> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.tom-shaw.uk/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # How Angels Fall - URL: https://www.tom-shaw.uk/jordan-peterson-a-fallen-angel/ - Published: 2025-06-16T16:02:48.000Z - Updated: 2025-06-16T16:02:48.000Z - Description: A Poetic Send-off - Author: Tom Shaw - Tags: Poems, #substack, #substack-type-newsletter, #substack-access-everyone, #Import 2026-10-24 12:50 While current affairs (and I suppose “celebrity culture”) rarely crosses my radar any more, recent affairs regarding Jordan Peterson have, notably his [train-wreck of a Jubilee appearance](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pwk5MPE%5F6zE&ref=tom-shaw.uk) that many have called him out on as being far less artful in his interaction with young critics of his than those that brought him to prominence in the mid-2010s. I realised immediately that Peterson had failed to be relevant in my worldview for at least a few years now, which got me reflecting on my relationship with his work. It was around 2018 or 2019 when Jordan Peterson first came on my radar. I read his book, *12 Rules For Life*, sometime in mid-2019, and I could see why so many young men were finding inspiration from the life lessons he explored within that piece. It was one of the first times in my life where I realised I *did* have agency and power to be the master of my realm, no matter what strife came my way. That was incredibly empowering for me. Couple that with early interviews where he acutely [calls out and shuts down interviewers with ulterior motives](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMcjxSThD54&pp=ygUcY2F0aHkgbmV3bWFuIGpvcmRhbiBwZXRlcnNvbg%3D%3D&ref=tom-shaw.uk), or is willing to listen to opponents and make sharp, well-reasoned arguments back [in a way that demonstrates his sympathy for future generations](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CM7jpTJWPkg&ref=tom-shaw.uk), and he was one of those people who happened to be in the right place at the right time to be catapulted into the spotlight. [Subscribe now](#/portal/signup) They say all things good shall come to pass, and I would hardly be the first person to point out his decline in more recent years. In preparing for this piece, I looked at others who had tracked his trajectory in recent times, and perhaps one of the most comprehensive I came across is [his former Daily Wire associate Candace Owens’ recent video on him](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-HhB7hikM8&ref=tom-shaw.uk). In it, she highlights everything from the hypocrisy of not following his own rules of “tidying his room” and “setting his own house in order”, being nonsensical in his explanations, deriding people who call him out as “dark tetrad” psychopaths in an appeal to his “expert” status. Couple this with the incoherent positions on [Covid jabs](https://www.indy100.com/news/jordan-peterson-coronavirus-vaccine-backlash-b1847427?ref=tom-shaw.uk) and [the genocide in Gaza](https://x.com/jordanbpeterson/status/1710622315816337454?ref=tom-shaw.uk), and it certainly seems like he is coming undone. It’s perhaps a great case-study against the worship of others as idols. We are all fallible, and Peterson is no exception. And yet, Peterson’s lack of substance behind his religious beliefs and unwillingness to say he believes in God - which atheists like [Matt Dillahunty](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9nQUg4QeI%5FY&pp=ygUfam9yZGFuIHBldGVyc29uIG1hdHQgZGlsbGFodW50eQ%3D%3D&ref=tom-shaw.uk) and [Richard Dawkins](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=%5FeWDiaDOX0E&pp=ygUXam9yZGFuIHBldGVyc29uIGRlY2xpbmU%3D&ref=tom-shaw.uk) have acutely made us aware of - makes his downfall even more noteworthy. In the failure of Peterson to name what he truly believes in, it seems as if he ends up believing in his own legend, rather than a divinity that lives beyond ourselves and that can act through him and his actions should he recognise it. That is the