This book is about how we create our fate, and how we can learn to change it: It is a book that makes a difference. Every Drop of Water and Every Grain of Salt on the Way to Authentic Happiness, is a nonfiction about how everything we do, or even intend, affects our mind in an accumulative manner, gradually and very directly altering our subsequent happiness. This occurs because human consciousness is essentially a Nothingness, a No-thingness, and thereof inadvertently becomes everything it comes in contact with. Using arguments stemming from Buddhism and Existential philosophy, I demonstrate how our inherent existential emptiness is the motivation for our desire to exist as a Self. This Self, however, created from our objective experiences, proves foreign, vulnerable, insubstantial, and an inevitable cause of suffering. Hence, our search for happiness becomes in effect a quest for our true self, and ultimately this true self is revealed to be an absolute subjectivity in Being.
Assessment:
Idea/Concept: Garcia’s gratifying exploration of the Self and Being is broken into three well-structured parts in this book. He easily explains a complex topic by dividing his thoughts into digestible pieces.
Prose: Garcia’s language is straightforward but poetic and eloquent. Under his fine grasp, topics are approachable and enjoyable to read.
Originality: Garcia’s voice is a blend inspired by Siddhartha and philosopher Martin Heidegger. His musings on Being and the human condition are similar to others on the market, but Garcia brings a uniqueness to the conversation by incorporating his experience as a pediatrician into his musings.
Execution: Garcia addresses his subject matter efficiently and accessibly, while conveying his own enthusiasm to readers. His section on Being is the shortest of the three, and might have benefit from more expansion, but still addresses the topic appropriately.
Blurb: Garcia offers readers a clear-eyed, well-informed approach to achieving peace of mind.
Date Submitted: November 18, 2019
