The Age of Absurdity: Why Modern Life makes it Hard to be Happy

by Michael Foley

The good news is that the great thinkers from history have proposed the same strategies for happiness and fulfilment. The bad news is that these turn out to be the very things most discouraged by contemporary culture. This knotty dilemma is the subject of The Age of Absurdity - a wry and accessible investigation into how the desirable states of wellbeing and satisfaction are constantly undermined by modern life. Michael Foley examines the elusive condition of happiness common to philosophy, spiritual teachings and contemporary psychology, then shows how these are becoming increasingly difficult to apply in a world of high expectations. The common challenges of earning a living, maintaining a relationship and ageing are becoming battlegrounds of existential angst and self-loathing in a culture that demands conspicuous consumption, high-octane partnerships and perpetual youth. In conclusion, rather than denouncing and rejecting the age, Foley presents an entertaining strategy of not just accepting but embracing today's world - finding happiness in its absurdity.

Genres: Nonfiction, Philosophy, Psychology, Self Help, Sociology, Society, Cultural

240 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Originally from Killavullen, Co Cork, Michael Foley has written Kings of September, winner of the 2007 BoyleSports Irish Sportsbook of the year. He also ghostwrote Harte: Presence Is the Only Thing, the autobiography of Tyrone gaelic football manager Mickey Harte, shortlisted for the 2009 William Hill Irish Sportsbook of the Year.

Winner of the GAA’s McNamee Award in 2008 and shortlisted for Sports Journalist of the Year in 2003, he is acting sports editor and GAA correspondent for the Irish edition of the Sunday Times. This is his third book. He currently resides in Macroom, Co Cork.

Reviews

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is about 50% of the greatest self-help book ever written. Only '50%' becaise while Foley is able to nail down - with the support of many a Stoic, Buddhist and psychologist - precisely what makes people unhappy, he stumbles significantly when musing on how to overcome those things.
In short, everything which western civilisation is striving towards is precisely what's making us all so miserable. Americans are apparently the most likely people to suffer from depression, little wonder in a land which promises everything and which values econimic success and the accumulation of goods over all other things, save perhaps the death-cult of Christianity.
Unfortunately, Foley can't seem to see any good in the modern world at all. Video games are dismissed as childish fantasy, whereas books aren't. By making that comparison, Foley immediately condemns all gamers as escapists who can't tell the difference between what's real and what's not. He similarly derides rap music out of hand, not bothering to find out that a a significent portion of rap is not about self-aggrandization and 'bling', in doing so he frequently comes across is an old fuddy-duddy who has reached the conclusion that bad = anything he doesn't like. I suspect he needs to read a little more of his beloved Nietszche.
He blunders again when bemoaning the fact that there are very few books about the grinding pointlessness of office work and the idiocy of those in charge. Evidently a certain television series called 'The Office' has passed him by because its on silly old worthless television. This is a shame because the Christmas Special of Gervais' 'Extras' TV show was very much a meditation on happiness and the disparity between what a person wants and what a person needs.
To put the boot in just one more time; take the chapter 'The Absurdity Of Work' too close to heart and you'll wind up as just the sort of fake, shallow smiles-in-suits which makes office life so unbearable. Gah!

If it sounds as if I'm being particularly harsh or negative, its simply because there is so much of great worth here, and Foley writes with such wit and humour that it's such a glaring shame when he turns out to be such a curmudgeon. An essential read, but do so critically.

[Hugh Howey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this one up in the American Bookstore in Amsterdam to read while on some work travels. I've never laughed out loud like this while reading a book of philosophy. I also have rarely been so moved by the prose of a work of non-fiction.

Foley takes a tour of the things that make us unhappy, shows why we spend much of our time doing the opposite of what might make us happy, and gives a few hints regarding new paths to take if we want to improve our outlook on life and ourselves. It's not a self-help book, but maybe it should be. Or rather, this is what self-help should strive to do, which is to give more understanding and insight and less pat answers to impossible problems. Sages and seers have wrestled with the human condition for millennia. There is no secret that answers all of the mysteries of our existence. Foley offers a more enlightened solution which is to engage in that wrestling match with vigor and zest and enjoy the process until the day we finally succumb.

For me, it was the perfect book at the perfect time in my life. It is a call to slow down in some areas and strive harder in others. The most applicable message is that there is joy in the hard work of life, something I've always found true for myself.

When I set off to sail around the world (my life's ambition), the goal will not be to get anywhere. Or more precisely, the goal will be to get right back to my point of departure. Going in a giant circle, just as Sisyphus rolls his rock up and down a hill, is the point of the thing. What will matter is being one with the sea, aiming for the horizon, having quiet time with my wife, our Kindles full of books, a few storms ahead of us, sure, but a few spectacular sunrises as well.

