I wasn't sure if it would be appropriate to make a post about this book, but after reading the entire book I realised the content is not in fact crude, nor is it a guide to not caring about anything. On the contrary, this book talks about defining what your values are in life and making sure that you prioritise these values.
Mark has a very realistic view on life and believes that problems are part of everyone's lives. Although these problems may not be our fault, the way we deal with them is our responsibility. He believes that pain and problems spur us into action and so we should make sure that the problems we have in our lives are the ones that are worth fighting for, the ones that we truly give care about. "The person you marry is the person you fight with. The house you buy is the house your repair. The dream job you take is the job you stress over." He highlights the fact that in today's society we are overwhelmed by social media posts that constantly bombard us with the the extraordinary and the exceptional. Because of this, he believes that as a society we have come to expect our lives to be just as sparkly, shiny and as exceptional as the ones we see on Facebook and other social media platforms. However, the reality is of course that most of our daily lives are fairly humdrum and normal, and that this is fine. We should take pleasure in the simple things in life. How is this important to the field of education? I think that by identifying problems as a positive force for change, ultimately Mark Manson is reminding us about the Growth Mindset put forth by Carol Dweck. He is advocating for perseverance and resilience in the face of adversity. "In the long run, completing a marathon makes us happier than eating a chocolate cake. Raising a child makes us happier than beating a video game. Strating a small business with friends while struggling to make ends meet makes us happier than buying a new computer. These activities are often stressful, arduous, and often unpleasant. They also require withstanding problem after problem. Yet they are some of the most meaningful moments and joyous things we'll ever do. They involve pain, struggle, even anger and despair - yet once they're accomplished, we look back and get all misty-eyed telling our grandparents about them."
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Juliet OrchardI have been teaching French and Spanish for 13 years. I qualified and started teaching in the UK, and I currently work at Shanghai Community International School, China. I have experience teaching GCSEs and IB DP and MYP. Find out more about me within these blog pages or below at Linked In. ArchivesCategories |