When it clicks and suddenly you understand.
Are you familiar with that?
Do you know those moments when you listen to someone, you find it somewhat interesting, you listen on — and then, suddenly, it clicks: “yes, exactly” — and you know you have contacted a deeper knowledge in you, a vaguely conceived idea or an insight about your own life? I find them exciting and deeply fulfilling. They happened to me often when I encountered Ken Wilber’s books about 20 years ago. And it happened during the past months, again and again, listening to Dr.Jordan Peterson, a Professor Psychology at the University of Toronto.
An inspiring message
What I hear from Peterson is opening my perspectives on human existence in an extremely positive way. He speaks very clearly about the challenges of our times, of our human attitudes, about history and religion, about philosophy and psychology, about science and the abysses of modernity. And unlike so much other similar information, I get uplifted and inspired instead of fearful and preoccupied, which would be my normal way of responding to the information about the real challenges we as humanity are facing. “Truth sets free”, I come to believe that this is true. As well as the commitment to speaking the truth instead of getting entangled in manipulation and deceit which has led humanity into huge disasters — and is well about doing so again right now.
What is Truth?
If you are a theorist you might ask: “what is truth” and you might dismiss the question with the postmodern floss: “there is no truth, everybody has their own truth”. Hold on a moment and get aware of where this postmodern deconstructionism is leading us: to nihilism and a meaningless life — against which a healthy psyche is rebelling with all its power. Stop the intellectual games which dismiss everything which is not theoretical thought of the coldest kind. They lead you into a downward spiral of cynicism, hopelessness and depression. Thinking is an important ability of humans and can lead to great achievements — and bottomless disaster when all the other dimensions of human life are neglected or excluded.
Do you live in your head?
I write this post for you who believe that our thinking ability is the only worthwhile tool for our lives, who believe in science and rationality and laugh at religious traditions as a relict of immature times. All this is not true. And if you want to get nearer to the truth you might need to open up your mind again and listen to people who bring something new — even if it is very old. People who see things from a different perspective than yours and who show you that your tendency to get lost in theoretical discussions in an eternally closed circle might not be the best way to serve the world, if not the direct opposite.
That’s what I recommend to do!
Cut out some hours from your busy thinking time and watch the video interview below. And be careful when you go into defense mode! Just listen and try to understand. Don’t think that it is not on your intellectual level! It certainly is, but it is also something else: a reminder of what life really is about and how easily we can lose contact with the proper way of living it when we keep our eyes and ears closed while busy thinking.
Originally published at The Wisdom Factory.