Ask HN: What are some good inspirational and uplifting books?
Hey HN. I'm in a bit of a rut. Feeling with no sense of goal, unmotivated to do basic shit, and falling back into dangerous old habbits. I have a nice job and still perform well on it. I'm just trying to became inspired as opposed to "smarter", which is what the technical books I usually read do.
And yes, going back to therapy is on my line of sight :D
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[ 180 ms ] story [ 4548 ms ] threadUnfortunately, this has been thoroughly discredited [0]. But if the point of the list is not to be accurate but to feel good (and I'm not being sarcastic, OP asked about books to feel better) then of course anything is fair to recommend.
[0] https://retractionwatch.com/2017/02/20/placed-much-faith-und...
It would better to know which parts are ok, definitely.
As has been repeatedly pointed out in the past[1][2][3], it is only the priming-related chapter (called 'The Associative Machine' in the book) that put "too much faith in under-powered studies". Not the entire book!
The book is a synthesis of forty years of Kahneman's research and his collaboration with Tversky. A wide range of topics are covered; and it still absolutely merits reading.
[1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24048650
[2] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22054603
[3] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21757524
Opens the book by talking shit about atheists and how atheism is not a real philosophy, and basically says it is not even worth commenting on.
I put it down immediately.
The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can't Stand Positive Thinking by him is also good.
Good luck.
It shall bring you down emotionally, then build you up again - but stronger.
A tree grows in brooklin, Betty Smith.
Cutting for Stone, Abraham Varghese.
They are not light reading. But you do feel like you are a better person after you’re done reading them.
- Man's Search For Meaning by Viktor Frankl (existential psychologist and holocaust survivor - some principles of finding meaning in life's circumstances from someone who went through a concentration camp)
- 12 Rules for Life by Jordan Peterson (Despite the politicized figure he became, the book is more about finding meaning in adopting responsibility with each rule being an example of how to do so)
- Subtle Art of Not Giving A F*ck by Mark Mason (light hearted self help, but some nice principles in it)
- Meditations by Marcus Aurelius (a little dated, but contains some nice aphorisms. Audible has a really great version read by Richard Armitage, the guy who played Thorin in the Hobbtit)
- Give the New Testament a shot (not everyone's cup of tea, but several billion have found it helpful in finding a meaningful life so its probably worth a shot)
Also, don't neglect audio books! I've found going for walkins while listening to these kind of books a great way to relax and reflect.
I've read 12 rules in the past (perhaps in the year it came out?), and yes, even though I don't agree with a lot of Petereson's opinions politically, it is just a good helpfull book to help one center his routine and life goals around. I wonder if the sequel is as good!
Again, thank you!
Karma Yoga (S. Vivekananda)
The Power of Now (E. Tolle)
Novel/fiction... All the light we cannot see
Books ‘The Alchemist’ by Paulo Coelho ‘Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress’ by Steven Pinker ‘Designing Your Life: Build a Life that Works for You’ by Bill Burnett, Dave Evans ‘Exhalation’ and ‘Stories of Your Life and Others’ by Ted Chiang
Movies ‘It’s A Wonderful Life’ ‘Dead Poet’s Society’ ‘Everything Everywhere All At Once’ ‘King Richard’ ‘Shawshank Redemption’ Anything Studio Ghibli
Rocky, Rocky II, Rocky III, Rocky IV, Rocky Balboa
Vision Quest
Tin Cup
The Pursuit of Happyness
The Social Network
Rad
Hackers
Wargames
Iron Man
The Man Who Knew Infinity - based on the book of the same name, which I also recommend.
Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story
[0] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6583629-you-re-it-on-hid...
Note: Insofar as it aims at tranquility (apatheia = avoidance of passions), it might not help you to get more motivated, though.
Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan
It's got some tech aspects to it since the main character is starting to get into using programming to investigate a mystery and that bit definitely feels motivating. We all have a bunch of problems that we deal with in every day life that we just need a little push to start solving. But it also is just a solid mystery book that's somewhat rooted in history with some great characters (although I think the main character and his love interest are kind of the blandest of the bunch). I don't want to say anymore since I'll get into spoiling it but I'll leave you with this:
festina lente
My recommendation is Simone de Beauvoir's Ethics of Ambiguity. It details various strategies people have for confronting their own existential terror, and ultimately works to develop an ethical system for a world without meaning.
I've found it very insightful for helping to recognize your own behaviors that are effectively ways of denying the true existential questions that are haunting you throughout your life.
Darwin Among the Machines
Turing’s Cathedral
Analogia
I would also look into the possibility of attending a guided hallucinogen session a la Pollan
Even if you have zero interest in the culinary world, you'll still enjoy the stories - and maybe even get motivated by some of them.
The crappiest CRUD-app making Java job in a toxic office is a cushy vacation compared to the life of a chef :)
Factfulness