A Real Life: Rediscovering the Roots of Our Happiness

“We seem to have forgotten what life is all about…” So begins this heartfelt, laugh-out-loud sequel to Máté’s cult classic, A Reasonable Life. He cautions us that as slaves to electronic devices and obsessed with material goods, we are becoming physically inert, intellectually blinkered, and devoid of deep emotion. Our blind lust for gadgets and possessions has displaced true and lasting joys such as our health, creativity, self-reflection, and fulfillment. How has our unquestioned pursuit of the American dream left us? Financially insecure, estranged from our families, helpless without our wireless toys, overweight, pervasively depressed and increasingly isolated. But don’t despair, a renaissance is underway. In this new call for genuine, vibrant living, Máté challenges us to re-evaluate the meaning of “success,” “security,” technological “progress,” and how we work, eat, play, and love. With surprising statistics, eye-opening observations, and engaging anecdotes he rekindles in us a love of simple daily life: the forgotten pride and joy of independence, neighborliness, working with our hands, the revitalizing effect of closeness to nature, the irreplaceable value of lifelong friendships, and the enduring rewards of face-to-face conversation.