The Grumpy Author of the Geography of Bliss
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
New York Times Bestselling Author and NPR Correspondent TheERIC Grumpy Author WEINER of The Geography of Bliss JANUARY 15 – FEBRUARY 27, 2010 GranD JUncTION, CO Grand Junction, CO 39° 063’N x -108° 55’W ESS BR N I Get I G P A P D Happiness A E H Tips O N K E B O O Page 4 search for bliss at www.mcpld.org Picking One Book Each year, the One und here somewh Book, One Mesa aro ere… County Committee be tries to match our ta got selection with the 's pulse of Mesa County It and the nation. First and foremost, we want a book our community can discuss. We believe a community that reads and discusses a book together grows The ‘where’ of happiness together. Here’s “Think Don Quixote with a sense of humor and you begin to grasp Eric Weiner, the a look at our past modern knight-errant of this mad, sad, wise, and witty quest across four continents. selections: I won’t spoil the fun by telling if his mission succeeds, except to say that happiness is 2010 With the recent reading a book as entertaining as this.” — Tony Horwitz, author of Confederates in the Attic economic recession and the stresses it has caused in so While most of us devote a lot of time and something privately constructed, in fact place, many lives, we feel 2010 is energy trying to figure out what makes us your physical and social environment, is far the right time to focus on happy, and there are entire industries that try to more important than one might think. Whether happiness. That’s why we tell us who might make us happy, Eric Weiner, it is the mirages money can buy amidst the sand chose The Geography of Bliss in The Geography of Bliss, tackles the where of and heat of Qatar, the warming effect of low by Eric Weiner. happiness. expectations on the frozen floe of Iceland, or the 2009 Extremely Loud & Happiness has, of course, been subjected to calm assurances of a mantra in the cartoonish Incredibly Close by Jonathan all manner of investigation. Still, quantifying Eden of an ashram in India, place goes a long Safran Foer. happiness or even simply trying to figure out way in determining not only if you are happy, what exactly is happiness is a slippery task. but how you are happy. 2008 The God of Animals by Happiness it seems is depressingly elusive. While what constitutes happiness may be far Aryn Kyle. What to do with the fact that, while individuals messier than we would like it to be, what the 2007 Marley and Me by who consider themselves religious report high reader ultimately takes from The Geography John Grogan. rates of happiness, secular nations are on the of Bliss is that happiness is attainable. In fact, 2006 Kira - Kira by whole happier? Or that nations with extreme Weiner postulates that the world is becoming Cynthia Kadohata. inequalities in wealth can be as happy as, or even happier. Why? At least one key component is the happier than, those that do not? Or that happy very travel that Weiner is engaged in. 2005 Bless Me, Ultima by nations also tend to have high suicide rates? Because of changes in technology, as well as Rudolfo Anaya. Weiner tries to make sense of these economic and social structures, we as human contradictions by going to the source — traveling beings are more mobile than ever, and that to some of the happiest and unhappiest places means we are freer to search out new possibilities he can find. What he discovers is that while we of where that elusive X on each of our personal tend to think of happiness as an individual thing, happiness treasure maps might be found. A ‘quasi-happy’ author Eric Weiner spent a decade them profoundly unhappy. as a foreign correspondent for Weiner has also served as National Public Radio. He has been correspondent for NPR in New York, based in New Delhi, Jerusalem, Miami, and, currently, Washington, and Tokyo, and has reported from D.C. For more information visit the more than 30 countries, most of One Book blog. SCHWEIZ IS E 23.08.01 18.07.02 14 KEFLAVIKURFLUGVOLLUR ZURICH - FLUGHAFEN F 034 Events Calendar SCHWEIZ ں��ﮥ ڤڟڔ JAN 21– WORLD VIEWS OF HAPPINESS STATE OF QATARIS 6 P.M., THUrsday, Central Library Program Area E 23.08.01 28 feb 2009 ZURICH - FLUGHAFEN 18.07.02 14 Does The Geography of Bliss accurately ROYAL GOVERNMENT OF BHUTAN KEFLAVIKURFLUGVOLLUR ٲ � _____09/4/2 ړ� �ﮥ DOHA represent the countries it portrays? Hear the F 034 