Re: "The Small Stuff" book review

On 7/31/26 10:00 AM, Dude wrote:
> On 7/31/2026 8:56 AM, dart200 wrote:
>> On 7/31/26 8:15 AM, Tara wrote:
>>> On Jul 31, 2026 at 10:53:13 AM EDT, "Noah Sombrero" <[email protected]> 
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>>> On Fri, 31 Jul 2026 14:12:02 -0000 (UTC), Tara <[email protected]>
>>>> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> (I haven't read this book yet but I heard the author interviewed on 
>>>>> CBC this
>>>>> a.m and liked what he said).  Just another self-help book or one of 
>>>>> that ilk?
>>>>> Nah, I don't think so.
>>>>>
>>>>> The Small Stuff
>>>>> How to lead a more gratifying life
>>>>> -Ian Bogost -  Atlantic Columnist
>>>>>
> <snip>
>>>>
>>>> In other words, why well off people are not happy.  So they pine for
>>>> the good old days, forgetting that they were not happy then either.
>>>
>>> Uhhh. No, not really what the book is about.
>>>
>>> why don't you read the book.
>>>
>>>>
>>>> "sleek, but soulless, design".  Of course that is not satisfying.  On
>>>> the other hand, if a person has a satisfying fulfilled life, it won't
>>>> matter what knickknacks one includes or not.  Who notices such things?
>>>>
>>>> On the other hand, "automated self-checkout counters"?  Who puts up
>>>> with such emptiness?  As if people needed another way to avoid
>>>> interacting with each other.  But if you have plenty of human
>>>> interaction in your life, maybe those counters wouldn't matter so
>>>> much.  There it is, we are so isolated from each other in our cars,
>>>> and lockable houses that we need to interact with clerks in stores.
>>>>
>>>> How do we feel?  Lonely and bored.  Scared of each other, and out of
>>>> patience with ideas we don't want to listen to (from other people).
>>>> Simple, huh?
>>>
>>> His approach is more about being aware of the pleasure and experience of
>>> holding and drinking a warm cup of coffee on a cold morning.  kind of 
>>> stuff
>>> like that.
>>>
>>
>> it's called mindfulness and it's been written about by like a million 
>> times by now
>>
>> but in this case instead of actively cultivating mindfulness of what 
>> he's still manually doing (which life still involves a lot of), it 
>> seems he's bitching about being robbed of petty shit like manually 
>> flushing toilets in public restrooms. or not having a pile of keys in 
>> ur pockets instead of using the rfid in my watch. or paying for 
>> everything with dirty ass money instead of just tapping my phone.
>>
>> it's like an even more retarded form of complaining that dishwashers 
>> and washing machines have ruined taking care of households because 
>> we're not spending a hours a day manually washing dishes and laundry 
>> anymore 🙄
>>
>> this is the kind bonehead that bitches that electric cars having "no 
>> soul" cause they don't go vroom vroom when u hit the gas! like ok 
>> bro ... is the small electric wine that goes along with the rocket 
>> ship acceleration not enough for you to be mindful of? 🤣
>>
> Everyone that thinks, is being mindful everyday...
> 
counterpoint: all the absfg duds reading this

-- 
why are we god?
let's end war 🙃