Kyle, Author at Kyle's Blog

Review: Michael Ronin’s Modern Masculinity

April 7, 2021April 8, 2021Kyle

Disclaimer: I received an advanced reader’s copy for the purposes of writing this review.

In Modern Masculinity for the Conscious Man, Michael Ronin lays out the pitfalls and tribulations of modernity with an aim at preparing men for a journey of self-discovery and establishing a positive form of masculinity.

While there is often more of a focus on questions than answers throughout the book, the value of questions is immeasurable. Questioning leads the seeker toward truth. The book seems to be tapped into the zeitgeist of our times.

Jordan Peterson’s Beyond Order: Plan and work diligently to maintain the romance in your relationship. (Part 2)

April 7, 2021April 8, 2021Kyle

I’ve been working through Jordan Peterson’s new book Beyond Order (Amazon affiliate link), breaking down each chapter into halves so I can give each a fair treatment. This is a longer chapter, and as a bachelor I have some limitations regarding the subject Peterson is focusing on here.

It took me a while to work up to writing this second part; I read it over the weekend but it’s been a couple days of thinking about it that really made it come together. I’m afraid I lost a lot of Peterson’s original thrust, in part due to my inexperience and in part because I had other things occupying a significant portion of my attention.

The Power of Positive

April 6, 2021April 6, 2021Kyle

Positivity is the underlying foundation of great human endeavors.

People do not do that which they believe to be impossible. Whether it is really impossible is often secondary to the opinion. We’ve changed the world often enough, and in enough ways, that we should know that plausible goals are almost always achievable.

Sometimes the costs of this are too great. I’m not a fan of utopian social engineering, for instance, because the eggs cracked to make that omelet are people.

But the fact remains that great things can be achieved.

How do I know this? We achieve them all the time without even thinking about them.

Jordan Peterson’s Beyond Order: Plan and work diligently to maintain the romance in your relationship. (Part 1)

April 4, 2021April 4, 2021Kyle

However, that really just means that I’m going to go off on tangents more than usual as I go through this chapter, because it’s still quite interesting. There’s some stuff that is really similar to earlier stuff in Beyond Order (especially the chapter about hiding things in the fog), at least in the first part of this chapter.

Reflections on a Dream

April 3, 2021April 3, 2021Kyle

Last night I was woken by a terrible dream.

I was in a hospital, or a hotel, or a care-home for the elderly. In truth, it was a mixture of all three. My companion, a young woman, had fallen into some medical distress and needed care.

The doctor struck me as being one of two possible things.

In one case, he was pretentious, but a masterful doctor. Limited by his own demons, he would care for my companion adequately, but without regard for what I needed or the comfort of his patient.

In the other case, he was a bungler and a fool with a mask of confidence. Not only was he a danger and a threat, but he would bring misery and death upon my companion.

Jordan Peterson’s Beyond Order: If old memories still upset you, write them down carefully and completely. (Part 2)

April 2, 2021April 2, 2021Kyle

I’ve been working through Jordan Peterson’s new book Beyond Order (Amazon affiliate link), breaking down each chapter into halves so I can give each a fair treatment. While the first part of this chapter deals heavily with case studies, the second half opens up to a deeper discussion of the reasons we need to confront the past.

The reasons this is necessary range from minor concerns to major life-impeding issues, and Peterson also brings to light the best methods for achieving this process.

Jordan Peterson’s Beyond Order: If old memories still upset you, write them down carefully and completely. (Part 1)

April 1, 2021April 1, 2021Kyle

I’ve been working through Jordan Peterson’s new book Beyond Order (Amazon affiliate link), breaking down each chapter into halves so I can give each a fair treatment. This chapter is more heavily drawn from Peterson’s clinical practice, and involves multiple case studies.

I won’t dwell on his case studies at length, but I will discuss the takeaways more broadly to give a feel for what the lessons that helped his patients revealed about the proper way to live life.

Jordan Peterson’s Beyond Order: Try to make one room in your home as beautiful as possible. (Part 2)

March 31, 2021March 31, 2021Kyle

I’ve been working through Jordan Peterson’s new book Beyond Order (Amazon affiliate link), breaking down each chapter into halves so I can give each a fair treatment. The second part of this chapter returns in part to the original thrust that it appeared to be about, but there’s some interesting twists and turns along the way.

As usual, Peterson’s style throughout this chapter is mixed with anecdotes, philosophy, and a deeper understanding of issues. It draws upon some ways art can be an antidote to alienation.

Jordan Peterson’s Beyond Order: Try to make one room in your home as beautiful as possible. (Part 1)

March 30, 2021March 30, 2021Kyle

I’ve been working through Jordan Peterson’s new book Beyond Order (Amazon affiliate link), breaking down each chapter into halves so I can give each a fair treatment. I found this chapter interesting because it follows Peterson’s tradition of taking an unexpected approach to traditional problems.

Normally, one would expect some focus on aesthetics in a chapter with a title like this, and while Peterson certainly appreciates the idea of aesthetics he does not lay out a particular ideal. That’s probably for the best, though some hints at what Peterson likes (namely the poetry of William Blake) shine through.

The Lord’s Name in Vain

March 28, 2021March 28, 2021Kyle

Yesterday, I went over a chapter of Beyond Order in which Jordan Peterson covered the purpose of rules and tradition.

During this chapter, he mentioned the Ten Commandments as examples of traditions that you should understand to avoid moral error.

The one that I found most interesting and has been consuming my thoughts is the injunction against taking the Lord’s name in vain.