Beyond Order: 12 More Rules for Life

by Jordan B. Peterson

Good can be conceptualized—however

as the opposite of whatever constitutes evil, which is usually more readily identifiable in the world than goodness.

To collapse in the aftermath of a tragic loss is therefore more accurately a betrayal of the person who has died, instead of a tribute, as it multiplies the effect of that mortal catastrophe.

Christmas,

the arrival of the eternal Redeemer in the midst of the darkness and cold of winter, and so reflects the endless birth and rebirth of hope

You can see how demanding life is and can be, and you can see it clearly. Despite this, you can remain grateful, because that is the intrepid attitude toward life and its difficulties.

The temptation to become embittered is great and real. It requires a genuine moral effort not to take that path,

Courage—but Superordinate, Love

Being should be strengthened and supported by your aims and your acts.

and that is precisely the impossible moral undertaking that is demanded from each of us for the world to function properly

It is within the frame of that impossible undertaking—that decision to love—that courage manifests itself,

despite the fact that you can see the flawed and damaged substructure of things, and have had your vision damaged in consequence.

your likely response to a death is grief. That response is not exactly conscious. Grief is a strange experience. It seizes you unexpectedly. You feel shock and confusion. You are not at all sure how to respond.

Grief must be a reflection of love. It is perhaps the ultimate proof of love.

You grieve because something that you valued is no longer in existence. Thus, in the core of your Being, you have decided that the person’s life was valuable, despite whatever trouble they caused you—and

Gratitude is therefore the process of consciously and courageously attempting thankfulness in the face of the catastrophe of life.

But it is necessary to understand that, just as in the case of children, all those particularities, fragilities, and limitations are part and parcel of what it is that you come to love.

We have recently discovered, for example, that new experiences turn on new genes, which code for new proteins, which build new structures of mind and body. Novel demands therefore appear to activate biological switches, allowing thoughts and actions once latent to make themselves manifest.

Failure to inhibit aggression properly from an early age appears to characterize about 15 percent of children.