Trying Not to Try

A deeply original exploration of the power of spontaneity an ancient Chinese ideal that cognitive scientists are only now beginning to understand and why it is so essential to our well being Why is it always hard to fall asleep the night before an important meeting Or be charming and relaxed on a first date What is it about a politician who seems wooden or a comedian whose jokes fall flat or an athlete who chokes In all of these cases, striving seems to backfire In Trying Not To Try, Edward Slingerland explains why we find spontaneity so elusive, and shows how early Chinese thought points the way to happier, authentic lives We ve long been told that the way to achieve our goals is through careful reasoning and conscious effort But recent research suggests that many aspects of a satisfying life, like happiness and spontaneity, are best pursued indirectly The early Chinese philosophers knew this, and they wrote extensively about an effortless way of being in the world, which they called wu wei ooo way They believed it was the source of all success in life, and they developed various strategies for getting it and hanging on to it With clarity and wit, Slingerland introduces us to these thinkers and the marvelous characters in their texts, from the butcher whose blade glides effortlessly through an ox to the wood carver who sees his sculpture simply emerge from a solid block Slingerland uncovers a direct line from wu wei to the Force in Star Wars, explains why wu wei is powerful than flow, and tells us what it all means for getting a date He also shows how new research reveals what s happening in the brain when we re in a state of wu wei why it makes us happy and effective and trustworthy, and how it might have even made civilization possible Through stories of mythical creatures and drunken cart riders, jazz musicians and Japanese motorcycle gangs, Slingerland effortlessly blends Eastern thought and cutting edge science to show us how we can live fulfilling lives Trying Not To Try is mind expanding and deeply pleasurable, the perfect antidote to our striving modern culture. Free Read Trying Not to Try [ By ] Edward Slingerland [ Kindle ePUB or eBook ] – kino-fada.fr I did not experience flow while I read this book.I picked this book up after I heard this author interviewed on NPR and the book sounded interesting, but it really wasn t I m fascinated by the concept of flow, which was what this book was supposed to be about, and it wasa little Mostly it read like a history book about ancient Asian religions, which I m also interested in, but the book was dry, flat and boring I read this as an audio book and I was trying not to stop listening to it Then I did not experience flow while I read this book.I picked this book up after I heard this author interviewed on NPR and the book sounded interesting, but it really wasn t I m fascinated by the concept of flow, which was what this book was supposed to be about, and it wasa little Mostly ...Okay, I know that s a cliche Worse, perhaps, it s a cliche born of a sneaker commercial But how often do you hear some other person or yourself say something like this I ll try to make it by eight o clock, or I m trying to lose some weight, or trying to write a novel finish a painting make a fresh start The truth is, the longer you keep trying to feed the dog, the sooner the poor creature starves Trying, in other words, doesn t hack it It doesn t get the job done You say it be Okay, I know that s a cliche Worse, perhaps, it s a cliche born of a sneaker commercial But how often do you hear some other person or yourself say something like this I ll try to make it by eight o clock, or I m trying to lose some weight, or trying to write a novel finish a painting make a fresh start The truth is, the l...Won through Goodreads First Reads.Thank you This book is outstanding When I first read the title I thought maybe this was yet another book on new age thought I couldn t have beenwrong What the author did was guide me through Ancient Chinese thought from Confucius to Zhuangzi His book gave me a clearer understanding not only of the historic time period, but also how and why these texts were written and the powerful influence they still have today.This idea of trying not to try is wh Won through Goodreads First Reads.Thank...Succeeding without tryingIf you ever had a sleepless night, then you will perfectly understand why trying to fall asleep does not usually work Instead, by making yourself fall asleep, you becameawake and soon began to ruminate how much time had been wasted and how dreadful the next morning would be The moment when sleep became a deliberate and effortful action, sleepiness vanished, leaving us wide awake There is one defining feature about sleep it is totally spontaneous We simple do Succeeding without tryingIf you ever had a sleepless night, then you will perfectly understand why trying to fall asleep does not usua...From the title of this book, I thought it could go in many different directions And where it went, I hadn t guessed This is a description of different Oriental religions through the ages and how they suggest that people reach their own state of flow AndThe descriptions are wrapped in questions of whether trying to reach this state is good, or if trying is bad, or if trying to build the tools to reach this state is good, and the ancient books he describes give different answers for all From the title of this book, I thought it could go in many different directions And where it went, I hadn t guessed This is a description of different Oriental religions t...Wow I tried forcing myself to read this book thinking it will somehow get better orinteresting but quite frankly I don t know if the topic is dull or the author needs to learn how to write It s just so boring, repetitive and useless I didn t find this book informative in any way although it did reinforce my opinion on traditional Chinese medicine and philosophy Am I bias against the Chinese or was this book just terrible I mean how can a book manage to make a person so angry Edward y Wow I tried forcing myself to read this book thinking it will somehow get better orinteresting b...Wow, what a book Full of philosophical ideas from early china and psychological studies from today this book comes together to make an amazing read Focusing on 4 ways to living our lives and finding happiness we see the good and bad to each, pointing out the benefits and flaws to all of them, this book just flows Although the topics covered steal the show, I have to mention the writing style here Edward Slingerland does such a great job leading us through these complex ideas and topics and Wow, what a book Full of philosophical ideas from early china and psychological studies from today this book comes together to make an amazing read Focusing on 4 ways to living our lives and finding happiness we see the good and bad to each, pointing out the benefits and flaws to all of them, this book just flows Although the topics covered steal the sho...The author discusses the idea that by not concentrating on a task but actually trying to relax the mind the desired outcome can be achievedreadily He attempts to encourage the reader to free the mind from distractions as outside influences are reduced This was a free proof copy and does contai...When he was a teenager, we all noticed that my nephew Charlie was surrounded by beautiful young women, though he seemed less accomplished than his older brothers he wasn t he was just younger You d go over in the morning and one girl would be hanging around, playing chess, go by in the afternoon and another was there It was like a beauty pageant We were never sure what was going on, but they were around, and obviously liked Charlie I of course thought he was a great human being, but felt When he was a teenager, we all noticed that my nephew Charlie was surrounded by beautiful young women, though he seemed less accomplished than his older brothers he wasn t he was just younger You d go over in the morning and one girl would be hanging around, playing chess, go by in the afternoon and another was there It was like a beauty pageant We were never sure what was going on, but they were around, and obviously liked Charlie I of course thought he was a great human being, but felt that way about all three of my nephews What was it with Charlie and all these girls Finally I asked his sister Tade, the oldest of the siblings.Her face broke into a big smile Charlie has so many girlfriends because he doesn t care, she said.So that was the secret I d spent my whole adolescence thinking gi...Overall, it s a good read that I enjoyed, but it falls about 75% short of its target Its value is in still having flown 25% of the way in the right direction An interested reader can pick up the trail and walk the rest of the way himself.In detail It s a good overview of the main bullet points of the major Ancient Chinese philosophers schools of philosophy though by no means exhaustive as far as each school is concerned I think Zhuangzi has suffered a lot It gives a decent treatment of ea Overall, it s a good read that I enjoyed, but it falls about 75% short of its target Its value is in stil...

• 07 March 2017
Edward Slingerland
• Hardcover
• 304 pages
• 0770437613
• Edward Slingerland
• Trying Not to Try