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thoughtful, and at times unsettling, observations on love and work ... Ziyad Marar's book contains a great deal to enlighten and engage anyone interest in happiness, and that probably includes most of us. Times Literary Supplement
Daniel Liechty, Journal of Health and Religion
'This exciting and unusual book is . . . among the best we have seen in quite some time.'
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Enigma Revealed,
By
This review is from: The Happiness Paradox (FOCI) (Paperback)
You may like strawberry fruitcake and a sunlounger by the pool or maybe you prefer several bottles of beer and the chance to watch "Match of the Day" uninterrupted. You should be happy in the short term if you get to fulfil these pleasures - but what about the long term ? Ziyad Marar examines the criteria that create real happiness and concludes that we can only aim at happiness obliquely by paradoxically doing things that don't in themselves afford immediate gratification. Only by aiming to live our lives unselfishly or with a greater purpose can we gain self-esteem and esteem in the eyes of others. Marar may not be the first person to have understood this verity, but he is probably the first person to have written a book about it. With brilliant insight into human psychology and the knowledge that comes from a wide spectrum of study he paves the way to a fuller understanding of what constitutes true human happiness. Thoroughly recommended.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
4.7 out of 5 stars (3 customer reviews) 8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Amazingly Insightful.,
By a reader - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Happiness Paradox (FOCI) (Paperback)
I picked up The Happiness Paradox in a bookstore and once I started reading I could not put it down. In particular, I found the author's chapter on romance and love absolutely stunning; he offered up one brutal truth after another in this calm, matter of fact tone that I really enjoyed. The key point in that chapter for me was that romantic relationships contain inherent contradictions that cannot and should not be resolved such as freedom and commitment; permanence and dissolution. In fact, according to the author, the key to a happy relationship is for these opposite qualities, with complete integrity, to exist simultaneously. For example, the constant presence of possible dissolution through death, abandonment, betrayal, etc. should only heighten the joy and love you have together now.
If you read The Happiness Paradox, clearly you would come away from it with very different things than I did. But I expect that it would change something about the way you approach life, whether in romance, or work, or general attitude, and change it for the better. 5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A unique Perspective, well-argued, amazing book,
By Minal M. Patel "minalpatel" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Happiness Paradox (FOCI) (Paperback)
I don't know where to begin. The thesis of the book states that we are destined to seek freedom and justification in life, a that these two endeavors are forever at odds. It is not that simple, though. Marar addresses the need for all of us to be respected and loved in society and by individuals, and how perecived judgment can influence how we feel about ourselves. We look for worthy audiences, such as family and lovers, to validate us, while also seeking to strip them of their power to do so. For anyone who has ever thought "why am I doing this? Why do I live my life this way?", this book will articulate what you have suspected all along: we can't get to that place of feeling completely free from judgment and influence and also to a place of feeling justified/respected/validated by others because they are at odds. Such a balance does not exist. It is futile. Yet, we can't help it, we seek both simultaneously .......AWESOME. Marar describes his ideas in such a sharp and clear manner, drawing from a rich array of sources, that you feel very complete when you have finished each chapter. Good stuff.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
An exceptional book about happiness,
By Markku Ojanen - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Happiness Paradox (FOCI) (Paperback)
There are hundreds of terrible books about happiness. To most of them one star would be too much. They just present great number of naive ideas and give a lot of stupid advices. Not here. Marar understands how difficult the concept of happiness is and how futile our efforts often are. Perhaps he is sometimes a bit too pessimistic, but even that is refreshing. Marar does not discuss much the studies of happiness, which is a small weakness in this book. I understand that the aim of the book is not to review these studies, but referring to them would be useful in certain parts of the essays. Skip other happiness books and buy this. It makes you think.
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