The Situation Is Hopeless But Not Serious (The Pursuit of Unhappiness)

This author wrote a series of titles with a similar shred world view regarding peoples inhumanity to themselves, let alone each other. In the "Situation is Hopeless But Not Serious," Paul Watzlawick illustrates the unavoidable truth of life adaptive challenges being inevitable (hopelessly human), and contrasts such futility with a view, shared by Nietzsche, that "to live-is to suffer," or Buddhism's Noble Truth that with living comes, also requires suffering, or simple "To live is to suffer," therefore lacks a serious rating, so Not Serious, per say. The iconic avatar in performing arts, are a matched pair of masks, one designed showing a laughing, wide smilie. The smiling mask, hangs parallel to a dower, saddened expression, dramatizing tragedy. Comics regularly remark as to life's agony being the stuff humor is derived. In deed, our existential and ontological circumstances suggest The Situation is Hopeless but not Serious, making this little book a memorable gem and highly recommended.When Paul Watzlawick was addressing in 1983, core twenty-first century meta-concepts without the science informing his thinking was his intended target. His grapes of psycholinguistics, strategic verbal maneuvers for interpersonal positioning, & pragmatic flexibility of language had a great insight, Watzlawick attempts to impart with this delightful title. The final paragraph of his chapter one illustrates this point perfectly. In summing up his thesis; "However, the true genius manages to go to the ultimate extreme & with heroic determination rejects even what he himself considers the best decision, that is, the voice of his own reason. Thus the smack not only bites its own tail but actually devours itself, & a state of unhappiness is created that is beyond comparison. Of course, for the less gifted readers this state of misery remains a sublime if unattainable goal."From the multitude of papers, essays, commentary, & books Paul Watzlawick has published, this title "Situation is Hopeless But Not Serious," ranks among his finest.

The witty and sometimes sarcastic style is highly entertaining, the language is certainly erudite, and it's a fun read, but the reverse approach that emphasizes how to make mistakes also makes it hard for me to pull out the things I SHOULD do. At least that's what I thought when I read the book. Now, a week or so later, I find myself engaging in certain highlighted processes and think, "whoa, THIS isn't going to be productive". So, hey, maybe it works, eh?

This book is a classic and effective use of reverse psychology. The author lists all the different ways that people sabotage their own happiness, and he does so in a humorous way. The approach works because the reader finds himself resisting and denying that he engages in such self-sabotage, all the while knowing that he does. This is an impetus to refrain from the type of thinking that leads to unhappiness and therefore a successful means to that end.

The author extracts from his extensive practice and writing in the field of communication theory an amusing list of "technics" people use to make their own lives miserable. They span from the avoidance of things that could solve one's own problems to the dual tendency to insist focusing on what cannot be reached; to projecting one's prejudices on others like when one wants to ask something fearing it will not be given and thus putting in act behaviours that forster just that reaction.All in all the feeling that one gets from the book is that we do not need terrorism, wars, discriminations, torture, presidents of the United States or Osamas... all that is needed to make ourselves unhappy is already inside ourselves - thus, and here comes the positive message, it is there that it may, and must, be cured.

Paul Watzlawick has written some really exceptional material, but I found this book to be less so. I did finally get a very useful insight near the end, but I felt like I was going through a lot of repetitive material. Kind of like a long run for a short slide. For a more enjoyable read by the same author, try "Change: Principles of Problem Formation and Problem Resolution." For me his best was "How Real is Real? (An Anecdotal Introduction to Communication Theory)" , now out of print and a classic.

Reading twice this masterpiece helps.

Purchased on the recommendation of a colleague. It is intended to be sarcastic (I believe) and in doing so, challenge dysfunctional and limiting beliefs. I found it condescending and lacking the empathy that is often needed to facilitate change.

The Situation Is Hopeless But Not Serious (The Pursuit of Unhappiness) is a most useful work for studying the art of staying positive in today's world. writes for "everyman" and this totally enjoyable conceptually rich book is powerful and fun. Novel combination.

na zoveel pagina's veel herhaling. 1x lezen is meer dan voldoende

Ob es denen hilft, die es am meisten bräuchten? Alle, die in der Krise sind, und schon viele Self-Help Bücher gelesen haben, würde ich Watzlawick empfehlen. Die Situation ist und bleibt hoffnungslos, stellt sich eher die Frage, ob die Situation auch ernst ist. Eher nicht, bei vielem, was uns bekümmert. Seine These: als glückliches Wesen wurden wir nicht geschaffen. Im Zweifel besser die deutsche Version lesen, das Englisch ist schon anspruchsvoll, hatte ein Wörterbuch zur Hand. Aber der O-Ton kommt schon anders rüber. Meiner Tochter hat es auch gefallen, auch wenn Sie heute wieder - trotz aller Erkenntnisse aus dem Buch - über den Tag gejammert hat.

It took me only a few hours to read this book, but it is worth years in life experience. Highly recommended.

Great book, funny, witty, profound insights, recommend it.

Hatte Freunden aus Amerika von dem Buch erzählt und ihnen dann die englische Version geschenkt. Da sie es super fanden und sich scheck gelacht haben, gehe ich davon aus, dass die Übersetzung in Ordnung war.