“I don’t run for trains”
This quote is a bit of metaphorical advice the author learned from a classmate in Paris. It was as he about to run to catch a subway train he was likely to miss if he did not take off after it that his friend grabbed him and solemnly intoned this phrase that would change the author’s life. The narrow meaning of the actual spoken word is an expansive metaphor intended to cover modern man’s bottomless appetite for keeping to a schedule, agenda or external expectations on where your life should be at a given point in time.
Narrative Detox
The enemy of modern life is the narrative that is set for you to read and follow slavishly. According to the author, at any rate. The real difficulty here is that a narrative is not inherently false or misleading, but it is also subject to the intrusion of falsity which can mislead. One must learn to question the narrative by seeking truth and avoiding the lies one wants to hear:
“Train yourself to spot the difference between the sensational and the empirical. This insulation from the toxicity of the world will have an additional benefit: it will improve your well-being.”
Didn’t Sartre Say That?
What is failure, anyway? Or, rather, what does failure really mean to someone? Are you the type of person who feels worse when others tell you you’ve succeeded but you know the truth? Or are you rather more affected when you know you’ve done well, but others think you failed? Whatever the case, failure is intimately connected to one’s status and relationships with others. The author borrows a metaphor from existential philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre to put this concept into context:
“Believe me, it is tough to deal with the social consequences of the appearance of continuous failure. We are social animals; hell is other people.”
Unclear Vision
While some of the metaphors in the book are complex and dragged out for recurrence over a period of pages or even chapters, others are very direct and to the point. The best of these also answer questions that should pop up frequently, but usually don’t. Such as what do people really mean when they just randomly use the word random:
“Randomness, in the end, is just unknowledge. The world is opaque and appearances fool us.”
Back to the Narrative
The author returns with frequency again and again to the nature of narrative and the significant role it plays in directing our lives, thoughts, and actions. Much of the attention placed upon narratives is framed negatively, but at one point he finally seems to recognize this and take the opportunity to set the record straight:
“Now, I do not disagree with those recommending the use of a narrative to get attention. Indeed, our consciousness may be linked to our ability to concoct some form of story about ourselves. It is just that narrative can be lethal when used in the wrong places.”
