The question posed is "Does the pursuit of happiness make us miserable?" and Burkeman's persuasive answer is Yes, it does. He delves into Stoic philosophy, Buddhist teaching, business psychology and the Mexican celebration of mortality that is the Day of the Dead, among a host of other things. He recommends an alternative "negative path" to happiness that involves embracing failure, pessimism, insecurity, uncertainty and our own mortality, a more realistic approach than the endless 'motivational' sessions and 'goal-setting' of one branch of pop-psychology. These upbeat brain-washings can do more harm than good. One example he uses is the 1996 disaster on Mt Everest, where obsessive goal-achievement overrode the climbers' commonsense. The goal becomes the person, and any denial or failure of that goal means self-negation.
I enjoyed this book's location at the intersection of philosophy and psychology, and Burkeman makes his points without over-emphasising them. A 'just right book', not too clever nor too simplistic.
How interesting. Some of the goal based philosophies strike me as not only dangerous but cruel. The one that leaps to mind, it the power of positive thinking over an illness, typically cancer. If someone gets worse, or dies, it is their fault. Grrr.
ReplyDeleteOh God, yes. Talk about blame the victim.
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