12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos presents practical advice from clinical psychologist Jordan Peterson. The author compiles a set of ethical guidelines informed by psychology, literature, religion, clinical experience, and scientific research. This book grew out of Peterson’s hobby of answering questions posted on Quora, specifically, “What are the most valuable things everyone should know?”

Jordan Peterson is eminently qualified to write this book as he was nominated for five consecutive years as one of Ontario’s Best University Lecturers. He is Quora’s most viewed writer and has 200,000 Twitter followers. His YouTube channel currently has 225 videos with 460,000 subscribers.

Peterson’s rules encompass a variety of topics including discipline, freedom, adventure, and responsibility. He reveals the purpose in writing this book, “I hope that these rules and their accompanying essays will help people understand what they already know: that the soul of the individual eternally hungers for the heroism of genuine Being, and that the willingness to take on that responsibility is identical to the decision to live a meaningful life” (p. xxxiv-xxxv).

Here are the 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
12. Pet a cat when you encounter one on the street

As I read this book, I thought of Solomon’s admonition to us,

The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person. (Ecclesiastes 12:13)

RickAssociate Pastor – Discipleship.  The Church at LifePark

Professor of Discipleship, Columbia International University

Follow me on twitter:  rickhiggins5