Instead, it proved to be much more: a cogent synthesis of a number of philosophical and psychological notions and approaches that offer a healthier, more realistic, way of living a happier life. I would have been content if this book had been what I expected: an acerbic expose of self-help hokum. This might be the only (so-called) self-help book that includes a quote from The Wire at the beginning of a chapter - and surely that's a good sign. And then there are the "backwards" business gurus, who suggest not having any goals at all and not planning for a company's future.īurkeman's new book is a witty, fascinating, and counterintuitive read that turns decades of self-help advice on its head and forces us to rethink completely our attitudes toward failure, uncertainty, and death. Oliver Burkeman talks to life coaches paid to make their clients' lives a living hell, and to maverick security experts such as Bruce Schneier, who contends that the changes we've made to airport and aircraft security since the 9/11 attacks have actually made us less safe. It is a subversive, galvanizing message, which turns out to have a long and distinguished philosophical lineage ranging from ancient Roman Stoic philosophers to Buddhists. And that there is an alternative "negative path" to happiness and success that involves embracing the things we spend our lives trying to avoid.
What they have in common is a hunch about human psychology: that it's our constant effort to eliminate the negative that causes us to feel so anxious, insecure, and unhappy.
#The antidote book series
The Antidote is a series of journeys among people who share a single, surprising way of thinking about life. “If life can only have one destination, then, Burkeman argues, we should enjoy the journey as much as we can and deal with the terminus when it comes.A witty, fascinating, and counterintuitive read that turns decades of self-help advice on its head and forces us to rethink completely our attitudes toward failure, uncertainty, and death. This is a marvellous synthesis of good sense, which would make a bracing detox for the self-help junkie” “He has written some of the most truthful and useful words on to be published in recent years. “Quietly subversive, beautifully written, persuasive and profound, Oliver Burkeman’s book will make you think - and smile”Īuthor Of Alex’s Adventures In Numberland You’ll come away from this book enriched - and, yes, even a little happier” Countering a self-help tradition in which “positive thinking” too often takes the place of actual thinking, Oliver Burkeman returns our attention to several of philosophy’s deeper traditions and does so with a light hand and a wry sense of humor.
0 kommentar(er)
