Book Report - 12 Rules For Life

A Quick Glance

Jordan Peterson is a wonderful author who has many great points. Throughout his book, he talks about how we can all be better to each other, and ourselves. He leverages various scientific studies to explain human behavior, and how we can utilize those behaviors to improve our circumstances. His intentions are clear, he wants people to utilize the information they gain to make this world a better place. After reading his book, I feel that I have picked up new tools to do my part in that great goal.

His Style

Peterson utilizes various scriptures such as the Bible to make his point. In a few cases, the long, complex, and sometimes draw out points pack a punch, but more often than not, they leave the reader lost and confused. When Peterson attempts to provide a thorough explanation of his rationale for his readers, usually, one of three things happens.

1. He explains a real-world occurrence and highlights its implications for his message (Rule 1: Stand up straight with your shoulders back).

2. He goes off on a tangent trying to let the readers into his genius, which can leave the reader lost or confused (Rule 7: Pursue what is meaningful (not what is expedient)).

3. He makes bold claims, highlights the studies that support his claims in his index, and asks the readers to trust his rationale (Rule 11: Do not bother children when they are skateboarding).

Personally, I am quite alright with the 1st and 3rd styles of explanation. Although on some occasions, the data and studies he references are out of date (more on that later). My issue oftentimes was with the 2nd style of explanation. I would often find myself 30 pages into the chapter, and unable to understand how this deep dive into a specific part of the bible had relevance to the theme of the chapter.

Comparing Styles

Although comparisons can oftentimes be counterproductive, I learned something about Peterson’s style, and about my favorite author, Robert Greene’s style while reading this book. I am a great fan of Greene’s work, partly because of its simplicity. In most cases, Greene does the following when making a point:

1. He picks out a real-world event that the reader can easily grasp (often a story throughout history, something that actually happened), and goes through it in vivid detail.

2. He makes his point.

3. He ties his point to the story you just read.

4. He captures the point, its implementation, its use cases, its rebuttals, and any other thoughts.

In this way, all the information someone needs to grasp Greene’s point is right in that chapter. The real-world examples he gives, their detailed analysis, his honest critiques and edge-cases to his point, and his overall simplicity are part of what makes Greene such a great author. His logic is airtight, clearly explained, evident, and easy to digest. Greene writes for the everyday person.

Peterson on the other hand has various methods of making his point, methods that I have captured earlier. In a conversation with my friend Trevor, we both agreed on the following. Greene makes profound points so simply that even a “dummy” could understand them. While Peterson demands more from his audience. To truly comprehend his point he demands focus, attention, and growth. Peterson writes for academics.

Personally, I prefer Greene’s, “so easy, anyone can understand it” method, I think Peterson’s methods can sometimes go over his audience’s head. But on the other hand, after finishing Peterson’s book, I certainly feel like I’ve grown as a reader. I had to exercise my focus, vocabulary, and engagement, things I don’t have to do as intently when reading Greene.

Do you want to be spoon-fed valuable information, or do you want to work hard, grow, learn, and improve to attain it? Just because I prefer Greene’s style, it doesn’t make it better than Peterson’s style. It’s a personal preference, but both styles have their positives and their negatives. Who do you prefer?

Favorite Points

Peterson makes great points throughout the book, his first rule, stand up straight with your shoulder’s back, is wonderful. It’s a great introduction to his book, and honestly, the lessons in that first chapter resonate very well with me. We should all stand up for ourselves, be tough, and gain (or in some cases regain) our dominance.

Rules 8-10 are a three-piece combo that could leave any readers craving for valuable lessons thoroughly satisfied. After reading the three chapters I was truly dumbfounded. Peterson highlights the importance of being honest, as well as the perils that follow lies. His message is stern and unmoving, as is the actuality of his words.

Peterson follows his point by teaching us how to truly listen, something we don’t do enough of. We’re in a rush to make our point that we forget to wholeheartedly listen to the point of others. There’s so much power in being a good listener, it not only gives us and our counterparts strength, but it has the ability to strengthen any relationship.

The final blow comes with his message of being precise with our speech. We must address individual issues one at a time. Peterson speaks on why we should narrow our scope and be precise with what we say and address. The amalgamation of our issues, ideas, and thoughts can be too much for anyone to navigate. Address the dragon underneath the bed, or watch it walk away with your house.

Differences

Although Peterson makes great points, and overall, I agree with each of his rules, I found myself disagreeing with some of the points he makes to validate his rules. Some of the biggest differences are around masculinity, women, STEM, and the patriarchy (Rule 11: Do not bother children when they are skateboarding).

