Trying not to be depressed.
If you read news every day (as I do), it’s easy to feel a bit depressed. The trade war and the financial sector turmoil are two of the most troubling issues to me.
Two books have helped me stay calm and even happy in recent months:
(1) Henry Kissinger’s On China. I spent six full days reading it. I knew how Chinese officials had dealt with the outside world mainly (or only) from China’s media. But Kissinger provides a different perspective. The book is somber historical background. How can I blame the officials of today? They are already doing far better than their predecessors. Three steps forward and two steps backward is not too bad.
(2) The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living, by Ryan Holiday. One of the key messages is that we should just manage what we can.
.
If you read news every day (as I do), it’s easy to feel a bit depressed. The trade war and the financial sector turmoil are two of the most troubling issues to me.
Two books have helped me stay calm and even happy in recent months:
(1) Henry Kissinger’s On China. I spent six full days reading it. I knew how Chinese officials had dealt with the outside world mainly (or only) from China’s media. But Kissinger provides a different perspective. The book is somber historical background. How can I blame the officials of today? They are already doing far better than their predecessors. Three steps forward and two steps backward is not too bad.
(2) The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living, by Ryan Holiday. One of the key messages is that we should just manage what we can.
.