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12 Commandments: For Extraordinary People To Master Ordinary Life
In this sincerely ironic challenge to psychologist Jordan B. Peterson's 12 Rules For Life, Hanzi Freinacht (a sociologist and philosopher) takes off fast in his trademarked irreverent and wild style of writing. His weapon of laughter. His most potent tears. His commitment marks every uniting intellect and emotion, ordinary life and playful struggle for a better world.
Hanzi guides the reader through an unforgettable journey of highs and lows, light and darkness, and all the way back to ordinary existence. Life, death, love, terror, rage, unhinged sexual desire, faith, spirituality, politics, God, family, and idealistic strivings to change an ailing world—all topics are woven together into one and the same philosophy of life, crystallized into 12 Commandments that you will want to obey as if your life depends on them.
This is no book for the ordinary person. No, the already-extraordinary, the misfit idealist, the maverick, these all find a structure to life and solace for their sorrows in these pages. Readers are guided back to ordinary existence, to where their different journeys began. This book is a secret bible for the transnational class of creatives and idealists that Hanzi is native to. It seeks to reestablish sanity and peace of mind to very people who can make a real difference in the world.
The 12 Commandments
1. Live in a mess, moderately
2. Fuck like a beast
3. Live sincerely, ironically
4. Turn workout into prayer
5. Quit
6. Do the walk of shame
7. Sacrifice immortality
8. Heal with justice
9. Burn your maps
10. Do what you hate
11. Kill your guru, find your others
12. Play for forgiveness
You must read each of these to understand the depth of their meaning. And you must obey them—if you are to master ordinary life and make it a homestead for your extraordinary adventures.
Hanzi guides the reader through an unforgettable journey of highs and lows, light and darkness, and all the way back to ordinary existence. Life, death, love, terror, rage, unhinged sexual desire, faith, spirituality, politics, God, family, and idealistic strivings to change an ailing world—all topics are woven together into one and the same philosophy of life, crystallized into 12 Commandments that you will want to obey as if your life depends on them.
This is no book for the ordinary person. No, the already-extraordinary, the misfit idealist, the maverick, these all find a structure to life and solace for their sorrows in these pages. Readers are guided back to ordinary existence, to where their different journeys began. This book is a secret bible for the transnational class of creatives and idealists that Hanzi is native to. It seeks to reestablish sanity and peace of mind to very people who can make a real difference in the world.
The 12 Commandments
1. Live in a mess, moderately
2. Fuck like a beast
3. Live sincerely, ironically
4. Turn workout into prayer
5. Quit
6. Do the walk of shame
7. Sacrifice immortality
8. Heal with justice
9. Burn your maps
10. Do what you hate
11. Kill your guru, find your others
12. Play for forgiveness
You must read each of these to understand the depth of their meaning. And you must obey them—if you are to master ordinary life and make it a homestead for your extraordinary adventures.
415 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 26, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
December 9, 2023
Hanzi kills me every time. After reading Nordic Ideology I was keen to see what his ‘self help’ book might be like. He didn’t disappoint. I hope this gets a big following but imagine that its deviation from usual self help tropes might diminish its appeal for many. Oh, and if this review comes off as mediocre, that’s because it is. There’s some sincere irony for you. :-)
October 9, 2025
2025.07.28–2025.09.29
Contents
Freinacht H (2022) 12 Commandments - For Extraordinary People to Master Ordinary Life
Prologue: Revealing the Real Title of This Book
• Challenging the Canadian
• Laidback Responsibility (in a Digital Revolution)
• Ethical Commitments
• The Real Title of This Book
• Inappropriate Honesty
Introduction: Get Up, Grow Up?
• Being Exceptional Is Common
• The Scale of Subjective States
• And Beyond, Beyond, Beyond
01. Live in a Mess, Moderately
• Hitler and Einstein Walk into an Office
• Deep House in Order
02. Fuck Like a Beast
• Inhibition: The Cosmic Coma
• The Beast Behind Bars
• Cosmoeroticism: It’s the Hunger, Stupid
• What the Beast Needs
• The Child Returns
03. Live Sincerely, Ironically
• Irony Brings Trust
• Did It Whose Way?
• Jesus: Lost and Found
• Praise the Shallow
• The Sound of Both Ands Clapping
• Keep Clapping, You Double Extremist
04. Turn Workout Into Prayer
• The Five Steps of Workout
• Four Body-Minds
• Breath Is Baseline
• Posture/Core and the Four Ss
• Excursion: Your Social Status
• Cardio and Strength
• Meditation: The Crown Jewel Put into Place
05. Quit
• Why Are We Doing This At All?
• The Scale of Conflict Resolution
• When to Quit
• The Adult Quits, The Child Commits
• Your Life as a Work of Art
06. Do the Walk of Shame
• Method to the Madness
• The Inventory of Shame
• You Are the Opposite of Everything You Want to Be, and Others Can See It Very Clearly
• The Inventory of Guilt: Underdog Reversal
• The Eye of the Creator
07. Sacrifice Immortality
• Terror: Tame the Dragon
• The Shackles of Subtle Slavery
• Is There Life on Mute
• Reverse Death Therapy
08. Heal with Justice
• Groundwork One: Perception
• Groundwork Two: Focusing the Primary Emotions
• From Broken Emotions to Wholeness
• Justice Means Wholeness
• Become a Social Justice Warrior in Your Own Life
• Greater than Love
• Injustice and the Adjectives of Evil
• The Right Kind of Assertiveness
• Can a Lawyer Ever be Happy?
09. Burn Your Maps
• All Boundaries Are Drawn on Maps
• Maps of Meaning?
• You Already Have the Best Map (Don’t You?)
