‘The Rudest Book Ever’
Book Review
By: Asif Rashid
The Premise:The author’s main focus is to address a commonly known statement: “Nobody is born an idiot.” According to the author, people become idiots unintentionally because they are not taught “how to think,” but rather “what to think.” The absence of this knowledge results in individuals accepting whatever they learn from their families as absolute truth.
To illustrate the above statement, he explained that when children are born, they do not know how to learn or think. They are only capable of absorbing information. As a result, their parents and surroundings become their primary teachers. The child absorbs everything, including the values and norms of their family. Now, let’s imagine a situation where the family holds erroneous beliefs about other individuals or groups. In this case, the child will adopt the same thoughts and behaviours as their family. Therefore, it would be accurate to say that they are being taught “what to think.” When a child grows up with such teachings, s/he considers it a factual learning. As the child matures, these teachings become deeply ingrained. Over time, these ‘factual learnings’ solidify into such self perceived truths that are unquestionable to them, and they may feel compelled to defend them. As they become defenders, they form groups, ultimately leading to disagreements with other groups.
Additionally, the author highlights the innate desire within individuals to feel unique. The notion of being special captivates nearly everyone, but people have associated “specialness” with being born special or being treated special. However, they are unaware of the fact that specialness is unrelated to these factors. According to him, specialness is earned which fosters a significant level of self-confidence, instilling a sense of competence. To experience this feeling of being special, individuals should be ready to fight all the battles. Furthermore, the author suggests that individuals should maintain realistic expectations of the world, as it enables them to become self-reliant.
Rejections:The author also shared his unique perspective on life’s rejections. According to him, rejections are an inevitable aspect of life. However, when someone whom we respect and love, such as a teacher or boss, rejects us, instead of using our rational thinking, we tend to let our ego take over, believing that we are the only ones suffering or wondering why it always happens to us?
Furthermore, the author emphasised that when we hold someone in high regard, we naturally desire their approval. So, when we don’t receive it, we often end up thinking, “Maybe something is wrong with me.” This tendency arises from a lack of understanding that rejections are simply a part of life i.e, it’s not unnatural to expect them.
Losses fuel your conquest in the war:The author also emphasised the importance of perceiving failures as normal in life and embracing them as foundational principles for achieving genuine success. People need to know that real winning requires minimising losses.
Rather than assuming that you are the only one suffered from failures, the right approach is to embrace them. Although these approaches may appear similar, they hold profound differences. The first makes you to play the victim, and the second makes you responsible. Taking ownership propels you towards introspection: why did I fail?
And this assessment produces findings about your efforts and abilities. For example, what was your approach for that specific work or task? Serious or lazy? These insights aid in your personal growth, teaching you valuable lessons in negotiation. You may discover that some things are unworthy of negotiation and simply need to be discarded, enabling you to regain control over your life. Once you regain control, you become aware of your mistakes and adjust your approach to avoid future failures.
The murder of individuality:When individuals mature, they come across numerous people, some of whom become their cherished idols. Since you like them, you want the same treatment in return, which is totally fine and natural. But what is dangerous is when their approval becomes authority. When a person presents his insights or discoveries, that have given him a deep sense of self-satisfaction, to his/her favourite person, and if they neglect those discoveries or show no interest in them, that shatters his/her heart and has dangerous consequences such as not focusing on the feeling of self-satisfaction or stop relying on yourself. As a result, your “self” is ignored instead of developed.
Personal experience is not the best teacher. The author also aims to enhance peoples’ understanding by telling them that they should always remember that personal experience is not everything. One should not believe that experience has taught him everything, as the world does not revolve around him or her. There could be a huge possibility that their interpretations are wrong, and it is acceptable to acknowledge a lack of knowledge on certain matters. As the admission of ignorance keeps the door open for learning.
In addition to this, the author also aims to promote the acceptance of pain as a normal part of life. When you make a decision that gives you pain in life, instead of resisting it, always look at the door from where it came, as it will help you assess the things objectively. your focus shifts from feeling to problem-solving. This empowers your reasoning abilities to take charge over your emotions and enables you to uncover truths. On the contrary Fear would encourage you to close the door and never trust anyone. That is what we call the lesson of a fear of pain.
Recommendation:”The Rudest Book Ever” by Shetabh Gangwar fearlessly explores the truth in a way that may make some readers uncomfortable. If you’re open to a new way of looking at things and can handle honesty, this book can have a powerful impact on your thoughts and inspire you to be true to yourself. Remember, it’s only for those who are ready to get their feelings hurt.
Book Name: The Rudest Book Ever
Author: Shwetabh Gangwar
Publisher: Westland
Genre: Self-help
Pages: 213