Rare are the books that say the things we feel in our hearts but are unable to put into words. This is one such book. I'm already reading it again.

[Henk · Rating 1 out of 5]

“Spending money is the most easy orgasm”

Michael Foley includes an enormous amount of one liners as the one quoted above in The Age of Absurdity and likes to generalize. The number of “have never in history” and “... now is everywhere” in the narrative made the text feel breathless and rushed, not well thought through, while taking the time for reflection and nuances is actually one of the pleas Foley makes in this book. Also in terms of sollutions for the perceived flaws in our Western society Foley does not take an original stand but likes to take broad and general ideas, for instance Buddhism and meditation, the learnings of Christ or the filosofy of the Roman Stoics.

What further bothered me was how he takes fringe items from our modern day society and uses that to “prove” our society is overall rotten. For instance Tila Tequila and the apparant existing service of paying to be stalked are used as evidence that we have never been as vain and attention seeking in history, while the same could be said about the sexual depravity of Caligula, the decadence of Oscar Wilde or nightclubs in Berlin in the 20’s to make sweeping moral judgements about the Romans, England in the 1890’s or the Weimar republic. Somewhere halfway the author also acknowledges that his theories might be invalid but that at least they are nice to test, discarding any scientific pretentions of being objective further.

Not to say that some of his observations, for instance on the power of reading and concentrating, are sharp and recognisable (albeit often already dated, for instance when he is refering to Second Life as ultimate “evidence” that we Westerners are fleeing the real world and responsibility) but they are vastly and continuosly eroded by hyperbole. For instance when Foley compares alone time in our current society to using cocaine in terms of subversiveness. Or when he states that Chinese children are brought up less materialistic and focussed on results because of the wholesome influence of Buddhism. Or when he states that we now can no longer repair our own stuff, showing our detachment to “Nature”, conceding in the same sentence that he also never could repair his old television in the past.
Finally he completely lost me in the end with two rather shocking theses.
Firstly he attributes Primo Levi the words “less intellectual curious people died earlier in the Nazi death camps” and secondly he states that trans people are just walking sex toys, meant to satisfy our desire for having everything.

All in all The Age of Absurdity is just a big summary of everything what supposedly is wrong with our current society as perceived by Foley. It felt to me sour, whiney, bitter and not in a good way nostalgic of the easy solutions from the venerated past. In a way therefor the author just falls in his own trap when he states “Every Grand Idea is megalomanic and wants to control the world”. The Age of Absurdity is a very big dissapointment for which I very much do hope Foley does not make to much easy capitalistic gains.

[Marc Lamot · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a bit of a disappointment, this book, but that has more to do with too high expectations, I guess. Foley describes the absurd aspects of modern life. Every now and then he comes close to the classic, sour discours of cultural pessimism (as in the chapter on education), but - happily - his writing is very humourous and witty. I do not agree, though, with his analysis that we live in an age of absurdity. Like many society-analists he's short-sighted, doesn't see the broader historical picture. Of course, I do appreciate a lot of his opinions (for example on our obsession with happiness, or the hilaric situations in the modern workplace), and I do share his view on remedies like detachment and silence, but it really irritated me that this was a very chaotic book, without baseline or logical order. All in all, mixed feelings. (ratingn 2.5 stars)

[Thomas · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is more opinion than fact, and that opinion is that of a grumpy old man.
For a book that ultimately wants to promote happiness, the tone is frighteningly negative.
The few interesting original insights in the book get buried under shallow rants. The author takes his high-brow academic lifestyle as the benchmark for how we all should live and in doing so he judges everyone who has different tastes: e.g. reality TV is both cause and consequence for what's wrong in the world and if we all should read and heed more to Proust, we would all get a step closer to finding true happiness.
Foley has no time nor interest for nuance: things are either black or white, no place for anything in between. Everything that isn't to his personal taste, such as computer games, rap music or reality TV is bad. And this judgement is always based not on a sturdy analysis of the subject, but on his own shallow interpretations.
And the constant name-dropping gets annoying...

[Sharon4 · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm probably going to abandon this book, an unusual thing for me to do. I don't mind his grumpiness, his dissatisfaction with the way that the notion of rights has been taken as permission for people to avoid personal responsibility, or his tirades against perpetual noise, perpetual distraction and perpetual, relentless cheeriness. In fact, I agree with a lot of what he says. What I don't like is that for someone who complains a lot about other people's sloppy thinking, he does a lot of his own. A particularly egregious example is his linking of heavy TV viewing with Alzheimer's Disease. He refers to only one report, albeit in a medical journal, so the reader has nothing to test his assertion against. If he wants to tell us that too much TV will cause our sex lives to bomb and give us chronic spots, he can. Telling us that it will encourage an illness which destroys people's entire lives, without adequately referencing it is awful writing and very poor science. The causal link between brain health and an active intellect is not easy and simple; if it were, mathematicians, philosophers and writers would be safe from this cruel disease. If you want to be entertained by Prof Foley's often justified rants about the modern world, this is the book for you. But be very wary about some of his statements - they are opinion, not reliable facts.

