Saturday, June 27, 2020

Why speaking the truth is less dangerous than staying silent, according to Jordan Peterson

Peterson said in 2017:

Don't underestimate the power of truth. There's nothing more powerful. Now, in order to speak what you might regard as truth, you have to let go of the outcome. You have to think: all right, I'm going to say what I think — stupid as I am, biased as I am, ignorant as I am — I'm going to state what I think as clearly as I can. And I'm going to live with the consequences.…

Nothing brings a better world into being than the stated truth.

Now, you might have to pay a price for that, but … you're going to pay a price for every bloody thing you do — and everything you don't do. You don't get to choose to not pay a price. You get to choose which poison you're going to take — that's it. So if you're going to stand up for something, stand up for your truth.

It'll shape you, because people will respond and object, and tell you why you're a biased moron and why you're ignorant. And then if you listen to them, you'll be just that much less like that the next time you say something. And if you do that for 5 years, you'll be so damn tough and articulate and able to communicate and withstand pressure, that you won't even recognize yourself. And then you'll be a force to contend with.…

It is not safe to speak, but it is even less safe not to speak. … You'll just be a miserable worm at the end of about 20 years of that. No self respect, no power, no ability to voice your opinions, nothing left but resentment, because everyone's against you, because of course you've never stood up for yourself.…

Say what you think carefully. Pay attention to your words.… There'll be ups and downs, and there'll be pushback, and it'll be controversy, and all of that. It doesn't matter. Wake up! Tell the truth — or at least don't lie. That's a start.…

Don't be thinking you're alone. It's just that people … are afraid to talk or they don't know what to say.… The enemy is a cloud. They're a cloud of gnats. They're only courageous in groups. They're only courageous in mobs. If you stand your ground and don't apologize and articulate things properly, they'll disperse around you like they're not even there. So most of it's illusion.

1 comments:

NotWhoIUsedtoBe said...

Thanks, I needed that.