Women in STEM

Peterson talks about various topics (which I often found difficult to relate to his main topic) and claims that “men are more interested in things, while women are more interested in people.” He leverages studies done in Scandanavian countries to make his point. But the issue is, those studies have been strongly opposed by the scientific community, and furthermore, the data used in those studies was also misleading and inaccurate. I won’t go into great detail about the issues in the study, instead, you can reference the following articles:

• Vox

• Buzzfeed News

• Slate

The Patriarchy

Peterson starts the chapter by highlighting an issue in society today. He talks of his opposing views to what is being taught in school, primarily the portrayal of white men throughout history. He believes that these views being taught in school are negatively impacting men. He fears that there will be very few men in select disciplines due to trends that he is noticing, primarily in healthcare, public administration, psychology, and education. He later goes on to state the following:

“The strong turn towards political correctness in universities has exacerbated the problem. The voices shouting against oppression have become louder, it seems, in precise proportion to how equal-even now increasingly skewed against men- the schools have become. There are whole disciplines in universities forthrightly hostile towards men. These are the areas of study, dominated by the postmodern/neo-Marxist claim that Western culture, in particular, is an oppressive structure, created by white men to dominate and exclude women (and other selected groups); successful only because of that domination and exclusion.”

Peterson starts his point by highlighting specific issues throughout human history, highlighting how entire families suffered, not just one group. He then states, “It looks to me like the so-called oppression of the patriarchy was instead an imperfect collective attempt by men and women, stretching over millennia, to free each other from the privation, disease, and drudgery.”

He then goes on to knit-pick a few examples where men have invented products to aid women. He talks to Arunachalam Muruganantham (the tampon king) who developed a cheap, hygienic napkin for women during their menstruation in India, James Young Simpson, who utilized anesthesia to aid in child-birth and Dr. Earle Cleveland Hass, who developed the first Tampon. He then states, “Did Muruganantham, Simpson, and Hass oppress women, or free them? … In what manner were these practical, enlightened, persistent men part of a constricting patriarchy? Why do we teach our young people that our incredible culture is the result of male oppression?”

The Reality

It’s easy to look at a few examples of men who did great things for women and society, obviously, there are thousands of other examples of this. But I am fairly confident that for each example you find of men (and in western culture, white men) doing great things for women and society, you will find at least 2 examples of men putting other groups down for their personal gains. Shall we begin:

• Oppression towards people of color (there aren’t many examples of this, huh?)

  • Slavery

  • Jim Crow

  • Criminalization

• Oppression towards women

  • Not allowing them to vote (Until 1920)

  • Not allowing them to file for divorce (Until 1937)

  • Wage Gap

To argue that white men didn’t enslave and put down people of color from the inception of this country until very recently (and arguably, until this day), is preposterous. From slave labor to filling prisons up with people of color for cheap labor, white men have gained power, wealth, and status.

As it pertains to women, they had to fight tooth and nail for equality, and they are still fighting. It’s easy to look at data from 2019 and say, “there is no sexism, and there never was,” but to do so, you’d have to ignore the data of the past. Women weren’t allowed to vote, earned less for the same work (legally), weren’t allowed to file for divorce, and had a significantly harder time pursuing higher education.

Looking at both of these examples, it’s incredibly difficult for me to accept that the “…. so-called oppression of the patriarchy was instead an imperfect collective attempt by men and women, stretching over millennia, to free each other from the privation, disease, and drudgery.” Instead, it’s a lot easier to see how one group, who was in a position of power, did whatever they could to keep that power, while other groups fought with all their might for equality.

The goal of women and people of color wasn’t to have more power than white men, it was for everyone to have equality. To act like men, and white men didn’t do whatever they could to stop equality in the past, is inaccurate. It’s easy to look at a small subsection of data to prove your point and avoid a mountain of data that counters it.

In 2021, we are in a much better place than we were in 1921. There is more equality for everyone, in all groups, and all walks of life. That equality was reached by fighting the oppression that was imposed by the patriarchy. Now that the patriarchy is under fire, and has been for some time, it doesn’t mean that men are the target. We can acknowledge that the system is changing and that there will be growing pains. But we can’t deny history because we are afraid of the changes that are stemming to correct it.

Final Take

The 12 Rules for Life has been a great read. It has taught me a lot, demanded a lot from me, and ultimately, has helped me grow into a better person. While there are some points that I strongly agree with, there are other points that I strongly disagree with. I think Peterson would be happy to see that I disagree with some of his points, as long as I am open to the idea that I can be wrong, and I am willing to learn and grow.

The 12 Rules for Life aren’t simply a collection of rules that we must follow. They are a collection of ideas, values, and concepts with the goal to make the reader a better person. A person that lives their life in truth, with love, for the betterment of themselves, those around them, their realm, and society as a whole. Peterson closes the book with a few words he writes with his pen of light: “Write down the words you want inscribed on your soul.”

The purpose of this great book can be captured by the first three questions he asked and answers:

• “What shall I do tomorrow?… The most good possible in the shortest period of time.”

• “What shall I do next year? Try to ensure that the good I do then will be exceeded only the by the good I do the year after that.”

• “What shall I do with my life? Aim for Paradise, and concentrate on today.”

