Hi, Mark! Thank you for these amazing essays of yours. I deeply resonate with the one who made “self-improvement” as his identity. I always tried my best to optimize, to be productive all the time, but it always lead me to cycles of burnout. It made me feel like I was a high-functioning robot, it was dehumanizing.
I also went to a point where I consciously avoided consuming fictitious work, thinking that non-fiction books are superior, and way practical. I remembered my friends recommending my great fiction books, and I just slyly smiled and shrugged my shoulders off.
It felt like I am becoming less of a human.
Not until recently, where I let myself immerse in the world of fiction, of art. Surprisingly, I felt more alived. I am feeling more. I am having more profound emotions. I am becoming more human, I’d like to think.
There is a lot of things I still want to say because of how life became more amazing when I dedicated more of my energy to art.
But yes, sometimes, I just catch myself getting caught off guard, with the thought of how majestic art is.
I might be an odd duck, but I tend to choose literature/fiction over non-fiction (unless it's a non-fiction book I'm reading for book club). I find I can glean so much truth, beauty and goodness from good literature - and enjoy somewhat of an 'escape'. I am momentarily lifted up and out of my reality, so to speak, and then planted squarely down within it. I often find something in literature that illuminates something in my life. I think there's a place for non-fiction and self-improvement books, but unless they're very well-written, or a topic I really feel the need to research, I find one can skim them/use them as reference books. They don't typically have the nice flow of a story as good literature does.
A potent saying I've held onto for a long time is "Non-fiction increases the width of your understanding, but fiction increases its depth." I adore this quote, but I can't remember where I heard it or who said it originally.
Beautifully said! I've also found a pattern to many self-help books, in that they all start to feel the same. A constant repetition of one idea, extended to fill the pages of an entire book. Ironically, the "uselessness" of great art provides so much more value than empty, repetitive self-help mantras.
Couldn't agree more! There is undoubtedly value in those types of books. But I think most people tend to overestimate the amount of value in self-help books and vastly underestimate the value of art.
I love this, Mark! In my arts administration degree, I’ve had many realizations about the importance of the arts in society - in business and beyond.
It’s one reason why I adore The Hunger Games trilogy. Suzanne Collins does an excellent job tracing the theme of music and art as a weapon in a society that dehumanized the working class, reducing their worth to their district’s economic output. If you’re looking for some fiction that further these ideas you’ve mentioned, I think you’d really love reading or revisiting those books - especially her newest one, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (I think her novels are just as important as Fahrenheit 451 and 1984).
I’m also fascinated also by the connection of arts to democracy on a larger scale too. Unique perspectives, not just the one size fits all maximum efficiency solutions you mentioned, are what fuel a healthy, robust, and productive society. Exposure to ideas is essential to self-actualization. Knowing your voice, understanding how to use it, and identifying the areas in which it is most needed are of the utmost importance.
I loved this post so much and could talk about it for DAYS.
Thank you for your kind words, Emmy! I’ve actually never read THG series, so I didn’t know that part of the storyline. Fascinating! And yes, I think there’s definitely a lot to explore in the connection between the arts and a healthy culture/society/democracy!
After working for the same company (an experience that I’m so thankful for—truly life-enriching in that season), I have read probably 90% fiction for many of the reasons you mentioned here. I found that I wasn’t able to truly be “Nate the Great” in the way that was modeled by my peers, and it has taken me many years of introspection to realize that maybe the secular monk thing is actually great for people that are wired to be fulfilled by following that path, but that I am probably not that person. And trying to become something I am not is counterproductive. Instead, I need to figure out who I am, and try to be the best version of that.
I would prefer to let the sun catch me sleeping. In fact, go ahead and watch me sleep for as long as possible, Sun. I too much enjoy my time with the moon. That is who I am.
Hi, Mark! Thank you for these amazing essays of yours. I deeply resonate with the one who made “self-improvement” as his identity. I always tried my best to optimize, to be productive all the time, but it always lead me to cycles of burnout. It made me feel like I was a high-functioning robot, it was dehumanizing.
I also went to a point where I consciously avoided consuming fictitious work, thinking that non-fiction books are superior, and way practical. I remembered my friends recommending my great fiction books, and I just slyly smiled and shrugged my shoulders off.
It felt like I am becoming less of a human.
Not until recently, where I let myself immerse in the world of fiction, of art. Surprisingly, I felt more alived. I am feeling more. I am having more profound emotions. I am becoming more human, I’d like to think.
There is a lot of things I still want to say because of how life became more amazing when I dedicated more of my energy to art.
But yes, sometimes, I just catch myself getting caught off guard, with the thought of how majestic art is.
It often makes me feel speechless, in awe.
I might be an odd duck, but I tend to choose literature/fiction over non-fiction (unless it's a non-fiction book I'm reading for book club). I find I can glean so much truth, beauty and goodness from good literature - and enjoy somewhat of an 'escape'. I am momentarily lifted up and out of my reality, so to speak, and then planted squarely down within it. I often find something in literature that illuminates something in my life. I think there's a place for non-fiction and self-improvement books, but unless they're very well-written, or a topic I really feel the need to research, I find one can skim them/use them as reference books. They don't typically have the nice flow of a story as good literature does.
Thanks for reading and commenting, Melisa! Couldn't agree more!
A potent saying I've held onto for a long time is "Non-fiction increases the width of your understanding, but fiction increases its depth." I adore this quote, but I can't remember where I heard it or who said it originally.
Such a great quote. I think that's exactly right. Self-help books can't come close to reaching the depth and nuance of fiction. Thanks for sharing!
Beautifully said! I've also found a pattern to many self-help books, in that they all start to feel the same. A constant repetition of one idea, extended to fill the pages of an entire book. Ironically, the "uselessness" of great art provides so much more value than empty, repetitive self-help mantras.
Couldn't agree more! There is undoubtedly value in those types of books. But I think most people tend to overestimate the amount of value in self-help books and vastly underestimate the value of art.
I love this, Mark! In my arts administration degree, I’ve had many realizations about the importance of the arts in society - in business and beyond.
It’s one reason why I adore The Hunger Games trilogy. Suzanne Collins does an excellent job tracing the theme of music and art as a weapon in a society that dehumanized the working class, reducing their worth to their district’s economic output. If you’re looking for some fiction that further these ideas you’ve mentioned, I think you’d really love reading or revisiting those books - especially her newest one, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (I think her novels are just as important as Fahrenheit 451 and 1984).
I’m also fascinated also by the connection of arts to democracy on a larger scale too. Unique perspectives, not just the one size fits all maximum efficiency solutions you mentioned, are what fuel a healthy, robust, and productive society. Exposure to ideas is essential to self-actualization. Knowing your voice, understanding how to use it, and identifying the areas in which it is most needed are of the utmost importance.
I loved this post so much and could talk about it for DAYS.
Thank you for your kind words, Emmy! I’ve actually never read THG series, so I didn’t know that part of the storyline. Fascinating! And yes, I think there’s definitely a lot to explore in the connection between the arts and a healthy culture/society/democracy!
After working for the same company (an experience that I’m so thankful for—truly life-enriching in that season), I have read probably 90% fiction for many of the reasons you mentioned here. I found that I wasn’t able to truly be “Nate the Great” in the way that was modeled by my peers, and it has taken me many years of introspection to realize that maybe the secular monk thing is actually great for people that are wired to be fulfilled by following that path, but that I am probably not that person. And trying to become something I am not is counterproductive. Instead, I need to figure out who I am, and try to be the best version of that.
I would prefer to let the sun catch me sleeping. In fact, go ahead and watch me sleep for as long as possible, Sun. I too much enjoy my time with the moon. That is who I am.