The end of MY mountain

So I finally finished Happiness this afternoon. All in all I thought that the ending was alright, but I wish that it hadn’t played out so quickly. I was also disappointed with Jack as a character. I didn’t like the fact that Jack haphazardly pieced the book together while watching PBS. I felt like if jack was reading all these books, and was capable of comprehending economics, finance, and metaphysics, that he shouldn’t have lived such a dirty meaningless life in paradise flats. It seems to me that jack should have led a more intellectual life particularly since every other character in the book was a cliché stereotype. If I had written the ending of the book; first off, I would have either left out Mr. Mead and Dr. Ethics, or I would have made them play a much more substantial role… Assuming I left them out, I would have had Edwin run a gauntlet of riddles and dead ends before he finally got to meet Jack. With regards to jack, I would have made jack a much more classy drinker/smoker/womanizer (Charlie Sheen anyone?) I also would have had Edwin find the real Tupak at a place very close to his own house in the city (and for that matter, maybe Nigel should have been the true writer of the book, but then of course Edwin would have had to kill him…) I would have made the final confrontation much more epic and not so pitiful. I guess that Fergusson was trying to show just how pathetic both jack and Edwin were, but I just felt let down. Throughout the book I always pictured Tupak as a witty cunning genius, that was always one step ahead of Edwin, but it turned out that he was hardly in control of his own life (and by that I’m referencing his health and the condition of his trailer.) I think the ending would have been much more interesting had there been a grand battle of wits for the finale, complete with a massive ethical debate. I was hoping for a better debate about the ethics involved with what I learned on the mountain, Edwin arguing for free will, and jack arguing for freedom from unhappiness. With regards to May, I don’t know if I would have had them get back together again, but I do wish that May would have made another actual appearance; even if she only yelled at Edwin some more. It seemed dumb that Edwin went to kill Tupak as revenge for May, but then never got to see if she reverted back to normal after the release Unhappiness.

Self?

Well first off, I can’t say that I’ve read any “self-help” books. I would hope that some self-help books are being published with the intent to actually help people, rather than fulfill a “Mr. Ethics’esque” quota. I will say however that I have read a lot of “how-to” books. If self help books are anything like how-to books, I have this to offer: I personally notice that even if I have the world’s greatest “how-to do a handstand book” I won’t get any better at doing handstands unless I myself put in the time and effort required (maybe there should be a self help book about discipline…)

I think that self-help has to come from inside the individual (thus the “self” part…) Whether that be the perseverance required to accomplish a goal, the initiative to start pursuing said goal, or just the realization that such a goal is possible to attain, it all has to start with the individual. While it is true that going out to buy a book that will supposedly “help” you attain a goal requires initiative, I’m just pointing out that I have quite a few how-to books on my shelf and not a lot of accomplishments to show for them. This would lead me to believe that I have enough initiative to get the book, but that books alone don’t accomplish my goals for me. I could read a book a hundred times, but until I try and fail at my first hand stand, I won’t get any better at handstands, I’ll only get better at reading about them.

Being a music major, my life revolves around practice… Sometimes I hate practicing, but other times I’m very eager to learn a new piece (or instrument for that matter.) The trick for me has always been knowing how to press on through the hard times, to get to the goal that I seek.

Anyway, I think that self-help books may contain the information needed to better one’s self, but that it is ultimately up to the individual to accomplish their goals, not up to the book.