Meaning: The Fuel that Motivates Life
“Meaning is the most profound manifestation of instinct.”[1]
One of the most inspiring stories of human resilience was that of Victor Frankl. Dr. Frankl wrote a detailed account of his life as a prisoner in the Nazi death camps where he lost his beloved wife, mother, father, and brother. Out of his loss and the brutal experiences he endured, he came to realize that man’s ability to find meaning, even in the most horrific circumstances, could transcend suffering. Though he began researching the construct of ‘meaning’ before the holocaust, it was his and others’ suffering that became the scientific testing laboratory of how meaning affects your will to survive. Because he thought he would meet his wife again, his meaning and sense of purpose aided him to endure the very gates of hell.[2]
Meaning. However simplistic it may seem, meaning fuels our very motivation for life. Jordan B. Peterson in “Maps of Meaning: The Architecture of Belief” takes on this complex construct and shows how and why humans create meaning. Peterson asserts that the pursuit of meaning compels the individual to embark into unknown territories and develops the needed strength and adaptive qualities to attain greater meaning.[3] I’m not sure I quite understand his use of ‘myth’ in the context of religion, however, the quest for meaning applies to my NPO regarding mid to late-career ministry leaders. When the pursuit of meaning ceases, stagnation sets in. As one ages, one’s mindset can easily become regressive instead of generative. Peterson affirms that those who continue to own the pursuit of meaning, open their minds to new learning and opportunities.
As I mentioned in the last paragraph, I find a fascinating, yet confusing religious narrative of Christianity in Peterson’s writings. Peterson’s interweaving of the Biblical account comes from his Christian upbringing. Because of his desire for a greater philosophical explanation for his belief systems, Peterson embarked on different realms of thought. Exploring the likes of Carl Jung, Sigmund Freud, Friedrich Nietzsche and Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, his journey seemed interspersed with much inner turmoil. He questioned how evil could so pervade the world and, on a more personal level, how each one of us could have a propensity towards evil. His work blends mythology, psychology, philosophy, and religion, analyzing the nature of belief networks and how those networks shape our human culture and behavior.
Peterson’s archetypical depiction reminds me of Campbell’s “A Hero with a Thousand Faces”[4] and his fascination with the transcendence of the subconscious reminds me of Lieberman’s “Spellbound.”[5] Furthermore, in all that we have been reading regarding ideologies, Peterson would probably enjoy having an in-depth conversation with Petrusik[6] regarding his thoughts on how ideologies are all like “crippled religions” that hobble along where people are afraid to move beyond their confining claims.[7]
In further expansion of Jungian narrative application, Peterson depicts the ‘Great Father’ as the security of the heroic past which is motivated by the fear of the unknown; the ‘Great Mother’ as the regenerative ability to change and adapt to what is needed though it means to face the fear of the unknown; and the ‘son of God,’ which is the eternal adversary who “shrinks from everything he does not understand.”[8] It almost seems that his worldview has become a bit of a mixed-up narrative of Christianity and Jungian philosophy.
This mixed-up narrative has caused mixed reviews. Some question, as I do, his theological underpinnings but I would have to study him more to articulate what I am sensing. Perhaps what seems to be missing is the relational aspect of our faith where God through his Son, Jesus, is personally involved with us daily. I listened to several of the you tube videos of his Biblical narrative explanations and, honestly, I found it very interesting. I can see why the skepticism of our culture would love hearing his philosophical dialogue. He does not come across as if he has the answers, but as if he has an insatiable curiosity. In this way I think it is good that it sparks an interest in the Bible. In “Hunting Magic Eels: Recovering an Enchanted Faith in a Skeptical Age”, author, Richard Beck states:
(As an author) I’m very interested in the project of reconstruction and re-enchantment in a post-Christian world. And this is my specific and particular interest in Jordan Peterson, how he has managed to engage a large audience to both listen to the Bible and appreciate, from a pragmatic angle, the truths of the Christian faith. This engagement is something churches are struggling to match in gaining a hearing for the gospel. So I’m keen to explore Peterson’s particular “magic” in the hope of learning some lessons about how evangelism might look in a post-Christian context.[9]
In closing, I would not highly recommend this book as a self-help book to the average person looking for meaning because it is highly philosophical and hard to read. However, I gained a greater understanding of how the various maps of intertwining narratives overlay each other in the meaning-making that our lives are wired for. (I also am interested to watch the rest of Peterson’s you tube videos on the Bible to find better ways to engage in conversation in today’s skeptical society.
[1] Jordan B. Peterson, Maps of Meaning: The Architecture of Belief (New York, NY: Routledge, 1999). 468.
