Jordan Peterson reflections

Some reflections on some of Jordan Peterson's lectures and ideas (in no particular order):

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I've been thinking that inequality is fundamental to greed - which is of course not limited to capitalism - but it is worshipped by capitalism - and all obstacles to greed are quasi-religiously bulldozed by capitalist societies - they are considered anathema to the true free market that is the bringer of all goodness[tm].

But it is obviously not limited to Capitalistic nations.

My sense was also that the power structures that tend to encourage the concentration of wealth towards the few is systemic to Humans - but exaggerated and exacerbated by Capitalism; with Patriarchy - which is far older and occurs in nearly all extant Human civilizations - is also key to such tower-shaped distributions of wealth. i.e. it encourages hierarchies, and supports systemic systems of power distribution that favors 1/2 of the population over the other half right from the get-go.

Additionally, patriarchy is aggressive, combative or competitive in nature, and it rewards "winners" over losers - not merely as one who wins at a given contest - but as a way of dividing who should get the overall spoils of life vs. those who should not. It's a winner-takes-all mentality; rather than merely winner gets more or better.

And finally patriarchy encourages a world-view which is grounded in such zero-sum games, competition, winner takes all, take or be taken; and the paranoia that accompanies such a mindset and world-view.

To me, these are deep archetypes that distort any culture and unbalances it if such tendencies are not counterbalanced by an equally strong pull towards honoring wisdom, group effort, common survival, common cause, common grounds, the wellness of the whole, respect for one's peers and elders, preparation and sacrifice for the future generations, and a sense of borrowing or using with respect, reverence, and in balance with what can be reasonably afforded any given individual - or at least balanced against the greater good (Humans and Nature).

These ideas seem to me to be core to health - to a literal and alliterative sense of wellbeing and balance and deep contentment and integrity - that are just not possible - nor encouraged in any way - under patriarchy.

Jordan Peterson points out the fallacy that inequality is limited to Capitalism - or that thinking of capitalism as the root of the evil of inequality is too narrow-minded and fails to notice a much larger tapestry of human societies that have tended towards concentration of wealth.

However, for my 2c, I find the archetypes of the divine feminine to hold real promise in offering a way to rethink society and culture to avoid the endless traps of dickishness and its constant narrow towers...

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I guess as far as I can see - balance and wisdom and honor and grace and compassion and a consideration for the welfare of everyone cannot be mandated by laws or rules - cannot be defended by police - cannot be made into a competition or rewards system.

The only way to have a society that values health, well being, compassion, and so on is to actually hold those values as a people, and hold each other accountable to such lofty - wise - ways of being and acting - not by punishment primarily - but by example and by social interconnection.

Such motivations must come from within individuals - and those individuals must be raised with some awareness of such high-minded principles - we must reinforce such goals and values as a collective people.

I honestly think we all start out with a very solid sense of fairness and desire for the wellbeing of all - and learn later on that such things are for suckers as we're abused and we see example after example of the destitution that "losing" brings.

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So, JP says it's all personal - it's the struggle of the individual to do right by themselves - which is inherently right by others - to achieve a life that makes up for the pain and suffering of existence.

Okay - solid on many levels. Wise words IMO.

That said - there is undeniably racism, sexism, colonialism, imperialism, classism. There are easily understood and mathematically trackable biases woven into the collective systems we call society that make the games of life considerably easier for some, and vastly more difficult for others.

So, to my eyes, we have a valid truth of individual responsibility, willingness to shoulder their own load (self-love and self-care being obvious motivators); and we have the equally valid truth of systemic racism and sexism and so on stacked against various people to various degrees through no fault of their own. none. It's just the shit they were born into. Because of others' crazy beliefs - women are inferior, or blacks are not really humans like themselves, or native americans are just whatever - it's their own fault - whatever the sick and twisted belief happens to be.

These things are not mutually exclusive.

Both can - and absolutely undeniably do - operate in the same world at the same time.

It is not enough to simply say "take responsibility".

It is not enough to simply say "society is corrupt and unjust."

In fact, part of taking responsibility is knowing that society is corrupt and unjust and - who the fuck else is going to bear the burden of righting that wrong? Of making things a little better for the next generation? For helping our children to have less of a headwind to fight against while doing the already seriously challenging work of individual growth?

If not you, if not me, then who?

These are not mutually exclusive, but go hand in hand. And I wish to do my part to make a better world by changing the corrupt and unjust and evil mechanisms buried in our societies that stack the deck against people of color, and women, and other minorities, including the surviving remnants of our genocides against the first peoples of this continent.

I hope you'll join me.