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Loose: On Letting Stuff Go
A wise Buddhist monk once explained the power of letting go through the act of holding a cup of tea. Holding the cup for a few seconds doesn’t take much effort. But after minutes, serious discomfort sets in, which, an hour later, has turned into unbearable agony. Only by putting the cup down, we release ourselves from the pain.
Holding on to stuff can be painful. Yet, many people are masters at holding on tightly to things like people’s opinions, grudges, (ex)lovers, material possessions, bad memories, and worries about the future. Through a persistent, uninterrupted clinging to all this stuff, our lives become heavier and more unpleasant by the day. But if we let go of stuff, even if it’s just temporarily, we’ll experience relief.
In today’s world, letting go is an act of rebellion. By putting the cup down, we revolt against a society obsessed with accomplishment and prestige, that celebrates toxic passionate love and unhealthy attachment, and favors greed over contentment.
Loose is a collection of re-edited and revised essays on various topics. Originally published in video format on the Einzelgänger YouTube channel, these short works explore the art of letting go, inspired by different schools of from Schopenhauer’s philosophy to Diogenes to Taoism.
Holding on to stuff can be painful. Yet, many people are masters at holding on tightly to things like people’s opinions, grudges, (ex)lovers, material possessions, bad memories, and worries about the future. Through a persistent, uninterrupted clinging to all this stuff, our lives become heavier and more unpleasant by the day. But if we let go of stuff, even if it’s just temporarily, we’ll experience relief.
In today’s world, letting go is an act of rebellion. By putting the cup down, we revolt against a society obsessed with accomplishment and prestige, that celebrates toxic passionate love and unhealthy attachment, and favors greed over contentment.
Loose is a collection of re-edited and revised essays on various topics. Originally published in video format on the Einzelgänger YouTube channel, these short works explore the art of letting go, inspired by different schools of from Schopenhauer’s philosophy to Diogenes to Taoism.
195 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 6, 2022
196 people are currently reading
314 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
October 22, 2022
Loose: On Letting Stuff Go by Einzelgänger
(Published September 6, 2022)
This anonymous Dutch author has many excellent videos about practical philosophy on Youtube. This is the latest of the three books which he has made available on Amazon.
In addition to the timeless wisdom of ancient philosophers, it also examines some ideas about the modern world that concern the younger generation.
(There are some small mistakes in English grammar, probably because the author is Dutch, and I think the book needs to be proofread again. But the meaning is clear, and the philosophy is very helpful in everyday life).
I particularly enjoyed the parts which make practical application of quotations from the works of the Stoic Marcus Aurelius and the early Taoist philosopher Laotzu (Laozi). The reasoning contained in this work can undo painful psychological knots and help us to identify common unhealthy thinking patterns which may have become ingrained due to brainwashing by the propaganda disseminated in the world around us.
Below are some meaningful and helpful quotations from the book:
Epictetus pointed out that if we tie ourselves to external circumstances, these very circumstances control us as puppet masters. When fate gives us what we want, we’re elated. When it gives us what we don’t want, we’re in distress.
And the less we’re moved by circumstances, the less power the puppet masters have, and the more tranquil we are in the face of destiny.
Why true love is letting go? Because it’s permitting the world to be free. By letting go we make peace with fate; we’re okay with people having different opinions, the uncertainty of the future, the dreadfulness of the past, and the impermanence of everything.
Isn’t there an advantage to every disadvantage?
Being useless in the eyes of others could be great for one’s health, as it deprives one of the stress and sacrifice of being useful.
If there’s anything that holds us back from being authentic, it's when we design our lives with the purpose of appeasing others.
Not belonging to a group grants us the freedom to look how we want, dress how we want, associate with and love who we want, and think and say what we want, thus, being an ideologically independent thinker who isn’t encumbered by a group’s narrative.
“You have no responsibility to live up to what other people think you ought to accomplish. I have no responsibility to be like they expect me to be. It’s their mistake, not my failing.” Richard Phillips Feynman
The trichotomy of control, however, offers three categories: (1) Things over which we have complete control . (2) Things over which we have no control at all . (3) And things over which we have some but not complete control.
...unnatural as far as the Japanese worldview of wabi-sabi is concerned. Wabi-sabi rejects the pursuit of perfection and embraces the reality of imperfection. The philosophy behind wabi-sabi can help us escape the hamster wheel of chasing an ideal life and teaches us to appreciate existence as it is: perfectly imperfect.
(Henry David Thoreau) As here wrote: “..a man is rich in proportion to the number of things which he can afford to let alone.”
Being content with little is the ultimate civil disobedience in modern times. It loosens the grip that society has over us, by not needing what they have to offer in exchange for our time and labor. By owning and needing less, our existence becomes less complicated and less stressful.
Epicurus himself chose a simple life, enjoying weak wine, bread, and cheese, and discussing philosophy with friends.
“If thou wilt makes a man happy, add not unto his riches but take away from his desires,” Epicurus once said.
The 19th-century author, geologist, and evolutionary thinker Robert Chambers, for example, stated in a journal that ‘reading’ is an inexpensive way of deriving pleasure…
We should not complain about impermanence, because without impermanence, nothing is possible.