[Martine · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a terribly annoying book to read. The first part resembles what I imagine it feels like to have a truck load of quotes dumped on your head. Confusing, painful, but every now and then a useful thought hits you. Is all the namedropping of famous philosophers supposed to cover up that the author has no actual research to back up his assertions?

From the second part on the book gets better. A lot of what is said is thought-provoking, if not right. However, the air with which it is said annoys me to no end. He presents it as if he's the last samurai, a lone hero against the times, our sole defense against absolute absurdity. The last in a great line of philosophers. Get over yourself.

The last part is complete mumbo jumbo.

[Jenni · Rating 2 out of 5]

Michael Foley has a few interesting ideas, but what he needs more than anything is an editor.

It was so hard to get through this book. The first 3/4 of it consists of rambling complaints about modern society. It's organized by chapters, but honestly, I was never sure what point he was trying to make because he jumped around so much. The only point he ever really drove home was "Everything is wrong with kids these days. Get off my lawn." It's mostly descriptive, offering anecdotes from famous authors and philosophers, without much thematic analysis on his part.

I really wanted to like this. I pushed through all the times I wanted to give up, because I heard the end was better. And it is, somewhat. The final three chapters (the absurdities of work, love, and age) actually manage to stay on topic. But he never actually offers "applications" or solutions, which is what he claims this last section is for. Just more grumbling.

I may revisit this one another day.

[Bataviaan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly valuable book, with very wise insights, spot-on analyses and laughing out loud humor. A feast of recognition that provides a much needed mirror and suggestions for living better.

Long lasting happiness is elusive and hard to attain. Even more so in our affluent culture where the focus seems to be on the external at the cost of inner emptiness.

I am very happy to have read this book. The author's honest realism helps to reflect on the things that are happening before our eyes everyday. The things he describes are so recognizable and insightful, it provides a great way of dealing with it.

At times, he might seem grumpy in pointing out all that is absurd about our world. But I must admit that I loved that, I thought it was a very welcome break from the hysterical 'you-can-be-and-have-anything-you-want' mentality.

The author felt like a mentor and I now feel empowered to take that extra second to look around and think about what is really going on.

Great book..

[Viv JM · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this book up on a whim in a charity shop. It was an entertaining read - I would say Foley's approach is part-Stoic, part-Buddhist and part grumpy uncle moaning about the yoof of today.

[Eric]

Good, but not great. Worth reading, but meh :-)

I don't know. On the one hand, Blessed are the Grumpy. It's nice to see somebody shaking a curmudgeonly fist at society and with a bit of style. And it's nice to see a book and ties together a lot of different sources of ideas from Buddhism, literature, philosophy, psychology, neuroscience, etc; especially if you have exposure to a subset of the stuff (for example Buddhism and some of the pop psych stuff like the “hedonic treadmill“ from the Paradox of Choice). Book probably deserves an extra star for making me want to read some Marcel Proust sometime.

It all starts out well for me when it stays in the abstract, the general big picture. There, the book works as a fairly good antidote, a good way to get over myself a bit. It's good to hear words like “entitlement“ and “self-justification” and have them hit home a little. Then the author starts to get to the specifics in Part II and up, and the sighs start. Because you realise that while a lot of the book is about recognising the absurdities of the modern age, some of it is actually just random nostalgic nonsense.

Sometimes what you sense is that no matter how widely read, educated, insightful and educated the grumpy are, sometimes books like this are just about people being from a different era and not having a clue how the current one works. It's perfectly normal. That's why you need to read across generations to help reduce the probability that you wind up doing the same thing. But I suspect that's why much of modernity seems absurd, not so much because it is absurd, although a good massive chunk of it is, but because it's just bewildering and you don't Get It unless you've been steeped in it, and even then it's unlikely that you will. That's why Foley stumbles through the 21st century with a sense that you can no longer satirise contemporary society, that Reality and articles from The Onion have become indistinguishable from each other.

There's good shit in here.

There's also opinionated ignorance. Smart, erudite ignorance, but ignorance nonetheless.

