Rating: 
Summary: Back to the basics Matt M
Review: I thought this book showed what we already know, that the western world and technology has made our lives better and more convenient, yet we are more stressed and unhappy in the process. I enjoyed the statistics early on, and although i love all the technology i use (mainly computers) we need to get back to the basics and learn to relax. everything is rushed and on demand to be at your fingertips in an instant which i am guilty of, but i believe that wed be better off as a people being more simplistic. I found it very interesting that everyone these days actually works much less in more white collar work for a more comfortable living wage yet unhappiness has risen, a very interesting book.
Rating: 
Summary: Very nice, "even-handed" look at America today.
Review: I want to focus on the phrase "even-handed" ..... using a well-researched array of facts, Easterbrook comments on how well American society is doing (1st half of the book), while also pointing out what he feels are shortcomings of our wealthy nation (2nd half). Today's societial debates are often made in shades of black (Gloom and Doom) and white (All is Well). Easterbrook provides a fact-based look at why he thinks things are a shade of gray ... society's made tremendous progress, but we shouldn't feel satisfied. His arguments for a national health-care system (historically a progressive idea, although a view held by some conservatives) are well-thought out, don't use the usual rhetoric, and overall, IMO, comprise the most interesting chapter in the book.Seconding other opinions ... the book is not difficult reading, and occasionally rather humerous. Overall, a unique perspective on things and worth a read from the open-minded.
Rating:
Summary: Very nice, "even-handed" look at America today.
Review: I want to focus on the phrase "even-handed" ..... using a well-researched array of facts, Easterbrook comments on how well American society is doing (1st half of the book), while also pointing out what he feels are shortcomings of our wealthy nation (2nd half). Today's societial debates are often made in shades of black (Gloom and Doom) and white (All is Well). Easterbrook provides a fact-based look at why he thinks things are a shade of gray ... society's made tremendous progress, but we shouldn't feel satisfied. His arguments for a national health-care system (historically a progressive idea, although a view held by some conservatives) are well-thought out, don't use the usual rhetoric, and overall, IMO, comprise the most interesting chapter in the book. Seconding other opinions ... the book is not difficult reading, and occasionally rather humerous. Overall, a unique perspective on things and worth a read from the open-minded.
Rating: 
Summary: THINK ABOUT THIS
Review: If most statistical trends (according to Easterbrook et. al.) for general well being are positive, why is the human race as a whole less happy? I applaud Gregg and all of the big thinkers at The Brookings Institution for posing such a lucrative question. I BORROWED and enjoyed the book. I even felt somewhat optimistic by the end....
I cannot argue that this book is scientific, moralistic, or any other perspective. The study of happiness is not now nor will it ever be a hard science. One thing I do know is that many of the leading "investigators" in this hot, new field come from an elite sector of our society: the Thinktank.
WHY IS THAT?
I DO NOT recommend buying this book, as by now you have already been bombarded by variations of its message through the mainstream media. However, I believe most readers will find this book interesting, and it will also help generate some important discussion.
One reason more people are unhappy in the world today can be found in John Perkin's Confessions of an Economic Hitman: "The inside story of how America turned from a respected republic into a feared empire." Why is the mainstream media not discussing this NY Times best-selling book?
Rating:
Summary: Informative
Review: In this work, author Gregg Easterbrook shares with us the many advances in living that America has experienced. I found this part of the read extremely interesting and truly enjoyed reading about experiences such as 'fly-in restaurtants,' I never knew they existed. I loved all the little facts he told as he compared the past to the present concerning our living condictions, our health care and even the cars we drive. I felt it was very interesting, and very well constructed.
It is true that the author does go off into how we should be helping the rest of the world, and surely that is true. However, I feel much is being done to help and still more will be done in the future, nothing can be accomplished overnight. Many open their hearts and their pocketbooks to the best of their ability every single day.
In my opinion, with most people, if they have they are more willing to give. I know there are always those who are greedy no matter what, but basically I feel if one is comfortable in their life-style they are more open to help others.
I felt this book was extremely interesting and I didn't feel any guilt trip concerning the 'haves' and the 'have-nots.' I believe the author was just sharing facts and options for the future as he sees them. I enjoyed the book.
Shirley Johnson
Rating:
Summary: The BIG picture
Review: Mr. Easterbrook has yet again--see A Moment On Earth--marshaled FACTS to illustrate reality in modern day America--and the world. Mr. Easterbrook's thesis refutes the barrage of negativism with which we are assaulted every day. We are literally pummeled by media every day with a message that the world and our quality of life is deteriorating; but in the noise we miss the substantial, incremental progress that our lives are imbued with every day. This substantial, incremental progress is a direct result of us attending to our lives: family, work & country. It worries me that Mr. Easterbrook's factually based examination of the human condition in the world today is such a rare occurence. Pundits posit fluff and it is news. The Progress Paradox is not fluff. From my perch, we are dangerously close as a society to accepting what media displays as reality without thoughtfully comparing it with what is truly valuable & meaningful in our lives. Brittany's marriage (?) is not more important than having a cardiologist insert a microscopic balloon into your artery to clear it and save your life. I can not articulate as clearly as Mr. Easterbrook, but trust me, The Progress Paradox will cheerfully disabuse you of the notion that what the media spews is representative of our condition today. Mr. Easterbrook displays, as in all his writings, a genius for distilling chaos into rational exposition. Buy this book if you want to "unskew" your reality. Your worldview will change. If only Mr. Easterbrook were a NJ football Giant fan (see Tuesday Morning Quarterback [TMQ]) all would be right with the world....
