Jordan B. Peterson, Beyond Order: 12 More Rules for Life (aff). New York: Penguin/Portfolio, 2021. 402 pages.
Jordan Peterson has become famous for his intellectual, honest search for truth and understanding. He dares to challenge many of the accepted norms of modern society and engenders much animosity as a result. His earlier book 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos was wildly successful and launched him into international fame. At the outset of this book, he shares that he fell into severe anxiety and prescription drug addiction that endangered his life and caused him to travel the globe seeking a cure. This admission makes an interesting introduction to a book on rules for living an ordered, successful life. I found his journey and honesty endearing, and it helped me see him as a fellow traveler who, despite his brilliance, does not have all the answers.
This book is 402 pages and examines twelve rules for life. It is too long to summarize fully, so I’ll hit some highlights. I confess that I read this book during a busy travel schedule. Peterson’s writing style is strongly intellectual and, at times, a bit esoteric. It took me a while to get into it. Once I did, I found it to be laden with gold nuggets to digest.
The following are some of Peterson’s noteworthy points.
Peterson’s first rule is, “Do not carelessly denigrate social institutions or creative achievement.” He notes that organized society helps people recognize what is important and organize their minds around those things. He writes, “We need to listen to ourselves as we talk . . .” (3). He continues, “We outsource the problem of sanity” (5). He utilizes his evolutionary approach in showing that life is too complicated for each individual to figure out. Rather, people must accept and utilize the social norms that have been developed through the generations and have made it possible for society to thrive. He suggests, “Without the intermediation of the social world, it would be impossible for us to organize our minds, and we would simply be overwhelmed by the world” (6). He continues, “The social world narrows and specifies the world for us, marking out what is important” (9). He concludes, “Genuine communication can take place only between peers” (21). He notes that children without friends suffer from more health problems (23). He also points out that unsocialized children experience far more conflict and distress than those who accept the “rules” of society. Peterson purports that society plays an important function in organizing people. Those who deconstruct society don’t realize how crucial it is to healthy living. He claims that “Highly social creatures such as we must abide by the rules to remain sane and minimize unnecessary uncertainty, suffering, and strife. However, we must also transform those rules carefully, as circumstances change around us” (29). He argues that there is a tension between hierarchical conservatives and change-oriented liberals. Both are needed in society, but they must be cautious in how they resist or promote change.
Peterson’s second rule is, “Imagine who you could be, and then aim single mindedly at that.” Peterson is an evolutionist and a psychologist, so he often states his principles in those terms. He suggests that “Exposure to new experiences activates this dormant potential, releasing abilities built into us over the vast span of our evolutionary history” (52). He writes, “Every society is already characterized by patterned behavior, otherwise it would be pure conflict and no ‘society’ at all” (56). He emphasizes the power of story, saying, “An unforgettable story captures the essence of humanity and distills, communicates, and clarifies it, bringing what we are and what we should be into focus” (57).
Interestingly, Peterson notes, “You do not choose what interests you. It chooses you” (65). He writes, “When ignorance destroys culture, monsters will emerge” (70). He adds, “. . . pay attention, above all, even to what is monstrous and malevolent, and speak wisely and truthfully—could be the single most important accomplishment of our species” (73). In his unique, Petersonian manner, he states, “All these heroes act out what was perhaps the greatest discovery ever made by man’s primordial ancestors: If you have the vision and the courage (and a good stout stick when necessary), you can chase away the worst of snakes” (76). Speaking of the power of story once more, Peterson claims, “Everyone requires a story to structure their perception and actions in what would otherwise be the overwhelming chaos of being” (85). He offers this practical advice: “Aim at something. Pick the best target you can currently conceptualize. Stumble toward it” (86). He concludes this chapter by writing, “With a little luck, you will find a story that is meaningful and productive, improves itself with time, and perhaps provides you with more than a few moments of satisfaction and joy. With will and luck, you will be the hero of that story, the disciplined sojourner, the creative transformer, and the benefactor of your family and broader society” (87).
