“ Night Vision provides a much-needed counterpoint to toxic positivity run amok. 'Vigorous, deeply personal, and provocative.'-Glenn C. Through insightful observations of temperaments at the dark end of the emotional spectrum, Night Vision reminds readers that our humanity is only truly visible in the dark and that the darkness is where we emotionally grow.'-Shahina Piyarali, Shelf Awareness 'A compelling, philosophically sound case for finding ‘dignity’ and strength in the discomforting emotions that are a natural part of the human condition. We do need better night vision.'-Andrew Stark, Wall Street Journal Alessandri certainly does us a service in calling attention to the value of dark moods. In doing so she makes a persuasive case against the superficiality of “don’t worry, be happy” peppiness. relates these stories with insight and sensitivity.

Alessandri makes her argument through a series of biographical sketches. 'Alessandri offers a very different understanding of clinical mood disorders, one that at first seems like bad news but ultimately proves comforting, even uplifting. Night Vision shows how, when we learn to embrace the dark, we begin to see these moods-and ourselves-as honorable, dignified, and unmistakably human. Alessandri explains how readers can cultivate “night vision” and discover new sides to their painful moods, such as wit and humor, closeness and warmth, and connection and clarity. Lewis, Gloria Anzaldúa, and Søren Kierkegaard sat in their anger, sadness, and anxiety until their eyes adjusted to the dark. Thinkers such as Audre Lorde, María Lugones, Miguel de Unamuno, C. In this powerful and disarmingly intimate book, Existentialist philosopher Mariana Alessandri draws on the stories of a diverse group of nineteenth- and twentieth-century philosophers and writers to help us see that our suffering is a sign not that we are broken but that we are tender, perceptive, and intelligent. Night Vision invites us to consider a different approach to life, one in which we stop feeling bad about feeling bad. The self-help industry, determined to sell us the promise of a brighter future, can sometimes leave us feeling ashamed that we are not more grateful, happy, or optimistic. When viewed through the lens of modern psychology, they can even look like mental disorders. Under the light of ancient Western philosophies, our darker moods like grief, anguish, and depression can seem irrational.

Night road book review