The author writes with a lively and accessible style. However, don't let that fool you: there are a lot of truths in this book that hit at the basic tenets of our conformist society. It's surprising how far people are willing to be manipulated to gain acceptance from those around them. Or how in this capitalist society, competition trumps cooperation, and appearing smart is more important than getting actual results.
Locke busts these myth, which are implanted in our minds right at birth. But the best part is that he provides clear and realistic strategies for deprogramming yourself and freeing yourself from all the learned bullshit that makes us so unhappy and unsuccessful.
The author rightly shows that stopping to prove how good and smart we are in order to be accepted is truly liberating. In other words, stop caring about what others think about you will free you. It will also make you more creative and successful. Instead of following the herd.
When I said that this book is deep, I was thinking, for instance, about how conforming is wonderful for the elites who can then dominate the masses of conformists. Also, when Locke says that doing nothing often brings success, he's awful close to the Taoist principle of doing less. Indeed, we often agitate and accomplish nothing significant in the end, while by doing nothing, things often sort themselves out and people around us will solve the problem. The author's not saying that we should always do nothing all the time but that we often should.
And to illustrate how concrete the book is, Locke gives examples of how not following the rules rules. He says that someone barging into a director's office will always triumph over the many who politely filled out job applications according to the rules, only to have their resume wind up in the waste basket. I've been through this very experience. I asked to meet the director at one time, without thinking that I wasn't supposed to. The director took a liking to me, and I got the job.
I got a whole lot out of this book. Like I said, it's down to earth, lively, deep and certainly very useful
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