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3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
Read this based on a recommendation and so glad I did. A book all veterans and those seeking to understand veterans experiences should read. Worth your time.
Just as in his other work, Junger provides a thorough and meticulously researched look at tribe culture, war culture, and modern society. A must read if you are interested in psychology, war, or history.
Intriguing read. The author has a clear perspective and chooses his research to accordingly back that perspective, which can make the reader feel overall that they are being led by nose a bit too much. But the concepts are interesting and the facts (as presented) can be compelling despite being overly biased to the author's point of view. Good food for thought on the potential impacts of our modern society, particularly in America.
Every American citizen should be required to read this book as soon as possible.
I was between 4 or 5 stars for this one. 4.5 stars. I've been pretty stingy on my 5 stars lately though.
I tend to gravitate toward non-fiction audiobooks, and I can’t remember if this was a recommendation or happy finding accident. It was a relatively short audiobook (4 sections) so I imagine that it would be a quick read. Really insightful.
My takeaways:
>>Panic attacks/anxiety are your bodies response to threats. The heightened adrenaline keeps you fighting (sure I get that), but the DEPRESSION serves its function too in that it keeps you inactive, out of harm’s way. Interesting.
>>In a tribal society, the greedy bankers that caused the economic collapse that lead to the Great Recession would have held accountable. After all, they cost trillions of dollars and an increase in suicide and nothing happened to them.
>>I knew this, but thought it worth repeating: a lot of the returning soldiers issue and PTSD is not from the trauma of war but the conditions at home since we are such an isolated society.
I’m a big old introvert, so the idea of a more communal society doesn’t exactly appeal greatly to me, but I can understand that there’s something broken or ill about modern society.
I tend to gravitate toward non-fiction audiobooks, and I can’t remember if this was a recommendation or happy finding accident. It was a relatively short audiobook (4 sections) so I imagine that it would be a quick read. Really insightful.
My takeaways:
>>Panic attacks/anxiety are your bodies response to threats. The heightened adrenaline keeps you fighting (sure I get that), but the DEPRESSION serves its function too in that it keeps you inactive, out of harm’s way. Interesting.
>>In a tribal society, the greedy bankers that caused the economic collapse that lead to the Great Recession would have held accountable. After all, they cost trillions of dollars and an increase in suicide and nothing happened to them.
>>I knew this, but thought it worth repeating: a lot of the returning soldiers issue and PTSD is not from the trauma of war but the conditions at home since we are such an isolated society.
I’m a big old introvert, so the idea of a more communal society doesn’t exactly appeal greatly to me, but I can understand that there’s something broken or ill about modern society.
interesting subject matter especially considering the current crisis and the constant repetition of "we're all in this together." easy quick read/listen. I did the audible version where the author reads himself. He has a good voice for audio.
"In different circumstances - it could be any of us, anywhere. But it happened to him, here."
A well-written, -crafted, and -researched, argument with lots of personal experience. He packs a ton of great points in less than 200 pages, but overall the vibe feels problematic and a bit alarming.
The good:
-Community is important.
-Having a sense of purpose and believing that you are contributing to society is integral to mental health.
-Government support systems are a bit too generic and if they were more specialized to the individual they could be way more effective.
-Happiness doesn't come from having more stuff.
-Different people/leaders are needed in different situations.
-Our current veteran-support is insufficient.
-The wealth gap and millionaire bailouts are obscene.
The not-so-good:
-He talks about welfare abusers and insider traders in the same paragraph and while he notes the level of harm (financially) isn't in the same order of magnitude, he still equates them to members of a tribe that don't contribute enough or take more than their fair share and indicate that in a historical tribal setting, they would both be beaten to death (face the same punishment).
-He seems to have an odd understanding of gender and gender roles. Admittedly his statements are supported by the studies he references (not necessarily social science at large), but he still seems to almost revere potentially toxic masculinity and maintains that societal roles are inherently gender-based, which is debatable at best.
-He also appears to idealize a military-centric society (or at least mandatory conscription), which is a little alarming.
-He verges on a tirade against victimhood and only remarks in passing that there are some legitimate victims that need actual support.
-He also doesn't even mention the negatives of tribalism that lead to hate crimes, racism, and war. (In his defense, this was written pre-Trump, when some of the most obvious cases against tribalism were on full display nationwide.)
Regardless of what I think of his overall message, this was a good read.
The good:
-Community is important.
-Having a sense of purpose and believing that you are contributing to society is integral to mental health.
-Government support systems are a bit too generic and if they were more specialized to the individual they could be way more effective.
-Happiness doesn't come from having more stuff.
-Different people/leaders are needed in different situations.
-Our current veteran-support is insufficient.
-The wealth gap and millionaire bailouts are obscene.
The not-so-good:
-He talks about welfare abusers and insider traders in the same paragraph and while he notes the level of harm (financially) isn't in the same order of magnitude, he still equates them to members of a tribe that don't contribute enough or take more than their fair share and indicate that in a historical tribal setting, they would both be beaten to death (face the same punishment).
-He seems to have an odd understanding of gender and gender roles. Admittedly his statements are supported by the studies he references (not necessarily social science at large), but he still seems to almost revere potentially toxic masculinity and maintains that societal roles are inherently gender-based, which is debatable at best.
-He also appears to idealize a military-centric society (or at least mandatory conscription), which is a little alarming.
-He verges on a tirade against victimhood and only remarks in passing that there are some legitimate victims that need actual support.
-He also doesn't even mention the negatives of tribalism that lead to hate crimes, racism, and war. (In his defense, this was written pre-Trump, when some of the most obvious cases against tribalism were on full display nationwide.)
Regardless of what I think of his overall message, this was a good read.
A book everyone should. Shows was to form community and decrease PTSD, particularly in veterans, mental illness, particularly depression, and the deep divide in American politics. A very short book with a lot of fascinating research and ideas to look into further.
The book offers world view shifting observations about humanity's ability to band together in a crisis and its failure to thrive in affluent, peaceful times. It truly changed the way I look at my neighbors in the broader sense and question what I can shift to make life better.