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I finally read Jordan B. Peterson's 12 Rules for Life.
I want to begin by giving this book the praise it deserves. I wouldn't say that it is revolutionary, for it is all ancient wisdom that people have known for centuries (or, at least, they SHOULD 😬). However, Peterson builds things up and breaks them down very articulately.
This is not to say that there are not faults as well. If one is familiar with Peterson, then one realizes that his lectures can become quite winded. My husband described it perfectly the other day: "the ramblings of an old man." So, yes, I do acknowledge that the run arounds that Jordan Peterson makes can be rather long.
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As the book self-proclaims, it lists the 12 Rules that are necessary for achieving a better mindset, building strong character, and therefore a better life. They are basic truths that have ensured the survival of the fittest since the dawn of time.
I found 9 of the 12 Rules to be fairly straight forward. My favorites were:
Rule #2: Treat yourself like someone you are responsible for helping.
Rule #3: Make friends with people who want the best for you.
Rule #6: Set your house in perfect order before you criticize the world.
Rule #8: Tell the truth -- or, at least, don't lie
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However, the last 3 rules were very drawn out, and a tad bit confusing. For example, Rule #11 is do not bother children when they are skateboarding. It opened with the fact that children partake in dangerous activities in order to conquer said danger, thereby giving them some confidence and stability in themselves. This led to Peterson's angry, resentful friend, which turned into communism, so therefore, do not bother children. (Like, I get it, but still feel like better examples could have been used).
But, would anyone be surprised to learn that every rule is shaped around Christianity? (Because you shouldn't be! 😂). Allow me to explain...
Rule #8: Tell the truth, is, without a doubt, the most important rule. After all -- "honesty is the best policy," correct? As Peterson himself states:
"Taking the easy way out or telling the truth -- those are not merely two different choices. They are different pathways through life. They are utterly different ways of existing."
When one chooses to tell lies, their very existence becomes a lie as well. They lie to achieve ulterior motives -- motives which must not be very moral, considering they need to lie to obtain them. They lie to avoid conflict ("No no, it's fine -- honest! 😅"). They lie to distort the very truth itself.
The lies weigh down on the individual; they destroy the person's character. Due to everything in their life being superfluous -- their words, their goals, themselves -- the world becomes a "cruel and unfair" place. We learn to trust no one.
Yet, why would anyone intelligent even THINK to tell the truth when lying is much easier and more gratifying? Because something within each one of us DEMANDS that we live honestly; it DEMANDS us to be better than who we are. That "something" -- conscience -- recognizes that it is truth that can take us there.
And so, it was actually the introduction that provided me with the most insight; every other chapter was merely a breakdown for this truth.
We NEED rules, because "without rules we quickly become slaves to our passions" (see the Israelite slaves in the Desert for 40 years). Simply put, "unchaperoned, and left to our own untutored judgment, we are quick to aim low and worship qualities that are beneath us."
The problem for our generation -- millennials, and beyond -- has arisen from morality; we are a society that views morals as "relative" and cannot truly differentiate between good and bad. We are taught that tolerance is the most worthy quality a person can have, while judgment is the most unappealing. Therefore, everyone accepts everything -- even things that oppose one another and cannot exist together -- and are never taught to judge situations, people, groups, practices, beliefs for themselves.
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As the introductory author, Norman Doidge, states himself:
"[The mask of relativism is] a strange one, for it merely deceives the one who wears it. Scratch the most clever postmodern-relativist professor's Mercedes with a key, and you will see how fast the mask ... and the cloak of radical tolerance comes off."
Peterson's summary for an idealistic society, therefore, is simple:
