"Scent of a Woman" - Archetypes and examples set for Men
Dr. Peterson, thanks for all you do? I am a long time follower of your and appreciate how you make so much available for folks like me to consume, critically think about, and use to make me a better person. I've listened to your biblical lecture series, a lot of your podcasts, read your books, and just finished the Origin and History of Consciousness. When I step back and think about it, the things you discuss are present in nearly everything. It's wild. If you have seen the movie Scent of a Woman, I'm curious to your thoughts on it as good example of Archetypes and also a good story for the challenges of becoming a man? I love your lectures highlighting movies like Harry Potter, Lion King, and Beauty and the Beast and how these movies capture archetypes and the human developmental journey, especially some of the key qualities of becoming a man. Scent of a woman is captivating to me. It is all dialogue and I cannot help but connect to your lectures on how powerful words can be if used properly. There is also consciousness development, the tension of good vs. evil, the story of Cain and Abel, Nihilism, and the idea of Truth. Always tell the truth, or at least don't like.
Consensus Wisdom
What's the relationship between the truth and broad consensus mentality, or the cultural zeitgeist? It's often tempting to conclude that most people are wrong about most things most of the time past a certain threshold of depth or resolution. Is this too cynical? Does the wisdom of the masses function as a course heuristic, and therefore somewhat useful as a guide, or can it become so detached from reality and even its own self interests so as to be completely dismissed? Take popular music for example. That which is most popular should offer something, however implicit, that is calling to the fascination and interest of most people and the cultural zeitgeist. But it seems very possible that what is calling out to people is often a kind of manipulative trick, like snake oil wrapped in a convincing package. I think of phone and social media culture as well. Is it possible for almost everyone as a society to be deeply off track of what they themselves as individuals really value? Or is consensus culture self correcting like aspects of market dynamics, and generally correct despite being slow and course?
In Search of Wisdom from a Fellow Survivor
Dear Dr. Peterson, As an individual who’s been on the brink of death and found his way back to life, how do you manage internal expectations, an example being “this is my second chance at life and I have to make it worth something”, that can result from surviving near death experiences? I’m a cancer survivor in his mid-twenties (2-3) years in remission, and regardless of the successes and goals I accomplish, I feel like I’m not doing enough with my second chance. Given your own health experiences and the trials and adversities you’ve witnessed firsthand within your family, have you struggled with these thoughts of expectation and purpose/fear of unworthiness? Do you have any advice for one trying to live a life worthy of the blessing found in a second chance? — Thank you for your time and attention.
Would you advise your high schooler to attend university?
Hypothetically if you had a highschooler who was about to graduate, would you still recommend that they attend university given the woke culture that has permeated the classes there? What would be your career advice to an 18 year old about to move out into the world on their own?