12 Rules for Life by Jordan B. Peterson

I took about a month to finish Jordan Petersons 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos, in part because I wanted to slow down and try some of the advice in my life.

12 Rules for Life is an interesting book. Equal parts philosophy, psychology, and self-help book, it covers a broad range of topics, with Peterson drawing from life experiences, religion, and history to build a strong case for his points and provide what seems on its surface to be very good advice for people.

This is where Petersons background as a clinical psychologist comes in handy. 12 Rules for Life is billed as an "antidote to chaos", and that is what its primary focus is. Its not great at helping you be more successful if youre disciplined and self-reliant already. As someone who always struggled with grasping the world, however, I found it very helpful.

Since I started reading this book, I lost 12 pounds, went from writing five hundred words a day to three thousand words a day, started waking up earlier in the morning consistently, and have been much happier.

Some of that is attributable to the fact that I was already willing to make changes, and many of the things I was doing were obviously bad ideas.

But there is something to be said for the lessons Peterson teaches. They are complicated, sometimes a little indirect, and mired in allegory. This makes them more valuable, if anything. Peterson doesnt use a magic formula, he uses principles of right action. This book provides general ideas and positions that can serve as a great tool to understanding how people think and why things go wrong.

Not everyone will agree with it. There is a chapter in the book where Peterson reflects on the fact that he has opportunities with clients where he could tell them one thing or another and their minds would make it to be total truth either way.

Perhaps that is what Peterson has done here: perhaps most systems like this are sufficient to improve lives if brought diligently into practice.

Or perhaps there is something to Petersons words. His indictment of meaninglessness and his calls to purpose echo soundly throughout the book. There have been those who say that Petersons calls for people to get themselves organized and his oft-mystical language is a cover for something sinister.

But I dont think theyve ever really listened to him.

Approaching Peterson a skeptic, I was not sure that reading a book would have the power to change anything in my life. The first few chapters were met with nods, hesitancy, and the concession of points that sounded good. I wasnt hostile to him, and I found many of his points quite clever.

But when Peterson delved deeper into the archetypes and depth psychology I became suspicious. I had a moderate distrust of the Jungian method; I use it to teach literature, but I did not believe in using archetypes to assess personality.

Petersons point is that we are all part of something great and interconnected. Because it is so massive, we need to be working to make sense of it. It wont happen automatically, and if we go for an easy explanation we may find ourselves walking dark, treacherous paths of misanthropy and rejection.

We are complicated pieces in an even more complicated puzzle. Petersons approach is one of self improvement. When we take steps to sort ourselves out, we also need to enter a symbiotic process of bringing order to our world.

The purpose of this is not to achieve some sort of superiority. It is to achieve survival. The world will change, and we will be forced to adapt.

Peterson states that "life is tragic." His point is that people need to be ready to deal with adversity. Anyone can handle good times, because thats what we are able to rest and relax during. The true test of a person comes when they lose a loved one or a job or their health. They need to make a decision: what will they do in response.

Peterson uses haunting examples to illustrate what happens when this goes wrong. Using everything from Dostoevsky to the Soviet Union (and countless other insights from modern and historical figures), he creates case studies of what happens when things go wrong and people turn to dysfunction rather than improving their situation.

His 12 Rules serve as a guide on how to go from that point of failure to a point of redemption, offering a series of suggestions and guidelines to take a life that is becoming corrupted by hatred of the world and everything in it and turn it into a vessel for growth and self-improvement.

Is it a perfect guide to living life? No.

Is it helpful? Does it give insight to great truths? Yes.

I am still in the first chapter, but wow! JBP has made a great book compacted with information and visuals. Gives you the info with life examples and the hows and whys things happen (psychologically). A great way to see yourself in the mirror and see if one doesnt have these issue that need to be fixed and to not fall into the "feedback loop." Amazing book so far amazing!

This is a magnificent book. And part of that magnificence comes from the fact that it is “complete” in the same sense that All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten (Fulghum, 1989) was complete. The rules are simple: from “stand up straight with your shoulders back,” to “do not bother children when they are skateboarding.” They are, however, all-encompassing. When you finish reading it (and it is a long book) you are sure to ask, “What else is there to say?”

At the risk of grave oversimplification the book is based on the non-linear worldview most often associated with the Taoist concept of yin and yang. In this case, however, yin and yang become order and chaos, and the spiritual foundation is not Eastern philosophy but the stories of the Judeo-Christian Bible, offered liberally but in a non-dogmatic context.

The key to this worldview is not what you call the two opposing forces as much as it is the realization that knowledge, consciousness (Dr. Peterson’s preferred description), harmony, virtue, and enlightenment are all found along the border between the two. And that this is a border that is in constant evolution.

