Svend Brinkmann

This was an interesting read! I agreed with some of the points Mr Brinkmann made, but definitely not all. For instance, I think his idea of Western culture is a bit excessive, but his ideas regarding self-help books match entirely with my own experience.
I think meditation and mindfulness can actually help finding the peace of mind the stoics liked so much, helping us to be more stable instead of being caught up in the moment all the time, and in a way it encourages us not to attach so much meaning to our own thoughts and feelings.
I also think that this book has a rather narrow definition of 'the self' - I agree there are large parts of who we are that are defined by the way we interact with the outside world, but people living outside society don't lose their idea of self. Even if parts of it are a narrative we construct ourselves, and parts of it are simple biology. I'll have to read more on this.
Also, while I agree that not all emotions are to be expressed, they all are valid. Just because you think you shouldn't be mad doesn't mean you're not mad, and trying to push that away will come back to bite you. The point is not to repress that madness, but to look at it, and say: "Ah. I'm mad, and I'm not going to act upon it" and let it be.

That said, I wholeheartedly agree with the notion that, at least for me, it's past time to stop trying to be a more perfect version of me. This is it. There is no end to that process, there is always something else that can be improved, which means you're always falling short. That way lies despair.
Time to accept that a lot of life is mediocre at best, and that's no ones' fault. Some parts are awesome, some parts suck, most of it is.. ok. Forcing yourself to adopt positive mindsets only makes everything so much worse. Cherish the good things, because they are real and amazing and temporary. Be prepared for bad things, because life is never only good. Do good, because that's valuable in itself, not because it makes you feel good (although it's a nice side effect).

I'm pretty sure I won't manage to become the dignified stoic this book recommends me to be, but then, it also taught me to stop striving for such things, so I'll just be my slightly messy perceived self and be ok with that.… (more)

Weekendavisens anmelder siger det meget godt: "I grænselandet mellem indsigt og ævl".

Når det er sagt, så har denne bog startet en del gode samtaler ved middagsbordet, så det er ikke spildt læsetid.

En god dynamik mellem en progressiv Rane Willerslev og en mere konservativ Svend Brinkmann - med Tor Nørretranders som syntese. Det fungerer egentlig meget godt og giver plads til uenighed i samtalen. Ellers havde det været en frygtelig bog.

Højdepunktet er nok da Rane Willerslev fortæller om at være på feltarbejde i Sibirien under Sovjetunionens kollaps - som et eksempel på hvad der sker ved verdens undergang. Forsyningerne, lønnen, autoriteterne stopper - og hvad sker der så? Det ville jeg gerne høre mere om.

De er ellers hele tiden lige på kanten til at være for fjernt fra verden og for højtflyvende/abstrakte.
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