drjordanbpeterson

I think the world is a very absurd place.

Yes. But it's a complex problem, and not one that we seem to be able easily to address. Investment in universally accessible infrastructure seems like a good thing. Good transportation systems, data systems, and educational systems seem to make everyone richer without some of the complications of income redistribution, per se.

But, more importantly, I think concentration on the development of the character of the individual is the best solution. It's also the one that is perhaps least like to cause harm.

Because life is tragic and tainted by malevolence and people get sick and hurt and hopeless and excluded and misunderstood and lonesome and exhausted and angry and self-disgusted and vengeful and bitter.

Because all of that is exaggerated if you don't easily fit in.

I had no expectations. I had a plan: to be reasonable and careful and to be seen as reasonable and careful. I kept the level of combativeness as low as I could manage. Given the press coverage over the last few weeks, not losing was a sufficient victory (and by not losing I primarily mean being careful). I think my opponents did what they could to discredit themselves.

There's no stopping people who lack sufficient imagination from being sensationalistic. I don't think these are "fanboys," either (although perhaps they sometimes are). I think they are people who are willing to use underhanded means to gain attention. Such people will use any content that is popular to gain an edge on views (since what they are interested in is gaining an edge on views, and not the content).

Perhaps it is, as well, some fault of my own. It's not like I'm certain that I am handling all this in the best possible manner. I am trying to learn as I go how to keep everything as reasonable and moderate as possible. I hope I'm aiming for peace rather than victory.

When I meet the people who are watching my lectures, they are invariably polite and careful and positive and thankful. Without exception. So I am hoping that's indicative of the fundamental underlying trend.

We'll see.

I spend a lot of time at each public lecture outlining the necessity for a reasonable political right AND left, calling attention to the existence, for example, of inequality and the fact that the negative consequences of that must be addressed. I am asking people to clean up their own lives, and leave others alone (at least until they have taken responsibility for their own errors). I don't know how to be more peaceful than that (while at the same time objecting to the dominance of the radical left within current campus discourse).