(Although note that I'm probably just a bit ticked off by his portrayal of the modern Conditions and Disabilities culture in the chapter “The Undermining of Responsibility“ because of my present life circumstances, and that's coloured my view of the rest of the book. So take me with salt)

[Aurélien Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Can we be happy in our current western world? Michael Foley tackles here the problem posed by the notion of happiness and what it does imply -from philosophy and religions to psychology and neurosciences- before confronting such approaches to our modern societies.

If he doesn't answer explicitly to the question of happiness being still possible or not (if it ever was!) he paints an humorous, light and relevant enough picture of our times for his wandering thoughts to be entertaining. The thing is, he sees in 'our age of absurdity' several tendencies that, paradoxically for an era obsessed with individualism, feed in fact feelings of alienation, frustration and anxiety relying, more often than not, on mislead type of satisfaction.

From triumphing consumerism to the culture of rights and victimisation, from egalitarianism to the psychiatrisation of our weirdest behaviours, here's a shot at a world where infantilisation goes hand in hand with an irresponsibility both funny and worrying. Funny because, at the risk of sounding sarcastic, I too like to make fun of those consultants, advisors, mentors, instructors, gurus, therapists, personal trainers and other life coaches (ha ha! 'life coaches'? Really!?) the whole lot flourishing out of simplistic philosophies yet blossoming thanks to a widespread naïve ignorance. Worrying because, indeed, the fact there are more and more naïve ignorants out there to buy into such mumbo-jumbo leaves, well, quite speechless. Is that the price to pay for our race to happiness in our postmodern culture?

Anyway, I am not a pessimist type of person yet I had to admit that, living in societies where everything worth anything and when, on the one hand, intellectual and academic achievements are ignored if not discarded but, on the other hand, any shallow person is able to be famous just by, for example, appearing on a stupid reality TV show left me quite, euh... Thoughtful!

Between sarcasm, stoicism, zen Buddhism and, even, a sprinkle of debunking, here's an amusing little book, interesting and punchy, that will leave the reader smiling all the way through. Now, come on! Gimme all I want and now cuz, I AM entitled to it! :-)

[Mina S · Rating 5 out of 5]

Asla tam hakkini vermedigimi dusunerek donup donup okuyorum. Aslinda basit bir kitap ama cok esasli tespitler var.

[Kelly Eeckhaut · Rating 3 out of 5]

Drie sterren, want 'i liked it'. Ik volg Michael Foley op heel wat vlakken en ik ben blij dat ik het boek eindelijk heb uitgelezen, maar ik deed het oh zo traag en in stukken en brokken. Lezenswaardig, dat zeker wel, maar behoed je voor de soms irritant hautaine toon en de eindeloze referenties. Ik zou zeggen: lees enkel het hoofdstuk over de toepassingen, maar dan mis je wellicht ook enkele 'fundamenten' van zijn hele filosofie. Maar dus toch: ook al was het grotendeels een literatuurstudie met weinig nieuwe ideeën, het boek zit vol levenswijsheden en (soms zelfs Pinterestwaardige) quotes.

Waarom ik zo lang over dit boek gedaan heb? (lees: ik begon er eens aan in 2014 maar legde het dan terug opzij, eind juli 2016 begon ik nog eens en deed ik er dus zo’n vijf maanden over om me er doorheen te ploeteren)
- Michael is nogal een pessimist, in mijn ogen. Hij kwam heel vaak te negatief en klagerig over en daar had ik niet altijd zin in.
- Ik las de papieren versie en ik lees nu eenmaal niet graag meer papieren boeken sinds ik een ereader heb. (Dat zou hij wellicht een absurde reden vinden.)
- Dé reden waarom ik dit soort boeken niet graag lees: de essentie kan in principe worden samengevat in enkele bladzijden, maar de ideeën worden uitgesmeerd over een veelvoud daarvan. Veel ruis, veel te veel ruis. Waarin de boodschap soms zelfs verdrinkt.
- Een andere reden waarom dit soort boeken me niet helemaal lijkt te liggen: als het over een thema gaat waarmee je bezig bent (en dat is toch meestal het geval als je er een boek over leest, me dunkt), weet je er al veel over en heb je er zelf al over nagedacht en gefilosofeerd. Je eigen ideeën worden bevestigd en versterkt, maar eigenlijk zijn er weinig nieuwe inzichten. De auteur kan ze gewoon beter verwoorden. Ook hier: af en toe nuttige, nieuwe inzichten, maar die ruis, dus. Bah.

[Russell Blake · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating, erudite, compelling exploration of the philosophy and science of happiness - whether it's achievable as a sustained state, what brain chemistry tells us about love and infatuation, our biological drive for transcendent states and why they are essentially unsustainable, why variety may be wildly overrated and misunderstood, why the great philosophers all seem to arrive at the same conclusions about man's search for meaning...

