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12 Rules for Lofe: An antitode to Chaos by Jordan B. Peterson

The book presents 12 rules to follow to keep your life in control through the chaos that is called life. This is the second time that I am reading this. I lost interest in JP’s work after reading a lot of horrible things about him. Why am I re-reading this book now?

While reading the Myth of Normal by Gabor Maté I reached a page where he referenced the fifth rule on 12 Rules for Life. The rule is “Do not let your children do anything that makes you dislike them” and the it was referenced during a chapter about childhood trauma. I started wondering if Dr. Gabor misinterpreted what was Peterson saying and decided to re-read the whole book out of curiosity.

It has been a while since I read the book and I did not remember much. Even though the first read was very intriguing, I kind of expected to go through a chaotic rumbling of a far-right madman. I decided to approach the book with an open mind and see what he actual has to say.

I consider 12 Rules For Life’s content life changing. I honestly think that it can help people who have been unfortunate. There’s not such a thing as a perfect life but we need to stop pointing our finger and work on solving our problems. If we do not fight and sacrifice to create a better life we end up being bitter and angry with the whole world. Peterson also talks about his younger life, experiences, research, and his patients to further support his points.

It is my belief that the rule 5 “Do not let your children do anything that makes you dislike them” has been heavily misinterpreted. Jordan never supported that we are free to abuse our children and do whatever we want to them until they make us happy. Kids need to learn respect and understand their boundaries because they will not be accepted by older people or even their peers otherwise. This will lead to antisocial behaviour. Humans are extremely social animals and being antisocial can lead to very dark paths.

One of the things that I have been left wondering is this:

Why do we decide on self-punishment instead of raising up from the ashes to fight for a better life?