The lessons that I have learned from Peterson will stay with me. I hope to be the light, and live my life in it. The lessons learned from Peterson will allow me to make the world better in my own way, just as he intended.

Notes Per Chapter

I started by capturing a review for each chapter, but as I kept reading the book, keeping up with the chapter summary became more difficult. I also caught myself not wanting to read because I didn’t want to write detailed chapter summaries.

I will keep the chapter summaries that I have written, and once I have completed the book, I will have an overall review.

Chapter 1: Stand Up Straight With Your Shoulder Back

Peterson started strong with his first chapter. This chapter speaks of human and animal nature and provides real-world examples to back his claim. The argument is well thought out and explained in great detail. The thought process is linear and well mapped out. This chapter spoke to me very deeply and I am hoping other chapters in this book will bring out similar emotions.

The Lobsters

In this chapter, Jordan Peterson starts by talking of lobsters, and the way they compete for dominance. The most dominant lobsters win the best territory, which provides them with the best food sources, keeps them safe from predators, and brings in all of the ladies. To be the most dominant lobster, lobsters must assert their dominance over each other. The most dominant lobsters rise to the top, and live life comfortably, while the least dominant lobsters stay at the bottom.

Jordan Peterson talks about how the dominant lobsters have a higher perception of themselves and a higher perception of their position in the dominance hierarchy. This higher perception of self and standing in society releases serotonin, which in turn increases their confidence and helps them be more dominant. The opposite is true for the losing lobster. Once they have lost, their perception of their standing in the dominance hierarchy, and themselves decreases. This limits the amount of serotonin that is released, which in turn, makes it harder for them to compete with the dominant lobsters.

Peterson talks further on the lasting effects of the losing lobsters. Now that they have a lower perception of themselves, they are going to be less likely to put themselves in a situation where they will compete with a dominant lobster. The last time they went down that route they lost, and they are afraid of being in danger. A losing lobster is far more likely to retreat at the thought of danger.

In this way, lobsters establish a hierarchy. They determine who they can push around and mess with, and who is going to stand their ground and fight. The ladies know who they want to mate with. The lobsters at the top of the hierarchy get more than those at the bottom.

Nature Selects Fitness

Peterson speaks of Yin and Yang. He does so in the concept of order and chaos, and how they are circling each other. He states “This is because order and chaos are interchangeable, as well as eternally juxtaposed. There is nothing so certain that it cannot vary.”

Peterson does a wonderful job at explaining the reality of natural selection. A key concept is explaining that nature is not static. The environment of nature constantly changes, affecting those who are adapting and living within it. This means that the environment which makes up nature is not constant as time evolves. If it was, it would mean that the evolution of the species living within it would also be constant. But as we know that is not the case.

The environment of nature itself is constantly changing, meaning that species have to evolve to the flow and current of nature. As nature changes, the features that a species needs to be successful within it must also change. In this way, creatures are in a dance with nature, as nature changes, so must they, just to survive. Peterson quotes the Red Queen from Alice in Wonderland, “you have to run as fast as you can just to stay in the same place.” In essence, nature changes, as it changes, it selects the fit who can adapt to its changes.

Layers Of Nature

Peterson also reminds us that nature is not simply dynamic either. Some things change faster than others. He gives a beautiful example to capture this, “Leaves change more quickly than trees, and trees more quickly than forests.” He then goes on to explain the importance of this. “If it wasn’t this way, then the conservatism of evolution would not work, as the basic morphology of arms and hands would have to change as fast as the length of arm bones and the function of fingers.” He explains, “chaos, within order, within chaos, within a higher order. The order that is most real is the order that is most unchanging-and that is not necessarily the order that is most easily seen.” He wraps up the concept and touches on his main point perfectly with, “The leaf, when perceived, might blind the observer of the tree. The tree can blind him to the forest. And some things that are most real (such as the ever-present dominance hierarchy) cannot be seen.

Romanticizing Nature

Oftentimes we find ourselves romanticizing nature by focusing solely on its beauty. But in reality, the environment of nature can be very ugly. Peterson says, “Unfortunately, ‘the environment is also elephantiasis and guinea worms (don’t ask), anopheles mosquitoes and malaria, starvation-level droughts, AIDS and the Black Plague.” He explains that not only do we not fantasize about these things, but due to these things, we have modified our surroundings, have built cities, transportation, grown food, and generate power. “If Mother Nature wasn’t so hell-bent on our destruction it would be easier for us to exist in simple harmony with her dictates.”

This brings Peterson to his main point of nature, “that nature is something strictly segregated from the cultural constructs that have emerged within it. The order within the chaos and the order of Being are ‘what selects,’ and the longer a feature has existed the more time it has had to be selected - and to shape life.” Relating this to his earlier point of the dominance hierarchy, “All that matters, from a Darwinian perspective, is permanence - and the dominance hierarchy, however social or cultural it might appear, has been around for some half a billion years. It’s permanent. It’s real.”

