by Mark Manson
HarperOne. 2016. 212 pg. Nonfiction.
Despite what the title seems to imply, Mark Manson does not teach you how to not care about the world around you. He doesn't teach you how to be indifferent. Instead, he helps you as the reader think about what you care about, why you care about it, and if caring about it is worth it. Manson argues that as a modern society, our Achilles heel is that we don't have things to care about that matter, and when we don't have things like survival to care about, we invent frivolous things to stress over. That guy just cut you off on the street, you aren't healthy enough, thin enough, athletic enough are just a few examples. What's worse, these things that make us stress create a feedback loop because we are conscious of the fact that they we are dumb to stress over the things we stress over. Then we are a loser for calling ourselves dumb, then stupid for calling ourselves a loser, etc. etc. Manson definitely doesn't shy away from using the F-word to describe this entire process, but in some ways his use of language shocks you as the reader into a different state of mind. His language, and his logic, enables you to start accepting the negative aspects of your life as temporary rather than things that must be fixed or our world will end.
But for me, Manson's most profound point is that we have forgotten that it is okay for life to suck sometimes. We can always try again tomorrow.
For those looking for a fresh perspective of how to see the world, this book is for you!
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