Jordan Peterson gave the 2022 commencement address at Hillsdale College, and it was brilliant. He called it (or Maybe Hillsdale did) At the crossroads. That was the subject of the talk. That place where you have an essential choice to make and what that looks like or means philosophically, metaphorically, through a lens of faith and practically speaking.
One of the earlier images he paints about making that decision is the religious idea of Sin. According to Peterson, the Greek and Hebrew derivations of the word Sin relate to archery.
“It’s a lovely notion to know that, because to sin, therefore, means to miss the target, which implies that it has something to do with aim or the lack thereof. I love that. I think it’s so apt. … So, to sin is to aim wrong or to miss the mark. And there’s a variety of ways you can miss the mark, right? Don’t aim at all, that’s a good one. Assume there is no such thing as aim. Assume all aims are equal.
Well, you sin, you miss the mark, what can happen.
What indeed?
So, the idea is that we should aim and aim high, and he explains why. It is better for us, our families, and our communities and the support infrastructure we create both internally and externally by doing this better prepares us for life and inevitable tragedy.
There’s a lot of that, and the manner in which he unravels that meeting at the crossroads also confirms – in my mind – why we must combat relativism and the false progressive gods of behemoth government.
Government has its place, but it has no motivation to aim high or to bear the consequences of aiming low, not aiming at all, or assuming there is no such thing as aim, or that all aims are equal. That, and this is still me, a central government could ever make any of those choices for individuals or communities or states without somehow missing the mark more often than not because we’re all different or worse, hitting the wrong one and causing real harm.
I think we see that all around us today.
That’s not Peterson’s lesson. He’s trying to provide some wisdom on the topic of graduating and finding yourself at a waypoint in life. THat there are many of these, more for some than others because of the choices we make.
That we should aim high and why it’s better, and his process is fascinating to watch. He works his way through the ideas, each having its own value but also a necessary piece of the puzzle that forms the finished image.
I think it’s that good. I hope you do as well.
