12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos by Jordan Peterson
Jordan Peterson is one of those people who does not mince words. When you listen to his talks on YouTube, you always come back a little more pumped up and motivated than before. You also get a feeling that you’ve not been doing enough and need to step up and take more responsibilities.
I enjoyed reading the book. Every rule is a context where he explains his philosophy and the reasoning behind them. He makes references that are wide-ranging - mythology, Bible, Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky, Solzhenitsyn, Viktor Frankl, and so on. I wonder how someone who hasn’t read Bible or Tolstoy could grasp everything in the book. Would definitely like to read it again and write a longer summary and notes.
Some portions can come across as elaborate explanation to make a simple point. But I found that type of story telling fascinating. His words are stern and advice direct. There are some great quotes.
The overarching theme is that ‘the person’ matters. Every person can change, and can effect change. Every person has to make a hero’s journey to succeed. There is no gold without the dragon. Find your dragon and slay it. By making small changes today, you can cause big changes in the future.