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A review by barrettcmyk
The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can't Stand Positive Thinking by Oliver Burkeman
4.0
Hoooo boy if ever there was a book title meant for me, this was IT.
Spotted this one in an airport bookstore, didn’t pick it up, but was thinking about it days later, so I grabbed it at the library. Mostly, it’s the author’s journey through several different philosophies and cultures, and how they approach happiness. You’ve got stoicism, Buddhism...different cultures and their thinking about death (á la Day of the Dead in Mexico and other Latin countries). Really, really appreciated that this book didn’t necessarily promote One True Way to reach contentedness or enlightenment... mostly that it was about balance, and not trying so damned hard. Infinitely more palatable to this cynic... and more importantly, infinitely more *doable*.
Notes taken on my phone while reading:
”Negative capability“
§ understanding that the shortest path to positive mood is rarely a path to a genuine and profound happiness.
§ can be undertaken in Buddhism or stoicism or memento mori but all can work, all can contradict one another.
§ “entails moderation and balance and refraining from too much effortful struggling—including the practice of NC.”
“... the cult of optimism ... abhors a mystery. The greatest benefit of NC... is that it lets the mystery back in.” Letting go, balancing between doing and not doing, trying to to focus on all consuming goals or only looking at life as opportunity for security and success
Spotted this one in an airport bookstore, didn’t pick it up, but was thinking about it days later, so I grabbed it at the library. Mostly, it’s the author’s journey through several different philosophies and cultures, and how they approach happiness. You’ve got stoicism, Buddhism...different cultures and their thinking about death (á la Day of the Dead in Mexico and other Latin countries). Really, really appreciated that this book didn’t necessarily promote One True Way to reach contentedness or enlightenment... mostly that it was about balance, and not trying so damned hard. Infinitely more palatable to this cynic... and more importantly, infinitely more *doable*.
Notes taken on my phone while reading:
”Negative capability“
§ understanding that the shortest path to positive mood is rarely a path to a genuine and profound happiness.
§ can be undertaken in Buddhism or stoicism or memento mori but all can work, all can contradict one another.
§ “entails moderation and balance and refraining from too much effortful struggling—including the practice of NC.”
“... the cult of optimism ... abhors a mystery. The greatest benefit of NC... is that it lets the mystery back in.” Letting go, balancing between doing and not doing, trying to to focus on all consuming goals or only looking at life as opportunity for security and success