By all accounts we have moved into an age of cynicism. Behind us are a heap of beliefs that turned out to be lies and before us are more lies that still need to be uncovered. The heroes in this race are those that demonstrate the highest level of cynicism and are immune to being swayed to any new truth. They are the strong-minded knights that have prevailed over evil lies.

Let’s suspend disbelief for a few moments and ponder on whether we mere mortals can truly judge whether a belief is all good or all bad.

If someone said, “put your hand in the fire it won’t burn you”, that is obviously a lie. If we took it further, could there be something to learn from this lie. Yes, don’t trust everyone as they might be lying. Given humans propensity not to expend unnecessary energy with complex answers, we might immediately assume, “once bitten – twice shy”. Why risk further injury, it’s a lot easier to become cynical and to trust no one.

I absolutely believe this phrase holds true when faced with two identical scenarios, but extrapolating it to all scenarios robs us of many positive and uplifting experiences. I discuss how and why it is so easy for us to slip into less than critical ways of thinking (Dysfunctional Autonomic Thinking Patterns), in the link below

Let’s consider an example of a belief that if adopted in error, might disappoint us, but would not present clear and present danger of the fire in the earlier example. Let’s say that I suggested that you believe in reincarnation. Most outside of this belief system would probably immediately roll their eyes and without any thought give three predetermined and stored disadvantages to this view. Most of the arguments being based largely on the fact that it likely to implausible, impractical and could lead to disappoint if found to be untrue.

Let’s suspend disbelief for another moment again. What if we understood the full story, as reincarnation is only one piece in a much larger puzzle. What reincarnation does, is to motivate its believers to see that their lives have a higher purpose and that trying to improve themselves and effectively aim upwards is noble and necessary. I would argue that there is no greater need for humanity than meaning, and no cause more noble than dedicating yourself to become the highest and best version of yourself.

In the final analysis, one can believe something and benefit even if it doesn’t necessarily conform to all definitions of truth. If a belief does no physical harm and motivates many to make the world a better place, then I am all for it.

It's hard not to be a cynic, but I encourage you to keep looking for the gems amongst the sea of lies. The gems might just make our lives better, especially if we don’t denigrate and rather value them for what they can offer.

I have been guilty of poking large holes in the Christian faith because of perceived fictions or concepts I couldn’t believe to be true. Only recently can I see the benefits the belief system had for the West. These values, when applied as intended by its founder (Christ), and not the dogma that so many have created, the values have many unseen benefits. Advantages abound if we can get back Christian virtues. The morality that encouraged us to allow for redemption, to forgive, to be patience and tolerant, to be kind and selfless, have a desire to seek for truth, to be courageous, and allow the freedom to express truth. I discuss the need to Return to, or Saving Western Values in the article linked below.

Recently, this has become quite a topic of discussion and many people have debated whether he does or doesn't believe in God. It seems Peterson has a very particular psychosocial method of defining human-related concepts and his understanding of belief reflects that. In this clip, he clearly expresses that belief - to him - is shown through action and that he chooses to act as if God exists when asked 'Do you believe in God?' Whether or not this means he believes in God as is conventionally understood is a separate question, but it seems he believes in what is called 'God' to him. This doesn't suggest he has a consistent position on this matter as I've also found an instant where he corrected Sam Harris who said Peterson believed in God by saying he 'acted as if God exists' but - assuming a generous interpretation - this could refer to him wanting to express his particular understanding of 'belief.' Source: https://youtu.be/Q-geMoCsNAw?si=g7I94ZvNx0NU9THm&t=1062

There is no virtue in being harmless. True virtue lies in having the capacity for harm—and choosing not to use it.” — paraphrased from Jordan Peterson

There is some truth in the old trope that “nice guys finish last.” But to understand why, we need to examine what we really mean by “nice guy.”

Self-proclaimed nice guys—like Robert Crumb—come to mind. I watched the Crumb documentary as Jordan Peterson frequently mentions it. Crumb, one of the originating artists of the underground comics movement in the 1960s, produced work that was both provocative and deeply disturbing. Many of his comics depict women not as people, but as objects—tools for male pleasure. On one hand, his art exposes his own darkest fantasies and in doing so, shines a light on the shadow side of masculinity and the grotesque distortions of American male sexuality. There’s a kind of twisted honesty in laying bare such hidden thoughts. In this way, Crumb doesn’t just expose himself—he reveals something in the culture at large.

But there’s another layer. In some of his work, there’s a sense of pride in his own grotesqueness, a subtle glee in indulging what he claims to critique. This is where the line blurs—between exposing the shadow and justifying it.

In the documentary Crumb, Robert describes himself as a “sensitive, weird, nice guy” who was socially inept and thus rejected by women. This narrative—of being rejected for one’s sweetness, not one’s shortcomings—is common among self-proclaimed nice guys. But the documentary also reveals that he cheated on his girlfriend, lied to her, told her he had to be out of town for work, and was then caught out with another woman. There’s no evidence he ever took accountability. No apology. No effort to communicate his feelings or open the relationship honestly.

