Review of 'The obstacle is the way' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
I almost stopped reading this in the beginning. I felt that it had too much of an adversarial tone; talking about outmaneuvering your enemies and too many uses of war as a positive examples of stoicism in action.
I am very glad I kept reading, however, because the rest of the book was life changing. The author also makes it clear that caring about others and looking at life as a team sport, rather than a single player game, is of paramount importance in the stoic philosophy.
Overall this is a wonderful introduction to a wonderful philosophy that you can use to improve your life, and the lives of those around you.
Ryan Holiday's book, The Obstacle is the Way: The Timeless Art of Turning Trials into Triumph, has a simple theme. Rather than throwing up your hands in defeat whenever you're faced with a difficult problem, approach it with a Stoic mindset and turn it into an opportunity for personal growth. Holiday has become somewhat of a modern-day popularizer of Stoic philosophy with his many books on the subject. In fact, this book is the first in a series of three.
The book is divided into three parts, each representing overlapping elements of his plan for everyday people to incorporate Stoic philosophy into their own lives: perception, action, and will. In the final chapter, Holiday summarizes how these elements can be adopted; "See things for what they are. Do what we can. Endure and bear what we must." His view is that facing life's challenges with this tripartite ethos presents …
Ryan Holiday's book, The Obstacle is the Way: The Timeless Art of Turning Trials into Triumph, has a simple theme. Rather than throwing up your hands in defeat whenever you're faced with a difficult problem, approach it with a Stoic mindset and turn it into an opportunity for personal growth. Holiday has become somewhat of a modern-day popularizer of Stoic philosophy with his many books on the subject. In fact, this book is the first in a series of three.
The book is divided into three parts, each representing overlapping elements of his plan for everyday people to incorporate Stoic philosophy into their own lives: perception, action, and will. In the final chapter, Holiday summarizes how these elements can be adopted; "See things for what they are. Do what we can. Endure and bear what we must." His view is that facing life's challenges with this tripartite ethos presents opportunities for personal growth, if you're open to it.
Stoic philosophy has become popular over the last several years because it offers a way for people to get the most out of life without deferring to religion. There are some very good books on the subject, but this isn't one of them. This book is written in the simplistic, condescending tone of a self-help book written by a self-anointed sage on the topic. Holiday's version of Stoic philosophy is less philosophical and more productivity-oriented—despite a postscript chapter declaring those who finished reading this book are now philosophers. According to Holiday, philosophy has been hijacked by academics and squirrelled away from the public in the hallowed halls of the Ivory Tower. Such a sentiment betrays the author's profound misconception of philosophy.
The book is peppered with examples of famous people incorporating elements of Stoic philosophy to overcome some seemingly insurmountable obstacle. These examples are used to illustrate basic Stoic maxims. Some of the advice provided is good. But some is ill conceived at best and flat out wrong at worst—like disregarding rules when they get in the way of achieving some objective. Unfortunately, I cannot recommend this book nor can I bring myself to endure two more books in this series, let alone the other dozen or so by the same author.
Review of 'The obstacle is the way' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
This book came highly recommended, and had its moments. It wasn't a great fit for me, though.
I'm a Christian, and while much of the advice is logical and can be applied regardless of worldview, the heavy Stoic influence feels... anemic, I guess.
Beyond worldview, I also found it too abstract. I appreciated many of the philosophies in theory, but the application was often nebulous.
It was a slog to finish, and I would have spent the time more profitably reading a blog post on the topic and then moving on to the next book in my to-read pile.
Review of 'The obstacle is the way' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
Skön blandning av antikens stoicism och med moderna metoder som premortem. Ordar för att hålla huvet kallt, förstå att motgångar ibland kan omvandlas till möjligheter och att vara redo för att misslyckas men förberedd för framgång.
Review of 'The obstacle is the way' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
Another of these books that I wish I'd read decades ago. Much of what is said makes sense to me given 6 decades of learning through living. However what was new to me was how many of the individuals who I have admired through history can be shown to have the same approaches as in here.
A worthwhile read and one I shall return to - time permitting.