VISA NO. _________________0/3074 DATE __ GOOD FOR SINGLE ENTRY TO BHUTAN ﮥ ڤڟڔ AND GOOD UNTIL _____________________2/15/09 ں�� :Meditation perspectives of Mesa County residents who Finding inner peaceSTATE OF QATAR SCHWEIZ PROVIDED PASSPORT REMIANS VALID originally hail from India, Switzerland and 28 feb 2009 In The Geography of Bliss Eric Weiner travels to an ashram in India seekingY.IMMIGRATION d.a Pshot OFFICER at inner Thailand, as well as a Mesa State College E 23.08.01 IS PARO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT peace. There’s no need to travel halfway aroundDOHA the world like Weiner, for in Grand Junction 06.06.02 ROYAL23 GOVERNMENT OF BHUTAN U.S. CU URITY STOMS 14 ٲ �ړ� �18.07.02ﮥ ZURICH - FLUGHAFEN C A SE ND professor who taught in Iceland and a ROTTERDAM ND B A O L A E R M D KEFLAVIKURFLUGVOLLUR J 036 O E VISA NO. _________________ DATE _______H ADMITTED R you can get instruction on good mental health from Lynn Albers and0/3074 Sister CarolineF Conway. 2/4/09 P O NL GOOD FOR SINGLE ENTRY TO BHUTAN N.Y.C. R T mountaineering guide who leads expeditions O N F 034 T E AND GOOD UNTIL _____________________15 E M C 2/15/09 1852 T T ﮥ ڤڟڔ PROVIDED PASSPORT REMIANS VALIDR I NOV 15 09 O ں�� REPUBLICA MOLDOVA A Conway will then lead the first half of the program on Tai Chi, a Chinese Taoist art form.N to Bhutan. STATE OF QATAR P E D CLASS Y. d. P UNIT IMMIGRATION OFFICER This program is designed to be fun28 feband 2009 active. During the second half of the program,UNITED STATES OF AMERICA Albers JAN 24 - MovIES AROUND THE WORLD 06.06.02 23 06 03 11 PARO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT 1 P.M., SUnday, Central Library Program Area will enlighten us about mantra yoga and pranayama, aROTTERDAM breath awareness technique, followed by ECURITY U.S. CUS DOHA J 036 ND S TOM NL ROYAL GOVERNMENT OF BHUTAN LA S A � �ﮥ E N IMMIGRATION OFFICER 510100 ٲ �ړ OM D CHINŞINĂU H BO Explore paradise by watching Frank Capra’s F ADMITTED A O R a centering and rejuvenating meditation session. Participation is encouraged forD all those who REPUBLICA MOLDOVA T E VISA NO. _________________ DATE _______ N N.Y.C. R E 0/3074 15 P M 2/4/09 R GOOD FOR SINGLE ENTRY TO BHUTAN T 1937 masterpiece set in a fictionalized BANGKOK THAILAND O R T A NOV 15 09 E AND GOOD UNTIL _____________________ P A C 1852 attend. The meditation program starts at 6 p.m., February 11, atE the Central Library Program T 2/15/09 D CLASS I PROVIDED PASSPORT REMIANS VALID 138 O 18 APR 2008 Bhutan. *Title available online. UNIT N 06 03 11 DEPARTED Area. Y. d. P UNITED STATES OF AMERICA HEATHROW (5) IMMIGRATION OFFICER JAN 31 - MovIES AROUND THE WORLD 06.06.02 23 PARO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT ROTTERDAM CHINŞINĂU 510100 1 P.M., SUnday, Central Library Program Area IMMIGRATION16 DIVISION FEBIMMIGRATION 2009 OFFICER J 036 ECURITY U.S. CU SIGNED NL ND S STO A M EL S A Watch The Overture, an award-winning Thai OM BANGKOK THAILAND ND H B F O REPUBLICA MOLDOVA O ADMITTED A DEP - 2 (d) A R T D N N.Y.C. E E 138 R movie that captures the mix of Thailand’s 15 M P T DEPARTED R R O 18 APR 2008 27 MAY 2009 A NOV 15 09 T P E E C 1852 D cultural roots and its future by following the CLASS T I O 06 03 11 UNIT N HEATHROW (5) story of a traditional musician. IMMIGRATION16 DIVISION FEBUNITED 2009 STATES OF AMERICA SIGNED FEB 2 - TRAVELS WITH HERB BAcoN CHINŞINĂU 510100 6 P.M., TUesday, Central Library Program Area IMMIGRATION OFFICER BANGKOK THAILAND DEP - 2 (d) staff A Herb Bacon has traveled to nearly all the 138 27 MAY 2009 countries depicted in The Geography of Bliss DEPARTED 18 APR 2008 ffice and many more. Bacon shares his travel O HEATHROW (5) S The quest R IMMIGRATION16 DIVISIONFEB 2009 experiences and photos of Iceland, Bhutan, SIGNED and other travel destinations. eale H an FEB 4 - QUEST FOR BLISS Y DEP - 2 (d) 6 P.M., THUrsday, Central Library Program Area for27 MAY 2009 bliss Find out how some Mesa County residents imala H have discovered and pursued their own F Happiness means different things to different happiness. (See article on the right.) Y O people. In Mesa County a number of residents tes R FEB 7 - MovIES AROUND THE WORLD U have pursued happiness in their own lives in a 1 P.M., SUnday, Central Library Program Area O CO surprising way. T Watch a movie from or about the countries O H Several Mesa County residents will take Author Eric Weiner visits.