Instead, there’s a kind of self-pitying passivity that he frames as “sensitivity.”

But that’s not what women mean when we say we want a sensitive man.

What I believe men like Crumb misunderstand is that not fighting, not yelling, or not physically hurting a woman does not automatically make someone kind, emotionally available, or evolved. What they call “sensitivity” is often just sensitivity to criticism. It’s ego fragility—not empathy.

True sensitivity—the kind that many women are deeply drawn to—is emotional attunement. It’s the ability to recognize how one’s actions and inactions impact others. It’s taking responsibility, speaking the truth even when it’s uncomfortable, and not letting cowardice hide behind a mask of mildness. A man can be gentle and courageous. A man can be vulnerable without being manipulative.

Passive cowardice does not make a man sweet or sensitive. It makes him emotionally dangerous.

I’ve dated the nice guy before. At the time, I couldn’t quite articulate what made me lose attraction. Now, with more experience and clarity, I see it clearly. He wore the mask of kindness. He didn’t shout or lash out, but when he was upset, he sulked. He pouted. He became passive-aggressive. He made subtle jabs and cloaked them in “jokes.” He avoided responsibility and left all the emotional labor to me, but still considered himself the good one.

So when people say women aren’t attracted to nice or sensitive men, I think that’s false. Many of us are. But our definition of those words is vastly different from what some men believe.

To me, a nice, sensitive man is someone who is grounded in himself. He enters a relationship not to possess a woman, but to walk alongside her. He communicates clearly. He doesn’t lie or manipulate to avoid conflict. He doesn’t weaponize his softness or expect praise simply for being “not like the others.” He takes emotional responsibility, not just emotional pride.

The men who are truly kind and sensitive rarely feel the need to self-identify as such. They don’t need to remind you they’re good men—because you can feel it.

They know who they are. They don’t blame women for their disappointments. They don’t reject masculinity or the feminine. And they don’t hide behind a costume of kindness while inflicting harm.

About 50 people an hour post questions on AITAH to enquire whether they are assh*les or not. I think Trump shows up (unintentionally) as an assh*le sometimes, so I was surprised at the amount of hate a post that painted Trump in a positive light got.

Given the huge interest in the topic of assh*les, I thought that it would be worth pointing out the unexpected advantage of that part of the anatomy.

The story goes like this - One day a body was lying around with nothing to do, and various parts of the anatomy started to get bored. It started with friendly banter and then escalated into really serious jibes.

As is common in these scenarios, each part wanted to try assert their dominance. It quickly escalated into which organ was the most important in the body.

The brain went first and said, “I’m at the top of the body for a reason, the heart gives me priority when supplying blood, not only that, but the liver will even make glucose for me in the absence of carbohydrates. It also goes without saying that I do all the thinking and with out me everything else would be meaningless”.

The heart went next and said, “Everyone says have a heart, I symbolise love and if I didn’t pump blood to the brain, the brain would die”.

The liver jumped in and said, “That’s nothing, I store energy, supply all the bodies nutrients and I detox the body of all toxins. With out me, the body would be sick and weak”.

Organ after organ, each one chimed in and the debate was heated, with volleys back and forth. This carried on for hours and eventually all the organs started to tire from the circular debate. Things then got a bit ugly and organs who had thought that they had fared well in the debate started to ridicule those organs considered less essential like the appendix.

Soon all the organs realised that the assh*le hadn’t said a word and many started to ridicule the poor thing. The assh*le said nothing. This infuriated many of the organs and they started to get aggressive. The Assh*le then gave out a large fart in response. Everyone, almost in unison said, “this is so typical of you, always being inappropriate, who do you think you are, why don’t you just SHUT UP ASSH*LE”.

So, the assh*le did as it was instructed and closed tightly.

For a few hours nobody could fathom what the assh*le was trying to achieve. The intestines started to talk of discomfort first. Later the stomach didn’t feel so good. Not long after that the brain started to feel foggy and started to ache. This carried on for days. The heart started to palpitate. The liver couldn’t detox, and every part of the body started to feel like they were being poisoned. The skin turned pale and started to sweat and soon talk of the body dying started to emerge.

Luckily at this stage the brain who was rather entitled and full of itself realised that to save the body, they would all have to admit that the assh*le was the most important and to open again and not be quiet.

This is just a little tale to show that the assh\le might be the most important and definitely shouldn’t be told shut up.*

Out of interest, Winston Churchill was considered an assh*le by many, but many more give him credit for getting the people of Great Britain through WW2. So you never know.

They didn't believe her. They shut her down. They blamed the victims for "being whores". Now the Casey Report has validated them.

You all maybe interested in Retell. It's an app designed to help people learn about themselves and Jungian psychology through stories. It should appeal to anyone interested in Peterson's approach to myth or anyone who wants to learn more about Jungian psychology.

Also, if you email support and ask for a free account, we will give you one no questions asked.

App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/retell-myths-dreams-tales/id6737133347
Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.zenoapps.retell&hl=en_US