Should we feel inadequate when we fail to be healthy, balanced,
and well-adjusted? Is it realistic or even desirable to strive for
such an existential equilibrium? Condemning our current cultural
obsession with cheerfulness and "positive thinking," Mari Ruti
calls for a resurrection of character that honors our more
eccentric frequencies and argues that sometimes a tormented and
anxiety-ridden life can also be rewarding.
Ruti critiques the search for personal meaning and pragmatic
attempts to normalize human beings' unruly and idiosyncratic
natures. Exposing the tragic banality of a happy life commonly
lived, she instead emphasizes the advantages of a lopsided life
rich in passion and fortitude. She also shows what matters is not
our ability to evade existential uncertainty but our courage to
meet adversity in such a way that we do not become irrevocably
broken.
We are in danger of losing the capacity to cope with complexity,
ambiguity, melancholia, disorientation, and disappointment, Ruti
warns, leaving us feeling less "real" and less connected and unable
to process a full range of emotions. Heeding the call of our
character means acknowledging the marginalized, chaotic aspects of
our being, and it is precisely these creative qualities that make
us inimitable and irreplaceable.
General
Imprint: |
Columbia University Press
|
Country of origin: |
United States |
Release date: |
December 2013 |
First published: |
December 2013 |
Authors: |
Mari Ruti
(Professor of Critical Theory)
|
Dimensions: |
210 x 140 x 25mm (L x W x T) |
Format: |
Hardcover
|
Pages: |
224 |
ISBN-13: |
978-0-231-16408-5 |
Categories: |
Books >
Social sciences >
General
|
LSN: |
0-231-16408-4 |
Barcode: |
9780231164085 |
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