When we cannot change outside circumstances, the only way to move forward is to change ourselves, including how we look at the situation at hand.
The more we want to be free of pain, the more pain we experience.
“When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.”
Nature has programmed us in such a way that we’re more susceptible to negativity than to positivity.
Trouble arises when we try to control the future. To control the future, the mind tries to think about it as if it were the present.
Even though what’s happened in the past cannot be changed, we’ll always be guessing what happened exactly. First of all, it’s because our experience of past events is limited. We’ve only observed it through our own senses.
Mastery of the world is achieved by letting things take their natural course. You cannot master the world by changing the natural way.
By letting go, we create space for the universe to do its thing. The workings of nature will not cost us any additional energy.
“Comparison is the thief of joy,” American president Theodore Roosevelt once stated.
Marcus Aurelius beautifully described the continual repetition of things and that, in essence, nothing new happens. Everything is familiar and transient. He asked: “Which is why observing life for forty years is as good as a thousand. Would you really see anything new?”
But when we’re finding ourselves in dire straits, and there seems no way out, it’s essential to always remember that everything changes. The worldly winds are unpredictable. One moment they provide us with delight, the other moment with agony.
“This too shall pass”.
But we can choose the position we take towards these circumstances. Pain is certain. Suffering is optional. So, do we give unpleasant circumstances the power to make us miserable, or do we enjoy some honey instead?
Many people either fight or stick their heads in the sand, and never come to terms with how things are. But there’s a way to move forward. And it starts with accepting reality for what it is, which, in some cases, is an act of radicalism.
Radical acceptance means that we acknowledge the stuff that’s excruciatingly painful.
Because what we resist, persists. And what we accept, we move beyond. Some things are up to us, some things aren’t. We can’t change the past.
However, we do control the position we take toward life. As Søren Kierkegaard stated: “Life can only be understood backward, but it must be lived forwards.”
Radical acceptance is a powerful act. It means that we take a deep breath, stand up straight, with our shoulders back, and look the abyss straight in the eye. It sends a message to the outside world that we are willing to embrace it, that we don’t cower away from the consequences of doing so, and that we’re confident that we’ll find a way to deal with it.
(Published September 6, 2022)
This anonymous Dutch author has many excellent videos about practical philosophy on Youtube. This is the latest of the three books which he has made available on Amazon.
In addition to the timeless wisdom of ancient philosophers, it also examines some ideas about the modern world that concern the younger generation.
(There are some small mistakes in English grammar, probably because the author is Dutch, and I think the book needs to be proofread again. But the meaning is clear, and the philosophy is very helpful in everyday life).
I particularly enjoyed the parts which make practical application of quotations from the works of the Stoic Marcus Aurelius and the early Taoist philosopher Laotzu (Laozi). The reasoning contained in this work can undo painful psychological knots and help us to identify common unhealthy thinking patterns which may have become ingrained due to brainwashing by the propaganda disseminated in the world around us.
Below are some meaningful and helpful quotations from the book:
Epictetus pointed out that if we tie ourselves to external circumstances, these very circumstances control us as puppet masters. When fate gives us what we want, we’re elated. When it gives us what we don’t want, we’re in distress.
And the less we’re moved by circumstances, the less power the puppet masters have, and the more tranquil we are in the face of destiny.
Why true love is letting go? Because it’s permitting the world to be free. By letting go we make peace with fate; we’re okay with people having different opinions, the uncertainty of the future, the dreadfulness of the past, and the impermanence of everything.
Isn’t there an advantage to every disadvantage?
Being useless in the eyes of others could be great for one’s health, as it deprives one of the stress and sacrifice of being useful.
If there’s anything that holds us back from being authentic, it's when we design our lives with the purpose of appeasing others.
Not belonging to a group grants us the freedom to look how we want, dress how we want, associate with and love who we want, and think and say what we want, thus, being an ideologically independent thinker who isn’t encumbered by a group’s narrative.
“You have no responsibility to live up to what other people think you ought to accomplish. I have no responsibility to be like they expect me to be. It’s their mistake, not my failing.” Richard Phillips Feynman
The trichotomy of control, however, offers three categories: (1) Things over which we have complete control . (2) Things over which we have no control at all . (3) And things over which we have some but not complete control.
...unnatural as far as the Japanese worldview of wabi-sabi is concerned. Wabi-sabi rejects the pursuit of perfection and embraces the reality of imperfection. The philosophy behind wabi-sabi can help us escape the hamster wheel of chasing an ideal life and teaches us to appreciate existence as it is: perfectly imperfect.
(Henry David Thoreau) As here wrote: “..a man is rich in proportion to the number of things which he can afford to let alone.”
Being content with little is the ultimate civil disobedience in modern times. It loosens the grip that society has over us, by not needing what they have to offer in exchange for our time and labor. By owning and needing less, our existence becomes less complicated and less stressful.
Epicurus himself chose a simple life, enjoying weak wine, bread, and cheese, and discussing philosophy with friends.
“If thou wilt makes a man happy, add not unto his riches but take away from his desires,” Epicurus once said.
