What do you say to someone whose work you admire when suddenly they pop out from behind a curtain next to where you are standing?
Last night, my wife, our friends, and I were the first table that Jordan Peterson stopped to chat with at a reception before a speaking engagement. He asked us what we did, where we travelled from, and that sort of thing. We talked politics and other such things before he noticed the quiet 21 year old in our group, and made sure to engage him and gave him some university suggestions.
After Jordan does a pass through the room of some 50 people, a line is formed to get a photo with him. It’s finally my turn, and of course, much of the wait is spent thinking about what to say in the brief time it takes to shake a hand, pose, and snap a shot.
HIsis emerald green blazer and pants are sharp. Boring.
I run through interviews I have seen him do, think of words from his second book, 12 Rules for Life – which I am half way through. All of this is swirling around my head as I put down my wine glass and stand next to him. I shake his hand, look him in the eye, and state how my favorite interview was with Bret Weinstein. That as an emotional man myself, I appreciate his willingness to let his raw emotions spill through.
I sneak a hello to Rex Murphy as a staff member leads him to the next room where Jordan and Conrad Black enjoy some banter before a large sold out crowd.
It’s fascinating chatting with these intellectuals that found a home in our bedrooms as we tried to make sense of the world these past few years.