Beyond Us
A humanitarian’s perspective on our values, beliefs and way of life
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- 7,99 €
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- 7,99 €
Publisher Description
This short and vigorous book consists of a penetrating collection of interrelated essays whose defining characteristic is that they pin down, magnify and mirror back to us, with embarrassing clarity and force, our most dysfunctional yet unexamined ways of thinking, living and relating to each other in the early 21st century. Our ills are diagnosed with x-ray vision and laser precision. The book assesses our situation from a neutral vantage point outside the cultural echo chamber of values, opinions and beliefs in which most of us find ourselves immersed. In doing so, it reveals what most of us can’t see. It confronts us with unpleasant truths about ourselves, the acknowledgement of which is imperative if we are to heal and improve our lives. The book also points to sane ways forward, and the appropriateness of these ways become self-evident once they are elucidated.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Dutch humanitarian and philanthropist Matser urges readers in his powerful English-language debut to rethink harmful approaches to life. He argues that humans are out of sync with nature and each other and should strive to return to a more "unconstrained" way of life. One's education, family, and career progression should offer "impetus and direction," he suggests, rather than a goal-oriented finality: "Graduation, work, relationships, children, promotion, etc., in and of themselves, are not the meaning of life." For Matser, the rush toward goals and a zero-sum view of success erodes the power of human cooperation, making everything a competition with far-ranging negative consequences. He launches into theories about how individuality is "a faulty story" and argues that language has diminished the ability to experience reality. Matser questions the idea of growth as something becoming bigger or richer, and pushes instead for a sense of dynamic tension between assertiveness and vulnerability that can bring out the best in humanity. In smooth prose, Matser diagnoses and describes a range of ills, but stops short of detailed solutions in favor of a broader reorientation to life. Matser's provocative notions will appeal to philosophically-minded readers of self-help.
