So I havetoclearthemoutbefore I couldconcentrateon a newprojectthat I finished a bookoverthelastcoupleofyearstocalled 12 RulesforLife, anantidotetochaoswhichisnowavailable, bytheway, ifyou'reinterestedonAmazonforpreorderandsoanyways, thisismyroundaboutwayofsayingthankyouverymuch, but I can't exceptmorehelpatthemomentbecausemytimeistoorestrictedtomakeproperuseofit.
So, umplays, norinhowtousetheresultsinthenewpersonalitytestforprogressinlife, trytocompensatesomesidesthatthatreceivedfewerpointsWell, attheriskofsoundingselfserving.
Andthere's goodtheoreticalreasonsforassumingthatwritingis a goodwayofofwritingaboutyourselfandaboutyourpastandabout.
Yourfutureis a goodwayofcatalyzingpersonalitytransformationbecauseitappearsthatpersonalitythehumanpsycheisorganizedatthehighestlevelofabstraction, usingsomethinglikeselfnarrativeand a welldevelopednarrativemakes a frameforyourlifeandhelpsyoustabilizeyournegativeemotionsandalsoexperiencemorepositiveemotionbecauseyouonlyexperiencepositiveemotioninrelationshipto a goalbacktome.
Goaldirectedactivity a lotmorerewarding.
Soyouknowit's a loteasiertoengageinactivitiesthataren't intrinsicallyrewardingifthey'relinkedtosomethingthatyoureallyfindimportant.
Andso I wouldsay, Ifyouwanttoworkonyourpersonalitywell, thefirstthingyouhavetodoisfigureoutwhoitisthatyouwanttobe, andthenyouhavetomake a plan, andmaybeyouhavetocleanupyourpastaswell.
AndtheSouthbarteringsuitewasdesigned, youknow, quitecarefully, inordertohelppeopledothatwith a relativeminimumofeffort.
Notthatit's easy, becauseit's notbut a relativeminimumminimumofeffortcomparedtoothertechnologies, let's sayandlikelikelongtermpsychotherapy, andtomakeitcosteffectiveaswell.
Sookay, soanotherquestionvotedup 77 votes.
Australiaisholding a plebisciteonwhethertolegalizegaymarriage.
Well, I wouldbeagainstthetwoofwasbackedbyculturalMarxistsbecauseitisn't cleartomethat, umitwillsatisfytheeverincreasingWhatwouldyoucalldemandforanassaultontraditionalmodesofbeingnowwithregardstogaymarriage.
Specifically, that's a reallytoughoneformebecause, youknow, I didn't imagine I can't doanythingreallyotherthanspokeplatitudesaboutit.
I suppose.
Unfortunately, youknow, ififthemaritalballsaretakenseriously, thenitseemstomethatit's a meanswherebygaypeoplecouldbeintegratedmorethoroughlyintostandardsociety, andthat's probably a goodthing.
Andmaybethatwoulddecreasepromiscuity, whichis a publichealthproblem, althoughobviouslythat's notlimitedtogaypeople.
Um, theproblemis, isthatitdoesseemtometobepartof a wedge, anditisn't obvioustomethatthatlegalizinggaymarriagehasdoneanythingtodecreasethedemandsthattheradicalleftneoMarxisttypesareplacingontraditionalsociety.
So, um, thosearemyviews.
I knowthey'reconfused, youknow, because I'm infavorofofextendingtheboundsoftraditionalrelationshipstopeoplewhowouldn't beinvolvedin a traditionallongtermrelationship.
But I'm concernedabouttheunderminingoftraditionalmodesofbeing, includingmarriage, whichyouknowhastechnicallyandhistoricallybeing a unionbetween a manand a womanfundamentally, forthepurposeofraisingChildrenin a stableand, umonoptimalandstableenvironment.
Soandmarriagehasalreadytaken a fairbitofdamageoverthelastfewdecades.
I feeldepressedandanxious, and I'm highlyneuroticandvolatile.
Canyousuggestanythingtohelpmebe a bettermum?
Well, youknow, lotsofpeoplehave a hardtimewiththeirninemonthsold.
I guessthefirstquestionwouldbe.
Areyougettingenoughsleep?
Doyouhaveenoughhelp?
Areyoueatingenough?
Especiallyinthemorning, youknow, Andyou'regonnafeelhighlyneuroticandvolatiletosomedegreebecausewhileyou'vebeenthroughquite a physiologicaltraumaandit's verydemandingtoehave a newbornbaby.