Peterson believes and explains how the dominance hierarchy is not something that we have made up through culture or society. Instead, it is something that has been within us (us, as in life), for a very long time. He claims that “Dominance hierarchies are older than trees”. Due to this, the part of our brain which calculates where we fit into this dominance hierarchy is “ancient and fundamental.”

How This Translates to Us

Like our fellow lobsters, the dominance hierarchy has very similar effects on our lives. When we feel defeated we have traits similar to the lobsters who have lost a fight. “Our posture droops. We face the ground. We feel threatened, hurt, anxious, and weak.” In situations like this, we are not able to fight back against life, which can lead to anxiety and depression. It can lead to us being easy targets for “harder-shelled bullies.”

For low-ranking human beings, low serotonin has negative effects. It means lower self-confidence, less happiness, more pain, anxiety, illness, and usually a lower life span. When you’re low, it’s easier to stay low and harder to build yourself back up.

Our Dominance Calculator

As stated, we all have an ancient counter in our brains which calculates where we stand on the dominance hierarchy. Peterson does so by having a scale from 1-10, 1 being most dominant, 10 being least. Our brain has various ways of calculating where we stand on the hierarchy. One way is by noticing how you are treated by others. If others respect you and treat you well, then it increases your self-confidence, and your brain positions you at a higher level.

The Effects of Being at the Bottom

On the other hand, if you are not treated well by your peers, your brain will put you at the lower end of the scale. This will lead your brain to release less serotonin, which will negatively impact you. When you’re at the bottom of the scale, you are more susceptible to reacting to the smallest of unexpected emergencies, which can happen more often at the bottom.

By constantly reacting to the negative events around you, mostly in an emotional state, you will drain your energy. While someone at the top of the scale would be more confident in their ability to access the situation and react accordingly. Peterson states, “When you don’t know what to do, you must be prepared to do anything and everything, in case it becomes necessary. You’re sitting in your car with the gas and brake pedals both punched to the mat.”

This ancient counter can even shut down your immune system if it believes it needs to exert all of its energy to an emergency now, instead of preserving energy for later. This can render you impulsive, and make you do things for short-term pleasures that you might consider disgraceful in the future. When you’re not accustomed to winning, you will take any win possible. Peterson says, “The physical demands of emergency preparedness will wear you down in every way.”

He closes off the thought by stating how those at the top of the scale act very differently. Peterson says, “It (the counter) thinks the chances that something will damage you are low and can be safely discounted. Change might be an opportunity, instead of a disaster.” You have a higher level of serotonin, which renders you calm and collected during stressful situations, which will help you resolve them in a better manner. You are confident and less alert than your lower-standing counterparts. Since your future is secure you are more likely to think of the long term, delay gratification, and ultimately are a reliable and thoughtful person.

The Counter Malfunctioning

The counter within us is also able to malfunction, and various things can cause this. Poor eating and sleeping patterns can negatively affect its functionality. He speaks of the importance of routine, and how routine turns the things we do into habits, and how these habits help to shape the best versions of ourselves.

Feedback Loops

Perhaps one of the most fascinating parts of the chapter was one of the feedback loops. Peterson explains the general concept of a feedback loop as such, “A positive feedback loop requires an input detector, an amplified, and some form of output. Imagine a signal picked up by the input detector, amplified, and then emitted, in amplified form…. The trouble starts when the input detector detects the output, and runs it through the system again, amplifying and emitting it again. A few rounds of intensification and things get dangerously out of control.”

Peterson explains this concept by diving into alcoholism and agoraphobia. Both of which are very fascinating. With alcoholism, once alcoholics start drinking, their blood alcohol levels spike, they continue to chase this feeling by drinking. Once they stop, their body starts to metabolize the ethanol. They start experiencing withdrawal. This is soon followed by a hangover. Alcohol is the input, they feel better as the alcohol levels spike, the amplifier, and the output is withdrawal and a hangover.

The real problem occurs when the output, the hangover, realizes that it can be cured by drinking alcohol, the input. This is known as the hair of the dog. This can create a positive feedback loop. As you drink, you feel withdrawal, so you drink more, which leads to a killer hangover, which is cured by…. you guessed it, drinking alcohol.

Peterson goes onto to explain how people who are depressed can feel burdensome and useless, as well as grief-stricken and pained. They then detach themselves from family and friends, which can lead to them feeling more lonely and burdensome. This loop continues and amplifies.

He also touches upon bully victims and the lasting effect this has on their counter. People who were severely bullied in their youth can carry that trauma with them as they grow older. “They become anxious and easily upset. They shield themselves with a defensive crouch and avoid the direct eye contact interpretable as a dominance challenge…. This means that the damage caused by the bullying (the lowering of status and confidence) can continue, even after the bullying has ended.”