[2] “The Life of Viktor Frankl – The Viktor E. Frankl Institute of America % %,” The Viktor E. Frankl Institute of America, accessed March 18, 2024, https://viktorfranklamerica.com/viktor-frankl-bio/.
[3] Jordan B. Peterson, Maps of Meaning: The Architecture of Belief. 468.
[4] Joseph Campbell, A Hero with a Thousand Faces (Novato, CA: New World Library, 2008), https://www.google.com/search?q=a+hero+with+a+thousand+faces&rlz=1C5CHFA_enUS807US808&oq=a+hero+with+a+thousand+faces&aqs=chrome.0.0i355i512j46i512j0i512l4j0i22i30j69i60.4514j0j4&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:976681df,vid:Byli-Y8KonY.
[5] Daniel Z. Lieberman, Spellbound: Modern SCIENCE, Ancient MAGIC, and the Hidden Potential of the Unconscious Mind (Dallas, TX: BenBella Books, Inc., n.d.).
[6] Matthew R. Petrusik, Evangelization and Ideology: How to Understand and Respond to the Political Culture (Park Ridge, IL: Word on Fire Institute, 2023).
[7] Lecture: Biblical Series I: Introduction to the Idea of God, 2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-wWBGo6a2w. 12:45.
[8] Jordan B. Peterson, Maps of Meaning: The Architecture of Belief. 307, 330.
[9] “Maps of Meaning with Jordan Peterson: Part 1, Sharing the Bible With the Modern World,” accessed March 18, 2024, http://experimentaltheology.blogspot.com/2021/12/maps-of-meaning-with-jordan-peterson.html.
About the Author
Esther Edwards
Esther has served in ministry leadership for over 35 years. She is an ordained minister, an ICF and CCLC certified coach, and licensed coach trainer. Her and her husband have launched their own coaching practice, Enjoy the Journey Leadership Coaching and seek to train ministry leaders in the powerful skill of coaching. Esther loves hiking, reading, and experiencing new coffee shops with friends and family. She enjoys the journey with her husband, Keith, their four daughters, sons-in-law, and their four, soon to be five, beautiful grandchildren.15 responses to “Meaning: The Fuel that Motivates Life”
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Fancy meeting you hear at the BEGINING of the week! Last week got away from me I regained rationality a day AFTER the post was due.
So here I am launching incoherent thoughts on Peterson.
You wrote, ” It almost seems that his worldview has become a bit of a mixed-up narrative of Christianity and Jungian philosophy.”
To be or not to be that is the question…..To sleep: perchance to dream: ay, there’s the rub;
For in that sleep of death what dreams may come.
Sigh, Jung and Peterson dive into dreams. A place I am not particularly confident of.
I need to visit his videos, his words do not slide into my thoughts very easily.
Your words however, do. Thanks.
Shalom.
Ha! Ha! It’s easy to launch incoherent thoughts on Peterson. He is a bit difficult to understand and seems to perhaps have delved into too many confusing streams of thought. Yet, what seems to be appealing is his sense of searching. He could use a friend like you (as you mentioned in your post).
On another note, I’ll be glad for the break from blogging this coming week to delve into my prototypes more.
Many of the readings have impacted my approach to my NPO. Peterson does not. So I will forget his name, but remember the “Mapping” idea.
Tim Clark asked mentioned that he would advise his congregation that the bible is a map that guides Christian lives. While J. Peterson seems to have a grip on scripture – I wonder if the Helper/Counselor aspect has spoken into his life. Being a former catholic, that part of his education may be missing.
Selah…
Hi Esther- I, too, found Peterson difficult to follow in his writing, but, as I mentioned in my post, I was really engaged by listening to a course he taught in 2015. Like you, I also noticed that his work seemed to be spurred on by an internal struggle, which makes me want to listen more to watch how he grows in his discovery.
Your quote: “meaning fuels our very motivation for life,” jumped out to me, and it makes me think about Peterson and the meaning he has that motivates his work. From what I am seeing, he seems to be searching in earnest. That ernest voice seems to speak to a lot of people, which makes me slightly concerned about the impact of what you well described as mixed-up narratives.
Jen,
Thanks for your response. So much to think about!
I come back to I Corinthians 2:2 in the Message version: “You’ll remember, friends, that when I first came to you to let you in on God’s sheer genius, I didn’t try to impress you with polished speeches and the latest philosophy. I deliberately kept it plain and simple: first Jesus and who he is; then Jesus and what he did—Jesus crucified.” Perhaps Peterson, in his complex thinking, has missed the simple message of the gospel. I haven’t read enough of his Biblical take to know his thoughts on how the resurrection makes the Biblical narrative the foundational map of all meaning.
