12 Rules for Life - Part 1 of 3

So... I have this get it back to the library ASAP (fines are accruing), but I can't seem to write a short review.  I tried, I really did, but it's hopeless.  Here is Part 1, and I hope to have Part 2 up tomorrow.

First, some background...

Jordan Peterson

Gage Skidmore [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

As I mentioned in a previous post, my purpose in reading this book was to see what the fuss was about.  Peterson, a professor at the University of Toronto (and formerly at Harvard and McGill), has become a controversial figure in recent years, for voicing his views on forms of political correctness which he sees as threatening to freedom of speech.  It's a long story which you can read about on Wikipedia, and I only mention it to give some context.  Peterson, whose YouTube lectures attract millions of followers, went on two years after the publicity to publish his 2018 book, 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos.  This book became a huge bestseller.

Why read the book if you can watch the videos?  I'll be honest, though I've seen a few interviews with him, I didn't find them interesting enough to want to watch more.  (Maybe I'm still sick of college lectures.)  Also, what fascinates me most is not his speaking, but:

1. His following and fans, who come from many different backgrounds (conservatives, libertarians, Christians, atheists).  What is about him or his message that generates commonality between such disparate groups?
2. His motive.  What kind of person, with such a prestigious CV, is so willing to go out on a limb? Is he really courageous, or is there some other reason?

Finally, I'm generally interested in the phenomenon of cultural leaders.  In this case, that is people who, for good or bad, end up speaking for a large number of other people (who felt like they had no representative before) and also being influential by providing mentorship or guidance to those people.

I was hoping the book would get to the core of these questions.  I was also curious if this was a modern classic in the making, or just another trend...

The Rules

To start off with, there are (refreshingly) very few political references in this book.  For the most part, it's what I'd call "popular philosophy" with sprinklings of self-help, most vividly in the twelve chapter titles or "rules":

1. Stand up straight with your shoulders back
2. Treat yourself like someone you are responsible for helping
3. Make friends with people who want the best for you
4. Compare yourself to who you were yesterday, not to who someone else is today
5. Do not let your children do anything that makes you dislike them
6. Set your house in perfect order before you criticize the world
7. Pursue what is meaningful (not what is expedient)
8. Tell the truth – or, at least, don't lie
9. Assume that the person you are listening to might know something you don't
10. Be precise in your speech
11. Do not bother children when they are skateboarding (let kids enjoy an adventurous childhood)
12. Pet a cat when you encounter one on the street (appreciate the little everyday blessings)

IMO, the advice, while not all-encompassing, is mostly solid.  If you're going to pick twelve principles to live by, you could do worse.

At this point, I realized I was probably not the target audience, because several of these values I learned from my parents (except #1...they tried, but I still have "nerd posture").  Peterson is known for his father-figure persona, and if you had never heard this advice before, I think it would make a big impact.

Well, that's all I can fit in to this post tonight...

Part 2 will cover:

Chaos, Order, and Communism

The Bible References - a Christian Perspective

Part 3 will be:

Best and Worst Quotes