I've recommended this book to at least a dozen friends. It's that good. And as with some books, it has you thinking long after you've turned the final page.

Modern consumer society has become a race to reward ourselves with ever greater or more varied experiences, which we basically tell ourselves we deserve by virtue of being, well, us. The problem being that like a hit of heroin, that which might make us feel good in the short term requires larger and larger hits to get a smaller and smaller high, until eventually we've trained ourselves to have to be mainlining just to feel somewhat normal. It's great if you're in the biz of selling heroin, not so great if you're in the biz of trying to live a self-actualized, relevant, relatively happy life.

What a wonderful book. Not often you hear me say that...

Will it give you a series of easy-to-follow steps on how to wind up happy? No. Because there is no such bromide. Will it give you enough food for thought to give you a running chance at living as full a life as possible?

Yes.

Best $10 you'll ever spend, and a joy to read.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

I agree with Chris in that some people wouldnt read this book because it would actually expose their own limitations and people dont like to hear that their belief system is rather vapid. There are some great insights in this book and the moments of mocking are delivered with great aplomb. One of my favourite lines in this book is when he is talking about 2nd Life "2nd life is the only place where 2 heterosexual men can have a lesbian affair".

He also shares my views that "difficulty is crucial, everything worthwhile has to be earned", and that a large portion of todays society are induced by passive driven stimulus where people only see the bright colours and loud bangs, whereas people with active purposeful attention will see the entire scene and true depth.

Anyone who shares a similar hatred of celebrity obsessed culture, or trivial popular culture where depth is replaced by superficiality will love this book, must also mention the section on the workplace, as i know of just those people that spout such lines as "situation worsening, please send chocolate". At times he repeats himself, but he hits a lot truths so overall this a great read.

[Bert · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Het is choquerend en buitengewoon betreurenswaardig, maar kennelijk begint de verkoop van sinaasappels geleidelijk te dalen omdat mensen er geen zin meer in hebben om ze te pellen. Zodra ik dat las, begon ik vaker sinaasappels te kopen en ze met meer plezier te eten." (p.145) Hij zou het misschien over vijgen gehad hebben, maar het zou zowaar een zin van Aristoteles kunnen zijn als hij zich vandaag gewaagd zou hebben aan een geupdate versie van zijn Nicomachische Ethiek. Met een breed uitgesmeerde laag ironie en meerdere snuifjes cynisme wijdt Michael Foley zich aan deze taak. Over 't randje soms, maar altijd naar waarheid. Alles is oh zo herkenbaar. Zoals ook Aristoteles in zijn Ethica zelden iets nieuws verkondigde, zo gebruikt Foley de hedendaagse psychologie en neurowetenschap om zijn lezers te wijzen op de manier waarop zij hun dagelijks leven leiden. Vol absurditeit. Als een ware Aristoteles laat Foley hen zien hoe plezierig die absurditeit kan zijn, en hoe absurd gelukkig we wel niet kunnen worden. Door het even te bekijken en te overpeinzen.

[Özgür Baltat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kitap, modernizmin bir eleştirisi, hayatı anlamlandırdığımız bakışaçılarımızın ve gündelik alışkanlıklarımızın ardındaki tutarsızlıkları bir bir gözümüzün önüne seriyor. Bunu bir başkaldırı, isyana davet olarak değil, içinde yaşadığımız sistemin saçma, absürd olduğunu göstererek alaycı bir ifadeyle yapıyor. Kitabın başarılı bulduğum kısmı eleştiriyi yaptıktan sonra, insanlığın kültür birikimi olan yazarların, sanatçılar, filozofların, dinlerin bu konuyla ilgili aslında ne dediklerini hatırlatması ve son bilimsel çalışmaları referans vererek aslında olması gereken bakışaçılarının altını çizmesi. Tabi yazarın fikirleri, sonuçta kendi yorumlayışı, algılayışıdır ve okurun her konuda yazarla aynı fikirde olmasını da gerekmez. Kitabın çokbilmiş dili, alaycı tavrı rahatsız etmezse, keyifle okunan dolu, kışkırtıcı bir kitap.

[Ferda Nihat Koksoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

-İp üstünde sadece İLERİ giderek AYAKTA kalınabilen dünyada mutluluk çok da kolay değildir.

-Günümüz sisteminin ana fikri “DAHA ÇOK BOK SATIN ALMAZSANIZ BOKA BATARIZ” tehdidi’dir. AVM’ler, geniş girişleri, yüksek görkemli binaları, aydınlık ortamları, benzerlerin birlikteliklerine ve herkesin/her yaştan olanların yan yanalığına olanak sunması, dinamik müzikleri, para harcatarak orgazm sağlamalarıyla YENİ TAPINAKLARdır; PARA, seksten daha SEKSİ’dir artık.

