Not too much to report under diary, except for an email I just got from John with a picture of Annie’s art work. What a talent this young lady has! I’ll make my desktop illustration for a while.

What a talent this young lady has! I’ll make art work my desktop illustration for a while.

Read in Peterson’s “Rules for Life” yesterday, on which my comments follow below. I updated my website with the entries for 26 & 27 this instance with notes on humanity’s destination; see also below.

Yesterday I read chapter 6 ‘Order in your house’ in Peterson’s “12 Rules for Life”. The author quotes a bullied Columbine murderer saying: “The human race is not worth fighting for, only worth killing”. This is followed by other quotes with that same sentiment later on the chapter. In the preceding chapter the author refers to Jane Goodal’s reports on the murderous fighting and killing in and among Chimpanzee societies.

The author is showing us here that humans have a lot of violence in them - we are close to these Chimps in DNA. Yet Peterson also shows that we have come a long way from our earlier violent behaviour of even just five hundred years ago.

This [managing of emotions] humans do more and better than any other species and recognising this also shows us the way ahead as a species.

However, from the warfare that we read and hear about today we also know that much more work remains to be done. It is therefore important that we recognise the forces and situations that relate and lead to violent conflicts. Papering over what makes us feel uncomfortable by treating this behaviour as an exception caused by a lack of love and compassion only makes this situation worse.

Peterson insists that we must be fully aware of our violent ways. This will enable us to address them and make improvements in our society, which are very much necessary.

From Peterson’s various descriptions it is very clear that this violence in human nature is a fierce energy source, fearful in its violent expression but of great potential when harnessed and adapted to civil ways.

This humans do more and better than any other species and recognising this also shows us the way ahead as a species. To adapt this tremendous energy to civilised expression is our work ahead, started by Adam when he is sent out of paradise to do an honest day’s work.
<10:30am.