Sothebestthing I couldsaynotknowingyouistomakesurethatyouhavepeoplearoundthatyoucouldtalktoaboutyourbabyandthatyoucanandthatyoucantake a breakwhenyouneedtohavesomeonespellyou.
I mean, that's oftentherolethat a husbandplaysinthefirstyearofthebaby's lifeisthathecan.
Andso I wouldhopethatyou'reabletoaskforsupportwhenyouneedit, andnottobeafraidofaskingforsupport, especiallytoget a restandtogetsomethingtoeat, becausethat's reallyimportant, especiallyinthemorning.
Otherthanthat, I can't tellyouanythingreallyspecific.
Unfortunately, giventhat I don't knowanythingaboutthespecificsofyoursituationcome.
Ifitgetsoutofhand, youknowyoushouldgo.
Theotherthing, I shouldsay, isifitgetsoutofhand, youshouldgospeakwithyourwithyourdoctorwith a professionalbecauseyoumighthavepostpartumdepression.
So, Emma, JovanNovicksays, DrPeterson, I wanttothankyoubecausethisisn't a questionforwhatyoudo.
I'm a 22 yearoldgirlandyourvideos, they'rehelpingmesomuchwithfigureinmylife.
Outyou'realonearehelpingmebebravereveryday.
Well, I'm reallyhappyaboutthat.
Youknowwhat?
I likeyouremphasisonbravery.
Youknow, becauseoneofthethingsthatwe'velearned, asclinicianssay, isthatwhenyouhelppeopleovercomeanxiety, itisn't thatyoumakethemlessanxiousnecessarily, although I thinkyoucoulddothattosomedegreebyhavingpeopleconfrontsomeofthedemonsintheirpast.
There'llbethreeofthembeforetheendofDecember, and I wanttokeepthemgoingintothefuture.
Theybeingquitesuccessful, I wouldsay I wouldliketogothroughthewholebook, althoughthatwouldprobablytakemetherestofmylife.
But I doreallythinkit's necessarybecauseitisthecasethatthethespecificnarrativesandthemetanarrativethatairthatareembeddedinthebiblicalstoriesanditssurroundingliteratureareatthefundamentofWesternculture, andweneedtoreconnectwithoutinordertomakesurethatourculturestaysstrong.
And I don't thinkit's particularlystrongrightnow, andthat's a verybadThat's a verybadthingforeveryone.
Itleadstonihilismanddespairandandinanabilitytoplanfor a meaningfulfutureandcynicismandallofthosethings.
Sodarkpyretosays, HowcanyoudisputethetheorythatJesusisjust a rewriteoftheSunGodmyth?
Well, I wouldn't necessarilydisputethattheory, although I woulddisputethejust.
I mean, thestrangethingsaboutthebiblicalstoriesandlet's sayabouttheNewTestamentstoriesisthattheyechoacrossmultiplelevelsofanalysis.
AndsothereisanastrologicalelementtotheChriststorythatyouwroteabout a fairbitin a bookcalledEyeOn, whichis a veryterrifyingbook, andthereareechoesofthemythsoftheSunGod.
Andbutthefunnythingis, andthisisoneofthethings I can't reallyunderstandaboutthebiblicalstoriesisthattheymanifestthemselvesatmultiplelevelsofinterpretationsimultaneously.
Andyoucouldsaythatthat's merely a consequenceofcontinualhistoricalreworking.
And I supposethatcouldbethecase.
Butthefactthattheymanifestthemselvesas a personalstoryandas a cosmicstoryandas a historicalstoryandas a mythologicalstoryandthatitallworksatthesametimestrikesmeasaspointingtosomethingthat's reallysomewhatbeyondourcurrentlevelofunderstanding.
Um, I can't elaborateonthat a lotbecauseitwouldtakeusintoplacesthat I reallywouldrathernotgo.
But I dobelievethat, likethere's somethingsynchronoususingYoung's terminologyaboutaboutdeathandresurrectionstory.
Sothereis a sunGodmythelementscertainlyonparallelsbetweenChristandHorace, forexample.
Butthatdoesn't meanyoucanjustsayit's just a rewrite.
I don't thinkthat I don't thinkthatthat's historicallyorpsychologicallyaccurate.
Um, haveyouwatchedRickandMorty?
