To Have or to Be?

I saw this book in the secondhand shop in Sharrow and didn't buy it. Then yesterday I cycled down to say goodbye to the Greek man selling his gift shop and to buy a lunch in the Sharrow Marrow and after locking up the bike I went back into the book shop and bought this book after all. I read some in the cafe spilling tea on its early pages then I biked through Endcliffe Park and got off the bike, sat on the grass and read some more. When I got home I read some more. All the time thinking - he wrote this in the seventies and yet it is fresh and speaks to us from the author's grave. No higher praise than this.

Super, tek kelimeyle muhtesem bir kitap. Fromm aslinda her kitabinda biraz tekrar ediyor kendini, ama ne kadar soylese yine az. Bu kitabi icine sindirsen ve yasamina uygulasan bir bilge olur cikarsin, ama yalnizca okumak bile cok aydinlatici. Fromm'un en cok hosuma giden yanlarindan biri de aslinda bir tur self help gibi olmasina ragmen, insanligin cikarini ya da aydinlik gelecegini on planda tutmasi, kisinin keyifni degil, herseye genis acidan bakmasi, ve tum insanlari kardes gibi dusunmesi. Ama tabii ki beni en cok etkileyen yani mistik tarafi, zaten sufizmden etkilenmis.

Fromm states that people in our society have become obsessed with acquiring property, keeping it and increasing it. People become property to be owned and used. He rejects the ideas of the enlightenment and those thinkers who believe people can live freely and trade with one another maintaining a respect for each other through sharing mutual values. His views about people seem to stem from a static view of power rather than a dynamic view of the possibilities for individuals who choose to live a flourishing life. He claims that humans have a deeply rooted desire to express themselves, yet he does not explain the apparent contradiction between this view and the social structure that forces people to have rather than to be. Joy is show more experienced through productive behavior which, for Fromm often ends in sadness. It was disappointing to read a book that was contradictory on so many levels. show less

Attualmente è il libro che più mia ha colpito e cambiato. Semplice e tecnico allo stesso istante,Fromm promuove una concezione della vita,e dei valori che ne concerne, nuova, oserei rivoluzionaria. Rigetta con eleganza i capisaldi delle società edonistiche coltivando nel cuore del lettore il sentimento più sincero e onesto,avvicinandolo all'utopia in realtà possibile.

His description of the problem is excellent. But in section 3 he gets into proposing solutions. He has a lot of proposed solutions that are about as likely to succeed as the search for utopia, which dates back to at least the ancient Greeks. (ουτοπία) The term came into English with the book Utopia (1516) by Sir Thomas More. In the 1800’s there were a number of attempts to create Utopian communities. Human nature prevailed and the communities failed.

“... is there a reasonable chance for salvation? From the standpoint of a business deal, there is no such chance; no reasonable human beings would bet their fortunes when the odds represent only a 2 percent chance of winning, or make a large investment of capital in a business show more venture with the same poor chance of gain. But when it is a matter of life and death, “reasonable chance” must be translated into “real possibility,” however small it may be.” (Page 197)

Again, this book is the thinking of a mature man who achieved fame in his lifetime. It therefore deserves our considering what we can do about it.

I read it as an eBook, so my highlights are visible in Goodreads. show less

This book outlines two orientations to the world: "having" and "being." Fromm argues that much of the frustration of modern life stems from too much emphasis on "having," which does not provide as much satisfaction as "being." "Having" is a game we cannot win, there's always more we could have, and thus we become dissatisfied. Instead, he urges us to prioritize "being," focusing on sensory awareness, social activity, and other experiential pursuits that can provide a bounty of happiness, nearly infinite. A very inspiring message, as he makes his case and discusses these issues.

Ky libër është vazhdim i dy temave kryesore që kam shqyrtuar në disa punime të mëparshme. Në të unë kam vazhduar punën e nisur në fushën e psikoanalizës humaniste radikale, duke u përqendruar në analizën e egoizmit e të altruizmit si dy orientimet kryesore të karakterit.