The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck • Mark Manson

⭑ 5.4 Stars

If a book can be categorized as anything remotely close to self-help, I tend to avoid it at all costs. But, for whatever reason I decided to give Mark Manson’s best seller a shot, and although it hasn’t drastically changed my perspective on the broader category, it wasn’t bad. In particular, the moments of honest reflection about his own before and after states following life altering events was interesting, and forced me to pause and reflect on my own.

In fact, the recent on-field cardiac event suffered by Christian Eriksen kept reappearing in my thoughts as I listened to the final chapter of this audiobook, not surprisingly titled “…and then you die.” It struck me that Eriksen’s situation perfectly encapsulates the universally accepted, yet often ignored fact that death comes to us all. Eriksen was, by most earthly measures, in the top 1% of healthy human adults, and yet in a matter of seconds he was gone (before miraculously being resuscitated by the team doctor).

If there’s a takeaway from this book, for me it was the reminder that we have no idea what we’re doing here, and although none of it may matter in the end, pursuing what I find to be most valuable in the short time I have here is absolutely worth it.