The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*CK: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life

This chapter includes three subchapters: “Feedback Loop from Hell,” “The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck,” and “So Mark, What the F*ck Is the Point of This Book, Anyway?” Manson begins with an anecdote, a technique that he uses often in the book. This one is about writer Charles Bukowski, a man with a less-than-stellar reputation for alcoholism, misogyny, and an abrasive personality. Bukowski was down-and-out for much of his adult life but persisted in honing his skills as a writer. Eventually, he got a break and pretty much threw caution to the wind to pursue a career as a writer. It worked for him, and his work became influential after his death, something that Bukowski probably couldn’t have imagined. Manson uses Bukowski’s story to introduce the main thesis of the book, an exploration of how to practice the art of not giving a f*ck.

Chapter 1 contains three subchapters and, in addition to laying out the groundwork for the rest of the book, makes it clear that the F-word will have a prominent place throughout. The word appears copiously in this chapter, as do other swear words. The first subchapter, “Feedback Loop from Hell,” describes how we engage in inadvertent self-sabotage. He provides hypothetical scenarios for how this looks, but basically, when we are feeling a certain way, we become more that way. For example, if we feel anxious, we become aware that we’re anxious, and that causes even more anxiety. According to Manson, we get stuck in these loops often, and being in them can have negative consequences. The way to break through them is to change your state of mind and adopt a less hypocritical view. In other words, we should stop giving a f*ck about it in the moment.

Manson points out that not caring about something (a euphemism for “not giving a f*ck”) is not necessarily the same as being apathetic. Manson claims that apathy is actually a subversive means to care because one is making an active choice to respond in a certain way: Apathy is a mask, and it hides a person’s inner anxieties. Rather than being indifferent—or instead of wallowing—a person should reflect honestly on what causes these inner doubts. In Manon’s view, honesty with oneself is paramount if that person is to break free of their own internally built limitations.