All That Happiness Is

Some Words on What Matters

De: Adam Gopnik

Narrado por: Adam Gopnik

From New Yorker staff writer Adam Gopnik, a concise, elegant volume presenting a radical alternative to our culture of relentless striving.

Our society is obsessed with achievement. Young people are pushed toward the next test or the "best" grammar school, high school, or college they can get into. Adults push themselves toward the highest-paying, most prestigious jobs, seeking promotions and public recognition. As Adam Gopnik points out, the result is not so much a rat race as a rat maze, with no way out. Except one: to choose accomplishment over achievement. Achievement, Gopnik argues, is the completion of the task imposed from outside. Accomplishment, by contrast, is the end point of an engulfing activity one engages in for its own sake. From stories of artists, philosophers, and scientists to his own fumbling attempts to play Beatles songs on a guitar, Gopnik demonstrates that while self-directed passions sometimes do lead to a career, the contentment that flows from accomplishment is available to each of us. A book to enjoy and return to at any age, All That Happiness Is offers timeless wisdom against the grain.

©2024 Adam Gopnik (P)2024 Ascent Audio

Thought Provoking

. I have undertaken projects that were open to public criticism. The book gave me renewed permission to believe that just my accomplishments brought me happiness that I had not fully realized. ( No matter whether they were appreciated or loved by all.). Thank you for sharing this accomplishment that will help me see happiness in many things I do.