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A review by tyndareos
The Burnout Society by Byung-Chul Han
3.0
Short little interesting Book with only around 60 pages.
So his main claim is that we live in an undisciplined society in which we don't require discipline anymore but desire to archive instead.
Reminds me of Michel Foucault's book :Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison.
Of his vision of a Pan optic Prison to a Pan optic society with a self monitoring mechanism, declining privacy for comfort.
Instead, there is an indoctrinated perceived need of self optimizing through outer input as advertisement. Focused on societally formed issues as : “don't be a health burden” “do sports stay slim” “smoking kills”. Still positive, but slowly turning to a pathological need of self optimizing with no end.
Han makes some weird claims about God, of course with no further proof, and rests on the burden of proof. From a Judaic view, he argues that we should undergo Sabbath and rest and restrain from the modern distractions.
He also continues to argue how our modern society burns itself out through over working and trying to do more in less time and burden less employees with more work and expose them to unhealthy working practices, ignoring mental health issues.
Han critiques a surplus of positivity in our culture, everything is framed as achievable and positive, ignoring the natural existence of negativity.
This constant pressure to be happy and productive paradoxically could lead to burnout.
It denies the need for rest and discourages acknowledging challenges.
Further hindering growth is the concept of achievement without negativity.
It suggests success comes solely through positivity and effort, overlooking the valuable lessons learned from mistakes and failures.
Reflection on negative experiences is crucial, but this cultures discourages it.
Finally, the like culture on social media creates a system where self worth is tied to external validation. The constant need for approval creates a fragile sense of value, easily shattered by negativity. This dependence on external validation fuels a cycle of needing to constantly perform and achieve for social approval, ultimately contributing to burnout.
So his main claim is that we live in an undisciplined society in which we don't require discipline anymore but desire to archive instead.
Reminds me of Michel Foucault's book :Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison.
Of his vision of a Pan optic Prison to a Pan optic society with a self monitoring mechanism, declining privacy for comfort.
Instead, there is an indoctrinated perceived need of self optimizing through outer input as advertisement. Focused on societally formed issues as : “don't be a health burden” “do sports stay slim” “smoking kills”. Still positive, but slowly turning to a pathological need of self optimizing with no end.
Han makes some weird claims about God, of course with no further proof, and rests on the burden of proof. From a Judaic view, he argues that we should undergo Sabbath and rest and restrain from the modern distractions.
He also continues to argue how our modern society burns itself out through over working and trying to do more in less time and burden less employees with more work and expose them to unhealthy working practices, ignoring mental health issues.
Han critiques a surplus of positivity in our culture, everything is framed as achievable and positive, ignoring the natural existence of negativity.
This constant pressure to be happy and productive paradoxically could lead to burnout.
It denies the need for rest and discourages acknowledging challenges.
Further hindering growth is the concept of achievement without negativity.
It suggests success comes solely through positivity and effort, overlooking the valuable lessons learned from mistakes and failures.
Reflection on negative experiences is crucial, but this cultures discourages it.
Finally, the like culture on social media creates a system where self worth is tied to external validation. The constant need for approval creates a fragile sense of value, easily shattered by negativity. This dependence on external validation fuels a cycle of needing to constantly perform and achieve for social approval, ultimately contributing to burnout.