Jordan B. Peterson argues that we must always tell the truth or at least not lie. What does this suggest about the way in which Western society has evolved? Are we a culture built on falsehoods? Have we become a people too afraid to call it how it is? It does not take long to see in the cacophony of arguments inundating the air waves, social media, and the like that people are usually dancing around the issue, whatever that may be. A direct observation would be refreshing. A refusal to submit to rules of conversation dictated by ideologues would be helpful. Our voices should not be mere echoes of what somebody else says. We should think on our own and say what we mean, not in coded language but in clear, honest language.
Observing how the English ivy wound its way around a small tree trunk, I asked my daughter why the English ivy simply didn't shoot straight up. Why did it take a circuitous route? It needs something to cling to, she said. I thought this was rather insightful, coming from a twelve-year-old girl. Instead of growing directly toward the sun, the English ivy tacked left then right until it had secured its position on the trunk. It held fast. It wasn't going to budge. This is why we fail, I thought. Oftentimes we never get directly to our goal but, instead, try, fail, experiment, try again until we inch forward. In doing so, we establish security. We are firm where we are. Those who attain their goals too easily, however, are bound to fall away. They are not wound tightly around the trunk. They can simply be peeled away. It is an interesting way to look at our failures, at any rate. Perhaps we are just ...
Comments
Post a Comment