Who is Jordan Peterson?
A Canadian clinical psychologist and a professor of psychology at the University of Toronto. Who wrote the infamous 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos, a national and international bestseller. Peterson is a very bright thinker. He has without a doubt helped millions of people worldwide including me. If I were to see him by chance, I would give him a hug. However, His “thoughts and rules” are turning slowly to be a cult – patriarchal one. Which is no less dangerous.
I would recommend to him to insert rule #13 – “Follow your self”.
Peterson talks about the cold war and reality at the beginning. In the cold war, each of the Americans and Russians had different views of reality based on their set of beliefs. And they were willing to bomb the planet to preserve those beliefs. It doesn’t matter if its about socialism or capitalism. Beliefs shape how you view reality. There are even beliefs in you that you are not aware of. This will lead to conflict, with others who view reality differently. What to do then? Is there an objective answer?
Some of his rules:
- Stand up straight with your shoulders straight: Pain is inevitable. Lead your life proactively and wisely. You and lobsters have a very very old evolutionary ancestor. Lobsters operate in a hierarchal structure – A dominance hierarchy. To straight up your shoulders is a feature of dominance (Among other primates too), up in the hierarchy. The more you climb, then your brain will adapt according to its biology and produces “Serotonin” the hormone for positive feelings.
- Treat yourself like someone you are responsible for helping: Stop waiting for other people to dig you out of your pitiful hole. Talk to yourself as you talk to your best friend, everyone has flaws.
- Befriend people who want the best for you – Stick with the winners.
- Compare yourself to who you were yesterday – Same as the famous Tony Robbins teaches CANI: ” Constant and never-ending improvement”
- Pursue what is meaningful, not what is expedient – To live is to suffer. To survive is to find meaning in suffering. Viktor Frankl (The holocaust survivor) created logotherapy that explores how to find meaning – Such as in Love. Consider also Nietzche.
- Tell the truth. Or at least don’t lie
- Assume the person you are listening to knows something you don’t – Ralph Waldo Emerson said: “In my walks, every man I meet is my superior in some way, and in that, I learn from him”
- Be precise in your speech – Things are going to be terrible and messy. Face up to real horrors of the world.
- Pet a cat when you encounter one in the street – You and everyone are blind. Try to light some corners around you. One option to use science, books, and other people’s wisdom. Strive to add light to the world.