12 Rules for Life: Buy the book to read chapter 3!

When I promised to “blog through” Jordan Peterson’s bestselling book, I intended to post about the chapters in order (as well as do it faster than I have been).

For reasons I may explain later, I am not following my plan. I’ve read through chapter 3 and this post is about that chapter. I’ll write about chapters 1 and 2 later.

Chapter 3, “Make friends with people who want the best for you,” is pure gold. If it was the only chapter in the book it would still be worth the price.

Foreword to 12 Rules for Life

I almost skipped this because of some Exodus chronology mistakes on the first page (for one: the writer says that Sinai occurred after the forty years in the wilderness). But I am glad I didn’t.

Be a Wise and Unified Ruler of Your Self, Your Life

When a land transgresses, it has many rulers,
but with a man of understanding and knowledge,
its stability will long continue.

via Passage: Proverbs 28:2 (ESV Bible Online).

As I’ve mentioned before (most recently, I think, here), Proverbs is written to a prince–a young man who is going to inherit a kingdom. But Proverbs obviously is written to everyone. It seems that, in an important sense, we are all kings called to rule over responsibilities, most basically over our selves.

With that in mind, Proverbs 28:2 applies not only to a land but to a person.

Jordan Peterson coming soon…

One book I REFUSED to read while working on my forthcoming introduction to Proverbs was Jordan Peterson’s Twelve Rules for Life. I didn’t want to be influenced by it nor tempted to respond to it.

I am not sure I even knew who Peterson was when I began working on my manuscript. I became aware of him during the process (of course!) and, at one point, when I was studying something Proverbs says about speech and “deep waters,” I noted the theme was in line with the subtitle of his book.

Stray Thoughts on Hezekiah & Solomon

My forthcoming book is not a commentary on Proverbs so it doesn’t address all the questions I have about the book. It addresses nine major lessons that Solomon says we should learn.

But there is a lot more to explore about Proverbs.

Disordered Eating?

I don’t recommend Ted Talks often, or often write about diet on Christian blogs. But this presentation by a secular nutritionist seems to approach the borders of Eucharistic Theology.

I am not posting this for her recommendations of eating more plants. I am posting it for her acknowledgment of the social and personal significance of eating food. I recommend especially the beginning and the end of this video.

Her talk made me think…

The Illusion of the Pyramid Society

The “pyramid society” is a well known concept–the architectural analogy for the totalitarian state managing all of society and making it function better than it ever could without such a controlling political authority. The few at the top guide the rest beneath them.

But the power of the image relies on a hidden reversal of reality. The pyramid is supposed to represent a stable society in which the top directs the rest.

Do Socialist and Capitalist Students Behave Differently?

Whoever loves pleasure will be a poor man; he who loves wine and oil will not be rich.
Proverbs 21:17 (ESV)

Before Facebook and Twitter, you had to go to a public venue to get in ideological fights to affirm your moral superiority over others. At my Christian college, in the 80s, we had arguments on a bulletin board—literally. It was located in the campus center basement and we tacked notes onto it to express opinions and start fights.

Productive Work Is Where Charity Comes From

The desire of the sluggard kills him,
for his hands refuse to labor.
All day long he craves and craves,
but the righteous gives and does not hold back
Proverbs 21:25-26

I won’t cite examples in this post, but I am growing weary of Christian books attacking capitalism or the free market in the name of helping the poor.

Where does wealth to help the poor come from?

If one believes we are obligated to help the needy then it follows that sloth is a robbery of the needy. Instead of becoming a resource for aiding others the sluggard voluntarily becomes needy and thus adds to the number of those needing help.

Psalm 2 Tells All Us Kings to Be Wise

Awhile back I mentioned some connections between Psalms and Proverbs. One of them was that Psalm 1 and 2, in addition to being an introduction to the whole Psalter, also works as an introduction to Proverbs.

If you read Psalm 1 and Proverbs, it is obvious what I mean. The two ways of Psalm 1 are described repeatedly in Proverbs. While Psalm 1 doesn’t mention folly versus wisdom, Proverbs includes plenty of contrasts between the righteous and the wicked.