Forward
12 Rules for Life: an antidote for chaos
This blog is designed to give people an inner look at a
devotional life. Taking time each day to spend time with the Lord. The hope is
if you travel on this journey with Rev. Jacob Shaw, you may be more inclined to
spend time with the Lord as well. I encourage the use of a devotional, a
scripture reading and prayer, then finally some form of artistic mark to tie it
all together.
Today's devotional is taken from: Peterson, Jordan B. 12
Rules for Life: an antidote to chaos. Great Britain: Penguin Random House,
2018. Forward by Norman Doidge vii - xxiv
Opening Thought: I came to know who Jordan B Peterson was due to his controversy
over compelled speech and gender language. Peterson took a position to stand
against government enforced compelled speech and, within a matter of months,
this Canadian professor was a controversial household name. I watched a few
videos on YouTube, which highlighted Peterson’s remarks on the compelled
speech. I too hold a great appreciation for political support of “free speech”,
so I found Peterson’s remarks interesting. Over time other Peterson videos
would be recommended to me via social media, and I found myself always
intrigued at Peterson’s perspective. The one thing I found most compelling
about Peterson is that when he spoke, no matter what issue he was addressing,
he took care to make sure what he was saying was accurate. Speech and
communication, for Peterson, are things that should not be taken lightly, in
the slightest. In many ways I think his dedication to accuracy, clarity, and
transparency are the very things that make him such a threat to so many in the
political sphere. Why else would a college professor become public enemy number
one to so many people for sharing his views? Peterson does not seem to take
sides, he does not wave a liberal or conservative flag, rather he seems to go
where the data takes him. Another dangerous attribute, an honest academic is a
dangerous thing to many. So, agree with him or not, he is a force to be reckoned
with, and for this autumn’s devotional blog we will be looking at Peterson’s
multimillion bestselling book 12 Rules for Life: an antidote for chaos.
You may be wondering how a clinical psychologist’s self-help
book can help support a Christian devotional. One of the neat things about
Peterson is that many people in his field of study sit in the agnostic –
positive atheist camp. The idea of a God is something that can be explained
away as a byproduct of the evolution of human consciousness. However, though Peterson
does not deny that part, he does not seem to assume that God being a product of
human development somehow excludes God’s existence. Peterson seems to welcome
the possibility of God’s existence, and also shows a monumental respect for the
person of Christ. In some of his YouTube videos, Peterson in conversation with
others has shown great emotion when it comes to speaking about God as a
possible reality. Peterson also in many of his lectures pulls on the mythology
and archetypes of religious stories to explain complex and dynamic points about
humanity.
It is in my opinion, God is using Peterson to open people up to
a religious experience, so I am intrigued if by moving through Peterson’s work
as if it was meant to inspire devotion, what God will move in us. Let’s find
out.
Opening Prayer: Gracious God, let our time reflecting move us closer to you. We
pray that all those that come across this blog find growth in their spiritual
journey. Have the wisdom of Christ’s nature echo through and pull each person
in a way they need to be pulled. Please inspire these words to bring honor and
glory to you. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
Reflection: The forward of this book was written by Norman Doidge, a
colleague to Professor Peterson. Doidge comments how he made a habit of
attending his fellow professors’ classes, and when he attended Peterson, Doidge
saw something unique. “[His classes] were always packed, and I saw what now
millions have seen online: a brilliant, often dazzling public speaker […], his
best riffing like a jazz artist […] Then he’d just as easily switch to do a
breathtaking systematic summary of a series of scientific studies. […] He
taught them to respect many of the greatest books ever written. He gave vivid
examples from clinical practice, was (appropriately) self-revealing, even of
his own vulnerabilities, and made fascinating links between evolution, the
brain and religious stories.”[1]
The thing that makes Peterson so effective is that he does not
divide the world into distinct categories, rather it seems he sees the world as
connected between the supposed categories, and those connections generate an
inherent respect to be considered. Many in the current age would see science
and religion not only as distinct categories, but as antithetical to each
other. Peterson, though his formal training as a clinical psychologist plants
him to some degree on the science side of things, seems to see religion,
science, and (I would add) philosophy as all seeking truth. Therefore, they
should all be taken with a serious respect and curtesy.
For our purposes, in our spiritual journey, it should help us to
follow this approach. If we truly believe that God is the source of all, and
thus all truths would point to God, taking an approach like Peterson’s should
help us see the truth of God from unique perspectives. Peterson’s unique
ability to derive wisdom from multiple avenues may do us some good.
Scripture Brought to Mind: Romans 12:2
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by
the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of
God, what is good and acceptable and perfect
The
best thing about Peterson, whether you agree with him or not, is that he does not
care what the world thinks about him. His struggle seems to be highly focused
on being morally and ethically sound, trying your best to be clear and accurate,
and aiming for the ultimate target of goodness, even if the definition of what
that ultimate goodness is up for debate. When you see someone that dedicated
towards a path of clarity, even if they have faults, you cannot help respecting
them. The world would be a much better place if more people sought after truth
and clarity and let go of any care for the influences of the masses.
Continual Work: I would suggest taking time with a search engine and watching
some Peterson videos. There are a lot out there, and Peterson also has his own
media platform so I would recommend seeing how much you can investigate to try
to get a feel for the person we are reviewing. Keep in mind, people either love
him or hate him, so try to not get caught up on one side of the argument. Watch
videos as much as you can straight from Peterson and come up with your own
conclusions. And always, whenever you are looking to expand your knowledge, ask
God for guidance and put Him first above all other wisdom sought.
What Rev. Jacob is Working On: People who love to learn make me excited to
learn because I too love to learn. Many of my favorite things to do revolve around
learning so I am excited to finally get into the 12 Rules for Life, as outlined
by Peterson, because I hope to learn a bit more about Peterson himself, his
perspective on the world, maybe something about myself, and of course, I always
long for my connection with God to grow deeper in thought and reflection.
Prayer for your week: Lord, let our dedication to learn and grow be
an offering to you. We take time from our week which we could spend on
frivolity, but instead we humble ourselves at the task of study and reflection.
Let this time be a gift and an exchange between us, so we can become better
Christians in the days which follow. Amen.
Artistic Close: A picture of Jordan B. Peterson
Images source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jordan_Peterson
[1] Doidge, N. “Forward”
in 12 Rules for Life: an Antidote for Chaos. pp XVI
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