‘The Art of the Good Life’ (III)
This week, we’ll continue with ‘The Art of the Good Life’ by Rolf Dobelli
Chapter 21: The Memory Bank — — Experience trumps memory
Part of the good life is making provision for the future, recognizing dangers early and giving them a wide berth.
Savour the sunset instead of photographing it. (細味夕陽, 不用舉機拍照, 刻意留下記錄) A life of wondrous yet forgotten moments is still a wondrous life.
Chapter 26: The Circle of Dignity — — Part 1 — — But if not
‘Commitments are so sacred that by nature they should be rare,’ warns Warren Buffet. That’s true not only for promises made to other people, but also to promises made to yourself. So be highly selective in your choice of non-negotiables — — the principles you refuse to abandon. (嚴格選擇你自己所堅持不退讓的原則, 不可貪多。)
Chapter 27: The Circle of Dignity — -Part II — — If you break on the outside
Advertising, social pressure, unsolicited advice from all angles, soft propaganda, fashion trends, media hype and laws. It’s as though arrows are being shot every day into your circle of dignity.
Society only leaves people in peace if they conform. So brace yourself for those arrows and shore up your circle of dignity.
Chapter 29: The Book of Worries — — how to switch off the loudspeaker in your head
Fetch a notebook and title it My Big Book of Worries. Reserve ten minutes a day to jot down everything that’s worrying you. Once you’ve done so, your brain knows its concerns have been recorded and not simply ignored. Do this every day, turning to a fresh page each time.
Focused work is the best therapy against brooding. Focused, fulfilling work is better than meditation. It’s a better distraction than anything else.
Chapter 30: The Opinion Volcano — — why you’re better off without opinions
It’s immensely liberating not having to hold an opinion on all and sundry. And there’s no need to worry that opinionlessness is a sign of intellectual weakness. It isn’t. It’s a sign of intelligence. (「無意見」不是軟弱的表現, 這是智慧)
It’s not information overload besetting our era — — it’s opinion overload. (這是「意見」爆炸的年代, 而非資訊)
Chapter 31: Your Mental Fortress — — the wheel of fortune
Everything you own, value and love is ephemeral (短暫) — — your health, your partner, your children, your friends, your house, your money, your homeland, your reputation, your status.
The best attitude to have is that all of them are on loan to you, and may be taken away at any time. By death, if nothing else.
What can’t be taken from you are your thoughts, your mental tools, the way you interpret bad luck, loss and setbacks. (只有你的思想及 對惡運/挫敗的解讀才是與你永存)
Chapter 32: Envy — — mirror, mirror, on the wall
I’d recommend giving social media a wide berth. All those silly statistics (likes, followers, friends, etc.) generate a hyper-propensity for comparison that begets unhappiness.
Chapter 33: Prevention — — Avoid problems before you have to solve them
The financial press loves nothing better than a turnaround manager, and that’s all well and good, but they should applaud managers who prevent companies needing a turnaround in the first place even louder.
Preventative successes aren’t externally apparent. Only the individual manager and his or her team know how wisely they acted.
Imagine, for example, that your marriage is on the rocks, you’ve suddenly gone bankrupt or you’ve had a heart attack. Now track back, analyzing what led to this (imagined) catastrophe — — right down to the underlying causes. As a final step, try to address these issues so that the worst never actually happens.
Chapter 34: Mental Relief Work — — why you’re not responsible for the state of the world
If you want to help reduce suffering on the planet, donate money. Just money. Not time.
Your time is more meaningfully invested in your circle of competence.
The first-rate specialists on site (Medecins Sans Frontieres, the Red Cross, UNICEF, etc.) will put your donations to more effective use that you could yourself. So work hard and put your money in the hands of professionals.