In some cases, when a person constantly feels scared, threatened, anxious and subordinate, they carry themselves with a slouched posture, they avoid direct eye contact. This can attract people who were once bullies to them, and cause the bullying to happen again. Although it might not be physical anymore and verbal instead, the effect is the same, it lowers the victim’s perception of their position in the dominance hierarchy. With this low belief in self, accompanied by the way they carry themselves, it doesn’t matter if they relocate or change jobs, they will always attract bullies, which will keep them at the bottom of the hierarchy.

Rising Up

Peterson talks about the difference between those who can’t fight back, and those who won’t fight back. Those who can’t fight back might be smaller in size and weaker than their opponents. But those who won’t fight back can be people who are very compassionate and self-sacrificing. It can also be by people who have decided that all forms of aggression are wrong. These people can suppress their aggression due to their overt compassion and self-sacrificing beliefs, which are naive and exploitable.

Those who say no early in the cycle of oppression, limit the extent of oppression by the oppressor. Peterson states, “The forces of tyranny expand inexorably to fill the space made available for their existence.” You should always stand your ground and not allow others to take advantage of you.

Those who have the naive belief that aggression is wrong, have a few basic beliefs, “People are basically good; no one really wants to hurt anyone else, the threat (and, certainly, the use) of force, physical or otherwise, is wrong.” Those who have this naive conception of the world oftentimes invite the malevolent. Those who are looking to harm others have developed a sensor for those who will allow it.

Finding Your Aggression

Peterson talks of the things he does in his clinical practice to combat this. He shows those with this naive belief of the resentment and anger they are capable of. He then helps them redirect it into standing up for themselves.

He states that in some cases, people are shocked by this, sometimes severely. He uses certain cases of PTSD, where soldiers sometimes perform acts during war they did not know they were able of. These acts are sometimes things they considered undoable, perhaps they considered these actions to only be performed by those they viewed as evil. Nonetheless, the reality that they are capable of doing this can haunt them. These individuals usually grow up in a bubble and believe that the world is a fairy tale where nothing bad can ever happen.

Once people realize the aggression they are capable of, they start to stand up for themselves, demand respect, and in turn, develop self-respect. They walk around with more confidence, they ditch their hunched posture which they previously shared with the defeated lobster. They have realized that if they don’t stand up for themselves, they will resent themselves, and feed into self-destruction. Peterson believes, “There is very little difference between the capacity for mayhem and destruction, integrated, and strength of character. This is one of the most difficult lessons of life.”

How to Stand Up Tall

You might realize that you’re a loser, or that you have bad traits or a collection of bad traits, that doesn’t mean that you have to stay that way. You must realize this within yourself, that is the first step of overcoming and changing. “If you slump around, with the same bearing that characterizes a defeated lobster, people will assign you a lower status, and the older counter that you share with crustaceans, sitting at the very base of your brain, will assign you a low dominance number.” This will affect your levels of serotonin, will stop you from standing up for yourself, and ultimately cripple your chances of living life in the best circumstances.

As feedback loops can negatively affect your life, you can also develop feedback loops that do the opposite. A good example is by fixing your posture and facing the world with your chest out and chin up. “If your posture is poor, for example - if you slump, shoulders forward and rounded, chest tucked in, head down, looking small, defeated and ineffectual - then you will feel small, defeated and ineffectual.” If you present yourself as defeated, then the world will perceive you as such. “If you straighten up, then people will look at and treat you differently.”

More Than Just Physically

Having good posture might not be the solution to all your problems, and it might not get you out of the bottom of the dominance hierarchy. Peterson states, “But standing up straight with your shoulder back is not something that is only physical, because you’re not only a body. You’re a spirit, so to speak - a psyche - as well. Standing up physically also implies and invokes and demands standing up metaphysically. Standing up means voluntarily accepting the burden of Being. Your nervous system responds in an entirely different manner when you face the demands of life voluntarily. You respond to a challenge, instead of bracing for a catastrophe. You see the gold the dragon hoards, instead of shrinking in terror from the all-too-real fact of the dragon. You step forward to take your place in the dominance hierarchy, and occupy your territory, manifesting your willingness to defend, expand and transform it. That can all occur practically or symbolically, as a physical or as a conceptual restructuring…. To stand up straight with your shoulders back is to accept the terrible responsibility of life, with eyes wide open.”

You must stop being afraid of demanding what is yours by right, in essence, what is everyone’s by right. You are the master of your fate, and you need to face that realization head-on. You shouldn’t be naive and under the notion that being aggressive is negative, especially when you’re being aggressive in demanding respect from the world.

Peterson says, “So attend carefully to your posture. Quit drooping and hunching around. Speak your mind. Put your desires forward, as if you had a right to them - at least the same right as others. Walk tall and gaze forthrightly ahead. Dare to be dangerous. Encourage the serotonin to flow plentifully through the neural pathways desperate for its calming influence.”