-"Düşünüyorum öyleyse varım" yerine “GÖRÜLÜYORUM ÖYLEYSE VARIM” dünyasında yaşamaktayız; gerçekten de görülmüyorsanız YOK sayılmaktasınız.

-İD (alt-benlik) hiç bu kadar şımartılmamıştı ve bugün ALTIN çağını yaşamaktadır. Aklın yerini DÜRTÜ, sorumlu/zor olanın yerini ise KOLAY/ÇOCUKSU almıştır. Çaba-birikim-başarı gerektiren ÖZSAYGI yerini, hiçbir şeye ihtiyaç duymayan, sürekli talep eden, kendine tapan, kendini bilmez ve şiddet yanlısı ÖZBEĞENİ’ye bırakmaktadır. Arzu/id egemenliği öyle bir boyuta varmıştır ki gençler hatalarının ÖZÜRLERİNİ ana-babalara ve sisteme devrederek süratle SORUMSUZLUĞA terfi etmekte, kabuğu soyulmayı gerektiren PORTAKAL satışları azalmakta, okunmayan kitaplar üzerine konuşabilmeyi öğretmeye çalışan kitaplar yazılabilmektedir.

-Bir çalışmada, ZEKASI ÖVÜLEN çocukların kolay testleri , ÇABASI ÖVÜLEN çocukların ise zor testleri seçtiği anlaşılmıştır. Zekası övülenlerde oluşan BAŞARISIZLIK korkusu, onların daha KÖTÜ sınav kağıtlarına bakarak eğlenmelerine, ÇABASI övülenlerde gelişen öğrenme şevki ise daha iyi kağıtlara bakarak kendilerini geliştirmelerine yol açmıştır. Sonuçta, ilk grupta %20 GERİLEME ikinci grupta ise %30 İLERLEME ortaya çıkmıştır.

-Cep telefonları ve internet üzerinden her 3 dakikada 1 gelen uyaranlar, dikkat dağıtıcı olarak etki yapmakta, çocuk/genç insanın prefrontal korteksinin (özgür irade/analiz-sentez/sebat/ahlak/ konsantrasyon/özdeşleşme merkezi) gelişimini önlerken, erişkinde ise konsantrasyon gücünü azaltmaktadır. EKRANLAR büyüyerek kamusal alanı ele geçirmekte ve Platon’un “MAĞARA DUVARI” işlevini görmektedirler.

-Seyahatlerde, BATTAL BOY ÇOCUKLAR, rehberlerin ardında her şeyi yutar gibi koşuşturup, foto-video çekerek ve alışveriş yaparak tatmin olmaktadır. Potansiyele/değişime tapma yaygınlaşmakta; şimdiyi görememekte ve sonra/az ileride DAHA İYİSİ’nin olabileceğini düşünen AÇGÖZLÜLÜK, şimdiyi harcama ve sorumluluktan KAÇMA hali egemen olmaktadır. Çağın Odisseus/İsa/Buda'sı ERGENLİĞİNİ BİTİRMEYEN, internet başından ayrılmayan konumdadır. Bitmeyen ergenlik ve saçmalıklar çağında ilaç şirketleri İLAÇLARA UYGUN psikolojik bozukluklar yaratamaya başlamıştır.

-RÖLATİVİTEYİ düstursuzca kullanmak, gerçeği SPEKÜLASYONA, bilimi SİHİR/SEZGİYE ve içeriği İMAJA boğdurmaktadır. Yeni zamanlarda methiyeler dizilen SEZGİ’nin bile düşünme, analiz, çaba, sebat gerektirdiği ve ancak BİRİKİMİ OLANIN sezebileceği unutulmaktadır.

-“İŞ DİNİ” ve giderek artan müritleri, KONFORMİZM (uydumculuk) konusunda zirvede olup ÇALIŞMAYI YAŞAM TARZI, İŞİ KİMLİK-STATÜ haline getirmektedirler. ÖZGÜRLÜKLER, her şeyi tatmin edecek iş merkezi (kafe, restoran, mağaza, spor olanakları içeren) ile DEĞİŞTİRİLMEKTE, tatil, eğlence, spor, sohbet ve arkadaş çevresi bile planlanmaktadır. UYSAL, NEŞELİ, GÜRBÜZ ve SIĞ BİR SÜRÜ söz konusudur. Artık WC dışında yalnızlık yoktur ve ilişkiler giderek KISA VADELİ TİCARİ ilişkilere benzemektedir. Aslında unutulan, sürü olmak ve hazır şablonlara uymak yerine hayata geçirilmesi gereken gerçeklik şudur: Çalışma sırasında ÖZERK ve İNİSİYATİFLİ olabilmek, PAHA BİÇİLMEZ bir armağandır ve EN ÖNEMLİ MOTİVASYON faktörüdür.

