“…death is the light by which the shadow of all life’s meaning is measured”
If I had judged this book by its cover, or its title for that matter, I would have never unlocked the treasure trove of knowledge within. As I flip through the pages of my copy, I am met with thousands of annotations littered in the margins, that I hastily scribbled at midnight, under a reading light, while my eyes strained to grasp Manson’s words.
Captivating, and blatant, this book proposes a unique formula for an effortless, and happy life. A world-renowned philosophical blogger, Mark Manson echoes the wisdom of Eckhart Tolle, and philosophers of the past, but condenses their concepts into a single phrase: Stop giving a f***
While I have read many self-help books, none have been quite like this one. Manson guides the reader through the harsh, but realistic truths of life, such as: to try is to fail; happiness is the cause of our distress; none of us are truly special; and we all are going to die.
But rooted in these outlandish statements are seeds of unadulterated wisdom. Manson invites us to take responsibility for our actions and claims that we are not the victim, but the villains of our own narrative. It is our blindsided foolishness that prevents us from reaching our full potential. It is not the fault of society, our neighbor, or the mailman for dismissing our capabilities. It is our self-perceived flaws that we are ultimately deluding ourselves with.
Furthermore, he encourages us to live with an approach of uncertainty and to refrain from forming judgments about ourselves and others. In doing so, we provide ourselves with multiple opportunities for change and rebirth. Instead of being set in our ways, we are constantly evolving and growing as people. As this happens, we no longer allow trivial characteristics to define us. Society’s labels and biases cannot hold us hostage within a cage, because we have morphed into water, and easily slip through the iron bars.
When we live with an attitude of uncertainty about who we are, we stop fearing the unknown, and we stop fearing change. We cease avoiding pain and failure as well. This is because such terms no longer inhibit us, and define our lives. When this happens, we won’t fear death, and allow it to dictate our existence. Manson writes, “…all meaning in our life is shaped by this innate desire to never truly die” (192).
Let that thought marinate for a minute.
We spend all our life bracing for death, and we never live our life to the fullest as a result.
The sad thing is, every breath we take is the death of another second. Every night we stare at the stars is the death of another day. Every candle we blow out on our birthday cake is the death of another year.
Death is an absolutely inevitable part of our lives, and we shy away from it.
Why? Because we’re scared of how insignificant our lives are.
However, Manson is right. Death is what actually gives our lives meaning. But this doesn’t mean it should have complete control over us.
Death is what allows us to transform ourselves for the better, to experience spiritual growth and awakening. Fearing death prevents us from living, while embracing it allows us to create a richer more vibrant life for ourselves.
When we become comfortable with death, we are comfortable with shedding past versions of ourselves, whether that be in a spiritual form, or in our physical (literal) God-given vessel.
Reading this book was truly eye-opening for me because it didn’t just teach me how to not give a f***, but what to truly give a f*** about, especially in terms of death and life. As a New York Times Bestselling book, I highly recommend you read it. It will have you laughing, crying, and (possibly) contemplating what it means to die, by the end.
Spilled Ink 
Very nicely written
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