Rating:
Summary: Great start, uneven finish
Review: Mr. Easterbrook makes a very convincing argument that those of us who live in the developed nations are part of a world that would be considered the utopian ideal by persons from past generations--even very recent ones. But after laying out all the facts the book just kind of stalled. Assuming that the author was preparing to argue an hypothesis about the effects of progress on individuals and civilization I kept waiting for the book to draw some inferences about the future or to make a more detailed argument about how to deal with the advance of civilization. What efforts by individuals and societal initiatives are the most rewarded by individual satisfaction and positive overall results?
Perhaps the book's flaw was that the first part of the work cited to specific research showing how civilization has resolved many of its problems but then shifts into a much more general argument that the remaining problems can be solved if everyone decides to cooperate and play nice. I was hoping to see many more specific recommendations.
I still give the book 4 stars based upon the great first half and would not hestitate to recommend the book as a counterargument to the typical doom-and-gloom philosophy that is a staple of the op-ed page.
Rating:
Summary: OK, I Get It . .
Review: Mr. Easterbrook makes a very convincing case that almost everyone is better off than their ancestors from even a generation ago. Incomes are up, most people own homes, we eat out lost, and education is available almost universally. From his evidence, you'd think that everyone would be turning cartwheels on the front lawns of their mansions, but the opposite is true. More and more people complain of stress, overwork and depression. Part of that may come from the fact that we are constantly striving to keep up with our friends and neighbors as they buy more toys and bigger houses to hold them. After presenting the evidence of better societal standards, Mr. Easterbrook switches gears and proposes ways for society to cure its remaining ills, including redistribution of wealth from the wealthiest and an agenda for raising the prospects of second and third world countries. As much as I agree with Mr. Easterbrook's ideals, he couldn't propose an agenda that would realistically accomplish them. At the end of the book, I concluded that I was fortunate to have the abundance of wealth and health that I do, but did not walk away with any idea how to reach the societal goals that Mr. Easterbrook values.
Rating:
Summary: Living with Pandora's Box of progress
Review: Progress has become the Pandora's Box of today; we live longer, eat better, have more things but are essentially unhappy. Our perception is that just as these great advances creep out of the box, so do their equally nasty counterparts. Easterbrook's new book confronts the disconnect between prosperity and happiness with many statistics, observations and conclusions. The major flaw in Easterbrook's book is the reach for the easy answer or starry eyed optimism about our ability to completely solve problems. Pessimism exists for a reason just as optimism does; they balance each other out like some bizarre ying and yang helping to provide meaning in our brief lives. On the whole, though Easterbrook's observations and comments are powerful and on the mark; we live in an age of enlightenment only to deny our ability to enjoy the outcome of progress. Easterbrook is most successful when taking a deep look at our inability to enjoy what we've worked so hard for but also his arguments for examining the pessisism and darkness that we've allowed to cloud our lives. While we live in a cynical world dotted with irony and sarcasm, we've allowed these very qualities which are useful in measured degrees to infect every aspect of our lives. While it may be fashionable to be all of these things to a large degree, it's also eroded our perception on the quality of our life. We no longer believe that good things happen to us without a price. We no longer believe that there's actually goodness in the world that can keep our darker nature at bay. These beliefs are essential for providing some sense of balance. If we believe the sky is always falling, then the vitality of our everyday lives is stolen from us. In effect, we've allowed the darkness to suck all the fun out of our lives. While some of us feel worse about the quality of life for many valid reasons (for example, mutlitasking hasn't improved the quality of work just the load that we can do), we've also dismissed the improvements we have compared to our ancestors. To give Easterbrook credit he doesn't shy away from the fact that we've yet to solve poverty, malnutrition or unemployement. He also acknowledges that disease continues to slip through our fingers just as we think we've got a solid grip on it. Easterbrook's book isn't always convincing--he sometimes goes for the easy answer when there may be no answer at all--but it does make compelling and thought provoking reading. Perhaps next time he can examine the state of humanity without getting lost in the statistics that rule and help undermine our sense of the quality of life. It would also be useful if he looked at what's causing the nihilistic hypochondria that's sweeping this nation. In many ways, we face challenges that are equally as daunting as those our great-grandparent's faced. While we may have antibiotics, science and nutrition on our side, we also have media that allows instant communication (like this forum)that can decimenate as readily as any virus or bacteria that killed our ancestors. We're overwhelmed with information which can be just as emotionally daunting as some of the issues that faced those before us. If Easterbrook wants to come to the table with solutions or suggestions to make us feel better, he needs to think them out a bit more and understand the consequences of the oversatured world we live in today.
