RULE 9

Rule 9: Assume that the person you are listening to might know something you don't.

I used to have a dislike for the expression 'lifelong learner' especially when it appeared in the resume of a high school graduate. I mean really, what does an 18 year old know about lifelong?

However, now that I've landed in the oldies crowd, I aspire to deserve that label and being a good listener, as Peterson writes, is crucial to improving the learning curve.

In this chapter, the author explains the value of conversation as a way to aid the speaker find his real truth and for the listener, an avenue to help foster a transformation in his thoughts and beliefs. The author calls it "letting your old presuppositions die - shedding your skins and emerging renewed."

Carl Rogers, a great psychotherapist wrote, "The majority of us cannot listen; we find ourselves compelled to evaluate, because listening is dangerous. The first requirement is courage, and we do not always have it....The risk of being changed is one of the most frightening prospects most of us can face."

Sounds a bit dramatic but I get the point. Explains well why some demagogues surround themselves with sycophants.

Although not all conversations are of the significant variety, Peterson insists we need meaningful dialogues that not only touch our souls but also help shape our thinking and as well as our world view.