twitter)​

"The worst decision of all is none." (Share this on Twitter)

The Jordan B. Peterson Podcast - S4E53: Dr. Clay Routledge

Dr. Clay Routledge and I discuss Meaning, Terror Management Theory, Nostalgia, Existential Psychology, Human Progress, Religion, UFOs, Responsibility, Loneliness, and more.

Dr. Jordan B. Peterson:

“People fantasize about what they want, and then out of those fantasies, they can derive goals and begin to act in relation to those goals, or they can spend more and more time elaborating the fantasies and not moving at all. That can lead to delusional thinking if it's taken to an extreme, but that doesn't mean that fantasies per se are a pathological activity - just that, when it becomes a substitute for action, it can become pathologized.”

Dr. Clay Routledge:
 

"If society abandons religion, they don't really become secular. They start investing in all sorts of other things; you know what we might call a substitution hypothesis, to fill that space of the multiple roles that religion is playing in their society. But then an important question... Just because people are turning to different things to fill that function doesn't mean they are actually doing a good job of fulfilling it."

The Best Relationship Advice | Jordan B. Peterson
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Jordan B. Peterson:

"What I would say is, don't make the kinds of mistakes that get you into such a stupid relationship to begin with, okay because that's the answer to that question. And the way you do that is by trying not to delude yourself any more than is absolutely necessary.

That means when you're in the damn relationship, tell the person the truth, and try to figure out what the truth is for you, and don't put up with any nonsense. Stand up for yourself and also aim towards the good, you know, if you do all those things, then your relationship is probably going to work if you're trying to do all those things really. If you have a partner that will not do that, then leave."