"You Should Be A Monster" | Jordan Peterson Motivation
The article is a theoretical piece.
The article is about the integration of one's dark side or shadow and the importance of recognizing and controlling it. Jordan Peterson emphasizes that one should strive to be a monster in order to have the capacity to be dangerous and significant, but also learn how to control that monstrousness.
Main topics: integration of the shadow, responsibility, competence, the significance of being dangerous, martial arts philosophy, Nazi Germany, self-respect. Secondary topics: power, control, discipline, victimhood, Freudian psychoanalysis.
- Introduction
- The concept of spiritual development through recognizing and integrating one's dark tendencies
- The importance of integrating the shadow for developing maturity and self-respect
- The need for competence and the ability to defend oneself
- The danger of being weak and naive
- The importance of balancing power and peace in personal growth
- The necessity of facing one's own shadow and the difficulty of doing so
- Understanding perpetrators of atrocities through recognizing one's own shadow
- The benefits of integration of the shadow for parenting and discipline
- The risk of being controlled by one's dark tendencies
- Conclusion
Recognizing and Integrating the Shadow: Importance of Responsibility and Monstrousness
In this motivational speech, Jordan Peterson emphasizes the importance of recognizing and integrating one's Shadow, the part of oneself that embodies satanic tendencies. He argues that it is necessary to transmute one's monstrous tendencies instead of casting them aside, in order to achieve spiritual development. People who have not integrated their Shadow and are naive, tend to be resentful and are often taken advantage of. On the other hand, people who have integrated their Shadow are dangerous, but their presence radiates implicit potential for havoc.
Peterson argues that being harmless does not equate to being virtuous, but rather, it is necessary to have the capacity to be dangerous and formidable. Developing the capacity to be dangerous is a step towards enlightenment and gives people self-respect. It is important to note that being capable of cruelty but not acting on it is better than being naive, weak, and harmless. Young people especially need to hear this message of monstrousness and the need for competence and power, as being weak makes one a victim to life's tragedies.
Peterson highlights the importance of responsibility and that it gives life meaning and sustenance. Responsibility is necessary to withstand the difficulties of life, and it is essential to adopt the responsibility for one's well-being, family, community, and the search for eternal truth. Moreover, he suggests that being capable of cruelty and controlling it is a better way of character-building than not having the capacity for cruelty at all. It is necessary to integrate the Shadow through self-analysis to understand oneself and others' capability for atrocities, as without it, there is no possibility of bringing it under control.
Importance of Facing the Uncomfortable Truth
Peterson argues that following one's bliss and doing what makes one happy is not the path to enlightenment and wisdom. It is about facing the thing people least want to face - recognizing oneself as the locus of evil, which gives one more respect for oneself. Facing the uncomfortable truth about oneself is a traumatizing process, but it is necessary to understand oneself and others' capability for terrible atrocities. Furthermore, it is essential to develop discipline and not expose one's dark side to children by recognizing one's potential for wreaking havoc.
Peterson concludes by reiterating the importance of recognizing and integrating the Shadow, being responsible, and developing competence and power. He believes that one should be a monster, but a controlled one, which is the alternative to being weak, naive, and harmless.
The information in this article can have implications for several areas of knowledge, including psychology, philosophy, and sociology. It talks about the importance of recognizing and integrating one's "shadow" or darker tendencies in order to become more self-aware and grounded. This can help with spiritual development and personal growth, which are important areas of life. However, the article misses the importance of empathy and compassion as complementary areas of knowledge to this information. Understanding one's own flaws and tendencies is important, but without empathy and compassion for others it can lead to a lack of understanding and harsh judgment of others. The author also misses the contradiction between being a "monster" and being virtuous, as these are typically seen as opposites. It is important to understand that being a "monster" does not necessarily mean being cruel or harmful, but rather recognizing and embracing one's own abilities and power while still practicing empathy and compassion towards others.
Question 1:
What is the importance of recognizing and integrating one's shadow?
"[Music] part of Spiritual Development is to recognize the satanic tendencies that characterize you and to fully wrestle with them and to integrate them...If you're harmless you're not virtuous you're just harmless...if you're a monster and you don't act monstrously then you're virtuous but you also have to be a monster...it's a very common mythological notion...the hero has to be a monster but a controlled monster...you have to develop that and...that's the step on the way to Enlightenment..."
Question 2:
Why is it dangerous to encourage young men to be naive, weak, and harmless?
"...naive, weak, and harmless means that you can't withstand the tragedies of life...end up bitter and when you get bitter then you get dangerous...being weak and naive and harmless which is what young men are being encouraged to be it's like that's a very bad idea...naive weak and harmless means that you can't withstand the tragedies of life you can't bear any responsibility you'll end up bitter..."