I’ll see you later today!
Esther~
“Perhaps what seems to be missing is the relational aspect of our faith where God through his Son, Jesus, is personally involved with us daily. ” What Peterson’s followers need now is a thinker with a pastoral heart to fill in the gaps! Thank you for taking the time to read and listen to his videos! Helps us all to keep learning.
Pam,
Yes. A pastoral heart would bring a different perspective.
The YouTube videos were made 17 years later than the Maps of Meaning book so perhaps his thought processes have turned a bit more towards Christianity. His daughter has made a recent conversion to faith and his wife’s fight with cancer has made him think differently from the different sites I have viewed.
The quote you gave us from “Hunting Magic Eels: Recovering an Enchanted Faith in a Skeptical Age”, by Richard Beck was so helpful for me to understand why so many of our young adults can’t get enough of Peterson…
“(As an author) I’m very interested in the project of reconstruction and re-enchantment in a post-Christian world. And this is my specific and particular interest in Jordan Peterson, how he has managed to engage a large audience to both listen to the Bible and appreciate, from a pragmatic angle, the truths of the Christian faith. This engagement is something churches are struggling to match in gaining a hearing for the gospel. So I’m keen to explore Peterson’s particular “magic” in the hope of learning some lessons about how evangelism might look in a post-Christian context.”
He is engaging an entire generation, with his appreciation of Scripture, yet with a critique of it as well. I find myself needed to keep up on what “Peterson says” just to have intelligent conversations with our young people.
John,
That shows the quality of pastor you are. You are so right in needing to know what is drawing the thoughts of young people to engage with them. I was talking about Peterson with my 33 year old daughter. She has listened to him and knows the following he has. Her response was, “for us, we know that he makes sense in some ways, but lacks theological underpinnings in other ways, but most don’t. They simply take what he says at face value and that is concerning.”
Thanks Esther,
Yes…Beck’s quote about how Peterson is engaging people and creating curiosity about the Bible and the meta-narrative of scripture is something I concluded my own blog with–Wondering ‘out loud’ how we (church folks) can better invite people into considering the meta-narrative of God in such a way that people are curious as opposed to fearful. This really needs to be explored further by North American churches and perhaps those gifted in evangelism–is this a new way for a new time?
Great thought, Scott.” Curious instead of fearful.” We, in the church, keep saying our methods have to change,but I believe we are not sure how. Perhaps it will involve us entering into the curiosity of those who are seeking, engaging in conversations that help them process without fear.
Hi Esther,
You noted, “Peterson asserts that the pursuit of meaning compels the individual to embark into unknown territories and develops the needed strength and adaptive qualities to attain greater meaning.” I thought your comments on mid-life were very interesting in light of what Peterson is saying. What do you find helps those struggling in mid-life to return to a sense of meaning and a generative state?
Hi, Jenny,
In answering your question, one of the biggest hindrances is the pervasive negative mindset that it is all downhill from here on. Not only does society set the tone, we continue to affirm it in our minds. When we lose hope for the future, we close ourselves off to dreaming of new possibilities. No doubt, the midlife season is uncomfortable in many ways but as one goes inward to find out what truly motivates us and fuels us and upward to gain a greater perspective of what God’s identity and purpose is for us, hope begins to shine forth which generates the ability to not remain in the loss of what was or what could have been, but sets our gaze forward with expectation.
Hi Esther!
I really enjoyed reading your post. You can analyze the strengths and weaknesses in Peterson’s thinking well. There is one part of your writing that caught my attention. You wrote, “I can see why the skepticism of our culture would love hearing his philosophical dialogue. He does not come across as if he has the answers, but as if he has an insatiable curiosity. In this way I think it is good that it sparks an interest in the Bible.”
You found a very important keyword in your statement, “curiosity.” I think this is why Peterson’s thinking is important to Christianity and the church. The analysis he carried out scientifically by combining several approaches, made him come to a question, where did all this (patterns in the Bible narrative) come from? In my view, that is the meeting point between the Christian narrative and Peterson’s thinking. The answers to the analysis and questions lead us to one conclusion, all of which comes from the Almighty Wisdom, Jesus Christ.
Blessings.
Dinka,
Thank you for your thoughts. It seems that curiosity lends itself to humility because it takes the position that I have more to learn. I have learned so much from all of you in our cohort. We all bring our experiences from different contexts and make each other better. Thank you for all you bring to our cohort.