This belief in yourself rubs off on others. They will believe you to be competent at what you do. You will meet new people and have better social interactions. Good things will start to happen to you more often, and you will appreciate them more as well.

When adversity does strike, it won’t send you into a spiral, you will be able to handle it head-on. You won’t be afraid of danger, instead, you will be ready to stand up to it. You will become the strength for others.

It is your right to live the best life possible. You are capable of doing great things and having the best in life. The best territory, the best food, and the best mate. You are deserving, all you must do is stand tall, and get it. Muster up the strength and courage to approach the world with your eye on the prize. Peterson closes off the chapter with, “Look for your inspiration to the victorious lobster, with its 350 million years of practical wisdom. Stand up straight, with your shoulders back.”

Chapter 2: Treat Yourself Like Someone You Are Responsible For Helping

I should preface the summary of this chapter with the fact that I did not enjoy this chapter as much as chapter 1. Although the chapter is well written, some of the examples used here are more “theoretical” and reference the bible as the source to back up some of the arguments made. This chapter also didn’t speak to me as personally as the first chapter did. Nonetheless, I still found the knowledge in this chapter valuable, and I think it’s an important chapter. I also believe that this chapter probably hit home to many readers. I by no means disagree with the information in the chapter.

Taking your Medication

Peterson starts the chapter off by discussing how most people do not take their medication. He describes that a third of people who are prescribed a medication won’t fill their prescription, and the rest are likely to make errors while taking the medication. They either miss doses, they take them at the wrong time, and overall, many people are not very attentive to taking their medication. Most doctors blame their patients for this, and their argument tends to, “Why are these people not taking their medication? Don’t they want to get better?”

Peterson discusses how most psychiatrists like to take a different stance on this. Considering that most people are not good at taking their medication, it is not simply the fault of the patient. It is also the job of the provider to explain in detail the reason people should take their medication, along with going over other logistics which would make taking the medication more appealing to the patient.

Peterson ends the section off by explaining how most people who are not on top of taking their medication, seldom miss administering medication for their pets. Most people will go out of their way to make sure their pets don’t miss a single dose, and at the same time will neglect their health. To further understand this, Peterson takes us back to Genesis.

The Oldest Story

Peterson discusses various origin stories from different cultures throughout history. He then discusses how scientific discoveries changed the way we viewed things. Although science is wonderful and has allowed us to understand the world around us, it has also made us close-minded in a sense. We believe that science holds all answers and that it is difficult for us to understand that there are other ways of seeing things. Peterson believes that our ancestors were far more concerned “with actions that dictated survival than with anything approximating that we now understand as objective truth.”

Peterson then discusses that our ancestors viewed Being as a place of action, and not a place of things. “It was understood as something akin to a story or drama. That story or drama was lived, subjective experience, as it manifested itself moment to moment in the consciousness of every living person.” Peterson then discusses the significance of “Subjective experience — that includes familiar objects such as trees and clouds, primarily objective in their existence, but also, such things are emotions and dreams as well as hunger, thirst, and pain. It is such things, experienced personally, that are the most fundamental elements of human life.

Peterson closes out his thought with the following, “In any case, that which we subjectively experience can be likened much more to a novel or a movie than to a scientific description of physical reality.” I believe he is trying to plant the seed that our lives are more than simple structures and the occurrence of events. Instead, our lives are more like movies and dramas, where we are the protagonist. There is far more emotion and personality involved with the latter than with the former.

Order, Chaos and the Transition

Peterson once again dives into order, chaos, and the transition between the two. He describes “Chaos” as “the domain of ignorance itself. It’s unexplored territory.” He describes in great detail things that take the shape of chaos, such as “the monster underneath the bed,… the hidden anger of your mother, and the sickness of your child.” Chaos takes the shape of what we don’t know, what brings us unrest, and the things we don’t know how to react or handle with ease.

Peterson describes “Order, by contrast, is explored territory.” He goes on to describe it in great detail through examples. In essence, order is what we know, what we understand, and what we are comfortable with. Order is familiar and comforting, but that doesn’t mean that it’s always good.

Peterson gives very vivid examples of how order can turn to chaos, my favorite example being, “When your tax return has been filed, that’s order. When you’re audited, that’s chaos.” Peterson explains how time can change what we consider to be in the state of order to chaos. Peterson also explains how our minds have evolved to handle chaos. Our ancestors had to react quickly to chaos as it might have come in the shape of a snake lunging to bite you. But we have evolved to react with more thought when order transitions into chaos.

Peterson also takes a much deeper dive into the history of order and chaos, and how it is hardwired in nature. I am going to skip over most of it, but I will mention a part that I found interesting. He describes order as masculine and chaos as feminine. Peterson goes on to discuss how most structures, cities, and buildings were constructed by men, and therefore we associate their order with masculinity. As for chaos, Peterson describes it as feminine. He explains how females can present the unknown and dangerous, such as childbirth, as a mother bear who will tear you to shreds for getting close to her cubs.

