Be Nobody

The quest to “be somebody” is an obsessive one fraught with negative emotions that can make life difficult. In his follow-up to A Spiritual Renegade’s Guide to the Good Life, Lama Marut exposes this obsession and suggests a different way of life based on intentional ethics, selflessness, and compassion. He shows how individuals cause suffering for themselves and others by unknowingly prioritizing the quest to be somebody special. Instead, Marut offers an alternative: be nobody. To “be nobody” is not nihilistic; emptiness of identity acknowledges tangled relationships with people, creates space for consideration of others, and enables compassion. Marut focuses heavily on a nonreligious understanding of karma. To be a good person, one must acknowledge past actions, perceive current situations, and begin sowing the seeds for future change. He emphasizes the importance of bringing intention to thought and action. In a conversational tone, Marut offers a nondenominational, effective, and accessible challenge to “being somebody” and a method for engaging with the “nobody” found in the everyday and every one. (June)