May 31, 2022·edited May 31, 2022Liked by Heather Heying
You are such a breath of fresh air. Love your columns. I needed this sanity in an insane world.
I have Viktor Frankl's book and have read it many times when I needed an attitude readjustment. I never saw the paragraph probably because I have an older version of the book. He is absolutely right. I saw it in the white people who demonstrated with BLM. They needed meaning in their lives and an admission of guilt for crimes they didn't commit gave them that. It was so obvious to me.
One of the life events that makes a person become an adult and gives deep meaning is having children. So many of these New Age people, permanent children and adolescents, (and the ones who are having their bodies mutilated), will never know the deep satisfying joy and the anchor to life's true meaning by having and raising their children.
Society does no favor to someone like Mia who is allowed to float through life as a parasite on the larger community.
A very interesting read Heather. I've been really thinking about what it means to "have meaning", not only because of my generation (millennial) but really because there seems to be an almost universal loss of meaning.
What exactly do we want from life, and are these ideas our own are those that align with others beliefs and perceptions?
I'm constantly reminded of Jordan Peterson's fame within the online cultural sphere. I've read 12 Rules for Life and I thought it was an interesting read, albeit rather banal in content. And yet, Dr. Peterson himself fully understands the banal nature of what he states, and in fact it's one of the reasons why he feels so emotional when discussing these topics. He knows full well what he states is not something revolutionary, but the idea that it resonates so much with those of my generation- and many others as well- indicates that there is something horribly wrong with our culture. He feels deeply saddened and has cried in interviews because he doesn't understand why something so banal resonates so much.
The more I dwell on this topic, the more I start to relate to the idea of a more simple life. One that doesn't dwell on the need to have a vast amount of wealth and power, but one that encourages more social interactions, stronger connections with others that doesn't exist solely online, and an understanding that the littlest things in life are sometimes the most important things to live for.
I can't believe we are at the point where an adult human female who is not the living embodiment of a Barbie doll is somehow less of a woman. I would probably seem pretty trad-wifey to a lot of people (although not to myself), but even I must fall short because my dad saw no reason why I shouldn't bait my own fish hook and take the fish off by myself - starting at about age four. Silly me. I though that was progress.
The time is coming when we WILL start asking ourselves if a life with no meaning is a life with no value. How will "Mia" handle the cultural change that IS coming?
Yea. That was a funny ending. Thank you for the chuckles.
If you subscribe to the commonly voiced belief (hope is probably a better word) that the success of the new Top Gun will cause Hollywood to get the message that they'll make more money on movies that are fun, even if they don't have woke messaging, then you could be optimistic that if we just keep being us, the crazies' de jour will subside like a 3 year old's temper tantrum. Haven't there always been people desperate for attention, and others who make bank pointing it out? I want to think the weight of the American masses who know a good song, or a good movie, or a good restaurant, and likewise can sniff out a stupid idea, for the most part can vote with their feet or wallets. Cigarettes are close to extinct.
As for activist, either BLM, or Woke, or LGBQT+#^*... I'll even toss climate activists into that heap. Don't go away mad. Just go away.
In the political and legal realms, the belief that biology DOES NOT CREATE two types of humans is invoked in a range of attempts to mandate and enforce how humans should behave. These assertions and beliefs are wrong.
You are such a breath of fresh air. Love your columns. I needed this sanity in an insane world.
I have Viktor Frankl's book and have read it many times when I needed an attitude readjustment. I never saw the paragraph probably because I have an older version of the book. He is absolutely right. I saw it in the white people who demonstrated with BLM. They needed meaning in their lives and an admission of guilt for crimes they didn't commit gave them that. It was so obvious to me.
One of the life events that makes a person become an adult and gives deep meaning is having children. So many of these New Age people, permanent children and adolescents, (and the ones who are having their bodies mutilated), will never know the deep satisfying joy and the anchor to life's true meaning by having and raising their children.
Society does no favor to someone like Mia who is allowed to float through life as a parasite on the larger community.
This article made me pony up for the annual subscription. Well said!
A very interesting read Heather. I've been really thinking about what it means to "have meaning", not only because of my generation (millennial) but really because there seems to be an almost universal loss of meaning.
What exactly do we want from life, and are these ideas our own are those that align with others beliefs and perceptions?
I'm constantly reminded of Jordan Peterson's fame within the online cultural sphere. I've read 12 Rules for Life and I thought it was an interesting read, albeit rather banal in content. And yet, Dr. Peterson himself fully understands the banal nature of what he states, and in fact it's one of the reasons why he feels so emotional when discussing these topics. He knows full well what he states is not something revolutionary, but the idea that it resonates so much with those of my generation- and many others as well- indicates that there is something horribly wrong with our culture. He feels deeply saddened and has cried in interviews because he doesn't understand why something so banal resonates so much.
The more I dwell on this topic, the more I start to relate to the idea of a more simple life. One that doesn't dwell on the need to have a vast amount of wealth and power, but one that encourages more social interactions, stronger connections with others that doesn't exist solely online, and an understanding that the littlest things in life are sometimes the most important things to live for.
I can't believe we are at the point where an adult human female who is not the living embodiment of a Barbie doll is somehow less of a woman. I would probably seem pretty trad-wifey to a lot of people (although not to myself), but even I must fall short because my dad saw no reason why I shouldn't bait my own fish hook and take the fish off by myself - starting at about age four. Silly me. I though that was progress.
The time is coming when we WILL start asking ourselves if a life with no meaning is a life with no value. How will "Mia" handle the cultural change that IS coming?
Yea. That was a funny ending. Thank you for the chuckles.
If you subscribe to the commonly voiced belief (hope is probably a better word) that the success of the new Top Gun will cause Hollywood to get the message that they'll make more money on movies that are fun, even if they don't have woke messaging, then you could be optimistic that if we just keep being us, the crazies' de jour will subside like a 3 year old's temper tantrum. Haven't there always been people desperate for attention, and others who make bank pointing it out? I want to think the weight of the American masses who know a good song, or a good movie, or a good restaurant, and likewise can sniff out a stupid idea, for the most part can vote with their feet or wallets. Cigarettes are close to extinct.
As for activist, either BLM, or Woke, or LGBQT+#^*... I'll even toss climate activists into that heap. Don't go away mad. Just go away.
We need to call them by the correct acronym. Mia is LGBTQ+X
Late to the game but thank you for this piece, Dr. Heying.
Ha ha! A very long time.
To repurpose that quote from Sapiens,
In the political and legal realms, the belief that biology DOES NOT CREATE two types of humans is invoked in a range of attempts to mandate and enforce how humans should behave. These assertions and beliefs are wrong.