same behaviour of the fallen angels and devils - we only need to look around us to see where that behaviour on a grand scale has led. I am grateful that Jordan’s works have been inspiring for many people in the late 2010s. However, the world of 2025 is not the same as 2016\. Peterson has not only lost his relevance, but is now in the process of tarnishing the legacy of good that he did. It’s painful and tragic to watch, especially given the well-publicised health and family challenges he has had - and the good he has done. [Paul Lloyd Robson](https://open.substack.com/users/20973344) sums this sentiment up well in his own piece, “The Fall of the Prophet”. [The Fall of the ProphetJordan Peterson changed my life—and the lives of millions of men searching for meaning in a rootless world. His lectures were the bridge that connected my secular, progressive worldview to the ancient wisdom I'd abandoned. For that, I remain eternally grateful.![](https://cdn.mymidnight.blog/a14ac55a4f27472c5d894ec1c3c743d2/substack-post-media-s3-amazonaws-com/public/images/cbf54d35-a3a9-4d74-928b-40ddb02e50ad_893x893.png)The Path of Manliness](https://pathofmanliness.substack.com/p/the-fall-of-the-prophet) I can only hope he comes to see the grave he is digging for himself. Jordan Peterson: thank you for your service. It’s time to step down. --- > Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedJordan Peterson: It's time to step down. > While your words may have provided us gifts, > I fear you're growing tired and cynical, > For your kingdom now seems tyrannical. > > Like an angel who has fallen from high, > You scream your godless rage at creation. > How was the view from atop Babylon? > How does it feel now the pedestal's gone? > > Flowers are destined to lose their petals, > For they give way to allow for new growth. > Those resisting nature become rotten; > They sow no seed and thus are forgotten. > > Welcome back home. Now tend to your Eden, > And clear the bracken of all its serpents > So boys that you saved, who look on with frowns, > Can now grab the thorns to make their own crowns. > Jordan Peterson: It's time to step down. ###### Jordan Peterson: The Fallen Angel \~ A Poetic Sendoff by Tom Shaw --- Thank you for taking the time to read this piece. Let me know in the comments where Jordan Peterson has crossed your radar, and what you think of his current efforts. [Leave a comment](#ghost-comments-root) With gratitude, Tom --- ![](https://cdn.mymidnight.blog/a14ac55a4f27472c5d894ec1c3c743d2/substack-post-media-s3-amazonaws-com/public/images/773f3071-8c09-43c7-91d5-50ac9ad21b39_750x990.png) [Subscribe now](#/portal/signup) [Leave A Tip](https://tom-shaw.uk/product/one-time-donation-or-tip/?ref=tom-shaw.uk) --- ## More Like This [A Letter To Tedros![](https://cdn.mymidnight.blog/a14ac55a4f27472c5d894ec1c3c743d2/substack-post-media-s3-amazonaws-com/public/images/10bb0009-5e84-44ee-a718-12b501f3eb7a_1280x1280.png)Tom ShawTom Shaw![](https://cdn.mymidnight.blog/a14ac55a4f27472c5d894ec1c3c743d2/substack-post-media-s3-amazonaws-com/public/images/0a63fee8-30ce-47ee-be6e-062fd6d6d073_1200x1200.jpg)](https://www.tom-shaw.uk/a-letter-to-tedros/) [Actions Speak Louder Than Words![](https://cdn.mymidnight.blog/a14ac55a4f27472c5d894ec1c3c743d2/substack-post-media-s3-amazonaws-com/public/images/10bb0009-5e84-44ee-a718-12b501f3eb7a_1280x1280.png)Tom ShawTom Shaw![](https://cdn.mymidnight.blog/a14ac55a4f27472c5d894ec1c3c743d2/substack-post-media-s3-amazonaws-com/public/images/d29da1fd-3d11-49df-b09e-6aebf1b683e6_1280x720.png)](https://www.tom-shaw.uk/actions-speak-louder-than-words/) [Nightmares![](https://cdn.mymidnight.blog/a14ac55a4f27472c5d894ec1c3c743d2/substack-post-media-s3-amazonaws-com/public/images/10bb0009-5e84-44ee-a718-12b501f3eb7a_1280x1280.png)Tom ShawTom Shaw![](https://cdn.mymidnight.blog/a14ac55a4f27472c5d894ec1c3c743d2/substack-post-media-s3-amazonaws-com/public/images/4334dd35-cb9a-460f-9ae8-5238d4c3cbde_2000x2000.png)](https://www.tom-shaw.uk/nightmares/)