At another level, Dr. Petersen is a Pyrrhonist, although he never uses that term or makes any allusion to the famous philosopher who traveled with the armies of Alexander the Great into India. A Pyrrhonist rejects all dogma because while dogma states a belief (or law or regulation), it concurrently states a non-belief. Which is why laws inevitably have loopholes, rules always have exceptions, and language is often an inadequate convention with which to convey ideas.

At the heart of Taoism, Pyrrhonism, and, indeed, this book, is the recognition that everything in life and the universe is a dichotomy. There is a pro to every con. There are two sides to every coin, perspective, story, etc. Which is why every dogmatic argument, as Petersen argues throughout, contains internal contradictions. They are the inevitable byproduct of every dichotomy.

The dogma that he rejects most forcefully is ideology, particularly of the socio-political variety. He rejects all ideology, but particularly relativism (including feminism and environmentalism—the ideology not the objective), and the blind ideology of both the liberal/progressive left and the Tea Party/libertarian right. And what he dislikes most about both ideologies is the finality of its supporters. More than anything else, it appears, Petersen believes in mindful growth and continued evolution as both a fact of life and the desired response to its challenges.

And therein lies, I think, the one weakness of the “12 Rules for Life” worldview. It is not wrong per se, but it presumes that all other ideology is essentially both failed and fixed. Such ideology is, in other words, inherently flawed, negating the value of any further discussion or experimentation.

We are all shaped by our experiences and Petersen’s worldview seems to have been shaped by the atrocities of 20th Century fascism and Stalinist Russia, and more specifically the Holocaust and the Cold War, which he, like myself, came of age during. Both are clearly appropriate targets of disgust and revulsion as manifested, but how broadly do we paint with that brush?

He paints pretty broadly, suggesting, for example, that Stalin did not pervert communism; it is inherently perverted. That my be true of communism although I am reminded of the fact that Marx never truly articulated what happened after his presumed proletarian revolution, so I’m not sure we can use Stalin to exile Marx once and for all. And I do think that socialism and relativism, particularly feminism and the oppression of the white patriarchy (which he doesn’t deny but contains), to differing degrees, still offer plenty of room for productive development.

In the end, the dichotomous worldview that is at the heart of Petersen’s twelve rules, I believe, is the right one, so long as we don’t exclude all other worldviews and their ideology. He is right that fulfillment is found on the forever-evolving border between the two sides of the dichotomy. The rule of rules, therefore, is “to have one foot firmly planted in order and security, and the other is chaos, possibility, growth, and adventure.” (Which, he notes, is where good music resides.) I think of it as the border between inductive and deductive reason but the fundamental concept is the same.

This is a very good book that is very well written. It’s chock full of stories and references, from the stories of his Canadian prairie upbringing, which I can certainly relate to, to his very appropriate references to the great minds of history, from Socrates to Nietzsche and Dostoyevsky. He is a very gifted and passionate storyteller and I hope he continues the conversation.

A must read for all, but particularly those on the cusp of adulthood.

"Clean your room," has become a mantra for a generation of lost kids who finally found a male figure in the culture to look up to. Jordan B. Peterson has become something of a Millennial Messiah in the most unusual way. Hes telling people to take on responsibility and to blame only themselves if their life isnt the way they want it. This book is a condensed version of his tome "Maps of Meaning", a much longer philosophical tract on how the myths and stories humanity passed down over the centuries influence our values.

Its obvious that the last generations drive to give out participation trophies and to tell everyone that the evil system is to blame for all your ills (think of the hippies going against "the man") no longer resonates. Millennials and younger people today are under a lot of pressure. Theyre deep in student loan debt, theyre having trouble finding jobs that pay well, theyre getting married and owning homes at lower rates because theyre not secure enough financially to settle down. This could make you feel deeply powerless if you were trying to blame the system. Just look on TV at every late night host talking about how hopeless and stupid our country is right now. Jordan Peterson comes with a different message- start by cleaning your own personal room. Stop blaming other people, and get your own life in order. You cant expect to see change in the world, unless you first change yourself.

Rule 1 is a great example. The basic gist is to stand up straight and face the world with your head held high- literally, not just metaphorically. Famously, Peterson looks at lobsters. Lobsters have a dominance hierarchy where they constantly fight. When a lobster loses a fight, it skulks around and lowers itself to become smaller and less threatening. If you give the lobster a drug to fix its serotonin levels- the same rewards system present in most every animal brain- the lobsters picks itself back up and goes right back to fighting. Human evolution diverged from the lobster millions of years ago, and yet we can see that even they have dominance hierarchies and societal struggle and depression. It is therefore ludicrous to think that human suffering is only a "social construct" as todays academics would have you believe. These feelings are naturally built-in to our nervous system. If we want to feel better we need to pick ourselves up and "get some pep in our step" as a previous generation might have said.

