All the pieces Is F*cked: A Guide About Hope

There is no trick: what you see is what you get
I don’t understand why someone could felt “tricked” and why people are finding such and odd review helpful: it isn’t. You can dislike this book (like some of my friends) and argue with a simple and irrefutable argument: it’s not my style. But this whole “trick” thing… that’s just not the case. There’s no trick here and I believe that’s part of the whole point thru both this book and the previous one and that’s one of the main the reason I engaged with the ideas shared on both Subtle Art and EiF. Keep in mind can have a “test drive” of Manson’s prose on his website where you can easily find out if his style appeals to you or not since there’s enough free (and very useful) content. That’s it, is that simple. That’s how I discovered the author and that’s why I preordered TSA and EiF: his reasoning resonated with me and I felt it was practical, helpful and clear. So… either you like it (flexible, dynamic, witty, grounded, funny, accesible, current, relevant, easy to understand) or you don’t because you are looking for, let’s say, a more serious or academic approach (fair enough).Keep in mind: Mark is clearly not pretending to be anything else than “a random guy writing his own thoughts”, that’s the whole point because… must of us are, precisely, random girls and random guys trying to sort out our own thoughts in the middle of what we can agree to call “the digital crisis” (yes the world is overall better as stated by lots of respected authors with clear data but at the same time people are lonelier and sadder than ever, also verifiable with serious research). So, he might be a random guy but he finds a way to clearly sort out this mess (book one focused on how working in our values can change our perception of life and our relationship with others, book two explaining the relevance of hope in order to find meaning and drive for our life and for the future of humanity) by using clear examples that are easy to follow regardless of how complex the matter is. Because it is a complex matter.I understand quoting Bukowski might give you a wrong impression but I have always loved this line: “An intellectual says a simple thing in a hard way. An artist says a hard thing in a simple way.” Artist might sound as a pretentious word and I’m pretty sure Manson won’t feel comfortable with it but he does manage to explain hard things on a simple way going from down to earth examples like the story of Dave Mustaine and Metallica (book 1) to complex and beautiful stories like the one of Meta von Salis and Nietzsche (book 2). He keeps you engaged and entertained while you are thinking on some heavy stuff. Take for example Mr. PeanutButter in Bojack Horseman, famous for his quote: “The universe is a cruel, uncaring void. The key to being happy isn’t a search for meaning; it’s to just keep yourself busy with unimportant nonsense and eventually, you’ll be dead”. If you find that phrase both funny and unsettling you are going to really, really enjoy both books.Regarding this book in particular I do feel that it is important to state that it is more “complex“ and less immediate than The Subtle Art. This is not to say that it’s a hard read, it isn’t. Its just that it does take matters to a next logical follow-up step, going from how to improve our own life (book 1) to how to try and help improve our species (book 2). Again, not in a pretentious way. And again, if your approach to life is cynicism or nihilism you might find a hard time enjoying the ride because it does suggest you to change for the better. For you. For your people. And yes, for our future. And that takes some healing, and healing is not easy. So you’ll rather “just keep yourself busy with unimportant nonsense and eventually, you’ll be dead“. But, If you do decide to take responsibility you’ll come to accept (it won’t be smooth) that change (inside and outside) also takes a leap of faith, it takes… hope. ;)That’s the point of this second book. In order to improve/heal/ we must understand how “hope” and the use of that word has been really relevant thru the whole history of humanity. Where do we take it from there and how can we have a better, more compassionate and productive conversation with each other? Well… that’s that’s the point of EIF. And yes, it has a lot to do with coming to terms with death, with maturity (oh, the challenge), and again, values.And Kant. “Instead, he decided that the only logical way to improve the world is through improving ourselves—by growing up and becoming more virtuous—by making the simple decision, in each moment, to treat ourselves and others as ends, and never merely as means”. Like hell he did. And you can find out how to follow his steps in this pertinent relevant urgent and much appreciated book. But as always, it’s up to you, cause “we don’t always control what happens to us. But we always control how we interpret what happens to us, as well as how we respond”. Manson channeling the great Frankl. Oh, I love it, never felt less tricked in my life. 😉

A Helpfully Human Book About Needing to be Hopeless
I first heard about this book after watching Mark Mason in YouTube/podcast interview; I was already familiar with his other works, so I had some idea of what I was getting into, and I was not disappointed. What really hooked me into buying the book was his outlook on “spirituality.” (Look up the Jordan Harbinger Show if you want hear what he says.)With this book, Mason demonstrates again how he is a irreverently serious writer. He takes a serious topic — that of our insane tendencies to let our emotions irrationally drive us simultaneously to delight and ruin — and builds a solid narrative of how being hopeless is probably the most hopeful thing we could do for ourselves, as individuals and as humanity as a whole.What I really appreciated was his very approachable take on both Nietzsche and Kant. He breaks down their philosophies into manageable chunks without diluting the depth of both of those brilliant men. “God is dead” is an incomplete quote from Nietzsche, and without the proper context, most people usually gloss over and misinterpret what he meant, leaning heavily on less savvy, agenda or commercially inspired drivel that passes as philosophical analysis.Not so with Mason. He makes sure reader understands the reality of what these two men meant and he does with a sophisticated and lighthearted literary touch. Few writers outside of pure academia and biographies put as much effort into properly providing context that isn’t overly simplified or incomplete as Mason as done. And he does this with half a score of other scientists, academics and philosophers throughout the book all adding up to a poignant conclusion.For me, there were a couple of slow spots, like when Mason digs into the religiosity of *all* things — essentially using the term religion more pedantically as a “strong belief.” I feel any author’s writing about beliefs should make the distinction between religion as institutions (or cults), strong beliefs as an aspect of personality (nationalism, sports fanaticism and the such), and science as framework of trial and error, rather then bundle them all up as one overly muddled idea. It may be semantics, but I think falling back on the word “religion” in such a way hampers reasonable debate in today’s current storm of anti-intellectualism.That aside, after having seen Mason on YouTube, I can see that Mason’s real personality shines through. He’s sincere in his writings and importantly, he’s hopeful that we’ll get the point of his book: That we don’t need hope to be better human beings. We simply need to be better human beings.Also, read the chapter notes after you’re done. They’re as fun as the book is to read, and highlights some of his points more. Seems like Mason put as much effort into the notes as he did the book! Definitely a book worth keeping on the bookshelf.

Compelling, thought provoking, insightful.
An excellent read. Brings perspective to every day occurrences that all can relate to, and paints an intriguing picture of our world and its (hopeful) future.

I’ve read this book before. It hit different this time. I’m far more comfortable lifestyle wise than I was when I first read it. Still yearning, still feeling like something is missing, still searching for the next best thing. Everything in this book was uncomfortably what I needed to hear. I don’t know much about writing, I’ve read 60 books this year. This is a stand alone book. Read it and read it again.

I really recommend it to everyone I know, easy to read but packed with important understandings of human psychology