A review by jewelianne
The Power of Meaning: Crafting a Life That Matters by Emily Esfahani Smith

5.0

A book with the existentialists, eudamonia, Will Durant, the Moth, and Viktor Frankl is clearly a book for me. I'm always a little suspicious of the more "mystical" aspects of positive psychology, so I'm glad that the focus was on actual scientific studies and historical philosophical ideas. A life of meaning through love of others, good works, and storytelling is something I can get behind. And while I never thought of it directly before, the idea that some unhappiness (or at least less happiness in the fleeting emotional sense) is the trade off for depth makes a lot of sense. Further, the main argument of this book seems to be that the most meaning comes from our connections to other people, and the world in general. As a person who has struggled many times with a feeling of isolation, this is a realization that I've slowly been coming to on my own. It's nice to see it reflected in print. This is just a wonderful book that I'm grateful to have found. On a final note, how did Will Durant write a book about the meaning of life and I never knew it? To MelCat!