By Shivika Nanda
Save your precious little time mates because it’s time to start giving a f*CK!
Yes, you read it right. This book is not about ‘not caring’ as the title suggests. On the contrary, the essential theme of the novel is about finding that one specific area that one wholeheartedly wants to prioritise in life. He wants people to feel comfortable about being indifferent to various other non-significant things. The ‘F’ series by Mark Manson is self-help masterpieces that take you on a roller coaster ride into your own brains compelling readers to change the basic paradigm humans attach to life. Who wouldn’t want to read a book that jolts you from within to the very core? This novel truly makes you question every belief you have ever had. It embarks you to get out of your head and take a journey towards something far greater and worthier.
However, the extensive use of foul language can be a put off readers out there. Some people may dislike that a self-help book has such a sardonic presentation to it. It has a pretentious tone to it and is constantly generalising life experiences. Some people may fail to relate to that. The text undoubtedly has a lot of curse words yet it doesn’t fail to intrigue the readers and challenge them to go into the intellectual depths of life.
Sometimes, we humans tend to take life very seriously. We attach our own perceptions and feelings to petty situations in turn making a big deal out of it whereas the reality is far distinct. If something tends to trigger our emotions, we automatically assume it to be very significant for our lives whereas that is not always the case. This book will surely reform your definitions, make you think critically about your very own assumptions and bring you much-needed insights.
In the early chapters, Manson has focused on examples of different people. He manages to successfully engage readers on a personal level. With the help of these stories, he relentlessly tries to open the reader’s mind to various ideologies and superstitions people carry. He urges readers to introspect and re-examine old beliefs because sometimes unknowingly those are the lies that we keep telling ourselves and in turn tend to feel stuck.
The author guides us to a very graceful way of handling negative experiences in life. He says that feeling negative emotions is inevitable. No one in this world is entitled to entirely positive experiences. Negative emotions like anxiety, discontentment, anger should be used positively as these emotions actually trigger you to do something about it. Struggle and pain actually determine how your life turns out to be. It’s all about making yourself mentally free from the shackles of your own loop of emotions. It’s all about changing the narratives of the past and gradually pulling oneself out of the self-designed sinking ship of despair and despondency.
Most of us struggle throughout our lives by caring a lot about people and situations that don’t even deserve the tiniest bit of our attention. As time passes, there comes a day when you cringe over the fact that you actually worry about those things at some point. Manson can’t stop emphasising the importance of finding better things to worry about. He wants readers to realise the greatness that lies in understanding the importance of prioritising that one thing that really fulfils one’s true purpose and calling, even if that purpose demands you to reject other things.
This novel makes you realise the value of healthy relationships in life. The basic ingredients to a healthy and fulfilling bond are attention and unconditional love. It’s all about being selfless and non-transactional in relationships. It makes you learn the art of managing conflicts peacefully. It urges readers to change those typical definitions that are attached to relationships. It asks readers to feel responsible for how their life turns out to be because everything that happens is a result of one’s own choices.
Mark Manson’s ‘F’ series truly takes you to that long due self-development phase that teaches you the very personal process of finding your own answers and meaning of life. He urges readers to be selective about their own battles. It teaches you to negotiate your way through life by choosing the right commitments and meaningful struggles. It teaches the importance of gratitude and the basic sense of understanding of how unpredictable life is. In the end, it’s all about embracing your problems with strength and dignity and finding happiness and contentment in life’s key experiences.