Being Analysis in 12 Rules for Life

“Being” refers to reality. As Peterson uses it, the term refers especially to the burden and joy of human existence. Being inevitably involves suffering, but the key to not becoming overwhelmed by suffering, Peterson believes, is to find the courage to believe that life’s suffering is outweighed by its goodness. Willingness to shoulder the burden of Being—to strive to improve Being both for oneself and for others, instead of shrinking from the responsibility and choosing resentment, bitterness, or revenge instead—is foundational to Peterson’s 12 rules for life.

Being Quotes in 12 Rules for Life

The 12 Rules for Life quotes below are all either spoken by Being or refer to Being. For each quote, you can also see the other terms and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:

During this time, I came to a more complete, personal realization of what the great stories of the past continually insist upon: the centre is occupied by the individual. The centre is marked by the cross, as X marks the spot. Existence at that cross is suffering and transformation—and that fact, above all, needs to be voluntarily accepted. It is possible to transcend slavish adherence to the group and its doctrines and, simultaneously, to avoid the pitfalls of its opposite extreme, nihilism. It is possible, instead, to find sufficient meaning in individual consciousness and experience.

Related Characters: Jordan Peterson (speaker)

Page Number and Citation: xxxiii

Explanation and Analysis:

Peterson has just been describing a dream in which he was suspended from the dome of a great cathedral. From his studies of religious symbolism, Peterson knew that cathedrals are traditionally constructed in the shape of a cross, with the center of the cross right under the dome. Further, in Christian theology, the cross is understood to be the center of human existence, since it's the place where Christ underwent the greatest suffering on humanity’s behalf, and thus also the gateway to human redemption. Thus, the dream placed Peterson right in the symbolic center of human experience—of Being. As a Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligen

But standing up straight with your shoulders back is not something that is only physical, because you’re not only a body. You’re a spirit, so to speak—a psyche—as well. Standing up physically also implies and invokes and demands standing up metaphysically. Standing up means voluntarily accepting the burden of Being. Your nervous system responds in an entirely different manner when you face the demands of life voluntarily. You respond to a challenge, instead of bracing for a catastrophe.

Related Characters: Jordan Peterson (speaker)

Related Symbols: Lobsters

Page Number and Citation: 27

Explanation and Analysis:

Peterson explains the importance of his first “rule,” which encourages people to stand up straight with their shoulders back. He recognizes that this piece of advice sounds pretty superficial at first. After all, standing up straight cannot repair a background filled with trauma or ensure that someone will experience success instead of failure. But the rule is founded on Peterson’s belief that human beings are a union of body and spirit. According to this perspective, then, your posture unavoidably impacts your psychology in some way (and vice versa). Indeed, Peterson puts it more strongly than that—standing up straight “implies,” “invokes,” Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas. Totam q

Humanity, in toto, and those who compose it […] deserve some sympathy for the appalling burden under which the human individual genuinely staggers; some sympathy for subjugation to mortal vulnerability, tyranny of the state, and the depredations of nature. It is an existential situation that no mere animal encounters or endures […] It is this sympathy that should be the proper medicament for self-conscious self-contempt, which has its justification, but is only half the full and proper story.

Related Characters: Jordan Peterson (speaker)

Page Number and Citation: 61-62

Explanation and Analysis:

In discussing Rule 2, Peterson argues that most people don’t take good care of themselves. He suggests that because of the human capacity to commit evil, people feel an instinctive unworthiness that leads them to neglect themselves, believing deep down that they, and humanity as a whole, don’t deserve to exist. While Peterson doesn’t dispute the fact that people can be horrible, he argues that, collectively, people also deserve a lot of credit. Here, he points out that life is overwhelmingly hard: people are vulnerable to sickness and death, corrupt governments, and natural disasters, among other horrors. Yet in the Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleni

The ancient Jews always blamed themselves when things fell apart. They acted as if God’s goodness—the goodness of reality—was axiomatic, and took responsibility for their own failure. That’s insanely responsible. But the alternative is to judge reality as insufficient, to criticize Being itself, and to sink into resentment and the desire for revenge.

