12 Rules For Life: An Antidote To Chaos, By Jordan Peterson

The people you associate with can make or break your future. “Rule 3: Make Friends who wish the best for you” from Jordan Peterson’s “12 Rules for Life: an Antidote to Chaos” discusses how good friends matter. “It is not selfish to want good friends.” Peterson sheds light on the importance of surrounding yourself with good friends who support you and encourage you to grow. A group of good friends can uplift a person and change their life around, while, a group of bad friends can turn one into a shadow of their former self. Not everyone wishes to help you. Some are jealous while others plan to exploit you. Make Friends with people who care about you. Moreover, not everyone wants to be helped; some would rather stay at the bottom than rise up.

Make Friends with people who care about you. Making good friends can make a great difference in life. Good friends, uplift you while bad friends can change the course of your life. In Peterson's life, Chris and Ed were not the greatest friends. At a young age, Chris and Ed became dependent on drugs and alcohol. They could not live with it. Peterson did not know what good friends were. One day two kids showed up from Bear Canyon, a town more isolated than Fairview. These two boys went on to be Petersons' new friends, as Chris had dropped out of school. The three of them would go on to be great friends. They cared about each other and forced each other to do better. Peterson learned these boys also had “high goals and ambitions.” Which too, made Peterson want to aim higher. Moreover, Peterson and one of the boys would go on to attend the same college. At Grande Prairie Regional College, Peterson and his friend made new friends who shared similar

Chris and Ed did not wish to rise up; they were happy where they were. They are victims of their choices. At a young age, Chris and Ed got hooked on drugs and as a result, did not want to pursue anything else. For Chris, drugs became an escape from his reality. Slowly, Chris had mental breakdowns and was unable to function. He had no one to reach out to, no friends or family. One good friend could have changed the outcome of life. Moreover, Ed did not have great friends either. He was forced to use drugs to fit in. A small amount students at our school who are at the bottom are much happier doing nothing than even attempting something. These students have had everything handed to them from the beginning. They put little effort into their studies, and then their parents blame the school for not properly teaching their children. Furthermore, their friends are not really friends. They are only close as a result of sharing similar interests. Everyone who is given the opportunity to rise may not act on