12 Rules for Life: Antidote to Chaos
Why I recommend the audible version of Dr. Jordan Peterson's amazing book
Pursue what is meaningful, not what is expedient.
- Dr. Jordan B. Peterson
Dr. Peterson's phrase never fails to motivate me in the face of adversity. You know when you're stuck between a rock and a hard place, and feel like every solution feels less than ideal? Well that's when Dr. Peterson - and his book 12 Rules for Life - gives me the boost I need to power through the frustration and find creative solutions. It's like an internal compass, pointing me towards the light at the end of long dark tunnel; if I'm about to take a detour down a path of least resistance, Dr. Peterson has reminded me more than thousand times why it pays-off to pursue what is most meaningful instead.
Lying definitely has a bad reputation and that's for good reason. The book focused on telling the truth and emphasized just how important it is in uncertain situations. It's our responsibility to do the right thing and explain what's really happening, regardless of whether it's a pleasing story or not. Lying never amounts to anything useful, so if we want to pursue any kind of meaningful outcome then honesty should be our go-to strategy!
Precision in our language has been the subject of many stories, and the particular chapter discussed in this book dives deep into how the specifics of what we say can define who we are and shape our lives. An if we choose to define our words carefully, it can give us a great source of structure for piecing together narratives - if we take the time to really listen to, and observe, the patterns we represent about ourselves. This is an outstanding chapter worth listening to again and again!
It appears that our society has taken our eyes off the ball when it comes to our own housekeeping; not literally our homes, but our personal lives. We have such lofty ambitions of changing the world around us, but forget to give our own lives a look-see in order to make sure we’re ready for the task. This is why setting our house in order before critisizing the world is an invaluable guide – it reminds us that our desire to change must be augmented with responsibility for ourselves. Otherwise, our ambitions can backfire, and haunt us long after we had made our mark on our communities. The implications here are far reaching, and too often overlooked by society.
Dr. Jordan B. Peterson's narration of his book was incredibly moving, and one of the best I've ever heard. Hearing him put emotion and emphasis on the words he wrote makes listening an even more powerful experience than just reading his book. To prove that he was completely committed to delivering the impact of his words in a truly remarkable way, Dr. Peterson even mustered up a few tears during Chapter 7 - enough for any listener to feel their chest tighten with echoing emotions. If you're a fan of authors themselves narrating their work, Dr. Peterson knocks it out of the park with this one!
"12 Rules for Life" by Jordan B. Peterson is an outstanding book with much to offer. Sure, it's a good read the first time, but this timeless work is definitely worth revisiting – even if you can recite Chapter 7 backwards and forwards (including citations!). From personal experience, I must admit that I've taken the advice from this book to heart; it inspired me to write a research paper on AI Alignment! Indeed the content quality is remarkable and there's a wide range of applications you can derive from its teachings.
Try this book through this audible link. You won’t regret it!
This blog is part of my new series: Audible Recommendations. Read a new one here! Video version here! A downloadable audio for this blogpost can be found in my patreon.