I watch loads of Jordan Peterson videos. Simply because it is soberingly true and it widen perspectives in our protected environment and culture. So I did a casual transcript of this clip for you to read if you don’t like to watch.
[Start of transcript]
That’s why dragon hoards gold, it’s like, what’s up with that?
Well…it (dragon) will eat you and it will!
But it has gold, so what do you do about that? It’s a paradoxical demands.
Well, what you want to do is face the dragon and get the damn gold, that’s what you want to do.
Well you have to be a paradoxical being even to do that.
face the dragon and get the damn gold!
Jordan Peterson
So you know In the hobbit, for example Bilbo in the Hobbit.
He’s kind of the little undeveloped, overprotected shire dweller.
And he’s called on the great adventure to go and find the dragon.
And he has to become a thief in order to manage it. Well that’s pretty weird… You know it’s like, as a good citizen he’s just not enough to conquer the dragon.
He has to also become a bad citizen in some sense, he has to incorporate himself that is monstrous, let’s say. And develop and hone it, and that’s to say that.
Well, if you’re harmless…you’re not virtuous. You’re just harmless; you’re like a rabbit.
A rabbit isn’t virtuous, it just can’t do anything except get eaten. It’s not virtuous.
If you’re a monster and you don’t act monstrously, then you’re virtuous.
A rabbit isn’t virtuous, it just can’t do anything except get eaten. It’s not virtuous.
Jordan peterson
If you’re a monster and you don’t act monstrously, then you’re virtuous.
But you also have to be a monster. Well, you see this all the time. Harry Potter is like that too.
It’s like he’s flawed, he’s hurt, he’s got evil in him, he can talk to snakes, man!
He breaks rules all the time. All the time. He’s not obedient at all, but you know he has a good reason for breaking rules. And if he couldn’t break the rules, him and his little clique of rule breaking, you know, trouble makers.
If they didn’t break the rules, they wouldn’t attain the highest goals.
So it’s very peculiar, but it’s very very very common mythological notion. You know the hero has to be a monster.
But a controlled monster, Batman is like that, and you know it’s everywhere.
Student asks question…..
JP: Well that’s a good question. You know, because one question is, you’re kind of implicitly moral in so far as you’re socialised. But that’s sort of procedural, it’s just built into you. This is different, this is also becoming conscious of it and expanding out your personality into dimensions that it wouldn’t normally occupy.
So this happens to people all the time.
So for example, lots of my clients – my clinical clients are far too agreeable.
And they’re generally women because women are more agreeable than men, but not always cause I’ve had agreeable men as clients as well.
And what happens is, they’re resentful and they don’t know how to stand up for themselves.
It’s because they’re very compassion by nature. And so if you’re entering into a negotiation with them, they’ll let you win.
Well that’s not so good because you know, you(they) need to win too. Especially if you’re in an organization of adults where there’s a struggle.
When you have kinds, you can let them win. Especially infants you have to let them win, and that’s partly why compassion is so necessary.
But as a basis for negotiation between adults.
It’s like sorry, it’s insufficient you have to be a bit of a monster so that you can say no.
And so a lot of what you do in psychotherapy, is treat people’s anxiety and depression, that’s a huge chunk of it.
Help them straighten out the way they think, that’s a huge chunk of it. But another chunk of it is – well let’s toughen you up. You know, let’s put you in a situation where you can bargain. Let’s teach you how to assert yourself and stand up for yourself and that’s assertiveness and that’s a huge chunk of psychotherapy, and you need to learn it.
It’s like because part of how you regulate your interactions with other people is to negotiate and you cannot negotiate unless you can say no, you can’t do it.
And it causes conflict to say no, and if you don’t like conflict, which is basically the definition of being agreeable, so you can’t negotiate on your own behalf.
And so you keep losing, and you’re being bullied.
And you know.
It’s not good.
Then you get resentful.
Develop your inner monster a little bit.
Jordan peterson
And then that makes you a better person, not a worst person
So you have to develop your inner monster a little bit. And then that makes you a better person, not a worst person.
It’s weird….but that’s just how it is. [End of Transcript]
I would encourage you to watch the the context of how he came to this topic. The Context should start from 50mins mark. Click here to watch Youtube video now.
I have personally watch the full video in 1 sitting. Fascinating to listen to a lecturer speaking for over 2 hours non stop.
Let me end with Mr Harvey Specter, but not his saying. LOL!
That’s all for now. Till next time. Be a monster.
Read my personal thoughts: How Does Naruto Relate To Dr Jordan Peterson Lectures
