Why Is Life So Hard A History

"Anxious? Depressed? You might be suffering from progress and civilization." Today we go to therapy, read self-help books, take psych meds. Yet still feel that it's not enough. Habits are hard to break, they tell us. Decisions are mostly emotional; made by our unconscious mind, and not by the conscious part of our brain.[1] But the problem might also come from outside; from our mores, ways, and values; from various social and cultural forces that shape our minds. And this is where history may be good at giving us a hand, perhaps, in some cases, even going beyond psychology. Why is life so hard? History has good answers to this question. It tells us how deep cultural roots go. How 10,000 years of growing control, not wellbeing have shaped our lives. How rituals, cults, status, fear, individualism, and loneliness have many times blocked our betterment, and even left us in a mush of sickness and trauma that has been piling up for centuries or millennia. In short, history can help us look at our present in a different way by showing us a different picture of past, and dare even suggest to us a few pointers on how to deal with these many emotional wounds and scars we carry, some of which we might now always know are there.

Why is life so hard? On the face of it, this question may not be all that hard to answer. After all, our species has devoted 10,000 years to gaining control over people and resources instead of consolidating its wellbeing. But what is less evident is how deep this trend goes; how much we keep feeding it; and how unaware we are about its very toxic consequences. For the purpose of this book, human history is broken into three main parts. The first covers the rise of farming, which gave us our unique ability to dominate the world, but also to corral ourselves into ever rising levels of stress, violence, and conflict --what we now call "progress." The second part covers the rise of governments and well-ordered societies, but also of permanent misery, poverty, and debt --what we now call "civilization." The third part covers the modern industrial era; its rapid innovation, mass literacy, and growing levels of safety and comfort, but also rising levels of stress, isolation, and despair --what we now might call "affluence," "success," and "prosperity." This explains why therapy, psych meds, meditation, and/or self-help books may not always work as well as we might hope for, but also why, and in spite of all the odds against it, there are also ancient, root forces pushing us towards the betterment of the human condition.

Publication of Lost Worlds introduces to English-speaking readers one of the most original and engaging historians in Germany today. Known for his work in historical demography, Arthur E. Imhof here branches out into folklore, religion, anthropology, psychology, and the history of art. Imhof begins by reconstructing the world and worldview of Johannes Hooss, a farmer in a remote Hessian village. The everyday life of such a man was particular to his region; he spoke a local dialect and shared a regional culture. By exploring the various systems that made sense out of this circumscribed existence - astrology, the folklore of the seasons, and Christian interpretations of birth, confirmation, marriage, and death - Imhof expands the book into a speculation on why life in the late twentieth century can seem meaningless and difficult. Rooted in Imhof's belief that we need stability and values that transcend the individual, Lost Worlds inspires us to examine our own ways of seeing the world.

A fully updated and expanded primer for anyone who wants to make cider and for those who just like to drink it. With the rise in consumer demand for local foods and local food products, and the emergence of more small craft food and beverage producers since this book was originally published in 2000, this revised edition of Cider, Hard and Sweet comes at the right time. Watson's expanded the section on the history of cider to chronicle lesser-known cider producers such as those in Spain and Asia; broadened the selection of North American cider varieties and European cider apple varieties; provided new cidermaking basics tailored to beginner and intermediate cidermakers with special attention to the new cidermaking equipment available; added new recipes for cooking with cider from notable chefs and bartenders; and added a new chapter about the recent popularity of perry (pear cider) available for purchase today.

Activities for secondary students centered on specific historical and current events.