The whole book is like that. A blend of science, folksy wisdom, and tales from Petersons own life and career. From working as a dish washer to a lumber mill worker to a clinical psychologist, Peterson has seen all of humanity. His conclusions are profound, yet immediately relatable. He covers the topics at all levels of analysis- from philosophy, to statistics, to evolution, to straight up humor.

Petersons critics are having a hilariously hard time trying to downplay this book. In a famous interview, a BBC host asked Peterson if he was suggesting that we should structure our society like that of the lobster. If youre that philosophically inept or that malicious trying to slam this guy, then enjoy your life, theres little I can do to try and hold a conversation with you. In case anyones confused- nobodys saying we should structure our society like the lobster. Theres an ancient philosophical debate about "is" versus "ought". Peterson wrote this book about how the world is. The human nervous system is made in such a way that depressive factors snowball until its hard to dig yourself out, so feelings like resentment only make things worse. This says nothing about ought- nobodys saying that were happy the human nervous system ought to be this way nor is anyone saying that societal progress ought to revert to some crude pre-historic state. The "is" and "ought" are two different topics. If you want to lead a better life in the world that is, read this book. If youd rather fret about what ought to be, have fun with that.

If you can manage to keep those concepts straight, this books for you. Especially if you are- or are close to- a young male in the millennial group whos struggling to face the society we find ourselves in today, this book is for you. The book reads well for any person, but the millennial male group are most powerfully affected by Petersons work for obvious reasons. Young men have biological drives toward duty and responsibility that currently arent fulfilled in their school, home, or professional lives. Anyone can benefit from this book- so the fact that one group needs it most should tell you something. This book is powerful, timely, and profound. Give it a read.

This book provides an antidote to the cultural divide that’s destroying the West.

It’s kryptonite to shoddy social justice warrior “thinking,” and the bane of Postmodern Neo-Marxist rot in academia. But more than anything, it is clear, straightforward advice for living a meaningful life.

Don’t let the trendy title fool you. If this is self-help, then it’s self-help with a hammer.

Here’s the core message of 12 Rules for Life: life is suffering, but you can get through it if you get your shit together, tell the truth, fix the things you’re able to fix, and make yourself strong.

Think that sounds trivial? Try doing it for a week.

I love Peterson’s focus on the individual. I’ve always been suspicious of group-level solutions, or the idea that you can only be happy or fulfilled if society changes. Focusing on the individual is a lot more satisfying, and the results are better too. After all, if you can’t sort yourself out, what makes you think you can fix the world, or remake Western culture? It’s an incredibly arrogant assumption.

Maybe, just maybe, the root of all your problems isn’t global capitalism, or the evil patriarchy, or beliefs about invented genders. Perhaps it’s actually a lot closer to home.

You can spend your time badgering, nagging or forcing someone else to do something — the Indirect approach — or you can look for actions you can take right now to improve your life.

The direct approach puts YOU firmly in control of your own destiny, but it also requires you to assume responsibility for yourself. And that’s another key concept in 12 Rules. Peterson urges his readers to take on as much responsibility as they can handle, rather than whine about “rights” and entitlements.

So how should you begin?

Start by sorting yourself out. Look at the problems in your own life or in your own immediate environment. Choose one that you can fix, and fix it. Then chose another.

It can be something as simple as cleaning your room. In doing this, you’re bringing order to the chaos around you. It’s amazing how those small actions ripple outward to improve the lives of everyone around you.

Peterson’s message is also refreshing because it’s the opposite of the currently accepted paradigm that equates male virtue with being weak and harmless. If being strong, productively aggressive, and able to fight for what’s right is somehow regarded as “toxic masculinity,” then it’s probably a good time to question the core agenda of those who are pushing such a simplistic and emasculating concept.

Dr. Peterson rose to prominence in Canada during a bizarre political debate on made up gender pronouns and compelled speech, not because he was an alt-right voice of hate, but because he stood up and spoke his truth in clear, logical terms.

What happened since then — the massive youtube following, the sold-out lectures, repeat appearances on international podcasts and television — is testament to the power of the Logos, the Word.

I first encountered his work a year or two before that controversy, through the brilliant Maps of Meaning lectures he posted on Youtube. I went on to watch his University of Toronto Personality course too, and everything he’s produced since, because it is so relevant to my life.

There is no wishful thinking here, or New Age snivelling, or back-patting. 12 Rules for Life is funny and engaging, but dense with ideas based on hard science, research-derived psychological data, and the continuous centuries-long narrative that humans have transmitted through story and culture as a way to survive and thrive in a frightening world.

