What I Learned From Reading Jordan Peterson's "12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos"

In "12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos," Dr. Peterson elaborates on several profound truths by using his personal experiences as a clinical psychologist and his abundant knowledge of Christianity as well as history. Each rule illustrates the extent of control we have over our potential for evil. He suggests that we must balance our inner "chaos" with our inner "order" to have a great life. Dr. Peterson defines "chaos" as the domain of ignorance as we have yet to explore certain aspects of our Being. Chaos generates uncertainty as we have no idea if the unknowns are good or bad. This discomfort might push some of us to grow courageous and explore uncharted territories. After we go through this process, we will transform "chaos" into "order". The latter state will emerge once we fully understand our inner life and gain expertise over some aspects of our Being. When we achieve a certain level of "order, "we must remember not to be too complacent. Prolonged satisfaction with the "order" could lead to the minimization of risk-taking, which makes us vulnerable to the obscure"chaos" that could resurface when we let our guard down. In this blog post, I will be explaining how we can leverage this internal conflict by continuously developing ourselves and assuming responsibility for our lives.

A winner can effectively manage his or her inner chaos, while a loser lets the chaos take over the Being. According to Price's law, a small percentage of the population produces or owns a large quantity of something. This theory suggests that there is only a handful of people who become winners. If the chance is so slim, what can we do to increase the likelihood of belonging to the selected few? Firstly, we must adopt a growth mindset and stand up straight with our shoulders back. Confidence is key. People will treat us based on how we treat ourselves. When we respect ourselves and always put our best foot forward, others will do the same and might offer to help us on our journey. Moreover, winners recognize their potential for chaos; despite their internal turmoil, they work on transforming reality into habitable order. On the other hand, losers succumb to their chaos. The deeper we fall into this trap, the harder it is for us to recover. Once we let chaos take the wheel, we are no longer in control of our thoughts. We start perceiving ourselves as worthless and undeserving of good company. Hanging out with other losers ensures that we are not alone and changes are unnecessary. As we continue to descend the spiral, the unaddressed chaos makes us feel unsatisfied with our lives. At this stage, ideas of mass murder and suicide might occur: isn't it beneficial — for ourselves and other people — if we were to end suffering once and for all? We avoid facing the truth that the purpose of life is not to end suffering; in fact, it is to endure through difficulties and grow stronger. In order to escape this state and turn ourselves into winners, we must take responsibility for our lives.

Some of us have low self-worth. Although it is partially our fault that we fall into this state, our parents also play a role. As young children, we lacked the ability to tell right from wrong. Therefore, we test the limits of our behaviors through experimenting. When our parents care too much about our feelings, they would avoid inflicting short-term emotional suffering on us. As a result, they fail to take responsibility for disciplining us to recognize socially unacceptable behaviors through non-harmful or harsh verbal punishments. As a result, we do not know better and end up displaying undesirable behaviors to strangers. They could not care less and enforce tougher punishments than our parents would ever impose. We become devastated and start losing respect for ourselves. But all hope is not lost. To regain our sense of self-worth, we must explore the previously ignored aspects of our Being. Not only do we need to be courageous, but we also have to consider the steps we could take to address this chaos. Essentially, we must assume responsibility for our internal mess by engaging in activities that will enhance our physical and mental health. Examples are working out, journaling, healthy eating, and more. It will be difficult at first, but exiting the comfort zone is necessary to establish order in our lives. These small habits can have positive impacts on our lives in the long run if we do them consistently. At one point, we will not care as much about comparing ourselves to others; instead, we will focus our energy on becoming a better version of ourselves than yesterday.

We have the opportunity to address our inner chaos and experience personal growth when we devote more attention to ourselves. Self-talk is a useful tool as this action helps us specify our problems and give ideas on the next steps that we could take. While dealing with these issues, we should practice mindful listening. Many perspectives exist within our minds and it is beneficial to take all of them into account before making a decision. When we reach a conclusion, we should articulate our thoughts precisely into speech or writing. We do not need to publicize this process; the only thing that matters is our ability to express these introspections clearly. Once we have identified our flaws through in-depth deliberation, we can work on eliminating these negative aspects. If that is not possible, we can put in daily effort to fix them to the best of our ability. The thing we must not do is settle and let chaos consume us. This action would conflict with our purpose in life, which is to optimize risk-taking — without putting our lives on the line — so we can improve society. Sharpening our acquired skills and trying out new things will make us more competent, which leads to better lives for us as well as those we may or may not know personally. When we take risks appropriately, we tackle chaos and get closer to the top of our socially-constructed hierarchy. This system gives meaning to our lives as we strive to improve ourselves in order to enjoy some privileges. But beware, the journey of becoming a winner is not easy. We will encounter innumerable sufferings along the way, which might tempt us to pursue immediate rather than delayed gratification. If we fall into this trap, then the option of sacrificing our present pleasures for a better and more meaningful life in the future is out of the window. Therefore, we must keep our eyes on the goals and pursue them with intensity.

By taking responsibility for our lives and engaging in constant self-improvement, our dream of becoming winners will eventually come true. Rough patches are inevitable and these periods of difficulties will reveal our limitations. Instead of beating ourselves up over them, we should embrace these limitations. They are not our weaknesses. In fact, they give meaning to our lives. Limitations encourage our Being to embark on a continuous journey of Becoming, which eventually turns the Being into something more and something different. Without limitations, we will have nothing to work on and stagnate. We have nowhere to go, nothing to be, and no desire to accomplish. Eventually, we will grow bored and might even consider suicide. Limitations push us to work harder on ourselves and act in a way that benefits other people. Overall, Jordan Peterson's "12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos" teaches me how taking responsibility for my life can help me win the fight against my inner chaos and establish order. The book also points out the factors that distinguish winners from losers. Moreover, it reminds me of the importance of mindful listening and having a clear purpose in my journey of self-development. Like everything in the world, this book contains some flaws. It would be great if Dr. Peterson could condense the lengths of some chapters by only including information that contributes directly to the main ideas. Another suggestion I have is that the author could recommend some actionable steps that we can take to eliminate chaos in our lives. Otherwise, I am pretty satisfied with "12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos". I would recommend this book to someone who is lost in his or her life or want to find out more about the causes of suffering.