Peterson also describes the chaos that women can cause to men in a sexual sense due to them being choosy maters (as they should be, men can be dogs). Peterson states, “women on dating sites rate 85 percent of men as below average in attractiveness.” Peterson also states, “It is Woman as Nature who looks at half of all men and says, “No!” For the men, that’s a direct encounter with chaos, and it occurs with devastating force every time that they are turned down for a date.”

Peterson ends his thoughts with the idea that order and chaos are both vital in our existence. With only order, we never grow, we never change, we never evolve. With only chaos, we are always overwhelmed and never able to ground ourselves. Peterson says, “Thus you need to place one foot in what you have mastered and understood and the other in what you are currently exploring and mastering. Then you have positioned yourself where the terror of existence is under control and you are secure, but where you are also alert and engaged. That is where there is something new to master and some way that you can be improved. That is where meaning to be found.”

The Garden of Eden

Peterson then takes a deep dive into the Garden of Eden, as depicted in the bible. He connects his ideas with the occurrences in the bible. Peterson explains Eden as a place of order, and the serpent as chaos. Peterson also makes note that chaos will always creep in. God in his infinite wisdom created Eden knowing that chaos would ensue. So instead of trying to keep chaos at bay, it is better to acknowledge that it will appear and be able to handle it when it does. Furthermore, keeping chaos at bay is a terrible way to live, “How could the nature of man ever reach its full potential without challenge and danger?”

Peterson goes on to discuss how the serpent chose to target Eve and manipulated her into eating the Apple. Telling Eve that she would be like God, knowing good from evil. Once Eve is self-conscious, she makes Adam eat the apple, as Peterson so beautifully states, “Now, no clear-seeing, conscious woman is going got tolerate an unawakened man…. Women have been making men self-conscious since the beginning of time.” Women often do this by shaming men who do not take responsibility and rejecting them. Women have to bear the weight of childbirth and the consequences that come with it, therefore it’s no wonder they hold men accountable.

As Adam and Eve wake up, they realize that they’re naked. Peterson walks us through what this means.

The Naked Ape

“Naked means vulnerable and easily damaged. Naked means subject to judgment for beauty and health. Naked means unprotected and unarmed in the jungle of nature and man. Adam and Eve realized this and therefore rushed to cover themselves. They hide in the presence of God, and when God calls for Adam, he slowly reveals himself, ashamed. He tells God that he is naked and ashamed, which makes God realize that he ate the apple. He asked Adam if he ate something he wasn’t supposed to and Adam folds like a lawn chair.

He points at Eve and snitches to God that she made him eat the apple, he then blames God for giving him Eve, who made him do it. Adam, the first man blamed Eve for making him self-conscious, then he blamed God for bringing her to him. That nature in man has not changed much since Eden. Peterson goes on to explain Adam’s shame, he feels small, Eve is now looking down on him for turning on her, and he feels useless. After all, Eve was deceived by the snake who was Satan in disguise, who can blame her. On the other hand, no one forced Adam to speak.

Peterson talks of the curse that God brings to woman and man. Women are cursed to bear children, oftentimes for men that they repulse, who may have control over them. As for men, they will have to work, they will have to sacrifice the present for the future. They will have to suffer so that they may provide. Then God banished Adam and Eve, from the comfort of Order found in Eden, to the depth of Chaos found on Earth.

Our Unworthiness

Peterson brings the idea back to why we don’t take our medication:

“Why would someone buy prescription medication for his dog, and then so careful administer it, when he would not do the same for himself? Now you have an answer, derived from one of the foundational texts on mankind. Why should anyone take care of anything as naked, ugly, ashamed, frightened, worthless, cowardly, resentful, defensive, and accusatory as a descendant of Adam? And I do not mean at all to exclude women with this phrasing.”

We know too much about ourselves, about our blemishes, our errors, our mistakes, our faults, and our nakedness. Sure the world may know some of it, but no one sees it as much as we see it within ourselves. “No one has more reason to hold you in contempt, to see you as pathetic – and by withholding something that might do you good, you can punish yourself for all your failings. A dog, a harmless, innocent, unselfconscious dog, is clearly more deserving.”

Peterson talks of animals, and how they hunt and kill to survive. We don’t look down or blame them for their animal nature, they are simply doing what they are meant to do, what they are built to do. We humans, on the other hand, are not the same. We are aware of our flaws, of what can hurt us, what can make us feel horrible, and ultimately, we are aware of what makes us suffer. We can find a pattern of cruelty in our history, individual, and collective. Meaning we know our weakness, and we exploit that weakness in others. We know we can be cruel, and that no one wants to be treated with cruelty, yet we do it to each other anyways.

