Jordan Peterson: Fix Yourself

6 Replies to “Jordan Peterson: Fix Yourself”

1. If only we would do that. Some of us try to live like that and be the quiet in the land; some of us do not and rage like a lion. Most are in between at varying degrees.

2. Well done Ken….
   Although this kind of hateful misogynist, racist, homophobic rhetoric from Peterson is why I’m going to need some time to myself in my safe space….Thanks Robert
   IT’S NOT MY FAULT!

3. Suffice to say that I have FAR more to BLAME my parents for than 98.9% of the whiney generation(s). I attended 11 different elementary schools in my first 8-Years of education. Parental violence, abandonment, alcoholism, poverty. If not for ONE set of stable grandparents … my bother and I would have been dumped into the Foster care system. As it turned out … I had to run-away from home (to live with a family friend) as a HS Freshman … because there was literally NO food in the house to eat. That lasted less than a year, as their family was dysfunctional and broke apart. I ended-up, finally, spending my last two years of high school in Foster Care … but that’s an even LONGER story.
   Through all of this, the schools, my teachers, nobody … ever knew anything of my situation. All I ever wanted was to project “normalcy”. I didn’t want ANYONE to know of my s#ithole Family. So, I never saw a Counselor. Never spoke to anyone of my personal struggles. My brother and I supported one-another, and supported ourselves … quite literally at times … with our paper route earnings, and even mowing lawns for neighbors. A silver Franklin half dollar in our fists was quite literally like a gold bar. My older brother (RIP) … was my rock. He looked after me, took care of me … and although we were very different personalities … ended up as SURVIVORS (nay, THRIVERS) despite our miserable childhoods.
   Somewhere in my latter years of HS … I philosophically came to understand that my future was completely up to me. Laying blame was worthless self-indulgence … and I didn’t have the time or luxury for self-pity. Which isn’t to say I never felt sorry for myself and WISHED that I had the “priveleged” childhoods of my friends, but clearly understood that those were non-productive feelings that needed to be repressed. Yeah, I could probably fill hours of a Psychoanalysts couch with my repressed feelings. Meh. A waste of time, as I am quite functional, thank you. I also was able to “compartmentalize” my biological parents as simply being WEAK and FLAWED humans (like all of us) who simply were not up to the demands and rigors of life, let-alone parenting. So I didn’t hit the parent Lotto when I was born … but I KNEW I had the chance to give MY CHILDREN the closest thing I could provide of a parent Lotto JACKPOT. I was in control of that one.
   I have often wondered whether it was pure nature, nurture, or frankly … God and my Guardian Angels … that kept me from indulging in the depths of despair and self-harm. It is clearly ALL of the above. I was born healthy … with no physical or mental flaws. I was truly blessed. So what is there to complain about?

4. Wow Kenji. I am impressed. My young years were stable due to solid working class parents, both who happen to be overseas war vets. So compared to you I had the “privileged” childhood. Kudos to you.

5. Yes, Kenji — interesting tale. You are a survivor and a winner. An inspiring story.

6. I literally had NO ONE in my corner for the 1st 10-15 yrs of my life.
   a sexually abusive mother, irish drunk father, siblings that beat me up, a school system from the 1800s, but . . . . . . .
   somehow, someway, I got thru it. the fury and rage that dogged me, there was some inner kernel of strength that never left. even in the bleakest times when my abuse driven OCD was in full force, something, from somewhere kept me going.
   decades later I was astounded when I chronicled it all and discovered a couple things:
   – the abusers oftentimes met a fate generally resembling their fav abusive methods.
   – the degree of consequences on them generally coincided with the difference in power levels, the more power they had to abuse me the harsher the consequences
   – sometimes the consequences took decades to play out, sometimes with days.
   it was a learning experience like none other. I still have an encyclopedic recollection, extensive and detailed (one reason I SHONE in my chosen field of IT).
   gradually I learned to channel the fury. one of the 1st things I did upon getting my 1st full time job was head to the gym, weight room to be exact.
   WOW. I mean WOWWW. how many 67 yr old do you know can leg press 1500 pounds?
   etc etc
   NEVER GIVE UP NEVER GIVE UP NEVER GIVE UP.