This article is an excerpt from the Shortform book guide to "Beyond Order" by Jordan Peterson. Shortform has the world's best summaries and analyses of books you should be reading.
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Do you complain more than you express gratitude? Have you lost hope?
Life is hard. Sometimes, it’s excruciating. Jordan Peterson wants to help you rise above suffering and find strength and thankfulness in the face of life’s inevitable hardships. With Beyond Order Rule 12, he urges you to be grateful in spite of your suffering.
Keep reading to learn how to practice this difficult but transforming attitude.
Be Grateful in Spite of Your Suffering
Peterson explains that it’s all too easy to become bitter and dissatisfied with life. Darkness and suffering are unavoidable, and many people end up unhappy with themselves and with life in general. However, falling into despair does you no good and can cause you to act out the darkness within you. This, in turn, will worsen your life and the lives of those around you. Peterson offers an alternative to despair. Beyond Order Rule 12 states this: Be grateful in spite of your suffering.
(Shortform note: Research may also support Peterson’s idea that our emotions affect those around us. Studies have found that our emotions have a ripple effect on others: When we feel well and healthy, we positively affect the well-being of those around us. Again, this may suggest that the inverse is also true: If we feel bitter and negative, we may also bring down the well-being of those around us, as Peterson says.)
Choosing gratitude in the face of the great darkness and suffering of life doesn’t mean that you’re in denial of reality. Rather, it means acknowledging the darkness and finding gratitude despite it. Even when life seems bleak, you can look around and focus on what you do have. For instance, you might despair over an investment that went south—however, you probably still have food to eat and a safe home. Thinking like this gives you the strength to go on even during hard times.
(Shortform note: While Peterson’s emphasis on gratitude is certainly valuable, this approach may break down in the face of extreme suffering and hardship. For instance, individuals experiencing trauma or intense physical pain may find it difficult to feel grateful for anything, no less their present suffering. Gratitude can help, but cultivating the ability to feel gratitude in the face of great suffering takes time—so avoid beating yourself up if you can’t immediately feel grateful for the struggles in your life.)
Related Beyond Order Rules
Beyond Order Rule 7 can be grouped together with two other rules from the book. Each one fits the theme of how to relate to the world at large. These three rules deal with questions of a more existential nature. Let’s take a quick look at the other two rules:
- Beyond Order Rule 8: Try to make one room in your home as beautiful as possible.
- Beyond Order Rule 11: Do not allow yourself to become resentful, deceitful, or arrogant.
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Like what you just read? Read the rest of the world's best book summary and analysis of Jordan Peterson's "Beyond Order" at Shortform.
Here's what you'll find in our full Beyond Order summary:
- A no-nonsense guide to navigating the chaos of our difficult world
- How and why you should listen to your conscience
- How to show up for life as fully as you can
