the burnout society

my thoughts and notes on "the burnout society" - byung chul han

goals w reading

i actually came across this book online, with many people saying that they really enjoyed han's writing. as such i dont really have any specific goals in mind with reading this, especially as it is such a short work.

notes

a shift in paradigm

han argues that in the past we framed society with a immunological model of explanation. we defend from all that is foreign, representing danger and uncertainty, which in turn keeps us safe from which that exists beyond ourselves. he argues that this worldview cannot coexist with our modern way of life, evident through the globalization of our society.

furthermore, han describes a model in which we suffer from too much of the 'same'. excess positivity leads us astray, and as such, building stronger defenses against what is foreign does us no help at all.

auto-exploitation

in our modern day, we have become 'entrepreneurs of ourselves'. we live in a society of achievement, where we all strive to become the best versions of ourselves. we suffer not only from the imperative to be our truest self, but also the pressure to achieve it in its fullest glory.

auto-exploitation is much more efficient than allo-exploitation, as we internalize constraints to maximize our achievement, often aligning with the incentives of the bourgeois. it is an ideal state for a post capitalistic society, where we have become both the perpetrator and the victim in this society which prioritizes efficiency over all else.

commoditized attention

this internalized pressure to achieve has changed our disposition towards time and attention. we treat them as limited resources, leading us to avoid boredom and accept multitasking as a solution.

han explains that boredom is a crucial aspect of cultural achievements, as a 'purely hectic rush produces nothing new. it reproduces and accelerates what is already available'. he likens sleep, a physical relaxation, to boredom, a mental relaxation, which is needed to recover our minds.

lack of purpose

han critiques that modern life is devoid of a purpose in and of itself. we have largely turned away from religion as a source of purpose, and thus we seek purpose in accomplishment. this is what drives us to exploit ourselves and our time in an effort to augment our ego.

controlling impulses

it is important to control our impulses as to resist our attention being divided between insignificant stimuli. hyperactive multitasking does not enable our freedom, but actually makes us slaves to our impulses.

it is important for us to cultivate the ability to 'say no' to our stimuli, in order to enable deeper concentrated thought. this is the basis of meditation, which despite its appearance, is a quite mentally active endeavour.

the absence of the other

in our modern lives we do not have a relation to some 'Other' who commands us. this causes a crisis of gratification where we lack someone who can reward or acknowledge us meaningfully. when we are to be our own gratifiers, we do a poor job and as a result, often give into the hedonistic treadmill by setting loftier goals. han argues that this failure to achieve our goals (which happens due to our increasing standards), is due to our narcissistic selves being incapable of granting ourselves closure.

han claims that burnout is a consequence of voluntary auto-exploitation, in which an individual grows tired of the constant need for initiative and lacks the energy to be ones own master. we have adopted a worldview in which we view ourselves as projects to improve, rather than people who simply are. we exploit ourselves happily due to the feeling of freedom that comes with it, until it escalates into self destruction in the form of burnout.

takeaways

i find it difficult to take away some immediate action i can take to improve the 'project' that is myself upon reading this. i will have to reflect further on how i can incorporate the concepts in this work into my daily life in an organic manner, rather than adopting some dull, overly measured practices.

it will prove difficult to practically integrate changes, as some sense of self imposed ambition is necessary in our modern society. job markets are overly competitive, along with everything else, where without this internal drive, we fail to make ends meet. as han stated, the issue is within myself, and not some Other. if i were to liken this to cancer, our modern treatments such as chemotherapy help get rid of the problem, but simultaneously hurt the Self which we crucially need. we can take the effort to rid ourselves of our self imposed ambition, but this hurts our capability to thrive in the modern world.

remarks

the imperative to succeed in my personal life

for a long portion of my life it felt almost as a waste of energy to partake in hobbies in which i knew id never amount to much. it feels almost embarrassing to consider myself a 'runner' or a 'bodybuilder' due to my lack of accomplishments, despite the frequency of which i enjoy these hobbies.

it is a really difficult feeling to live with. a sense of inadequacy from partaking in my interests at a level "beneath my full capability".

this has manifested itself negatively in my personal life with how i choose to spend my time. i often give up on interests prematurely due to a lack of progression, even though it should hold no weight how skilled i become, just how much i enjoy it.

for some hobbies such as reading, i set such lofty goals and exert so much pressure to succeed onto myself, where i procrastinate doing the task completely. why would i set a small (yet achievable) goal for myself, when i know i CAN do more (as an ideal version of myself)

final thoughts

i ultimately found this read to be quite great. it was a concise work, which did a great job of presenting thoughts i think we have all had in a digestible, interesting way.

i would highly recommend this read to others, and am greatly looking forward to reading more from byung chul han.