Disclaimer: I am, in some ways, a self-help content junkie. Why this is so is the topic of another Slice, or perhaps better shared with a qualified therapist...
I tuned in yesterday to a webinar for a book launch, The Meaning of Your Life: Finding Purpose in an Age of Emptiness by Arthur C. Brooks. I had preordered the book, so I was invited to the "VIP Room" of the Zoom meeting with hundreds of others who had done the same. To be honest, I didn't pay much attention to the details of the event beyond the start time; I assumed it would be about an hour or so.I assumed wrong. Brooks invited one guest speaker after another, interspersed with the invitation to join a virtual community to explore the book, related reading, and spread the message (for a fee). And while I successfully talked myself out of joining, I kept coming back after each break to see who would be up next, and what pearls of wisdom they would drop. I took copious notes. Five plus hours later (where did that time go...how did I...?), in the final Q&A session just for the "VIP Room", the webinar ended with this mic drop:
"The meaning of life...is love."
So there you go. I've saved you five hours. I'm still going to read the book when it arrives, but I'm pretty sure the compass needle will always point back to that one line.
You're welcome.
Thank you for saving me five hours and dusting off a favorite Beatles song.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome! I know the book will cover a lot more.
DeleteAmazing how your boiling it down to one word makes me want to read the book even more. Really, isn't love always the goal?
ReplyDeleteBrooks had a lot to say about what technology is doing to our mental health, so yes, I think the book will be a good read. I just thought it was kind of funny that a five hour event ended with a succinct one-liner!
DeleteI saw the advertisement for this. I could join your club for self-help content junkies. Thanks for the one word summary. I would have been just like you and listened b/c I was afraid I might miss some pearl of wisdom from someone.
ReplyDeleteGlad to know I'm not alone, Ramona! Hoping the book will live up to the hype.
DeleteI signed up as well, but completely forgot about it until now. Thanks for the short version. I haven't pre-ordered the book-yet, but it sounds good. Although it might sit in my cart for a hot minute.
ReplyDeleteIt sucked up most of the day! There was a lot of good stuff about technology's effects on mental health, and Brooks has already convinced me to put away the phone more often.
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