Podcast #377: 12 Rules for Life

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Have you been stuck in a rut for awhile? Have you been there so long that you feel like there’s no use in trying to get out of that slump? Maybe you even start telling yourself, “Things can never get better. This is just the way things are. Is there even a point to all of this?” And as you ruminate over these questions over and over, you feel more and more depressed and maybe even start to feel a bit resentful. Resentful towards others, resentful towards life itself.

Well, my guest today says that perhaps the way you start to get out of that rut is to clean your room, bucko. His name is Jordan B. Peterson, and I’ve had him on the show before. Peterson is a psychoanalyst and lecturer, and he’s got a new book out called 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos. Today on the show, Dr. Peterson and I discuss why men have been disengaging from work and family and why his YouTube lectures resonate with so many modern men. We then unpack why it’s so easy to get resentful about life, before spending the rest of the conversation discussing rules that can help you navigate away from resentment and towards a life of meaning. Dr. Peterson explains why he thinks a meaningful life isn’t possible without religion or myths, what lobsters can teach us about assertiveness, and why a simple act like cleaning your room can be the stepping stone towards a better life.

Show Highlights

Why Jordan thinks men, in particular, are so drawn to his message
The harm in withdrawing from society
Why life is actually pretty hard
How living virtuously and honestly pushes back against life’s natural hardships
Can a meaningful life be had without religion and/or myths?
How to discover your values, and why they can’t be forced
How Jordan’s 12 rules set the groundwork for finding meaning in life
What can a large sea bug teach us about life?
Why your physical posture can change your emotional and spiritual posture to the world
How to break a vicious cycle of status defeats
Why you should clean your room and how vastly important it is
How do you know if the story you’re telling yourself is the truth? Can you know for sure?
Why you should, within reason, assume the fault if you’re unhappy
Why sacrifice is the greatest human invention ever
How to learn the skill of sacrifice
What do you do when your sacrifice doesn’t get you what you want?
What you can do to get ahead of life’s natural tendency towards chaos and entropy

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