RULE 4

 Ruke 4: Compare yourself to who you were yesterday, not to who someone else is today.

This chapter is as interesting as it is practical. As well, some of Peterson's perspectives on religion are both refreshing and thought provoking.

His overall theme here is captured in this passage.

"Aim high, set your sights on the betterment of Being. Align yourself, in your soul, with Truth and the Highest Good. There is habitable order to establish and beauty to bring into existence. There is evil to overcome, suffering to ameliorate, and yourself to better."

Peterson describes in detail how, by setting small but purposeful goals, one can reclaim his or her life and in the process, making the world a better place. "We must become conscious of our desires, and articulate them, and prioritize them, and arrange them into hierarchies. That makes them work with each other, and with the desires of other people, and with the world...It is in that manner that they organized themselves into values and become moral."

As a youngster I was taught to follow the rules for fear of going to hell. Lots of motivation to be good but little understanding. I was also encouraged to use saints as role models. How foolish to put a child up against the likes of Saint Damien or Saint Francis of Assisi; a bit like an art teacher holding up a picture by Rembrandt and saying, "OK class, paint like this."

I'm certainly not blaming the Church of the 1950's for holding up that Rembrandt. After all, the Catholic Church was the moral authority of that era, a time when, rather fittingly,  Father Knows Best was the most popular show on American television.

To truly grow into a well rounded person, we need more than a glimpse at that masterpiece. In fact, we should be doing some finger painting before even picking up a brush. And we need to appreciate and understand all the colours on our palette, our strengths as well as our shortcomings.

Peterson maintains that only through introspection and honesty can we truly discover what's best for ourselves and then gradually, for others too. 

Only then we can paint our own Rembrandts.