No, I haven't ManypeoplehavetoldmetowatchRickandMorty, althoughtheysaidit's verydarkandwell, thatdoesn't bothermesomuch, I suppose, although I'm plentydark, perhapswithoutaddingtoitso.
But I wouldliketowatchit, and I probablywill.
So I wouldloveforyoutodocomeanddo a talkinMontreal.
It's affectingmystudy, but I coulddoverywellif I stop.
I'm 26.
Well, Paul, what I wouldsayis, I thinkyoushoulddothefutureauthoringprogram, andyoushouldreallyconcentrate.
There's a sectioninitthathelpsyoudeterminewhatyou'repositiveviewofyourfuturewouldbe, butanothersectionthathelpsyoudeterminewhatwouldhappeninyourlifeifyou'renegativehabitsgotoutofcontrol.
That's Ah, that's definitely a badsignwithregardstodevelopingalcoholism.
So I wouldsayyouneedtofigureoutsomethingthat's that's moreimportanttoyouthandrinkingandalsothinkthroughveryhardthenegativeconsequencesofcontinuingyouryou'reatabouttheage 26 whereyoushouldstop.
I mean, guyswhoaregoingtostopgenerallystartslowdownpretty, prettyintenselyaroundthateach, um, youknow, alsotreatingyourpsychology.
Studyingas a fulltimejobcanalsobehelpful.
So, youknow, getupateight.
Morning, you're 7 30 inthemorningandstarthittingthebooksbynineandputin a sixstateourdate.
Youreferencedtimelines, StarshipTroopersandlecture, andyourideasoftenremindmeofHarrySeldonPlanfrom a Z MovesFoundation.
Siri's Hey, Well, when I was a kid, whichisquite a longtimeagonow, I livedinthistowncalledFairview, Alberta, whichwas a poundofabout 3000 peoplewaythehellNorth 350 milesnorthwestofEdmonton.
And I havethisneighboracrossthestreetacrosstheEllie, actually, andhehad a hugesciencefictionlibrarymusthave.
Hewouldletmegooverthereandtakelike, 20 booksatthetime, and I wasreadingabout a booktodayatthatpoint, and I readsciencefictionlikemad, probablytill I wasabout 19 orso, maybe a littleyoungerthanthat, thenturnmoretoclassicliteraturewhen I gottocollegeandandalsopartlyas a consequenceofsomelessonsthatthelocallibraryandtaughtmeaboutwhattoread.
So I was a sciencefictionfan.
I haven't readsciencefictionfor a verylongtime, although I wasprettyhappywithitwhen I was a kid.
SoRichardVanKoppensays, Yes, I have.
I graphobiaandwouldlovetohearaboutanxiety.
Well, that's a that's a roughthingtohave a beautifulsoAgraphobicsgetincreasinglyisolatedandafraidofthingsoutsideoftheirdomainoffamiliarity.
Sotheystarttobecomeafraidthatmaybethey'llhave a heartattackandthatthey'lldieinpublicfarfromthehospital, andthatthey'llmake a foolofthemselveswhilethey'redoingitor, well, well, theythinkthey'redone.
Soit's a combinationoftwofears, andoneisfearofmortality, andtheotherisfearofsocialjudgment.
It's often a diseaseofmiddleagedwomen, butnotalways, andthey'reoftenpeoplewho'vebeensomewhatdependentintheirpreviouslivesandthenundergosometraumaticeventlike a divorceorthedeathofsomeonecloseandandatthesametime, ourperhapsexperiencingheartpalpitationsthatareassociatedwithmenopausethatbringsideasofimmortalitytomind.
Andthatcontributor a panicattack, whichisverywhatwouldyoucallit?
Andifyouhaveeggorifit'llbe a fullfledgedangerforyoushouldprobablyconsultprofessionalhelpbecauseit's a verytrickyconditionanditcouldbeverycanreallyimpairyoubadly.
A Somebodyvolunteeredtodesignitandpresentedittome, anditseemstoworkverywell.
I wasgoingtolaunchitattheendofAugustsothatthisyear's universitystudentscouldbenefitfromit.
ButtherewastheCharlottesvilleevent, andthen I gotbusyand I alsowasn't feelinggreat, andso I justdidn't hitthewindowoftimeproperly.
But I hopetobeabletolaunchitfortheJanuaryincomingclasstodo a videoaboutwhat's wrongwiththeuniversitysystem, thatmanythingsthatarewrongwiththeuniversitysystemandtolaunchthewebsiteatthesametime.