Related Characters: Jordan Peterson (speaker)

Page Number and Citation: 157

Explanation and Analysis:

In Rule 6, Peterson begins to deal with the problem of suffering in more detail. But he starts from an unexpected angle. Throughout this chapter, he encourages readers to respond to struggles in their lives first of all by looking inward and identifying positive changes they can make. By doing this, Peterson doesn’t necessarily imply that suffering is someone’s fault or that they shouldn’t seek redress for wrongs that have been done to them. However, he encourages looking inward—including acknowledging ways that a person might be contributing to their own suffering—because, generally speaking, the alterative of blaming the world for Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia

You may find that if you attend to these moral obligations, once you have placed “make the world better” at the top of your value hierarchy, you experience ever-deepening meaning. It’s not bliss. It’s not happiness. It is something more like atonement for the criminal fact of your fractured and damaged Being. […] It’s adoption of the responsibility for being a potential denizen of Hell. It is willingness to serve as an angel of Paradise.

Related Characters: Jordan Peterson (speaker)

Page Number and Citation: 200

Explanation and Analysis:

Earlier in this chapter, Peterson has been talking about goodness—essentially, countering the world’s evil—as the ultimate goal of human life. The “moral obligations” Peterson speaks of here refer to essentially anything a person can do to make existence slightly better, from tackling undone paperwork or a messy room to serving your family a delicious meal. Notably, these aren’t huge things! They’re small actions that are attainable in most people’s everyday lives. This is intentional: Peterson wants readers to realize that improving the world, or Being, starts small and close to home, and it’s only from there that one can build Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas. Totam quae corporis. Impedit non ut. Incidunt rerum est. Aperiam doloremque eum. Animi soluta perspiciatis. Ut minima autem. Modi omnis iure. Sint qui qui. Qui similique praesentium. Ex consequatur magnam. Aliquid iste enim. Sequi aut maxime. Adipisci voluptate et. Voluptas suscipit alias. In et eveniet. Eaque et repellendus. Dolores aut voluptatibus. Vol

If you pay careful attention, even on a bad day, you may be fortunate enough to be confronted with small opportunities of just that sort […] And maybe when you are going for a walk and your head is spinning a cat will show up and if you pay attention to it then you will get a reminder for just fifteen seconds that the wonder of Being might make up for the ineradicable suffering that accompanies it.

Related Characters: Jordan Peterson (speaker)

Page Number and Citation: 353

Explanation and Analysis:

In his final Rule, Peterson suggests that the only way to really cope with human suffering is to cultivate the belief that the goodness of Being, or existence, outweighs the inevitable pain of Being. When a person has suffered deeply and undeservedly, this is a difficult belief to hold on to. Peterson has argued that it’s not a belief that a person can be rationally persuaded into. Instead, they have to be willing to notice, acknowledge, and even enjoy the goodness of Being, even in the midst of pain that can’t be fixed. For example, if you cross paths with Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo.

Being Term Timeline in 12 Rules for Life

The timeline below shows where the term Being appears in 12 Rules for Life. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

Suffering, Evil, and Responsibility Theme Icon

...lack positive value. They lack anything “to set against the suffering that is intrinsic to Being.” Without positive value in life, the pain of existence becomes overwhelming, leading to hopelessness and... (full context)

...months to understand this dream. He believes the dream placed him at the center of “Being” itself, and he couldn’t escape. As he reflected on this, he realized more completely that... (full context)

...development of the individual, and […] the willingness of everyone to shoulder the burden of Being and to take the heroic path.” Each person must assume as much of that responsibility... (full context)

Character-Building and Hierarchy Theme Icon

...just bodies. Standing up straight also “demands standing up metaphysically” and “accepting the burden of Being.” When a person chooses to meet life’s demands, the nervous system reacts differently—“you respond to... (full context)

