A BOOK I WOULD LIKE YOU TO READ

Have you ever wondered why you are living your life the way you do?

Have you ever wondered if living it the way you do is how you'd actually do it, if given a choice?

Why do you think it isn't your choice already?

If any of the above questions ring some bells in your head, I think this book is worth looking into.

The book I'm gonna talk about is THE SUBTLE ART OF NOT GIVING A FUCK by Mark Manson.

The title of the book might make you think "Oh! Not giving a fuck. I know all of this shit, it's about being indifferent. No thanks!"

Hold on.

The book is not about being indifferent. If anything, the book is about a completely opposite ideology. It aims to show us how to give a fuck about things and what to give a fuck about in order to make our lives better. It's a book about values. The author states that being indifferent means not living. In order to live a fulfilling life, you need to give a fuck about something, you should care about something which means giving out more fucks.

Let me brief you about the chapters in this book in order to give you a better idea.

The book starts with the first chapter, Don't Try. It's some name for the first chapter of the book which people are picking up in the hope of making their lives better after trying so hard.

The chapter is beautifully written with some thought provoking statements being thrown at us almost at every page. It generates question in our minds, " Why we are doing what we're doing?

 What are we doing anyway?"  I love how this chapter sets the tone for the rest of the book.

The second chapter, Happiness Is a Problem. I believe if every human being on this planet read this chapter, it would be a much better place. It shows that how a thing which is so fundamentally craved inflicts misery in our lives. The manner in which Mark has written this chapter, brings to us the harsh reality of pursuing happiness. It brings about how happiness turns out to be a cause for lack of growth, even more unhappiness and unhealthy relationships This chapter is a must read for anyone who think they're not happy in life as well as for anyone who thinks that they are!

Oh boy! The third chapter! You Are Not Special. I think the name of this chapter might offend some people. If it does, you know you need to read this book,right? If it doesn't, you should definitely read this one!

This chapter brings up one of my favourite points. It states that believing that you're special, you're so smart, so sexy, so funny as well as believing that you're shit, so dumb, so ugly and so boring, essentially mean the same damn thing! These sort of beliefs breed a kind of disease in us, this disease is so apparent in our lives yet we look over it every time. I think telling you the name of this disease is a disservice to how  well Mark brings this up in front of us. Go read the book!

The fourth chapter, true to its name, The Value of  Suffering aims to show the importance of embracing the very thing which we so religiously try to escape, everyday!!

The author tells us that whatever shit we go through in our lives which stops us from growing, developing healthy relationships and becoming wealthy is due to some shitty values which we base our life upon. Through some inspiring and insightful stories, the author shows us the importance of having good values. This is one of my favourite chapters in this book.

Chapter 5, You Are Always Choosing, according to Mark, is one of the most important chapters in the book. And I think he's right. When I first read this chapter, I felt it spoke to me straight away. Reading this chapter was a profound experience. With the help of some wonderful stories, the author gives us one of life's most important lessons. Again, giving you the lesson here in my  article might ruin your experience while reading the book : )

The sixth chapter, You're Wrong About Everything(But So Am I). This is a fun chapter. This chapter begins with some really interesting examples in order to show us how can we be so horribly wrong about pretty much anything, showing us, that life is just about being less and less wrong. The author then teaches about  beliefs, the perils of certainty, and building healthy relationships. It might be a long read, but totally worth it due to author's sense of humour and the lessons which he tries to give, especially in a manner that he does!

Chapter 7, Failure Is the Way Forward. I think the name speaks for itself. I think despite knowing so much about the importance of failure in our lives, we often forget about it totally while taking action. There's always this inhibition while taking action due to a fear of failure in spite of knowing so, so much!! I think this chapter due to its awesome stories would help us in remembering it more profoundly and hopefully help us in taking action.

Chapter 8, The Importance of  Saying No. Contrary to the popular belief that you need to say yes to more and more things, more and more opportunities and more and more sacrifices in order to live a successful life. Mark in his words describes this as giving away too many fucks and according to him, giving away too many fucks is bad for our mental health. Through this chapter, he tries to give us some important life lessons  around life, success, relationships and decision making. Totally worth a read for anyone who is looking to gain control over their lives.

The last chapter, ...And Then You Die. Personally, this my favourite chapter. I think this alone can be made into a book and people won't complain. It begins with a heart breaking story about the author's life, how one moment became the defining moment for the rest of his life.It makes us think about the priorities we have in our lives, how we take everything that we have, everything that we have done, everything that we do, for granted! All pointing towards one and only one thing, the importance of death in our lives. In order to emphasise his point, the author then talks about Ernest Becker and his award winning book, The Denial of Death. They are some amazing, thought provoking points which makes us question our values again and again. He then concludes this chapter and therefore the book, with a wonderful story about his tryst with death, at the Cape of Good Hope,South Africa,which leaves the readers with so many insights to take some important actions in their life.

Personally, this book has been a gift for me. Reading it felt like I was reading a letter specifically sent for me. It has been a delight. That's why I'm sharing this book, hoping that this book or the one you'd read at any point in your life is a blissful experience for you as well.

Love.

Fazal Karim