My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This book provides a fascinating perspective on Lincoln. Shenk draws upon letters, diaries and first person accounts to fill in the contours of Lincoln's depressive state of mind and how it influenced his thinking and approach to the challenges of his day. As such, it gives us a useful corrective to the simplistic notions of the range of human emotions. In this day and age, where anything other than a rosy outlook is suspect, the author reminds us, through Lincoln's example, that it is possible to be deeply affected by tragic events and to draw upon these experiences as sources of genuine strength. Overall, an engaging and inspiring read.
A couple of years ago, a book club I belong to read The Secret. While many in the group felt the words to be powerful and inspirational, I had a nagging feeling that I could not quite shake. There was something creepy about the over-emphasis on positive thinking to "attract" possessions, wealth, health, that unsettled me. It seemed like the precepts of the "laws of attraction" promoted in the pages of the book could lead to a frightening tendency to blame the victim. You're suffering from a terminal illness with a few months to live, then maybe you just did not visualize your healthy self sufficiently enough. Living in poverty, having trouble getting by, then maybe you lacked the power to "attract" an ever diminishing resource -- gainful employment.
In her new book, Bright-Sided: How the Relentless Promotion of Positive Thinking Has Undermined America, Barbara Ehrenreich focuses her laser-like gaze on the myriad assortment of gurus, motivational speakers, pop psychologists, preachers and other "enlightened" beings who espouse the gospel of "positive thinking." According to this gospel, critical thinking or challenging existing conditions is somehow suspect. At its most extreme, followers are encouraged to avoid "negative" people -- family, friends, neighbors. And, herein lies the danger.
Taking the reader through workshops and mega-churches, she uncovers this dark side of the bright side of life. In so doing, she helps to explain how, even in these times of economic distress, compassion and activism directed toward social change are so rare. She is at her best when she draws insightful comparisons between the positive thinking dogma and other rigid systems of thought (i.e, Calvinism with its emphasis on self-scrutiny to ferret out any trace of sin and pleasure; vs. positive thinking emphasizes self-scrutiny to suppress any negative thought to project a sunny disposition).
Ehrenreich concludes that ""The alternative to positive thinking is not despair." Rather, "we need to try to get out of ourselves and see things as they are." There is both light and dark. In truth, we need an accurate assessment of both to live a more authentic life full of the entire spectrum of human experiences -- pain, pleasure, struggle, joy.
I think Monty Python poked fun of this sort of thinking. Here is the classic scene from The Life of Brian.
Lincoln's Melancholy: How Depression Challenged a President and Fueled His Greatness by Joshua Wolf Shenk
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