-Tek mekânda hep birlikte oynayan 11-12 yaş grubu çocuklarda yapılan bir çalışma, çocukların keyfi herhangi bir nedenle İKİ GRUBA bölünmeleri halinde, ciddi ÇATIŞMALARIN başladığını göstermiştir. Sistem, bu önemli gerçekliği, toplumların sevk ve idaresinde sıklıkla kullanmaktadır. İNADINA ÖZGÜR ve ÖZERK BİRLİKTELİKLER hedeflenmelidir.

-Huzurevinde iki kata ÇİÇEKLER yerleştirilerek yapılan bir çalışmada, çiçeklerin bakımından katın birinde bir GÖREVLİ, diğerinde ise sakinlerin TAMAMI sorumlu tutulmuştur. Çiçeklere kendileri bakan insanların mutluluk test sonuçları ve yaşam süreleri daha yüksek bulunmuştur. SEVİLEN şeylere ÖZEN ve ÇABA gösterilmelidir.

-Başka bir çalışmada, bir odada yalnız başına olan insanların tamamına yakını ÇATAL-BIÇAK gibi nesnelerin basit eşleştirmelerini yapabilmiştir. Aynı insanlar, ayarlanmış ve kasti olarak yanlış eşleştirme yapan bir kalabalığın arasına yerleştirildiklerinde ise %70 oranında yanlış eşleştirme söylemine iştirak etmiştir. Kalan %30 insanın muhalif, özerk ve gerilimden kaçmayan karakterde oldukları anlaşılmıştır. ÇOĞUNLUĞUN KARARLARINA karşı ŞÜPHE elden bırakılmamlıdır.

-Laboratuar giysileri içerisinde otoriter görünümlü insanların emirleri ile yine 2/3 oranında insanın, kendilerini basit sıkıntılı hallerden kurtarmak için, sorulan sorulara yanlış cevap veren bir başkasına, gerçekte olmayan ama deneğin var diye bildiği ölümcül düzeyde elektrik voltajını (450 volt) uyguladığı ortaya çıkmıştır. Otorite giysili şahsa bir kişi bile itiraz ettiğinde ise emirleri uygulayanların oranı 1/10’a inmiştir. Konunun uzmanı psikiyatrlar arasında yapılan anket, sadece %1 uzmanın bu sonuçları tahmin edebildiğinigöstermiştir. ÇOĞUNLUĞUN kolay boyun eğdiği TAHAKKÜME KARŞI ŞÜPHE ve itiraz hakkı sürdürülmelidir.

-SİMURG’un aslında insanın KENDİSİ ve yapılan her şeyin ÖDÜLÜNÜN de aslında YAPILANIN KENDİSİNİN olduğunun anlaşılması, HİÇLİK VADİSİ’nin DİP noktasından ÇIKIŞ anlamına gelebilir. Paha biçilmez ve asıl olan HİKAYESİ OLMAK ve HİKAYESİNİ ANLATABİLMEKtir. Bu ise bir olayı nakletmek değil, OLAYIN ANLATANIN HAYATINA KATILMASIdır. Nazi kamplarından kurtulanlar arasında, mülkiyet-statü düşkünü burjuvalara göre entelektüel merak/öğrenme geleneği olanların oranı daha yüksek bulunmuştur.
Belki de YAŞAM/ÖLÜM ve İYİLİK/KÖTÜLÜK ikilemlerinin gerçek turnusolu ENTELEKTÜEL MERAKtır.

[Szymon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Like a curmudgeonly old man shouting at clouds Michael Foley has successfully managed to complain about every aspect of modern life without offering any coherent solution.

'Sorry everyone! Things used to be way better, we're living ~20-30 years after the best of times.'

In paraphrased summary: 'Slow down,' 'It's all about the journey.'

[casey · Rating 3 out of 5]

400 years later this is finally off my currently reading lol

i went into this with high hopes because i saw a ton of rave reviews about it changing people’s lives but honestly this wasn’t as ~mind blowing~ as i expected it to be. while i dont disagree with the critiques in this, i think i may just be a bit burnt out on reading about how we’re all mindless sheep hence why it took me months to get through this.

[Ludo · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I surf the net and read the blogs ..I have the impression that a lot of sites are dedicated to the pursuit of happiness. You can achieve happiness with meditation, diet or sports, by becoming a digital nomad, by keeping your possessions under 50 items, by living smaller, by becoming your own boss etc...the list goes on and on. Never have we been more unhappy in a more affluent society. Michael Foley does a good job in going for the roots and causes of this very difficult and possibly very threatening condition for our individual and societal well being.