I alsohadpeoplesuggesttomethatmaybeitwasn't a goodideathatitwouldincreasepolarization.
But I'vethoughtaboutthatforabout a monthand 1/2 and I thinkthatthebenefittotheconsumersothatwouldbetheinformedstudentoutweighsanydangerofpolarization.
I mean, extraintrovertshave a hardertimespeakinginfrontofgroups, butyoucanlearntodothat.
Youknow, anintrovertcouldbecome a verysuccessfulpublicspeaker, maynotenjoyitthesamewaythatanextravertmight.
Butthatdoesn't meanthatyoucan't learntheskills, andwhat I wouldrecommendforanintrovertisthesamethingthat I dowhen I'm lecturingis I nevertalkedtothewholegroup.
Andso I wouldsay, Ifyou'reanintrovertorifyouwanttospeakinpublicingeneral, forgetaboutthedamncrowd.
Itdoesn't exist.
Speaktopeople, wannaoneat a time, andanintrovertcoulddothatjustfine.
Soyouknowthat's whereyoustrengthwouldbe.
And I wouldsayyou'remuchmorelikelytobeunsuccessfulas a teacherifyoudon't workhardatitandifyou'renotinterestedinit, soifyou'reanintrovert, I wouldn't worryaboutthat.
I don't thinkthatthatwillbethebiggestproblemthatyouface.
SoKnicksareoverrated, saysDitchyourbarber.
Well, I wouldactuallylikemybarberquite a bitthathadthishaircuts a littleshorterthan I'm accustomedto.
Andthere's somereasonsforthat.
Butcome O whatcan I say?
Howhairgrowsbackand I'llbejustasbeautifulas I wasbefore.
Notime.
So I guessthat's howthatseenow, RichardVanCopansays, Myhaircutslookingfresh.
Sowho's that?
TheKnicksareoverrated.
Takethat.
Yeah.
Sowouldyouconsiderhaving a discussionwithThomasSoul?
ThatSamDugan, Dugan.
Dugan?
Probably.
Yeah.
Definitelyconsidered.
I I'm thinkinghardaboutreachingouttohim.
I havesomediscussionscomingupthatyoumightbeinterestedin.
I wenttheretosawSaw a bandcalledHalfMoonRun, whichabound.
I wouldhighlyrecommendtheywereplayingwiththeMontrealSymphonyOrchestra, and I gotinvitedtomeetoneofthesingersandalsogoinandseetheconcert, whichwasexcellent.
Andyeah, I missMontreal.
Montrealis a greatcityforyouAmericanswhoarelistening.
Ifyou'reafraidofdriving, godrivewithsomeoneyoutrustin a parkinglotonSundaymorning, whenthere's noonethereandthendrivearoundtheblock, a streetthatisn't busy, andthengoto a slightlybusierstreetandthengoto a slightlybusierstreetandthenfind a highwaythat's likejust a twolatersothatyouknow, youcouldpracticemergingandthatsortofthing, andyougottabuild a plan, say, with 20 degreesofdifficulty, withthehighestdegreeofdifficultymaybebeingmergingonto a busyfourlanehighwayandyoucouldgo a nightandpracticemergingontothebusyhighwaybecauseitwon't bebusyatnight.
So I wouldsaywhatyoudoisyoubreakitdownintosmallstepsandthenpracticeeachstepuntilyou'reboredwithstep.
Well, what I woulddoisrecommendthebiblicallecture I didonCainandAbel, I wouldsay, because I thinkthatthat's goodsummaryofthestateofmindthatsomebodyhastobeininordertodowhatwasdoneatLasVegas.
I wouldsayit's hatredforbeingitselfandthedesiretotakerevengeonbeingfortheoutrageofthetragedyandsufferingthat's associatedwithbeingandmaybethetragedyandsufferingthat's beingpartparcelofyourownlife.
Andthatmakesyouembitteredandthenpassed.
Embitteredbecomesoutraged.
Pastoutragebecomeswellhomicidalorevengenocidal, andthat's a terriblestateofmindtobeinits a hellishstate.
Well, I believethatthebestwaytoconceptualizethestateofmindthatsomeonehastobeaninordertodosomethingliketheColumbineshootings, forexample, orwhathappenedinLasVegasisthatyou'rereallynot.