Dr. Peterson’s most recent effort was a public lecture series exploring the psychological significance of the Biblical stories. As an atheist who spent far too much time stewing in Sunday boredom as a child, trapped in church while my dad watched John Wayne movies at home, I was extremely skeptical of this. As a writer, an anthropology graduate, and a reader of Jung, Nietzsche and the Western Canon, I soon found myself mesmerized. His explanations of the ancient Biblical stories made sense. And even better, it made them useful whether or not I subscribe to a deity.

All of this is a roundabout way of saying why you should read 12 Rules for Life, and why I will be reading it again and again.

This is not a lightweight book. It’s valuable. It’s meaningful. And it will cause you to look at the world and your life a little differently than you did before.

Pursue what is meaningful, not merely what is immediately expedient. Stand up straight and face the world with courage and confidence. Get your own life in order before you go out and try to save the world. Treat yourself like a person whom you are responsible for. Tell the truth.

These incredibly obvious pieces of advice are some of the aphorisms found in one of the biggest selling books of the moment: Jordan Peterson’s 12 Rules for Life. The success of the book and the “academic rock star” status it’s author has achieved recently suggest just how far we have gone off track in teaching the young about life, when such aphorisms come as revelations to many.

Still, 12 Rules for Life is a very good book, and one that many people could benefit from reading. Peterson, who has a vast network of followers on YouTube, is predominately attracting a younger male audience, and I suspect that the book will appeal mostly to them. I see his influence as being a positive development in the evolution of masculinity, as I argued in a recent blog post. Even I, as an older male, found much of value in the book. And women of any age could easily benefit from it as well.

One theme that runs through the book is that we need to teach responsibility to children by setting appropriate boundaries. We also need to let them play and explore the world, to make their own mistakes.

Now, given that so many of us adults had deficient parenting, we must teach ourselves such practical wisdom.

Contained within many of the author’s points are fascinating anecdotes and specific, practical applications. Peterson tells stories gleaned from his own life experience, as well as from his experience as a clinical psychologist. There is a lot of history to draw from. The tales keep the text alive, much as with his online videos.

Jordan Peterson’s background as a psychologist influences his teachings. He draws upon biology and evolutionary theory to help explicate many of his points. He famously compares human neurophysiology to that of the lobster, while making the point that we exist in hierarchies that are at least partly explicable as evolutionary patterns. His advice is then to “stand up straight”, following the example of the body language of dominant lobsters. But Peterson is no biological determinist, as his online videos show. He’s simply acknowledging that we humans are not merely ghosts in biological machines, whereby free will and culture determine all behavior.

Jordan Peterson draws from many religious and spiritual traditions to clarify and expand his insights, but most frequently from Christianity. One aspect of the book which I found challenging to navigate is the frequent biblical narratives. Using a Jungian approach (Joseph Campbell, if you prefer), some chapters in the book ramble a little, and could be made shorter. The connectivity between some points also sometimes seems unclear. Yet that could have been because I read quickly.

Having said this, the biblical allusions Peterson uses have reopened my mind to the Christian tradition. In mainstream, non-ecclesiastical circles, Christianity is often looked upon negatively. On the political left, it is typically criticized and distained, often at levels which would be termed bigoted if such scorn was directed at any other religion. Perhaps a more balanced perspective is required, lest we jettison entirely a formative wisdom tradition which has helped define us.

Peterson is a Christian, just not a fundamentalist one. He has made the valid point that much of the thinking and values which underpin western thought and legal structures are Christian. Many of the stories in The Bible, including the idea of God, are thus archetypal. They are deeply imbedded within our psyches, even if we do not identity as Christian. Still, it may take some degree of self-discipline for some to wade through the religious mythology.

In my opinion, a fair assessment of 12 Rules to Life and Peterson’s teachings should negate any fear of an impending Nazi apocalypse. The book is not heavily political, making only brief diversions into politics and ideology.

One reason why I feel he can be relied upon to responsibly mediate the current cultural divide is that Peterson is an advocate of introspection and shadow work – looking within the psyche to honestly acknowledge what lies within, no matter how dark. His book lays this ideal down clearly. We are all capable of descending into that darkness, and we must be vigilant to avoid the fate. Such honest introspection is precisely what is often missing from progressivism today, largely because it has established an attitude of moral superiority over opposing voices. This is one reason why it has betrayed many of its founding principles, and is often intolerant and authoritarian.

Western society has set far too many men adrift, chronically shaming males and defining masculinity via its pathological expression. 12 Rules for Life may help many men to find confidence and direction amidst this extreme turn. And for that we should greatly thank him. Of course, given the huge amount of publicity Peterson’s media appearances have generated, there are potential downsides to all this.