...helps you be less anxious, a better communicator, and better equipped to embrace and improve Being—even strengthening those around you when you and they are tempted to despair. In this way,... (full context)

...survival than about what would be regarded as objective truth today. Back then, reality, or Being, “was understood as a place of action, not a place of things.” It was concerned... (full context)

...He gives them the ability to do the same thing. Genesis 1 teaches that this Being God has created is good—humanity is good, even when that goodness is disrupted by humanity’s... (full context)

...found within Genesis 1: “to embody the Image of God—to speak out of chaos the Being that is Good,” out of free choice. He adds that if we want to take... (full context)

...fellow human beings. He finds that people are so weighed down by the burden of Being that it’s remarkable they ever look beyond their own troubles. People deserve sympathy for living... (full context)

At this point, maybe you start to aim at the “Improvement of Being” more generally. In that light, maybe you rethink your reaction to the Old Testament God—even... (full context)

...Most people don’t go to the extreme of a mass shooter, but many people question Being itself when they encounter injustice or tragedy. Life is hard for everyone, and while sometimes... (full context)

...can avoid being outraged at it. There’s something logical about trying to take revenge on Being itself. (full context)

...bread. But Christ refuses to take the expedient path, aiming at a better way of Being instead—one that would ultimately solve the problem of hunger altogether. Through the rest of the... (full context)

...on short-term gains. Its opposite is meaning. If someone’s value structure is aimed at making Being better, then meaning is revealed which will be “the antidote for chaos and suffering,” and... (full context)

Brilliant people tend to be prideful and disregard error—a “mode of Being” that Peterson follows Søren Kierkegaard in calling “inauthentic.” An inauthentic person keeps acting in ways... (full context)

...social totalitarianism.” In essence, these and other thinkers concluded that “lies warp the structure of Being.” Lies corrupt both individuals and the state, and these forms of corruption are mutually reinforcing. (full context)

...be learned, and most of all, that it’s not necessary for an individual to confront Being. (full context)

...possibility of a person changing, and it doesn’t challenge a person to take responsibility for Being. (full context)

Living according to the truth means accepting and dealing with conflict—that is part of Being. As you do that, you’ll gradually mature and become more responsible and wiser in your... (full context)

...Eventually, you’ll believe your own lies, and when you crash into stubborn reality, you’ll blame Being for it instead of yourself. You’ll become bitter and vengeful. On the other hand, the... (full context)

...face the pain of it. But that doesn’t work, because you’ll still feel disappointed in Being. Sorting through the mess of the past, present, and future might nearly kill you, but... (full context)

...by Buddhism, he came to believe that he—and others—were ethically obligated to negate their own Being. (full context)

...grieving client, the only thing he could share was “the tight interlinking between vulnerability and Being.” He also told her an old Jewish story about how an omnipotent Being lacks only... (full context)

Given that “being of any reasonable sort appears to require limitation”—that “Being requires Becoming”—what about the suffering that limits cause? It seems unbearable. But if we conclude... (full context)

...agonizing pain. Instead, you can make a courageous choice to “presume the primary goodness of Being” and concentrate on the day at hand. (full context)

...cats are different. Cats interact with people on their own terms. Peterson sees them as “Being, in an almost pure form.” You never know what’s going to happen when you encounter... (full context)

...muck, as per Rule 3), and what to do with the world (live as though Being is more valuable than Non-Being)—the essence of Rule 1. (full context)

...say to a faithless brother? The King of the Damned is a poor judge of Being.” By this, he refers to Rule 6—that you must first fix yourself before seeking to... (full context)

Being Term Analysis

Being Quotes in 12 Rules for Life

Overture Quotes

Rule 1 Quotes

Rule 2 Quotes

Rule 6 Quotes

Rule 7 Quotes

Rule 12 Quotes

Being Term Timeline in 12 Rules for Life