Skip to main content

Man Down

Image
By

How is it possible for a book to be depressing, supportive and hopeful all at once?


Man Down looks at the problems men have today and how it managed to get this way.

What price 'success'?

It seems so many of the problems come from the external pressure to be a 'success' - whatever that means. Over time this pressure becomes internal and drives us to make decisions to satisfy that pressure, but which are detrimental in so many other ways.

It can be the pressure to take a 'successful' career, though it's one we don't want or aren't suited for. Or to take a promotion, because salary is apparently success - or at least it buys all the things that signal success to others. 

The promotion only means more pressure, less sleep, and poorer health. At the same time the extra responsibility takes away from our ability to exercise, take care of our health and form social connections.

The lack of social connections means that retiring is one of the most dangerous things a man can do. "Statistically the two most dangerous years in your life are the year you are born and the year you retire."

So how is that hopeful?

So, as you may imagine, the book can be quite depressing. However, at the same time I found it to be supportive - in identifying what's going on, and so we know it not 'just me'.

Also, while the book is not a 'self-help' book, it does promote ideas such as exercise, meditation and a more selective use of technology - whilst recognising that these treat the symptoms not the disease. "They are to midlife misery what Nurofen is to a backache".

Towards the end there is the hopeful idea of a better world, where "success might no longer be measured entirely by how much stuff you have. A successful man might be a happy man. Or a generous man. Or a passionate man. Or just a man who listened to his heart, not his head, for a few minutes each day."

Wouldn't that be something? A world where well-being is the thing we aspire to - rather than competing for how hard we can push ourselves, our health and our sanity, in order to acquire the expensive things to make others jealous.

It seems optimistic, but why not give it go? 

Related reading

If you like the sound of this, then you might also want to check out The Happiness Curve.

See my other book reviews or subscribe to my monthly-ish email for future ones.

Read more about:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

My October challenge

By
Decluttering can be overwhelming. I've been stuck. Shelves and boxes and drawers full of stuff I should go through but not sure where to start. Aaagh - there's so much of it. The solution? So for myself (and for you if you want) I've developed a strategy. I've picked 31 categories in advance. I plan to tackle one item per day of October. If I miss a few that's OK. The point is to overcome overwhelm. To focus on one thing at a time. To move forward instead of being stuck. My favourite way to declutter is to sell online . (I even wrote a  free ebook of tips for selling online). I also like to recycle or upcycle things. Wanna join in? I've chosen categories where I think most people would have excess. If there's a category you have already dealt with, that's cool. Have a rest day - or go even further in one of the previous areas. The list Ok so here's my plan for this October. Bookmark this post or download the picture of my notes. For each category I ...
2 comments
Read more

The Latte Factor

By
For the first time ever I'm reviewing a novel. Latte Factor is a short story  - around 120 pages - and is equal parts of inspirational story and financial education. The combination of the two is quite rare, and done quite nicely. The story is about Zoey Daniels, associate editor for a travel magazine. Although she's never been outside the USA  - "a travel editor who's never travelled". She struggles with money and is considering a higher-paying job at the company her friend Jessica works for. The job would provide more income, but would also be more stressful and demanding. She already has a nightmare about being on an increasingly-fast treadmill that she struggles to stay on. Her current boss Barbara - aware only of the money situation - suggests she talk to Henry at the coffee shop. This peculiar suggestion is where Zoey's life begins to turn a corner. Spoiler Alert Being a book of fiction, I don't want to spoil the story for you. It's a book you ca...
Post a Comment
Read more

Is private school the best option?

By
It's back-to-school time here in Australia. If it's a private school, it's time to pay school fees. An investment Some schools describe their fees as "an investment" in the child's future. If it's an investment, let's compare it to other investments. What else could we provide for our kids for the same cost? Other options Scott Pape recommends investments bonds for investing on behalf of children. As they grow up, there's a range of funds to invest in shares. Or they can put it in their own superannuation (retirement) account, so we know they'll be OK even after we're gone. Investment rate My superannuation account returns 10.2% over the long term - and that's after fees and taxes. But that's probably better than most. To be really conservative I'm going to assume a much lower 8%, as taxes are generally higher outside of superannuation. Bear in mind these are not exact calculations - we're just trying to get some b...
Post a Comment
Read more