topic
https://discuss.bevry.me/t/maps-of-meaning-2/23
discussion notes
Meaning comes from progress towards a goal. *Not achieving the goal. *But the progress towards a certain goal.
Every ideology has a story, and the goal of the stories is to win in the set of all games. Not to win basketball, but to get invited back to play more basketball with your friends.
Peterson’s nephew: a knight in a field surrounded by dwarves and a dragon. Every time he cuts a head off of a dragon, a bunch more dwarves appear.
When he runs from the dwarves, they grow into giants as he shrinks. But then he stands on his father’s shoulders and uses his sword to stab the dragon’s eyes out.
Then he dives down the dragon’s throat. He finds the box of fire and cuts out a section and uses it as a shield.
Conquer your fear, then use it to strengthen yourself. Another example I can think of is Bruce Wayne conquering his fear of bats in Batman Begins.
So what fine goal is worth the suffering of life?** The highest one you can possibly imagine, even if it’s just starting with yourself.**
Environmentalist story: savage mankind ruins pristine nature.
Pioneer story: civilized mankind tames savage nature.
But each is half of the story, and both gives the whole truth!
Bilbo must become a thief in order to kill the dragon.
Harry Potter breaks the rules all the time in order to beat Voldemort.
**Sometimes the hero has to be a monster. **And person who is sometimes a monster, is a better person. A more successful person, and a more honest person.
When the hero is agreeable, he avoids conflict and therefore always loses. Then he is resentful and angry, and he’s a loser.
The hero, then, is not agreeable.
Peterson on parenting: young kids will give back way more than you give, unless you screw up. It’s fun to try to maintain that pristine relationship.
What do marionettes symbolize? Human beings without autonomy. Puppets, especially of ideological movements.
The cricket “bugs” you, so he’s your conscience. And since your conscience isn’t always right, then it is generic and needs to learn alongside you (Jung).
Mythology reveals you as the third element of being: nature, culture, and you. And you can affect the interplay between nature, culture, and you. Plus there’s an archetypal mother and father in addition to the hero.