Bible Lecture #5

Discussion thread for The Psychological Significance of the Biblical Stories - Lecture #5

study group discussion

Discussion as part of our Study Group.

my notes

27:51 - Sacrificing what’s most dear to you because it’s resulting in your suffering.

  • Sacrifice as analogous to delay gratification.

  • Arbitrary element in life.

  • Introspection when suffering.

    • Blaming others of society results in you acting in counter productive ways.
  • Don’t wait too long for the deadwood to burn off.

46:21 - You come up with your metaphors or they run you ?

46:30 - 01:05:10

What’s the greatest sacrifice ?

  • Mother: Why and should I bring a child into the world if you know he/she is going to suffer ?

    • Maybe he/she will do something that will make it worthwhile.

    • Marry answers yes.

      • Say Yes to life knowing full well what that means.
    • To watch opposite of Marry situation - Documentary Crumb

    • 50:09 - Peterson left home when he was 17.

      • His MoM said he it was too good at home you would never leave.
  • Christ: How to live your life ?

    • Christ offers himself to the God so completely that his faith and trust in the world is not broken by betrayal, torture and death.
  • The Father: God at the time is sacrificing his son.

  • Having Children:

    • You don’t grow up until you have someone you care for more than yourself.

    • With every birth there is a possibility that you are introducing something remarkable into the world.

    • Baby is not ruined yet.

01:05:15 - 02:00:00

Cain and Abel

  • First human being on the planet - Cain.

    • A conflict arises b/w the two and best of them ends up dead.
  • Greatest Ideas - Sacrifice or delay gratification.

  • Agriculturist vs the Herdsman

  • (1:13:00 JBP get emotional while talking about his sons).

  • Hitler was an organizational genius.

    • People don’t refuse the ambition to be Hitler because they don’t have the genocidal motivation but because they don’t have the organizational genius.
  • Cain and Abel are two destinies but they are not separate. You don’t manifest one 100% and other 0%.

  • “Went through the motions but wasn’t happy about it”.

  • Who comes up with you thoughts ?

  • A good posture - grateful and inquiring.

    • Things could be much worse than they are.

    • Humility - how could I make things better ?

      • What sacrifice I have to make things better (and you define better) ?

        • What I could let go would make my life better ?

        • Do it in small increments.

    • Arrogance of intellect

      • Tom Waits reading Nirvana (a poem by Charles Bukowski).

      • The idea that no job is beneath you

        • Cursing the universe for your troubles.

        • Diaries of Columbine Killers

  • Cynicism against people who have done well.

    • Media/Social media attacks on good people.
  • Read Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment.

    • What happens psychologically if you commit the ultimate crime.
  • William Blake’s painting.

    • Voluntary engagement with evil.
  • Existence of evil and reluctance of intellectuals to talk about it.

  • Proclivity to murder the best in you for revenge.

  • Unharvested fruits of proper sacrifice.