This “lust” for cruelty, this action that we have collectively taken can help explain why we take care of our dogs better than ourselves. A dog is not capable of being cruel, it simply does what it knows. We, on the other hand, perform acts of cruelty all the time. Why should we take care of ourselves when we can be so cruel and damaging to each other. We are not worthy of care.

Walking With God

Peterson discusses how most of us interpret our worth when considering our faults and blemishes. But Peterson states, “Perhaps it is not simply the emergence of self-consciousness and the rise of our moral knowledge of Death and the Fall that besets us and makes us doubt our worth. Perhaps it is instead our unwillingness – reflected in Adam’s shamed hiding – to walk with God, despite our fragility and propensity for evil.” I believe this idea is extremely important. Many of us see our flaws, and therefore we value ourselves less, and in this shame and nakedness, we are unwilling to walk with God.

“If we wish to take care of ourselves properly, we have to respect ourselves – but we don’t, because we are – not least in our own eyes – fallen creatures. If we lived in Truth; if we spoke the Truth – then we could walk with God once again.” This concept is so important. In my life, I try to live in the light. I try to live in a way that I am proud of, so that I may “walk with God” so that I can do so without shame. Although Peterson is explaining how we fail to walk with God due to our faults, I urge you all to live your life in a way that you are unashamed. Although we will all have our flaws and blemishes, live your life with honor, own your faults and mistakes, so that you are never afraid to walk with God, or anyone else, least of all, yourself.

Allowing Yourself to be Bullied

Peterson then goes on to explain how we can oftentimes think of humans as narcissistic, selfish, and always looking out for themselves. But many of us are the exact opposite, “they shoulder intolerable burdens of self-disgust, self-contempt, shame, and self-consciousness. Thus, instead of narcissistically inflating their importance, they don’t value themselves at all, and they don’t take care of themselves with attention and skill.

Peterson also speaks of how deeply embedded self-sacrifice is in western culture. Peterson explains it better than I ever could:

“But Christ’s archetypal death exists as an example of how to accept finitude, betrayal, and tyranny heroically – how to walk with God despite the tragedy of self-conscious knowledge – and not as a directive to victimize ourselves in the service of others. To sacrifice ourselves to God (to the highest good, if you like) does not mean to suffer silently and willingly when some person or organization demands more from us, consistently, than is offered in return. That means we are supporting tyranny and allowing ourselves to be treated like slaves. It is not virtuous to be victimized by a bully, even if that bully is oneself.”

Peterson goes on to quote Carl Jung, “doing unto others as you would have them do unto you” and “loving your neighbor as yourself.” Peterson highlights that neither of these statements has anything to do with being nice. Another lengthy explanation by Peterson:

“If I am someone’s friend, family member, or lover, then I am morally obligated to bargain as hard on my behalf as they are on theirs. If I fail to do so, I will end up a slave, and the other person a tyrant. What good is that? It is much better for any relationship when both partners are strong. Furthermore, there is little difference between standing up and speaking for yourself and speaking for someone else. As Jung points out, this means embracing and loving the sinner who is yourself, as much as forgiving and aiding someone else who is stumbling and imperfect.”

Give Credit Where It is Due

Peterson highlights the significance of giving credit to yourself and others for the things that we do day-to-day. We all put in the work to keep ourselves, our family, and our society running every single day. That’s pretty amazing. Give yourself credit for the good that you do, unto yourself and unto others. We must balance our acceptance of our blemishes, faults, cruelty, and nakedness with the gratitude, kindness, and positive acts we commit for ourselves and others.

We deserve to be respected, all of us. We all play a role in our lives, in each other’s lives, and the fate of our world; recognize that and understand that that demands respect. Because of that, you are morally obligated to take good care of yourself.

To treat yourself as someone you are responsible for helping doesn’t mean that you have to do what makes you happy. Instead, you need to do what’s good for yourself. “Every time you give a child something sweet you make that child happy. That does not mean that you should do anything for children except feed them candy. “Happy is by no means synonymous with “good.” You must learn to care for yourself with the same attention that you would for a child. There is no other way around it.

Having a Sense of Direction

Peterson closes off the chapter by articulating the need of knowing where you’re heading, and the significance of it. “You must determine where you are going so that you can bargain for yourself so that you don’t end up resentful, vengeful, and cruel. You have to articulate your principles so that you can defend yourself against others’ taking inappropriate advantage of your, and so that you are secure and safe while you work and play…. You must keep the promises you make to yourself, and reward yourself so that you can trust and motivate yourself.”

Peterson speaks of the power of direction. Knowing where you are headed, and having the road laid out will pay dividends in the long run. You can overcome any obstacle and bear any load. As Nietzsche stated, “He whose life has a why, can bear almost any how.”

Understand what your hell is, once you know what it is, you can decide against going there or creating it. Live your life by that, and you will have Meaning (with a capital M as Peterson put it). “That would atone for your sinful nature, and replace your shame and self-consciousness with the natural pride and forthright confidence of someone who has learned once again to walk with God in the Garden.”