Peterson has become a father figure to many, as well as spiritual mentor. This is occuring in the context of a society which has severely shamed masculinity and devalued fatherhood. Relating to Peterson’s paternal qualities is a healthy development if expressed responsibly.

Yet it seems to me that some of his followers are projecting far too much responsibility onto Peterson for their lives. I call this “giving away your power.” It is a common issue in spiritual circles. Indeed, I would say that it is almost a universal phase of personal and spiritual development. I am no exception, and gave my own power away to one or two spiritual and psychological guides as a younger man. Still, it is to be hoped that those who do this will quickly pass through the phase and assume greater responsibility for their lives. After all, taking responsibility is a central theme in Peterson’s teachings.

In 12 Rules for Life, Peterson implores us to focus our intent, to find meaningful work and self-work in order to help make the world a better place. For that is the best way that we can move forward and develop lives of power and purpose. He does not promise utopia. He merely suggests that personal responsibility, meaning and purpose should form a central part of the life journey, regardless of the outcome.

And who can argue with that?

12 Rules for Life is imperfect, but I highly recommend it. It contains much wisdom and thought-provoking philosophy from one of the most courageous and influential thinkers of our time.

Marcus T Anthony, PhD, author of Discover Your Soul Template

This was a great book that I took a lot of golden nuggets from. It helped me grow as a human being.

Jordan B. Peterson’s videos came up as recommended for me on YouTube, so I listened to him – and I really liked what I heard. One thing that he puts out blatantly in his videos – largely from his psychology classes – is that he is Jungian in his understanding and practice. I first read Jung in high school and have read a few of his books and think highly of his way of interpreting the world.

From this, I saw recommendations of what is actually his second book, 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos. I have now read it.

One thing to say up front – as I watched his videos, I wondered if he is a Christian. He speaks of the Christian Scriptures frequently and talks about the stories of the Old and New Testament as being myth to make a point regarding Being. I don’t know what he actually believes religiously, but don’t expect him to affirm the stories he used as historical.

As you can tell from the title, Peterson will present twelve rules. Peterson explains that this book began as a post he wrote on Quora answering the question, “What makes life meaningful?” (xxv).

Rule 1: “Stand up straight with your shoulders back.”

Peterson writes a lot about our similarities to lobsters – so be prepared.

“Standing up physically also implies and invokes and demands standing up metaphysically. Standing up means voluntarily accepting the burden of Being.” “To stand up straight with your shoulders back is to accept the terrible responsibility of life, with eyes wide open” (27).

To confront the world and all that it throws at us, we must physically stand up with our shoulders back, and our Being will follow.

Rule 2: “Treat yourself like someone you are responsible for helping.”

We don’t belong to ourselves – we did not bring ourselves into Being. Thus, we owe it to the world to care for ourselves in such a way that we bring order out of chaos – for all our sakes (60-61).

Rule 3: “Make friends with people who want the best for you.”

“You should choose people who want things to be better, not worse. It’s a good thing, not a selfish thing, to choose people who are good for you” (82).

Rule 4: “Compare yourself to who you were yesterday, not to who someone else is today.”

“…set up the following goal: by the end of the day, I want things in my life to be a tiny bit better than they were this morning.” And also set a small reward for yourself when you achieve it (95-96).

Rule 5: “Do not let your children do anything that makes you dislike them.”

“Children must be shaped and informed, or they cannot thrive” (122).

Rule 6: “Set your house in perfect order before you criticize the world.”

Begin by stop doing what you know to be wrong (157).

Rule 7: “Pursue what is meaningful (not what is expedient).”

The pursuit of what is meaningful encourages our growth, redemption, and reconciliation (201).

Rule 8: “Tell the truth – or, at least, don’t lie.”

“Untruth corrupts the soul and the state alike, and one form of corruption feeds the other” (215).

“In Paradise, everyone speaks the truth. That’s what makes it Paradise” (230).

Rule 9: “Assume that the person you are listening to might know something you don’t.”

Thinking is a dialogue between two people (241). You need to listen and be able to summarize the other person’s view (246).

Rule 10: “Be precise I your speech.”

Without precision, you don’t know if you are going towards chaos or where you want to be (282-283).

Rule 11: “Don’t bother children when they are skateboarding.”

The removal of risk is detrimental to the growth of humans – especially boys. And it makes people much less willing to take responsibility (331).

Rule 12: “Pet a cat when you encounter one on the street.”

Cats are a manifestation of Being “in an almost pure form” and can give us joy in the midst of suffering – if but for a moment (353).

