Hey Chris!

Interesting article - I've been following Dr. Peterson for a while now and I have to say that personally, his ideas have helped me and those around me tremendously.

I'd like to say that while I really enjoy his older material (maps of meaning/personality university lectures + biblical studies), his newer content surrounding political issues does not interest me as much. Entering the political realm has obviously entrenched him in controversies, and I consider it unfortunate because it distracts people from the productive ideas and helpful/practical advice he has (and still continues to) preached.

Here are some of the things I've learned from him that I found immensely helpful:

- Tell the truth and don't lie

- Focus on solving problems in your locus of control before attempting to solve more complex problems involving other people

- Confront what you fear to become more courageous

- Listen to others (especially those you disagree with) and contend with their ideas seriously

- Educate yourself by reading great works of the past, and learn to articulate your ideas precisely and carefully through writing and speaking

- Create goals (things that you personally want for your life) and design actionable steps to attain them

- The evil that you think is within others is actually a reflection of the evil within yourself (as Solzhenitsyn said, "The line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being")

- Understand the duality of all things (Culture is a divide between safety/oppression, Nature is a divide between creation/destruction, Humanity is a divide between good/evil)

I understand that you're tackling a different issue here. If I'm understanding you correctly, you're saying that Dr. Peterson is driven solely by monetary gain in his battle against political correctness. I would hesitate to make such a claim with absolute certainty, though this doesn't necessarily disprove your claim (nor am I here to disprove it - I simply wish to grapple with it). I'm not here to defend his honor and die on this hill. What I wish to do instead is to encourage people to personally look into his works - not the ones that are imbued with politics but ones that show him in an intellectual environment. (Look for his old university lecture series on Youtube and go through them - my personal favorites are the ones where he dives into the symbolism in Pinocchio and Lion King)

I encourage people to read his books and approach them with an open mind. It doesn't mean they have to agree with everything in them, and it may even help them apply the Sun Tzu quote you added in this piece. Knowing the enemy will help you in your pursuit to understand them and maybe defeat them. (Here I am not necessarily advocating for anyone to be "defeated", but rather suggesting the utility of knowing both sides of any given topic/idea/philosophy).

At the core of his works, I believe he delivers this message: to elevate individuals to become the best possible versions of themselves. He empowers individuals to take responsibility for their lives - to stop blaming others, to accept that life is suffering and the only way to overcome such an absurd and arbitrarily cruel idea is to accept it and work to find and maintain meaning in their lives.