Jordan Peterson

At first, from a couple of youtube videos I grew to become a fan of Jordan Peterson. There is a lot of sense in his arguments for me. Especially those that are related to gender issues, equality, etc. Even though recently many see him as incoherent and inconsistent, I still like some of the things that he brings to the table.

When I started listening to his lectures, podcasts, and youtube snippets, I picked up his book at an airport once upon a time. I think I was heading to Bali from Jakarta at the time, and wanted to have something to read during my travels. Its title is “12 rules for life”. As of this writing, 5 million copies have been sold worldwide. Not bad don’t you think? 

Rules in our lives

Because this book talks about rules, even in the introduction Peterson gives insights toward the topic.

I think everyone is similar. We all want some kind of structure and certainty to balance the chaos that we face in life. And for a human being living on planet earth, chaos is inevitable. In the Islamic tradition, the Quran says that human beings were created in a state of toil. It’s inherent in our nature. 

Rules give us a sense of structure and certainty that we crave. We are wired to want to follow them, one way or another. Consciously or unconsciously, whether we like it or not, we will always follow a certain set of rules that help us get through life. We might be adhering to a certain religion and follow the rules of the religion. We’re also obliged to submit to rules in the country we’re residing in. When we go to school there are rules we need to follow. If you’re on a diet and trying to get fit, you’re probably following the rules from your personal trainer. If you drive, you definitely will have to follow the rules for traffic. The list of the rules we follow is endless!

A deeper dive

So if I claim that I follow no rules, that I am a pure anarchist, you will know that I am lying. The worst thing that we can do is to follow our own original rules, ones we came up with by ourselves. People who follow their own made-up rules will most likely be following their desires and passions and become their slaves. 

Rules that are true, made with good intentions, have ethical and moral values, have the potential to liberate ourselves from being enslaved to our desires and passions. These kinds of rules can actually liberate ourselves and be who we are supposed to be, and enable us to live a meaningful life with a certain degree of freedom. 

The end of rules

In the end, rules help people to experience a better life. As a practicing Muslim, there are things that I have to follow in order to live a meaningful and ethical life, which above all has an objective to serve God. People who don’t understand might see my daily rituals related to my religiosity as something cumbersome. The five daily prayers, the fasting, the giving to charity, etc. for me is like air to breath. They’re a part of me, and I can’t live without them.

The book talks about 12 general rules to having a meaningful life, mainly from a psychoanalysis point of view. The number of copies that have been sold is a testament to how modern society craves for more structure and meaning in their lives, and is a sign for being optimistic about the future. I haven’t finished reading the book, but it’s a good read so far. If you have the time and resources, I think reading it would give you a lot of new useful insights about life and how to traverse through all the chaos in it.

And God knows best. 

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