Daily Afflictions: The Agony of Being Connected to Everyone in the Universe
Revolutionizing the best-selling genre, this thinking man's parody hijacks the format of daily affirmations but offers a different message: only in paradox, truth; only in darkness, light; only in affliction, affirmation. These "daily afflictions" offer readers inspiration, practical advice, and food for thought, as they navigate the jungle of existential terror that begins anew each day. We follow the fictional Brother Void on a spiritual journey, both profound and hilarious, into self,...
Search in google:
A dark, twisted, existential manifesto posing as a book of daily inspiration. Publishers Weekly Self-help satirist Andrew Boyd (Life's Little Deconstruction Book) manages to turn the affirmations genre on its head and still offer some inspirational wisdom in Daily Afflictions: The Agony of Being Connected to Everything in the Universe, a collection of brief meditations that urges readers to embrace sorrow and pain as the way to personal growth. Under tongue-in-cheeck headings like "Living a Worthless Life," "Keeping to the Dark Path," and "The Trajedy of Commitment," Boyd emphasizes that failure in work and love is a necessary part of conscious life, and that a person can recognize the darkness and futility of life yet still dive into it headlong. ( Jan.) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
IntroductionxvAuthor NotexixThe Book of Daily AfflictionsLifeThe interstate of life5Living a worthless life6Being there then7The supermarket of life8Living as a work of art9Keeping to the dark path10SelfDeepening the crisis13Listening to your inner critic14Selfless selfishness16The nausea of language--a guided exercise17The uses of obsession19Opening up to your inner psychopath20Finding sorrow22The suburb within23FamilyEmbracing the life forced upon you27The nurturing power of dysfunctional families28The boot camp of life29Living the unlived life31The healing power of sick parents33LoveThe other side of love37Passion and companionship38Loving the wrong person39Fucked by love40Seeing things through to total catastrophe41Breaking up with yourself42CareerFailing at what matters47Doing the wrong thing48In pursuit of failure49The havoc of Saturn's return50Succeeding at failure52The tragedy of commitment53PoliticsVisualizing the worst possible world--a guided meditation57The inner bigot58Compassionate hypocrisy60Being in it for yourself61Hopelessness can change the world62PhilosophyThe perils of creating your own reality65Faith and irony66One step from oblivion68Everything happens for a reason70ReligionConsulting the silence--a guided exercise73The economics of spirituality74Reasoning with your inner prophet75Skeptical mysticism76Diving into the abyss78DeathEmbracing your inner corpse81Learning to die82At One with your inner corpse--a guided meditation84Living with death85EnlightenmentThe agony of being connected to everything in the Universe89Glossary91Guide to Sources95Acknowledgments103Index107
\ Publishers WeeklySelf-help satirist Andrew Boyd (Life's Little Deconstruction Book) manages to turn the affirmations genre on its head and still offer some inspirational wisdom in Daily Afflictions: The Agony of Being Connected to Everything in the Universe, a collection of brief meditations that urges readers to embrace sorrow and pain as the way to personal growth. Under tongue-in-cheeck headings like "Living a Worthless Life," "Keeping to the Dark Path," and "The Trajedy of Commitment," Boyd emphasizes that failure in work and love is a necessary part of conscious life, and that a person can recognize the darkness and futility of life yet still dive into it headlong. ( Jan.) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.\ \