Next follows a “Coda” in which Peterson takes his twelve rules and answers primary questions about what one should do with their life … and so forth.

The book ends with acknowledgements, endnotes, and an extensive index.

Do I totally agree with Peterson? Absolutely not. There are a number of times when he gives a Jungian interpretation of something from the Bible and he is way off – and I find it annoying. Nevertheless, the book as a whole, and his rules, are excellent guidance for anyone who wants to lead a meaningful, worthwhile life that tends to avoid chaos and suffering, which is why I highly recommend it.

[This review appears on my blog, my YouTube channel, Amazon.com, and Goodreads.com.]

Jordan Peterson is a beacon of light in this chaotic world, a psychologist whose writing combines science and common sense. One of his talents is his ability to articulate complex ideas to a wide audience. Regardless of whether you have a background in psychology or not, you will understand this book. It covers his twelve rules for life, which are intended not only as a guide for life of the individual, but as a remedy for society’s present ills. Peterson believes that the cure for society starts with curing the individual, the smallest unit of society. Peterson’s well-known advice to clean your room is a reflection of the truth that if you can’t even manage the most basic and mundane responsibilities of life, then you have no business dictating to others how to fix society.

One of the main themes of this book is: Personal change is possible. Theres no doubt you can be slightly better today than you were yesterday. Because of Paretos Principle (small changes can have disproportionately large results), this movement towards the good increases massively, and this upward trajectory can take your life out of hell more rapidly than you could believe. Life is tragic and full of suffering and malevolence. But theres something you can start putting right, and we cant imagine what good things are in store for us if we just fix the things that are within our power to do so.

The 12 Rules for Life:

In Peterson’s own words, it’s 12 rules to stop you from being pathetic, written from the perspective of someone who himself tried to stop being pathetic and is still working on it. Peterson is open about his struggles and shortcomings, unlike many authors who only reveal a carefully curated façade.

Rule 1: Stand up straight with your shoulders back. People have bad posture, and the meaning behind it can be demonstrated by animal behaviors. Peterson uses the example of the lobster. When a lobster loses a fight, and they fight all the time, it scrunches up a little. Lobsters run on serotonin and when he loses, levels go down, and when he wins, levels go up and he stretches out and is confident. Who cares? We evolutionarily diverged from lobsters 350 million years ago, but it’s still the same circuit. It’s a deep instinct to size others up when looking at them to see where they fit in the social hierarchy. If your serotonin levels fall, you get depressed and crunch forward and you’re inviting more oppression from predator personalities and can get stuck in a loop. Fixing our posture is part of the psycho-physiological loop that can help you get started back up again.

Rule 2: Treat yourself like someone you are responsible for helping. People often have self-contempt whether they realize it or not. Imagine someone you love and treat well. You need to treat yourself with the same respect. Take care of yourself, your room, your things, and have respect for yourself as if you’re a person with potential and is important to the people around you. If you make a pattern of bad mistakes, your life gets worse, not just for you, but for the people around you. All your actions echo in ways that cannot be imagined. Think of Stalin’s mother and the mistakes she made in life, and how the ripple effects went on to affect the millions of people around him.

Rule 3: Choose your friends carefully. It is appropriate for you to evaluate your social surroundings and eliminate those who are hurting you. You have no ethical obligation to associate with people who are making your life worse. In fact, you are obligated to disassociate with people who are trying to destroy the structure of being, your being, society’s being. It’s not cruel, it’s sending a message that some behaviors are not to be tolerated.

Rule 4: Compare yourself to who you were yesterday, not to who someone else is today. You need to improve, and you may even be in real bad shape, but many unfairly compare themselves to some more seemingly successful person. Up till around age 17, random comparisons to other people can make sense, but afterwards, especially age 30+, our lives become so idiosyncratic that comparisons with others become meaningless and unhelpful. You only see a slice of their life, a public facet, and are blind to the problems they conceal.

Rule 5: Dont let children do things that make you dislike them. You arent as nice as you think, and you will unconsciously take revenge on them. You are massively more powerful than your children, and have the ability and subconscious proclivity for tyranny deeply rooted within you.If you dont think this is true, you dont know yourself well enough. His advice on disciplinary procedure: (1) limit the rules. (2) use minimum necessary force and (3) parents should come in pairs.Its difficult and exhausting to raise children, and its easy to make mistakes. A bad day at work, fatigue, hunger, stress, etc, can make you unreasonable.