Rule III is, “Do not hide unwanted things in the fog. He gives some wise counsel. He notes that “If something happens every day, it is important . . .” (90). He adds, “Life is what repeats, and it is worth getting what repeats right” (91). He notes that “There are many conditions or circumstances under which self-deception can theoretically occur” (95). He argues that sins of omission can contribute as much or more to mental illness as sins of commission (97). He explains his concept of “fog” this way: “The fog that hides is the refusal to notice—to attend to—emotions and motivational states as they arise, and the refusal to communicate them both to yourself and to the people who are close to you” (101).
Peterson notes, “Success at a given endeavor often means trying, falling short, recalibrating (with the new knowledge generated painfully by the failure), and trying again and falling short—often repeated, ad nauseum” (103). He suggests, “If you pile up enough junk in your closet, one day when you are least prepared, the door will spring open and all of what has been packed inside, growing inexorably in the darkness, will bury you, and you may not have enough time or energy to confront it, sort through it, keep what you need, and discard the rest” (107).
Rule IV is, “Notice that opportunity lurks where responsibility has been abdicated.” I thought this was another helpful, insightful word, especially for today. He states, “What is left undone is often risky, difficult, and necessary” (111). He advises, “If you want to become invaluable in a workplace—in any community—just do the useful things no one else is doing” (112). Not surprisingly, he concludes, “It appears that the meaning that most sustains life is to be found in the adoption of responsibility” (113). He explains, “People need meaning, but problems also need solving” (114). Peterson makes plenty of memorable statements, including, “The ultimate question of man is not who we are, but who we could be” (123). He later states, “You are stuck with yourself” (126). He claims that “. . . People experience positive emotion in relationships to the pursuit of a valuable goal” (129). He asks, “But what makes you so sure you do not want something heavy to carry? You positively need to be occupied with something weighty, deep, profound, and difficult” (134).
Rule V is, “Do not do what you hate.” He offers an interesting view on the “fad” of learning styles (146). He advises that if your job is not rewarding, it is better to look for a different one. He explains, “That could be a mission of a year or more. That is much less than a lifetime of misery and downward trajectory” (152). One of Peterson’s contributions to modern life has been his emphasis on responsibility and taking control of what you can in life. He urges people to reject victimhood by making wise decisions at whatever level they can and then advancing from that point.
Rule VI is, “Abandon ideology.” He laments, “I find it heart-wrenching how little encouragement and guidance so many people have received, and how much good can emerge when just a little more is provided” (159). He notes that “It is easier and more immediately gratifying to reduce the problem to something simple and accompany it with an evildoer who can be morally opposed” (170). He notes that the truth is, “There are many reasons why people are poor” (169). He warns, “Beware of intellectuals who make a monotheism out of their theories of motivation” (174). He suggests, “A world where only you and people who think like you are good is a world where you are surrounded by enemies bent on your destruction, who must be fought” (176). Peterson suggests that “It is much more psychologically appropriate (and much less dangerous socially) to assume that you are the enemy—that it is your weakness and insufficiencies that are damaging the world—than to assume saintlike goodness on the part of you and your party, and to pursue the enemy you will then be inclined to see everywhere” (177). He concludes, “Like God, ideology is dead. The bloody excess of the twentieth century killed it. We should let it go, and begin to address and consider smaller, more precisely defined problems” (177). Peterson is a deep thinker who understands nuances. He argues that modern society prefers simple answers and formulas for success.
Rule VII is, “Work as hard as you possibly can on one thing and see what happens.” Peterson encourages readers to focus their efforts on something that is reasonable to achieve. He asks, “Do you really want to be anything you could be? Is that too much? Might it not be better to be something specific (and then, perhaps to add to that?)” (184). He adds, “I typically encourage my clients to choose the best path currently available to them, even if it was far from their ideal” (185). He also notes that “Sometimes the match between person and choice is so poor that even commitment will not suffice to bring about the desired end” (187). He states, “The worst decision of all is none” (188). He also notes that “. . . proper discipline organizes rather than destroys” (190). He rejects the modern notion that discipline stimies personal growth. When done well, it helps children learn to order themselves and to avoid unproductive or harmful behavior.
