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The Age Of Absurdity: Why Modern Life Makes It Hard To Be Happy (2010)

by Michael Foley(Favorite Author)

3.93 of 5 Votes: 2

ISBN

1847375243 (ISBN13: 9781847375247)

languge

English

genre

Nonfiction

publisher

Simon & Schuster

review 1: Fairly good book that mostly serves as a reminder that the greatest satisfactions in life come from the struggle of making something for ourselves and finding our meaning. There are no end points, just a constant slogging up a hill that can sometimes feel pointless. The only solution is to love the journey, because there is no such thing as a "destination"...as soon as we find that elusive thing that makes us "happy," it isn't long before we set our sights on something else.At times it can come off as a "what's wrong with the world today" type of book, but it does make good points about how instant gratification has become the norm in today's age, and it's this expectation that sets us up for unhappiness, because anything that's within easy reach is unlikely to make us hap... morepy just because it's easy. If anything, they are only temporary illusions that are meant to distract us from reality, which, in excess, can be unhealthy.All in all, a thought-provoking read. One can never be reminded too much about the transience of life and the fact that, in the end, it's not material things and money that will make us happy, but the life we build and those we spend it with.
review 2: Van tevoren had ik het idee dat dit boek echt vernieuwende ideeën zou brengen. Dat is niet zo. Het is meer een verzameling van allerlei thema's en gedachten die ik al vaker was tegengekomen, maar die nu zijn gebundeld. De voorbeelden uit psychologisch onderzoek van de laatste eeuw zijn ook veel te bekend, zodat ik vond dat de auteur wat al te makkelijk leentjebuur heeft gespeeld om zijn gedachten te onderbouwen. Voor dergelijke thema's vind ik de romanvorm interessanter, omdat je dan zelf de centrale gedachte moet destilleren. Nu legt de auteur te veel het bekende uit, hoewel het wel knap is hoe hij je vanuit zijn helikopterview vaak laat glimlachen om de rare wezens die wij zijn. less

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