Kieran Setiya

Más tarde o más temprano surgen en nuestra vida una serie de interrogantes a los que no es fácil dar respuesta. ¿Cómo reconciliarnos con las vidas que no hemos podido vivir, con los caminos que no tomamos, con la nostalgia del pasado? ¿Cómo aceptar nuestros fracasos, la futilidad de las tareas que consumen nuestro presente o la propia mortalidad? La mayor parte de la gente empieza a plantearse estas cuestiones cuando más o menos ha llegado a la mitad de su vida, cuando la juventud está todavía cerca pero puede otear ya la muerte al final del trayecto.

En este brillante libro, a medio camino entre el ensayo filosófico y el libro de autoayuda, Kieran Setiya (profesor de filosofía en el MIT) afronta los retos de la vida adulta y la madurez y nos propone un paseo (de Aristóteles a Schopenhauer, de Virginia Woolf a Simone de Beauvoir) por distintas obras filosóficas y literarias que nos ayudan a entender qué es la crisis de la mediana edad y cómo podemos hacerle frente. Un libro que, en realidad, como dice su autor, «no es solo para quienes se encuentran en la mediana edad, sino para cualquiera que esté lidiando con la irreversibilidad del tiempo».… (plus d'informations)

# Life Is Hard: How Philosophy Can Help Us Find Our Way

Life can be tough. Whether it's dealing with personal struggles or facing the challenges of the world around us, we all encounter difficult times. But philosophy can help us find our way and make sense of the world.

## Stoicism

One philosophy that can help us navigate life's challenges is stoicism. This ancient Greek philosophy teaches us to focus on what we can control and let go of what we can't. By accepting what we cannot change and focusing on our own actions and attitudes, we can find peace and contentment in even the toughest situations.

## Existentialism

Another philosophy that can help us find our way is existentialism. This philosophy emphasizes individual freedom and choice, and encourages us to find meaning and purpose in our own lives. By embracing our own unique experiences and perspectives, we can find fulfillment and purpose in a world that can often feel uncertain and chaotic.

## Buddhism

Buddhism is another philosophy that can help us navigate life's challenges. This ancient tradition teaches us to cultivate awareness and compassion, and to let go of our attachments and desires. By living in the present moment and accepting change as a natural part of life, we can find peace and contentment even in the face of difficulty.

## Epistemology

Finally, the philosophy of epistemology can help us find our way by encouraging us to question our assumptions and beliefs. By examining the foundations of our knowledge and understanding, we can gain a deeper sense of clarity and insight into the world around us. This can help us make more informed decisions and navigate life's challenges with greater wisdom and understanding.

In conclusion, philosophy can offer us valuable guidance and wisdom as we navigate the challenges of life. Whether we turn to stoicism, existentialism, Buddhism, or epistemology, we can find insights and perspectives that can help us make sense of the world and find our own way forward.… (plus d'informations)

Felt a bit like a bait-and-switch. I was expecting a book with a focus on the hardships of life, perhaps with lessons about acceptance. But while the chapter titles lead us off with the various types of "hard" we're likely to encounter through life, the conversation quickly shifts to general philosophy and pop psychology. And little of that conversation was genuinely compelling or enlightening. I did bookmark this interesting tidbit, though - Setiya is quoting somebody else, a historian named Keith Thomas, on the topic of friendship in early modern England - "friends were valued because they were useful. One did not necessarily have to LIKE them." Ha! I never heard such an analysis; I guess it makes sense, if you think about how marriage used to be much more of a social contract based on utility rather than a way for fulfilling love matches. Maybe friendship was similar... not based on any bosom-buddy kind of feeling, but more of a mutual aid society.… (plus d'informations)

I was solidly at the beginning of midlife just as the 2020 coronavirus pandemic blew up. The result was I couldn't tell where my so-called midlife crisis stopped and the global crisis began. My struggles were both private and internationally shared by many. I got to be overly dramatic and pretend my problems were bigger than me and during this particular moment in history it was true. It's quite funny actually, in a dark comedy kind of way.

This book, Midlife, brought the whole near-mythic notion of the midlife crisis down to earth for a refreshingly honest take. I'll start with what I heard a few years ago from my father-in-law, long before I ever heard of the book or its author. My father-in-law said, "It's not a crisis, it's a renaissance." I liked that summary. Without knowing what to expect exactly, and also aware that the experience is different for many, it seemed like it would be reasonably true for me.

My favorite takeaway from this book is that the 'crisis' part has been common throughout history and across genders, and it's caused by your mind coming to terms with all the life choices that are quickly slipping away and/or are closed forever. Simply put another way, and this made more sense to me, starting from birth you have many choices in life but only every choose one in any given moment, but many of those other choices linger because why shouldn't they? You have the rest of your left ahead of you...

...until you don't. Midlife is when the math of your finite existence shifts from you being in the first half to you realizing you're now in the second. Astronaut, NBA star, President... those dreams aren't happening and you know it. But it's not sports cars or affairs either, not for most people. I think my father-in-law was mostly right. It's a crisis... and then a renaissance. it's another journey on the road of life.… (plus d'informations)