Rule 6: Set your house in perfect order before you criticize the world. Life is tragic and theres malevolence. Theres plenty to complain about, but if you dwell on it, you will become bitter and tread down a path that will take you to twisted places. The diaries of the Columbine killers are a chilling look into minds that dwelled on the unholy trinity of deceit, arrogance, and resentment) . So instead of cursing the tragedy that is life, transform into something meaningful. Start by stop doing something, anything, that you know to be wrong. Everyday you have choices in front of you. Stop doing and saying things that make you weak and ashamed. Do only those things that you would proudly talk about in public.

Rule 7: Pursue what is meaningful (not what is expedient). Meaning is how you protect yourself against the suffering that life entails. This means that despite the fact that we’re all emotionally wounded by life, we’ve found something that makes it all worthwhile. Meaning, Peterson says, is like an instinct, or a form of vision. It lets you know when you’re in the right place, and he says that the right place is midway between chaos and order. If you stay firmly ensconced within order, things you understand, then you can’t grow. If you stay within chaos, then you’re lost. Expediency is what you do to get yourself out of trouble here and now, but it comes at the cost of sacrificing the future for the present. So instead of doing what gets you off the hook today, aim high. Look around you and see what you can make better. Make it better. As you gain knowledge, consciously remain humble and avoid arrogance that can stealthily creep on you. Peterson also says to be aware of our shortcomings, whatever they may be; our secret resentments, hatred, cowardice, and other failings. Be slow to accuse others because we too conceal malevolent impulses, and certainly before we attempt to fix the world.

Rule 8: Tell the truth—or, at least, dont lie. Telling the truth can be hard in the sense that it’s often difficult to know the truth. However, we can know when we’re lying. Telling lies makes you weak. You can feel it, and others can sense it too. Meaning, according to Peterson, is associated with truth, and lying is the antithesis of meaning. Lying disassociates you with meaning, and thus reality itself. You might get away with lying for a short while, but only a short time. In Peterson’s words “It was the great and the small lies of the Nazi and Communist states that produced the deaths of millions of people.”

Rule 9: Assume that the person you are listening to might know something you dont. A good conversation consists of you coming out wiser than you went into it. An example is when you get into an argument with your significant other, you want to win, especially if you get angry. If you’re more verbally fluent than the other person then you can win. One problem is that the other person might see something better than you, but they can’t quite articulate it as well. Always listen because there’s a possibility they’re going to tell you something that will prevent you from running headfirst into a brick wall. This is why Peterson says to listen to your enemies. They will lie about you, but they will also say true things about yourself that your friends won’t. Separate the wheat from the chaff and make your life better.

Rule 10: Be Precise in Your Speech: There is some integral connection between communication and reality (or structures of belief as he likes to say). Language takes chaos and makes it into a ‘thing.’ As an example, imagine going through a rough patch in your life where you can’t quite put your finger on what’s wrong. This mysterious thing that’s bothering you—is it real? Yes, if it’s manifesting itself as physical discomfort. Then you talk about it and give it a name, and then this fuzzy, abstract thing turns into a specific thing. Once named, you can now do something about it. The unnameable is far more terrifying than the nameable. As an example, the movie the Blair Witch project didn’t actually name or describe the evil. Nothing happens in the movie, it’s all about the unnameable. If you can’t name something, it means it’s so terrifying to you that you can’t even think about it, and that makes you weaker. This is why Peterson is such a free speech advocate. He wants to bring things out of the realm of the unspeakable. Words have a creative power and you don’t want to create more mark and darkness by imprecise speech.

Rule 11: Don’t bother children when they are skateboarding. This is mainly about masculinity. Peterson remembers seeing children doing all kinds of crazy stunts on skateboards and handrails, and believes this is an essential ingredient to develop masculinity, to try to develop competence and face danger. Jordan Peterson considers the act of sliding down a handrail to be brave and perhaps stupid as well, but overall positive. A lot of rebellious behavior in school is often called ‘toxic masculinity,’ but Peterson would say to let them be. An example would be a figure skater that makes a 9.9 on her performance, essentially perfect. Then the next skater that follows her seems to have no hope. But she pushes herself closer to chaos, beyond her competence, and when successful, inspires awe. Judges award her 10’s. She’s gone beyond perfection into the unknown and ennobled herself as well as humanity as well.

Rule 12: Pet a cat when you encounter one on the street. This chapter is mainly autobiographical and he writes about tragedy and pain. When tragic things are in front of you and you’re somewhat powerless, you must keep your eyes open for little opportunities that highlight the redemptive elements of life that make it all worthwhile. The title of this chapter comes from his experience of observing a local stray cat, and watching it adapt to the rough circumstances around it. Another thing you must do when life is going to pieces is to shorten your temporal horizon. Instead of thinking in months, you maybe think in hours or minutes instead. You try to just have the best next minute or hour that you can. You shrink the time frame until you can handle it, this is how you adjust to the catastrophe. You try to stay on your feet and think. Although this chapters deals about harsh things, it’s an overall positive one. Always look for what’s meaningful and soul-sustaining even when you’re where you’d rather not be.