He inevitably stumbles upon one of the great culprits of this situation. The imperative in modern society that one should enjoy, that we have earned the right to it...that everything around us exists for the sole purpose of giving us what we want. Being a psycho-analyst by training I can only underscore the very detrimental impact this has on the psyche of modern man.

Besides, this rampant individualism and consumerism is going to be the end of us if we do not come up with a great new idea, an idea that can shape our society for the better. We need thinkers!! Not the 50th kind of ice cream flavor!

I recommend this book.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoy books which are cross-disciplinary, and this one digs into psychology, philosophy, literature, sociology and religion. The overarching thesis is how this age of plenty in which we live is actually a cause of dissatisfaction and unhappiness, and that in order to find happiness, there are a number of very simple things we should attend to. Mindfulness, striving, dissociation and transcendence were a few of them, but as simple as these things sound, in the age of 24-hour news, social networking, reality TV and endless choice, they are really quite difficult.

The joy of this book was that as well as being interesting, it was also really funny. The author, who is Irish, is both realistic about himself and about life and despite some of the depressing observations he made, ended the whole book on a very positive high. Modern life definitely has its issues, but being aware of it and not succumbing to the absurdity of it can mean contentment can be found.

[Leo Africanus · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderfully witty debunking of the false claims of modern life. Foley reasons beautifully for a little more detachment and difficulty in our lives to counter our innate sense of entitlement (itself a logical continuation of the battle for rights in the 1970s and subsequent eschewing of duties). He also outlines the importance of the dying art of gratitude and questions the conformity and passivity induced by organised religion - characterising both Jesus and the Bhudha as activists.

[Arda Yigit · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bitirir bitirmez ileride en az bir kere daha okumaya karar verdim. Çoğunlukla varoluşumuzdaki anlamı ararken bu arayışta kayboluyoruz. Varlığımızı bu arayışta harcıyoruz. Oysa bu zamanı sadece yaşamı hissetmeye sünger gibi içimize çekmeye harcasak belki de çok daha anlamlı olacak. Bu kitabın son sayfasını işte bu düşüncelerle çevirmiş oldum. Sisifos’un hikayesindeki gibi. Başka taşa gerek yok. Benim taşım bu.

[Bouke · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has its moments, but here's a summary of the conclusion: try to be more present in the moment and have genuine experiences instead of just cruising life on auto pilot. Also some parts of the book annoyed me because the author was just being an old curmudgeon instead of actually providing insight.

[Krishnan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well written and humourous summary of everything wrong with the state of our lives today

[Rosa Hafetzi raschid · Rating 2 out of 5]

2,5 Sterne
Irgendwie kam der Autor manchmal echt hängengeblieben rüber aber es gab schon einige gute Denkanstöße

[Simone · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was very clearly written and provided lots of interesting insights on a wide range of elements of the human condition.

[Mark Love · Rating 3 out of 5]

The fact that modern life can make it hard to be happy is undoubtedly true. And nostalgia isn't what it used to be either. Michael Foley has clearly been brooding for some time over the cause(s) of his dissatisfaction with the world, and has produced a comprehensive, convincing, and enjoyably readable, analysis of why he feels it is so.

This is a "practical philosophy" book akin to any one of Alain de Botton's, with almost as many references to Proust, though slightly less pretentious and with many more occurences of the word "fellate". Foley also references Frances Wheen's excellent "How Mumbo-Jumbo Conquered the World" which deals with similar themes regarding the death of rational thought that has accompanied the rise of the "all opinions are valid" and "everyone's got talent" culture that increasingly surrounds us.

Foley takes a swipe at the attention-deficit generation, leading shallow lives, dreaming about celebrities and with facile water-cooler work-based joviality and sex-obsessions. Although his references to The Death of Ivan Ilyich and The Great Gatsby perhaps only go to show that there is little new in any of this, and Foley's own sex-obsessions could perhaps match that of any 19 year old.

As you would expect from an academic, the book is very well referenced and describes some fascinating psychology experiments that support his musings on motivation, reward and happiness, although some of the conclusions seem a bit shakey and the distinction between causation and correlation is not always clear. And the chapter entitled "Loss of Transcendence" begins with an anecdote about an unappreciative and distracted audience at a Bruce Springsteen gig, that almost undermines the entire chapter - to lament families taking mobile phone pictures of themselves, rather than "the early days of rock and roll when audiences went crazy, smashed up theatres and ran riot in the streets" perhaps suggests only that he is looking in the wrong place.

That said, there is much here to reflect on. In particular the chapters on ageing, work and love contained many insightful reflections and some (though sadly not enough) practical guidance for dealing with life's fears, disappointments and tribulations.