• Moments of Clarity
• Mutually Forced Red Pills
• Spiritual Bungee-Jumping
10. Do What You Hate
• Achilles’ Heels
• Get the Right Kind of Therapy
• All the Tea in London
11. Kill Your Guru, Find Your Others
• The Lure of the Guru
• Money Is the Enemy
• Growing Transpersonal Power
• Principles for Cultivating the Meta-Team
12. Play for Forgiveness
• The Goal Beyond All Other Goals
• The Rage, the Enemy, and the Grief
• Death by Game Theory, Death by Virtue
• The Art of Crying in Public
Contents
Freinacht H (2022) 12 Commandments - For Extraordinary People to Master Ordinary Life
Prologue: Revealing the Real Title of This Book
• Challenging the Canadian
• Laidback Responsibility (in a Digital Revolution)
• Ethical Commitments
• The Real Title of This Book
• Inappropriate Honesty
Introduction: Get Up, Grow Up?
• Being Exceptional Is Common
• The Scale of Subjective States
• And Beyond, Beyond, Beyond
01. Live in a Mess, Moderately
• Hitler and Einstein Walk into an Office
• Deep House in Order
02. Fuck Like a Beast
• Inhibition: The Cosmic Coma
• The Beast Behind Bars
• Cosmoeroticism: It’s the Hunger, Stupid
• What the Beast Needs
• The Child Returns
03. Live Sincerely, Ironically
• Irony Brings Trust
• Did It Whose Way?
• Jesus: Lost and Found
• Praise the Shallow
• The Sound of Both Ands Clapping
• Keep Clapping, You Double Extremist
04. Turn Workout Into Prayer
• The Five Steps of Workout
• Four Body-Minds
• Breath Is Baseline
• Posture/Core and the Four Ss
• Excursion: Your Social Status
• Cardio and Strength
• Meditation: The Crown Jewel Put into Place
05. Quit
• Why Are We Doing This At All?
• The Scale of Conflict Resolution
• When to Quit
• The Adult Quits, The Child Commits
• Your Life as a Work of Art
06. Do the Walk of Shame
• Method to the Madness
• The Inventory of Shame
• You Are the Opposite of Everything You Want to Be, and Others Can See It Very Clearly
• The Inventory of Guilt: Underdog Reversal
• The Eye of the Creator
07. Sacrifice Immortality
• Terror: Tame the Dragon
• The Shackles of Subtle Slavery
• Is There Life on Mute
• Reverse Death Therapy
08. Heal with Justice
• Groundwork One: Perception
• Groundwork Two: Focusing the Primary Emotions
• From Broken Emotions to Wholeness
• Justice Means Wholeness
• Become a Social Justice Warrior in Your Own Life
• Greater than Love
• Injustice and the Adjectives of Evil
• The Right Kind of Assertiveness
• Can a Lawyer Ever be Happy?
09. Burn Your Maps
• All Boundaries Are Drawn on Maps
• Maps of Meaning?
• You Already Have the Best Map (Don’t You?)
• Moments of Clarity
• Mutually Forced Red Pills
• Spiritual Bungee-Jumping
10. Do What You Hate
• Achilles’ Heels
• Get the Right Kind of Therapy
• All the Tea in London
11. Kill Your Guru, Find Your Others
• The Lure of the Guru
• Money Is the Enemy
• Growing Transpersonal Power
• Principles for Cultivating the Meta-Team
12. Play for Forgiveness
• The Goal Beyond All Other Goals
• The Rage, the Enemy, and the Grief
• Death by Game Theory, Death by Virtue
• The Art of Crying in Public
September 20, 2023
I loved this book. One, if not the, most useful self-help book I've read so far.
Hanzi's insights and understanding of healing are very deep and fundamental, and one of the reasons I resonate a lot with the thinking is because it aligns with the journey I'm currently on and the view I have of that healing journey.
I have earmarked probably 50 pages that I will return to, and already implemented and practiced suggestions from many of the commandments.
It's an easy and fun read that is sure to give you something tangible to help you live a more present and free life.
Hanzi's insights and understanding of healing are very deep and fundamental, and one of the reasons I resonate a lot with the thinking is because it aligns with the journey I'm currently on and the view I have of that healing journey.
I have earmarked probably 50 pages that I will return to, and already implemented and practiced suggestions from many of the commandments.
It's an easy and fun read that is sure to give you something tangible to help you live a more present and free life.
Read
November 30, 2025I like the wide, holistic, psychological and emotion models written about. The writing style is a bit cheesy for my taste but the points are made in an understandable manner. The book delivers a great range of possibilities to challenge one's own perception and shows many worthwhile directions to work towards a better life in the long run. Highlighted sentences summarize and make it easy to digest the main messages quickly.
September 23, 2023
The book shines when the author forgets his self-counscious persona (which funnily enough he thinks is his carefree persona, Hanzi Freinacht) and just writes what he wants already without the wordy and insecure preambles or the over-the-top edgelord cursing.
Like in the Listening Society, this welcome dissociation from the character starts happening as each chapters progresses, then starts again with a little less force at the beginning of the next one, and so on, with occasional spikes every now and then.
If you aren't put down by that schtick of his, the book has one of the most interesting mixes of references you'll find out there.
PS: his views on psychotherapy and psychology are almost the opposite of what I believe is true. He seems to have bought the current thing, Brené Brown style, which I find very naïve.
Like in the Listening Society, this welcome dissociation from the character starts happening as each chapters progresses, then starts again with a little less force at the beginning of the next one, and so on, with occasional spikes every now and then.
If you aren't put down by that schtick of his, the book has one of the most interesting mixes of references you'll find out there.
PS: his views on psychotherapy and psychology are almost the opposite of what I believe is true. He seems to have bought the current thing, Brené Brown style, which I find very naïve.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews