Ken's Reviews > 10% Happier

Self-helpful but not really self-help. Philosophical but not really philosophy. Autobiography but the auto only pulls into a few years' parking space.

A different animal, in other words, as Dan Harris comes at us from the heights of ABC television journalism -- an unusual vantage point for a half-Jewish morning news anchor who caught the Buddhism bug. And man, does he struggle. He's intrigued by Buddhism, but also skeptical as hell. It's the skepticism part that appeals because, except for a few woo-woo cases, who ISN'T both intrigued by and left sputtering over Buddhism?

Harris' journey takes him through many "gurus" and writers in the trade, but it takes time to reach the "realistic" Buddhists he craves -- gurus who can help him practice mindfulness without turning into the type of person who gets chewed up and spit out by the dog eat dog world of broadcast journalism.

Two that most definitely don't do it for him are Eckhart Tolle and Deepak Chopra. Two that ultimately resonate with him are Mark Epstein and Joseph Goldstein (part of a group Harris, half Jewish himself, calls the "Jew-Bu" crowd -- Jews who have taken deep dives into Buddhism and become mentors for many others).

In the end, after going on an arduous 10-day retreat, Harris comes out both ambivalent and determined (if that's possible) about mindfulness. He creates his own list (noting how Buddhism has this thing about lists, starting with the Four Noble Truths) he calls "The Way of the Worrier" (get it?):

1. Don't Be a Jerk
2. (And/But...) When Necessary, Hide the Zen
3. Meditate
4. The Price of Security Is Insecurity -- Until It's Not Useful
5. Equanimity Is Not the Enemy of Creativity
6. Don't Force It
7. Humility Prevents Humiliation
8. Go Easy with the Internal Cattle Prod
9. Nonattachment to Results
10. What Matters Most?

Each is fleshed out to the reader's somewhat satisfaction (the reader being as skeptical as our skeptical hero). The end of the book also features a helpful Q & A appendix with answers to head scratchers like so:

1. Remind me, what's the point of this?
2. My mind keeps wandering. Am I a failure?
3. How come I don't feel relaxed? This really sucks.
4. You keep talking about this notion that "you can't help what we feel, only how you respond," but I want to feel different things. Won't meditation do that for me?
5. If I'm in physical pain, should I change position?
6. I keep falling asleep.
7. This is so unbelievably boring.
8. I keep trying to feel the breath as it naturally occurs, but every time I focus on it, I involuntarily start to control it, so it feels artificial.
9. What if I feel panicky and hyperventilate every time I try to watch my breath?
10. Isn't noting just a form of thinking?
11. Is being mindful the same thing as being in the moment?
12. Is meditation good for everyone?
13. You're not a teacher. What business do you have providing meditation instructions?
14. Can I meditate if I'm a believing Christian (or Jew or Muslim, etc.)? Will it erode my faith?
15. What is the least amount of time I can sit and still get the benefits the scientists are always talking about?

Is the book eloquently written? Nah. But the writing's far better than average, too, a tribute to Harris's background in journalism. Breezy reading, then, but with the occasional turn of phrase you might enjoy while learning.

Bottom line: "Hey, Mikey. I liked it!"