Can anyone recommend reading "12 rules for life" by Jordan B. Peterson?

Books, podcasts, YouTube vids and movies.
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Sin Silver
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Tue Apr 19, 2022 4:28 pm

I’m half way through reading it now, and oh boy is it a struggle. I honestly feel my brain click off whilst reading 80% of what is has written.

I’ve read a lot of self-help. The 48-laws of power, No more Mr. Nice Guy, The rational male, Atomic habits, The seven habits of highly effective people, Drive, Grit, Silence... All these books offer great advice, wisdom, and guidance, I would recommend them to everyone here. The 12 rules of life I believe does offer sound advice and guidance, but it doesn’t do so in a way that’s meaningful or relevant.

A clear example of what I mean is in the 7th rule, ”Purse what is meaningful(Not what is expedient)” The rule simply describes the importance of delayed gratification. This rule states that it’s very easy for us to seek out the short term happiness and dopamine boosts that come with things that aren’t good for us in the long run, such as smoking, drinking, playing computer games and watching TV, etc, rather than the things that bring us no immediate satisfaction, but long term benefits, such going to the gym, working on our careers, or spend time building meaningful relationships with others.

Thing is, he doesn’t discuss the rule in any modern-day context like I described above He describes these rules using exerts from the bible, and the words and wisdom medieval and renaissance philosophers. For example, he spends a whilst discussing the importance of delayed gratification by telling how Jesus was wondering and lost in the desert, and resisted expediting his suffering by using the power of the divine to turn sand into bread. Whilst this might highlight the rule, it does so in a way could be much better described in the context of modern. All of his writing is like this, and it really bores me

If anyone has read this, can you recommend it? The first chapter was okay, but everything afterwards is a struggle.
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Striker
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Tue Apr 19, 2022 6:56 pm

I can’t speak for how good the book is but listening to Jordan Peterson is painful for me. I’m probably just retarded but the guy is awful at articulating himself in layman’s terms and every sentence feels way more convoluted than it needs to be.

That’s just from listening to a few podcasts after hearing people rave about him.

So I understand the pain of trying to read his book.
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Crisis_Overcomer
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Tue Apr 19, 2022 8:18 pm

There's a speech of his when he release the book. Search YouTube for 12 rules of life London, or something. If you listen to this, you won't have to finish the book.
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Sin Silver
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Wed Apr 20, 2022 3:01 pm

I'm glad I'm not the only one who struggles to understand him. I'll hunt down that video, thanks!
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