Rule VIII states, “Try to make one room in your home as beautiful as possible.” Peterson offers some interesting thoughts on the importance of beauty and art in people’s lives. He notes that “Art bears the same relationship to society that dream bears to mental life” (215). He adds, “Art is exploration. Artists train people to see” (225). He encourages people to take small, manageable steps, such as making one room in one’s house beautiful and then expanding from there. He offers some interesting thoughts on people’s needs for beauty in some form in their life.
Rule IX is, “If old memories still upset you, write them down carefully and completely.” Peterson warns, “Learn from the past. Or repeat its horrors, in imagination, endlessly” (230). He makes a couple of interesting comments here. He writes, “Even the most malevolent, it appears, must find justification for his or her evil” (255) He then argues, “To some degree, we are our assumptions” (263).
Rule X states, “Plan and work diligently to maintain the romance in your relationship.” In this chapter Peterson challenges those who give up on their marriage and succumb to an affair or divorce. He makes several strong statements on this issue. He notes, “For each person is in truth an unfathomable enigma” (269). He also suggests that “Perhaps 100 million people might have made a good mate” (277). His point is that you don’t have time to sift through 100 million possible marriage partners. Therefore, you should marry someone with whom you are in love and seemingly compatible and then begin the work of building a marriage. He suggests there are three states of social being: 1) tyranny, 2) slavery, 3) negotiation (278). A spouse can be a tyrant, a slave, or negotiate a mutually satisfactory relationship. He also makes the currently unpopular proposition that most women need to have children (284). While he acknowledges the feminist movement that disparages such a view, he also recognizes the statistics on women who reject such natural callings. Peterson includes a stark discussion for those who are tempted to have an affair because it looks more attractive than working on their marriage (285). He provides a list of “lies” that lead to divorce (295). He also claims couples need to spend at least 90 minutes each week talking through issues and staying current in their relationship (292). Chapters like this one have made Peterson contemptible in certain circles!
Rule XI is, “Do not allow yourself to become resentful, deceitful, or arrogant.” He again examines the importance of stories, noting, “We naturally think of our lives as stories” (306). He expounds, “The fundamental representation of reality, as an eternal treasure house guarded by an eternal predator, is therefore a perfect representation of the way we are wired to react to the world at the most fundamental depths of your being” (316). He also notes, “And if you shelter young people, you destroy them” (321). He continues, “If you overprotect your kids, you become the very thing from which you are trying to shelter them” (321).
Peterson makes an interesting observation concerning political ideologies. He argues, “Much of what people believe politically—ideologically, let us say—is based on their inborn temperament” (331). Conservatives and liberals are the natural perspectives of certain types of temperament. We might assume we hold those positions because of our beliefs about economics or politics, but Peterson suggests it has more to do with our temperament.
Rule XII is, “Be grateful in spite of your suffering.” He suggests that “If you fail to understand evil, then you have laid yourself bare to it” (358). He purports that “There is something in all of us that works in counter position to our voluntarily expressed desires” (358).
Two quotes from this chapter stood out to me. He writes, “To understand clearly that you are morally obliged under such circumstances to manifest strengths in the face of adversity is to indicate to yourself—and, perhaps to other people—that there is something in you of sufficient grandeur and power to face the worst forthrightly and yet to prevail” (367). He goes on to say, “Everyone is rendered speechless when they encounter the infinite expanse of emptiness surrounding our too brief existence” (367).
Peterson is a brilliant thinker who has the courage to question commonly held beliefs in light of statistics and scientific studies. Clearly, he does not have all the definitive answers yet. Because he admires Freud and Jung and embraces evolution, I disagree with some of his perspectives. But due to his clinical work with clients and his genuine desire to help them, he has developed some practical and thoughtful insights. Though sometimes difficult to comprehend, he offers much practical wisdom. At times his brilliant mind starts racing and the reader must jog to keep up. But he has managed, for the most part, to take deep, intellectual thoughts and dress them in a framework less intelligent people can grasp.
Whether you like or agree with Peterson, he has become a cultural force in our day. When he produces a major tome such as this one, it is certainly worth reading.
Rating: 4