Question 3:
What is the relationship between being competent at fighting and decreasing the probability of having to fight?
"...if you're competent at fighting that actually decreases the probability that you're going to have to fight because when someone pushes you you'll be able to respond with confidence and with any luck...a show of confidence which is very much equivalent to a show of dominance is going to be enough to make the bully back off and so the strength that you develop in your monstrousness is actually the best guarantee of peace ..."
Question 4:
Why is it necessary to recognize oneself as capable of cruelty?
"...someone who is incapable of Cruelty is a higher moral being than someone who is capable of Cruelty and...that's incorrectly and it's dangerously incorrect because if you're not capable of Cruelty you are absolutely a victim to anyone who is...that's partly why Jung believed that it was necessary for people to integrate their Shadow...when you study Nazi Germany for example or you study the Soviet Union particularly under Stalin and you're asking yourself well what are these perpetrators like forget about the victims let's talk about the perpetrators the answer is they're just like you and if you don't know that that just means that you don't know anything about people including yourself..."
Quiz 1: Spiritual Development and the Shadow
- a. Recognizing satanic tendencies
- b. Integrating the shadow within oneself
- c. Wrestling with one's flaws
- d. All of the above Answer: d. All of the above
- a. Naivete
- b. Acceptance of flaws
- c. Courage in the face of challenges
- d. None of the above Answer: a. Naivete
- a. It helps one become more virtuous
- b. It helps one develop self-respect
- c. It increases one's potential for harm
- d. It leads to enlightenment Answer: b. It helps one develop self-respect
Question 1: What is part of Spiritual Development?
Question 2: What is a characteristic of someone who has not integrated their shadow?
Question 3: Why is it important to integrate one's shadow?
Quiz 2: Masculine Competence and Responsibility
- a. Competent and formidable
- b. Naive and harmless
- c. Cruel and dangerous
- d. None of the above Answer: b. Naive and harmless
- a. It increases the likelihood of being respected
- b. It can decrease the probability of having to fight
- c. It develops strength of character and self-respect
- d. All of the above Answer: d. All of the above
- a. Being cruel is better than not being cruel
- b. Being cruel is worse than not being cruel
- c. Being cruel is a sign of weakness
- d. None of the above Answer: b. Being cruel is worse than not being cruel
Question 1: According to the text, what are young men being encouraged to be?
Question 2: Why is it important to be competent?
Question 3: Which statement about being cruel is true?
Quiz 3: Facing the Dark Side
- a. To become a better disciplinarian
- b. To develop self-respect and strength of character
- c. To understand why others are capable of cruelty
- d. All of the above Answer: d. All of the above
- a. Victimhood to someone who is capable of cruelty
- b. Naivete and weakness
- c. Inability to bear responsibility
- d. All of the above Answer: a. Victimhood to someone who is capable of cruelty
- a. Following one's bliss
- b. Facing the thing one least wants to face
- c. Doing what makes one happy
- d. None of the above Answer: b. Facing the thing one least wants to face
Question 1: Why is it important to face one's dark side?
Question 2: What is a consequence of not facing one's dark side?
Question 3: What is the path to enlightenment and wisdom?
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Recognize your satanic tendencies and integrate them: This tip can be applied by acknowledging our flaws and imperfections. Instead of casting them away, we should embrace and integrate them to become a better version of ourselves.
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Be dangerous but controlled: This tip suggests that we should not shy away from our competitive instincts and should strive to be competent and formidable while being peaceful and controlled. This can be applied in our personal and professional lives to achieve our goals without hurting others.
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Take responsibility for your well-being: This tip encourages us to adopt responsibility for our own well-being and seek eternal truth. By putting our family together, serving our community, and seeking the truth, we can ground ourselves in our lives and withstand the difficulties.
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Develop teeth and grow dangerous: This tip may seem counter-intuitive, but it highlights the importance of being capable of cruelty without acting cruel. By being able to defend ourselves and others and assert ourselves when needed, we can earn respect and self-respect.
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Integrate your shadow: This tip suggests that we should analyze our own shadow to understand why other people are capable of terrible atrocities and to bring it under control. By recognizing ourselves as the locus of evil, we can treat ourselves and others better and become better at disciplining children.
The best tip to include in daily life would be to take responsibility for our well-being. By adopting responsibility and seeking eternal truth, we can ground ourselves in our lives and find meaning that sustains us through life. This tip can be applied in our personal and professional lives to achieve our goals and withstand the difficulties of life.