The 19th-century author, geologist, and evolutionary thinker Robert Chambers, for example, stated in a journal that ‘reading’ is an inexpensive way of deriving pleasure…
We should not complain about impermanence, because without impermanence, nothing is possible.
When we cannot change outside circumstances, the only way to move forward is to change ourselves, including how we look at the situation at hand.
The more we want to be free of pain, the more pain we experience.
“When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.”
Nature has programmed us in such a way that we’re more susceptible to negativity than to positivity.
Trouble arises when we try to control the future. To control the future, the mind tries to think about it as if it were the present.
Even though what’s happened in the past cannot be changed, we’ll always be guessing what happened exactly. First of all, it’s because our experience of past events is limited. We’ve only observed it through our own senses.
Mastery of the world is achieved by letting things take their natural course. You cannot master the world by changing the natural way.
By letting go, we create space for the universe to do its thing. The workings of nature will not cost us any additional energy.
“Comparison is the thief of joy,” American president Theodore Roosevelt once stated.
Marcus Aurelius beautifully described the continual repetition of things and that, in essence, nothing new happens. Everything is familiar and transient. He asked: “Which is why observing life for forty years is as good as a thousand. Would you really see anything new?”
But when we’re finding ourselves in dire straits, and there seems no way out, it’s essential to always remember that everything changes. The worldly winds are unpredictable. One moment they provide us with delight, the other moment with agony.
“This too shall pass”.
But we can choose the position we take towards these circumstances. Pain is certain. Suffering is optional. So, do we give unpleasant circumstances the power to make us miserable, or do we enjoy some honey instead?
Many people either fight or stick their heads in the sand, and never come to terms with how things are. But there’s a way to move forward. And it starts with accepting reality for what it is, which, in some cases, is an act of radicalism.
Radical acceptance means that we acknowledge the stuff that’s excruciatingly painful.
Because what we resist, persists. And what we accept, we move beyond. Some things are up to us, some things aren’t. We can’t change the past.
However, we do control the position we take toward life. As Søren Kierkegaard stated: “Life can only be understood backward, but it must be lived forwards.”
Radical acceptance is a powerful act. It means that we take a deep breath, stand up straight, with our shoulders back, and look the abyss straight in the eye. It sends a message to the outside world that we are willing to embrace it, that we don’t cower away from the consequences of doing so, and that we’re confident that we’ll find a way to deal with it.
September 1, 2024
It feels like reading the scrips of his Youtube channel. I knew about 30% of the scrips already, but it's a nice read anyway
September 7, 2023
A very beautiful read. It has widen the range of my thinking. Thank you for this wonderful masterpiece!
September 7, 2023
I took my time when it came to reading this book. Overall, interesting read. Thought provoking ideas. A good and simple Philosophy starter book for those wanting to give the topic a try.
Note: Originally completed this book on 19 June 2023. All the 2023 book reviews I posted were accidentally deleted. I am in the process of reposting them. Thank you for your understanding.
Note: Originally completed this book on 19 June 2023. All the 2023 book reviews I posted were accidentally deleted. I am in the process of reposting them. Thank you for your understanding.
June 24, 2024
A thoughtful exploration on letting things go through the lens of several philosophies. He really highlights a lot of similarities in separate pools of thought and how they converge, making them seem not so separate (Taoism, Buddhism, stoicism). def a good read and highly recommend to anyone who’s felt themselves fighting the flow of life or just like’s philosophy.
June 6, 2023
This is the third book of Einzelganger I have read and just the the first two books, this is a very good book. Some if not all of the piece in this book are already in his youtube channel but reading the texts hits differently. This is a practical book, easy to understand and full of life lessons.
True love is letting go.
Happiness is in letting stuff go.
True love is letting go.
Happiness is in letting stuff go.
December 31, 2023
It is one of the best books on stoicism and the art of letting go. It comments upon so many ideas and details them so vividly. It provides such a neutral perspective to all the things in life that one cannot hate or love anything or any situation whatsoever in life. It is the perfect guide book of how a person who has attained Nirvana will write about the happenings of normal Modern Life.
July 9, 2023
a must have
I’m grateful for this book. its a bridge to many other paths.
a short book with deep and rooted wisdom.
I’m grateful for this book. its a bridge to many other paths.
a short book with deep and rooted wisdom.
July 6, 2024
Fabulous essays on incorporating stoicism principles in daily life. Largely focused on letting go
November 8, 2024
The best thing you can do to yourself is letting go of this book.
January 18, 2025
be serene :P
January 20, 2025
highly recommend
Very helpful and much appreciated. Having a condensed version of what I’ve been reading has a layering effect. Brings many thoughts to the forefront.
Very helpful and much appreciated. Having a condensed version of what I’ve been reading has a layering effect. Brings many thoughts to the forefront.
April 21, 2025
A little self help-y for my taste but nonetheless contains some good wisdom from Stoicism, Buddhism, and Taoism
May 19, 2024
Perfect for a reality check reading
This applies to any walks of life. Take a moment and read this book; will surely help you along the way.
This applies to any walks of life. Take a moment and read this book; will surely help you along the way.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews