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January 02, 2006
Intriguing Perspective on Self Help
According to one author, self help is the bane of our collective existence. Ever since pop culture turned from crying victim to crying You Can Achieve Anything You Want, we've all be deluded into thinking we really deserve the world without an ounce of work.
It's an intriguing damnation of quacks and other assorted "gurus." I've never been particularly vulnerable to the pull of the self-help aisle...except when I am. I pride myself on a discerning taste, and I think the self-help books I like are better than the rest. For example, I'm still reading Zen and the Art of Making a Living, and every time I return to it I'm reminded why I enjoy it so much. Perhaps because it posits the same theory as all self-help manuals: that personal truth can be found within and be used to succeed in the wider world. I'm not delusional though: I know my faults and my ego is healthy enough for me to recognize my own intelligence, but small enough to accept that I'm not perfect.
To me, the really great thing about the self-help aisle is that it tells the consumer that she can change her life; it doesn't always take a professional to work through depression; the diet industry doesn't have to suck you dry for you to be thinner; a man doesn't need to sweep you off your feet for you to be complete. Then again, there are plenty of books out there that encourage professional help (which can be useful; though it never was for me); that supplement Big Name Diets; and the Teach You How to Snare a Man in Ten Days. Like all books and industries, I say take it with a grain of salt. While I usually can't stand Dr. Phil, I enjoyed his article in the January issue of O, the Oprah Magazine. Then again, I'm at a particularly vulnerable point in my life, where I'm willing to listen to anyone for a few pages but can't be bothered to buy any more books to teach me what I already know - me, myself, and I are complete today, completely alone still searching for the perfect career and mate. Who cares about the externalities? I've got my brain, I've basically got my health, and I'm moving forward. Maybe all the new age reading I did as a teenager has finally sunk in...
It's intriguing that when I looked for more info on the article's author I came across his words in The Observer, lamenting the temptation to bone the pert, lithe first years who populate his creative writing courses. (According to him, he's never succumb to the temptation.) Which makes me understand, a little bit, why there were so many inappropriate relationships at my all women's college.
More info:
"Self Help's Big Lie," editorial by Steve Salerno in the LAT
"The Third Degree," by Steve Salerno in the Observer Magazine
another self-help book that might actually help:
My sister recommends "The Artist's Way," to help you unlock your creativity.
Posted by cj at January 2, 2006 04:22 PM
Comments
I have perused self help aisles myself but never buy anything for I feel that I already know what they are going to say. Many things that they say I find are obvious but perhaps I wouldn't have become aware of if someone didn't spell it out for me!
Came across a great self help website the other day on the note of affirmations. You should check it out
bmindful
Posted by: Ego Cogito at January 4, 2006 05:34 AM
i felt sad because no one ever lft you any comments :(
Posted by: me at January 8, 2006 10:42 PM