We're always being offered solutions for our dissatisfaction with life. Buy a new car, take up a new hobby, get better grades in school. But what if none of those solve the problem? Way of the Peaceful Warrior offers a solution, too.
The big idea of the mentor Socrates is that you should stop trying to find answers and develop the discipline and awareness to simply enjoy the ride. The novel shows his student, Dan, trying to implement that philosophy in his life and struggling with the fear that he won't ever be happy. Is Socrates' vision the right one? Read on and decide for yourself.
Questions About Dissatisfaction
- Describe what Socrates diagnoses as the cause of Dan's dissatisfaction. What is the way out of this predicament, according to the teacher?
- How does Dan try to find satisfaction when he's not following Socrates' teachings? Why do these efforts result in dissatisfaction?
- How does Dan's experience of dissatisfaction compare or contrast with the emotions of other characters in the book, such as the customers who come to the gas station?
- Is Socrates right in his perspective on dissatisfaction? Is Dan's experience something specific to America or specific to his era, or is it a global phenomenon that has existed throughout history?
Chew on This
Despite all their entertainments, love lives, consumer purchases, and other ordinary sources of pleasure, most people are, deep down, dissatisfied with life.
Most people are actually more or less content with their lives, and don't need to take on serious discipline and training, as Dan does, to find happiness.