Rating:
Summary: Progress Does Not Create Happiness.
Review: The author is a senior editor of 'The New Republic' and a contributing editor of 'The Atlantic Monthly." Yet, it was the review in January, 2005, 'The Saturday Evening Post' which let me know of its existence. It's another book about happiness (or lack thereof), only he stresses the paradox of how unhappiness and the rise of unipolar depression (condition in which someone always feels 'blue') are ten times as prevalent as fifty years ago.
Paul Fain wrote in the local paper that this new branch of economics is called 'Happiness ecomonics.' His information shows that time with family and good health are the 'stuff of happiness.' The sad truth is that we're twice as rich as we were in 1957, but only half as happy. So, what else is new? He goes on: "of the family-related factors, marital status is the most critical. He claims that having sex once a week as opposed to once a month is equivalent to the amount of happiness generated by getting an additional $50,000 in income for the average American." His research shows that sex is better for your happiness than money. That's not to say that being financially poor but sexually active is the secret to a happy life. Nowhere did he mention religion and faith in God.
The percentage of Americans who describe themselves as 'happy' has not changed since the 1950s. I was happy and satisfied with my life during the last half of that decade. And I was not sexually active!
At a meeting of disgruntled residents in the high-rise apartment building where I presently live, the vice president of the Atlanta management company listened to the diverse complaints, skipping a few, from the crowded room. After an hour, touching on a miniscule of the unsavory happenings (most of which won't be addressed), she asked "Is anybody here happy?" and only one person raised a hand.
This is typical, according to this researcher, who stated that widespread incidence of melancholy and pessimism amidst better living conditions and freedoms hold significance beyond the 'proclivity to complain.' Stress, he feels, is a big factor for our unhappiness. Perhaps the breakdown of the family and long distances between parents and grown children make the sadness factor more prevalent, as the kids are busy leading their own sad lives, trying to make a living and procreate.
Because a large percentage of Americans are overweight and sleep fewer hours, their bodies become programmed to produce more cortisol, elevating stress. In the latest 'Scholastic Instructor,' the facts are that 17% of children and adolescents are seriously overweight. Less sugar, more exercise, and less t.v. viewing might cure what ails the majority instead of so much pill popping. Changing lifestyle using some type of vigorous walking half an hour each day, bike riding, or pumping iron in a gym can lessen the surplus of the stress hormone.
Anyone who does anything to excess can harm his body; now, even athletes are being denied too many water breaks as too much water is harmful (news to me!) and causes health problems. Some water systems (10%) have arsenic in drinking water.
He advises reading a book (not by Stephen King) before bedtime instead of t.v. as beneficial for a good nights sleep. Some paradoxes such as prosperity does not produce happiness. In the 1999 'Forbes' 400 list of American richest persons, 72% had been divorced at least once. We often make the mistake of assuming that money will solve all of our problems. Money will only solve money problems.
Our thriving society tends to escalate violence. In the pre-historic groups still in existence today in the Amazon River tribes, Somoa, Australian outback, some parts of South America, 60% of males die by violence. After the tsunami disaster, a similar group was discovered in SE Asia; one primitive was shown on ABC News shooting at a helicopter with a bow and arrow! He places blame on youthful violence on the contents of today's films which are produced.
In the past, 'insolvable' problems included pollution and crime; today global warming (which Al Gore wrote about) is escalating, as advocated by the author of 6 NIGHTMARES, Anthony Lake. The earth has sixteen million square miles of forest. A log can burn into ash, but ashes cannot reassemble themselves....unless, of course, they're from a phoenix, a mythological bird who reincarnates itself.
His personal opinion: "England's May 1940 decision to continue fighting Germany (WWII) was the single greatest event in world political history." Citing 'positive psychology' as a means of creating a utopia on earth leads one to wonder.
Americans speak of the 1950s as a Golden Age when things were simpler. Nostalgia plays a role in this glorification of the past, as does the progression from childhood to adulthood. The British speak of prewar London as a Golden Age of quieter life and higher cultures.
The fallacy is that a Golden Age could only have happened in the past. He ponders the proposed utopias all the way back to the Middle Ages, discussing Thomas Moore's 1516 book, UTOPIA, Greek philosopher Plato's platitudes, Roman poet Virgil's ARCADIA, Rousseau's Eden, and Huxley's BRAVE NEW WORLD.
If the Western World has known a Golden Age, it is right here, right now. It is ours to decide what the future will hold. If we decide well, the future may hold an even-better life, about which our descendants will complain. Happiness must come from within; money cannot buy it. Robert Frost wrote, "Happiness makes up in height what it lacks in length."
The magazine reviewer writes that "perhaps Americans need a lesson in the fundamentals of gratitude." He goes on, "Our forebears worked hard and sacrificed so that we could have the freedom and prosperity we know. It is past time Americans showed some appreciation for this." We seem to think that our parents and grandparents had it better than we do at present, but the writer feels otherwise. According to him, these ancestors would say that the contemporary U.S. is the realization of utopia. Why then do the majority of us are far from feeling better about our lives, and many feeling much worse. Let's appreciate what life offers and do with it the best we can.
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