I really wanted to like this book. After loving The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck, I found this quite a disappointment.
Everything is fucked by Mark Manson was more like a compilation of drudging lectures. The main key takeaway from Everything is fucked by Mark Manson is about the significance of having Hope in life.
Everything is fucked by Mark Manson is split into two parts. The first part is titled ‘Hope.’ In this part, Manson writes about the connection between the Thinking Brain and the Feeling Brain. As he correctly quotes, “We are moved to action only by Emotion.”
“The problem isn’t that we don’t know how not to get punched in the face. The problem is that, at some point, likely a long time ago, we got punched in the face, and instead of punching back, we decided we deserved it.”
― Mark Manson, Everything is fucked by Mark Manson
The thinking brain helps us to express ideas, make calculations and it represents our conscious thoughts whereas the feeling brain represents emotions, instincts and intuitions.
Mark Manson shares stories of many successful people who kept hope in their life in times of failures. I enjoyed reading the part where he connected Newton’s Law of motions with a psychological remix. This is yet again another self-help that guides us to find the true purpose of life.
I found ‘Self-control is an Illusion’ as a very debatable topic. He writes about the issues arising out of classic assumptions. Mark Manson has analysed the mindset of people dealing with depression and enforces the importance of hope and emotion.
The second part is titled ‘Everything is fucked,’ Mark Manson writes about the importance of childhood and how it shapes our character. As we turn into an adult, we realise that unconditional love must come without any expectations or something in return.
“You must love someone without expecting anything in return; otherwise, it does not truly love. You must respect someone without expecting anything in return; otherwise, you don’t truly respect him. You must speak honestly without expecting a pat on the back or a high-five or a gold star next to your name; otherwise, you aren’t truly being honest.”
― Mark Manson, Everything is fucked by Mark Manson
‘Pain is the universal constant’ was one of the best topics in this book. The Blue dot Effect was very intriguing. The concept of noticing more threats when we tend to look for them, regardless of a safe environment was quite scary.
If we protect ourselves and shy away from problems, we do not become happy and secure but in turn, fearing away from problems makes us very fragile and insecure.
No matter how much we strive for happiness and a ten-on-ten lifestyle, we would not succeed as there is nothing called perfection. Thus, Pain is the universal constant of life. Without Pain, it’s impossible to determine the value of anything.
“Because pain is the universal constant of life, the opportunities to grow from that pain are constant in life. All that is required is that we don’t numb it, that we don’t look away. All that is required is that we engage it and find the value and meaning in it.”
― Mark Manson, Everything is fucked by Mark Manson
Mark Manson carries a subtle sense of sarcastic humour throughout the book. To be honest, I skimmed through a lot of this. There were too many topics and it was too dry. At times, I felt certain topics were repeating over and over again. Some of the chapters were interesting, but most of the time, I did feel a little bored. The pacing was super slow and draggy. Overall: disappointed.
Get your copy – https://www.amazon.in/Untitled-Mark-Manson/dp/0062888439
You might also like – https://gentlepages.com/the-subtle-art-of-not-giving-a-fuck/
About the author –
Mark Manson is an American self-help author and blogger. As of 2019, he had authored three books, two of which, The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck, and Everything Is Fucked: A Book About Hope, were The New York Times bestsellers. His books have sold over 13 million copies
