A strange fatalism can overcome those sensing the difficulty of living. All people are plagued by their pasts and the wrongs we have done others. Men especially are prone to retreat into themselves and pretend they do not need others when their passions are not ordered to an end. Clear goals limit and simplify the world, as well, reducing uncertainty, anxiety, shame, and the self-devouring physiological forces unleashed by stress.” “Without clear, well-defined, and non-contradictory goals, the sense of positive engagement that makes life worthwhile is very difficult to obtain. (And our spirit is not as willing as it should be.) It is not easy to know what to do in one’s life. Our spirit may be willing, but our flesh is weak. “We do the things we wish we would not do and do not do the things we know we should do,” as Peterson writes, mirroring St. We resent, envy, deceive, and act arrogantly. Life is suffering, and human beings are plagued with great sorrows and disappointments. Peterson insists on open eyes and full hearts. Every human being-no matter the time or place-faces deep questions of meaning in the face of these experiences. This is what I mean by saying Peterson’s book is apolitical. Even writing this puts a lump in my throat. But seeing Peterson’s fascinating aphorism brought back floods of truth mixed with tears. His answer, thankfully not needed, was to serve them in their grief. I called my wisest friend and asked him to tell me how to handle myself, since I too was overwhelmed with responsibility and grief. I had three other children worried about their sister and a wife pained at the prospect of losing her only daughter. I faced the “when-do-you-pull-the-plug” question. My daughter had cancer and suffered greatly from baleful side effects. Answer: “Hold my other loved ones and heal their pain.” His daughter had debilitating rheumatoid arthritis. “What shall I do with my infant’s death?” he asks. After offering rules, he raises questions and provides pithy, morally serious answers. Peterson’s first book of rules particularly resonates with me. And since all of us are broken, there is much in Peterson for everyone. If you are a broken person, this book is for you. Peterson’s works are an apolitical breath of fresh air in our hyper-politicized, decaying age. It speaks unfashionable truths and offers a serious teaching about how individuals ought to face those truths. Jordan Peterson’s Beyond Order: 12 More Rules for Life is a compelling meditation on the human condition disguised as a self-help book.
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