Re: "The Small Stuff" book review

On 7/31/26 1:38 PM, Tara wrote:
> On Jul 31, 2026 at 4:23:49 PM EDT, "dart200"
> <[email protected]> wrote:
> 
>> On 7/31/26 1:06 PM, Tara wrote:
>>> On Jul 31, 2026 at 3:52:16 PM EDT, "dart200"
>>> <[email protected]> wrote:
>>>
>>>> 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
>>>
>>> you know... it's an old one but apropo here I think. Why don't you go back
>>> under the rock you crawled out from. Seriously
>>
>> what are you going to do about it? ban me?
>>
>> u can say whatever u want to about me, it will _never_ hurt me more than
>> abject ignorance you duds constantly put on displace
>>
>> the fact i have to exist on planet with such ungodly stupidity is a
>> _far_ worse feeling than whatever the fuck mean words on a screen
> 
> You do know there is a psychological term and diagnosis for your feelings of
> superiority don't you. And it's not pretty.

i know u can't fucking read words all that well, but i'll say it again:

u can say whatever u want to about me, it will _never_ hurt me more than
abject ignorance you duds constantly put on display

-- 
why are we god?
let's end war 🙃