Ive lived my first 18 years as an upper-middle-class millennial in an Asian Communist country. This is probably the only book that would make me lift my fingers away from the chaos of life to type an earnest review about it. Oh, how easy it is for peaceful humans with good intention to blindly follow destructive ideologies and behaviors. We all want to change the world for the better, yet most of us fail to improve our own mind, body, and relationships. As a black sheep from such Asian Communist herd, I myself have witnessed enough of peoples naivety either in my home country or Western countries, and Dr. Petersons book truly resonates with me.

One common thing among The 12 Rules for Life, in essence, is "Honesty".

Rule 1: Stand up straight with your shoulders back (make your body/mind honest, straight and strong).

Rule 2: Treat yourself like someone you are responsible for helping (be honest with yourself about your shortcomings and fix them)

Rule 3: Make friends with people who want the best for you (seek and keep honest, good friends).

Rule 4: Compare yourself to who you were yesterday, not to who someone else is today (focus only on your honest achievements).

Rule 5: Dont let children do things that make you dislike them (be honest with your kids about life, and prepare them for it).

Rule 6: Set your house in perfect order before you criticize the world (be honest with the world about your shortcomings before bashing its imperfection).

Rule 7: Pursue what is meaningful, not what is expedient (live life being honest with your feelings).

Rule 8: Tell the truth—or, at least, dont lie (say only honest statements).

Rule 9: Assume that the person you are listening to might know something you dont (converse with an honest intention to learn).

Rule 10: Be Precise in Your Speech (make honestly condensed messages)

Rule 11: Don’t bother children when they are skateboarding (let less experienced people make honest efforts in risk-taking).

Rule 12: Pet a cat when you encounter one on the street (respect other beings - human included - that made honest efforts, despite how low their status is).

Asians living outside the US tend to do the opposite of Dr. Peterson’s rules. Especially under the Communist Party’s tyrannical grasp of free speech. Sure, we Asians can be quite intelligent and cooperative; but because of the traditional value system that favor group over individuals, Asians can be more predisposed to let the mob mentality win over the personal sense of justice and freedom. We don’t even speak up because our government would make life harder for everyone we know and love. But because of that, we’ve ensured a dishonest, dog-eat-dog society that is far darker and corrupted under the surface than most Western country.

We Asians often tell “white lies” to earn others’ favor. But when it becomes a habit and necessity for climbing the social ladder, every lie is white. Usually, bribery goes like this: “No, I don’t accept bribes.” - “Please, sir. It’s not bribery, just a gift from our heart.” - “I will reluctantly accept it, but no promise to give you favors.” - “That is totally fine, sir. We only worry about your health and family. To us, you are like family as well.” - “Yes, and family should help each other. That is the basic principle of a good society. Don’t you agree?” - “Yes, sir! We’ll be counting on you...”

What I have seen after living in Europe and America, is that the radical left of the Western political spectrum is (ironically) transforming into a totalitarian force in the name of “Anti-Everything-Evil.” They want the government to control the free conversation and wealth distribution, in the name of anti-racism, anti-sexism (prejudice against other genders), anti-misogyny (prejudice against women) or anti-bigotry (prejudice against different opinion, which is hilarious). But let me tell you: when it comes to limiting freedom of speech and distributing wealth from the “rich” to the “poor,” Communist Asians did a very similar thing, in the name of anti-colonialism, anti-capitalism, anti-fascism, etc. Nothing good came out of it.

What happened, and may happen if Western people don’t follow Dr. Peterson’s rules of honesty, is more chaos. Those who are incompetent and dishonest will become richer, those who are talented will only manage to live their lives relatively comfortable (unless they are willing to become corrupted), and the honest poor will become poorer. The Feminists who fight for free birth control pills are ignoring the fact that China fails to protect woman and child trafficking into sex-slavery. The Liberals do not see that high taxes drove companies big or small to China, destroying the livelihood of millions of their own honest and competent countrymen. Even the Libertarians who preach "free market" idea miss the notion of "fair play" when it comes to economic relationship with China. To me, such people are not so noble, anti-evil nor anti-establishment; they are just too selfish, naive or too simple-minded to criticize the world.

For the final note, as a long-time Star Wars fan, Id rather spend my time rereading this book than rewatching the new Star Wars movie. Dr. Peterson is the new hope, the returning Jedi sage that would bring balance to our little planet right here in this galaxy. But only if we choose to follow his 12 rules for life (plus subscribe to his YouTube channel and click the bell button).