Therewas a kidyearsagoattheUniversityofTexasinAustinwhoclimbeduponthetowerthereandshot a numberofpeoplewith a highpoweredrifle, andhehad a fastgrowingtumoronhishypothalamusandhadreportedlikethesebeingovercomewithextremefeelingsofrage.
Sothat's anotherpossibility.
But I wouldsaythe M bettermenthypothesisisthestrongestone.
I wouldalsosay, too, I noticedtheStevenPinkertweetedthistodayisthatoneofthewaysofcontrollingthissortofthingwouldbeforthepresstoagree.
Notfortheretobe a blanketagreement, nottopublicizethenameoranyotheridentitymarkersofthepeoplewhodotheshooting.
It's a kindofarroganceandpride, lastditch, arroganceandpridethatthatisassociatedwiththefantasiesthatdrivethissortofbehavior.
Andthefantasyissomethinglike, Well, after I dothis, everyonewillsureknowthatwhothehell I waas, youknow, eventhoughmaybe I wasignoredorunhappywhen I wasaliveAfter I'm dead, everybody's gonnaknowwho I wasn't whatidea, youknow.
Sothereisthisundergrounddesireforfame.
I guessit's notoriety, butnotorietymightbepreferabletobeingignored.
Andsoyouknow, there's a lotoftalkaboutguncontrol, andthat's understandable, especiallywithregardstoautomaticrifles, although I alsounderstandwhythepeoplewhoaregunownersareafraidofallowingwhattheyregardasoneoftheirfundamentalrightstobeinfringedupon.
I mean, I guessthatwhatyou'repointingatisthedangeroffame, and I cancertainlyappreciatethat.
I can't saythat I'm particularlycomfortablewithit, whichmightseemtoberatherhypocritical, asitisn't like I'veshiedawayfromexposingmyviewsinpublic, but I feltthat I wasdriventothatbynecessityandalsobymydesiretoeducatepeople.
However, I wouldsay, despitethefactthat I'm somewhatuncomfortablewithit, I thinkthat's mostlybecauseoftheresponsibility.
And I wouldalsosayTrytostabilizewhenyougotobedandmaybe a littlelater, ratherthan a littleearlier, becauseyoudon't wanttobelayingthere, flippingaroundlike a like a fishtryingtogotosleep.
Youwanttostabilizeyoursleep.
Waitroutines, becausebipolardisorderisinpart a circadianrhythmdisorder.
A veryhighqualitycamera, though, so I thinkit's worthworththetroubleanyways.
PeripheryPetesaid.
I fellasleeplisteningtoyou, which, youknow, thatdoesn't soundsogood.
Sothatpart's notsogood.
Butthispart's good.
Thenextday, my 60 filterlistcigarettes a dayhabitdisappeared.
Notsurewhatyousaid, butthankyou.
Clearerexhead.
Well, ifyoucanfigureoutwhatyouwerelisteningThio, maybe I couldmake a tapeofthingstolisten, tobuyJordanPetersonwhileyou'refallingasleeptofixyourcigarettehabit.
Butanyways, I thinkthat's great.
Don't don't startagain.
Orifyoudo, makesureyouquitagain.
I'm reallygladtohearthat, and I'veneverhadthatparticulartalentpointedouttomebefore, sothat's prettyinterestingandcomical.
Sodoyoubelievethere's a strongundercurrentofKnostis's, um, inourcountry?
Narcissism, bytheway, isthedoctrinehereticaldoctorfrom a classicalChristianperspectivethatyoucanattainreligiousinsightthroughunderstandingThat's that's oversimplifiedview.
I thinkthere's anundercurrentofwannabeCostisisminourcountry.
Youknow, I thinkthatpeoplebelievetheycancometooreligiousenlightenmentthroughunderstanding, butthatthey'regenerallylesswillingtodotheworkthatwouldbenecessarytodothat.
I thinkit's partofwhatmakesusweek, and I thinkweareatthemomentbeakinourfoundationsas a civilization.
So I havetroubleregulatingmyemotions.
I have a suspicionIt's todowiththefactthat I'm 90 percentileonopenness, conscientiousnessanderoticismandsecondpercentile, agreeablenessandextraversion.
Anytipsondealingwiththat?
Yeah, well, ifyoureallyhighinopennessandyou'rereallyhighneuroticism, thatcouldbe a roughcombination.
Conscientiousnessshouldactuallyhelpwithout, althoughitmightmakeyou a bitperfectionistic.