A podcast with David Brooks
Would you consider talking with David Brooks or Fr Ronald Rohlheiser. O.M.I. or even Cardinal Thomas Collins about anything that you damn well would like to speak about? I appriciate and treasure your clarity of thinking, paying the price to speaki the truth about life's values and meaning. (I am 70 years old, a Catholic priest for nearly 45 years. Your honestly and courage to speak the truth gives me hope & I THANK YOU!)
Fluidity in Personality
My question is that the person I am in public is different than the person I am with my close ones. I am way more assertive with people I trust and very agreeable in the realm of unpredictability. I believe agreeableness is a learned behavior from childhood, however, assertiveness is also a learned behavior from learning about conflict resolution..etc. The problem is that I seem to adapt to my surroundings quickly and my personality changes in small or even big ways depending on who I am with? Also, my mindset at the moment can determine my personality. For example, when I am solving problems, I tend to be assertive, blunt, and straightforward. When I am comforting a friend, I am compassionate, soft, and beat around the bush... lol. I guess my question is can a personality be fluid? Especially since there are so many external and internal factors that can change someone's mindset/habits/personality.
Are we overlooking a language war?
On the internet, they say "the left can't meme". Making satirical cartoons and memes poking fun at sensitive issues apparently is not something the left is good at. You could say however that the left has been memeing at an academic level, and their message has had at least as much if not more effect on culture. The front of the culture war appears to be a language war, where words like "inclusion", "equity" and "diversity" have been turned into IED's, liable to explode in the face of any non-progressive who goes near them. From the perspective of language, this is a problem. These words are categories that serve an important function in the way we think and reason about the world. Everyone, from every place on the political spectrum, needs to be able to use those words with a reasonable definition, so that as a society we can use them to negotiate a nuanced view of the world. When people who are not part of the progressive left can no longer use these words, they can no longer articulate a complete world view. In that sense, you could see a language war literally as words being claimed as territory. Do you think there's any truth to that, and that we should be careful we don't lose the ability to use words? One way to stop this is to create a new word whenever an old one is under threat, to distinguish and redirect the new meaning into its own category. Progressive-left equity, diversity and inclusion are not the same as traditional equity, diversity and inclusion, perhaps we should express the distinction in language. The word "woke" is one example, where before we had to draw a Venn-diagram of categories to be able to point at that specific group, now we have a word for it. Though the meaning of the word "woke" is still being solidified, it is interesting to note that many languages don't have their own word for it, they use "woke". We're now negotiating language at an international level, which to some extent determines the way we categorise and compartmentalise reality. Are we overlooking a language war?
ADHD ? - 10 year old - Trouble focusing and making friends
Hello Dr. Peterson, I have twin boys that are 10 years old, one of them, has always had difficulties making friends. From a young age, he would frequently have meltdowns if he didn’t get to go first, or didn’t get what he wanted. Over the years, he has improved, the meltdowns have stopped. Both boys have had lots of rough and tumble play throughout their lives. The one that is having difficulty making friends, is always worried about what other people think about him when he’s at school. He has difficulty with self regulation, and the teacher has commented many times that he daydreams in class as well. He does extremely well, when he is working on something that interests him. When it comes to playing the piano, or geography, the sky is the limit. He can play the piano for hours on end, or study geography for hours with no issues whatsoever. We are not sure about what to regarding his issues at school, daydreaming, and trouble with making friends. His teacher has suggested we take him to the doctor, that if he could just focus, everything would be OK. We want our son to fit in, not to isolate himself. My wife and I don’t know what to do, and if there is anything we can do. We know our son has a lot of potential, and would like to learn how to give him the tools to unlock that potential. Any advice would be greatly appreciated, thank you.
Rene Girard and Nietzsche
What do you make of Girard's scapegoat theory, mimetic desire, and the process of Hominization (the transition from animal to man). I came across Girard when I was searching for meaning in my life and he captivated me. Coincidently, I learned of him through Bishop Barron's youtube commentary. I'm dying to know what you make of his ideas. It seems there is some alignment between you and Girard but I can't quite see that clearly enough to articulate, and how does Girard relate to Nietzsche? Your input would be deeply appreciated. I do remember Girard mentioning in an interview that Christ is the only character that didn't deserve to die so is different in this way than the very famous myths. Please elaborate/explain/comment. Thank you