Okay, this book is starting to get really annoying. I don't like self-help books, and that seems to be all this is: just another self-righteous, self-centered self-help book. Self-help books, in my eyes, are characterized by vague statements, overly optimistic generalizations about the world, and an overall condescending tone. Seth Godin's The Icarus Deception has got the full package. Chapter 2 begins by listing various immortalized mythical and historical figures, claiming that they are all "humans...wearing the cloaks of gods," and the chapter goes on to assert that all humans are capable of godlike things. While it may be true that everyone has the potential to contribute something meaningful to the world, I think that seeing ourselves as gods is a bit melodramatic. Godin goes on to state that "we don't have a humility shortage" in our society. Um, yes we do. Particularly in the United States, people are so closed-minded and focused solely on themselves. If you ask me, we don't need any more people viewing themselves as gods. This book assumes that its readers are lacking in self-confidence and need encouragement to reach their full potential. I don't fit into this category; I know where I stand and I know what I have to offer. Perhaps this book is frustrating me because I'm only reading it for a class rather than for personal enlightenment.
But seriously, this chapter was full of contradictory statements. The book as a whole focuses on creativity as a means to success in all walks of life, thereby suggesting that all people are different and that there are countless different forms of creativity. Why, then, does Godin feel entitled to make such bold accusations as, "You have no idea what you're doing. If you did, you'd be an expert, not an artist," as if such a statement would be true for all people? That's one of the biggest problems with these self-help books; they're geared towards EVERYONE. They aim to please EVERYONE. And anything that aims to please everyone tends to make very little impact on people because there was no risk involved. Godin even talks about this concept as it applies to art in his book.
This chapter got really preachy, particularly in the section entitled "Where Are the Gods?":
The old work: Bale that cotton, mow that hay, load that barge. Fill in this form, obey these instructions, take this test.
The new work: Start something. Figure it out. Connect. Make the call. Ask. Learn. Repeat. Risk it. Open. What's next?
The old work is machinelike.
The new work is for mythological gods.
Gods in charge of their destiny. Gods responsible for their choices. Gods with power and the freedom to use it.
Us.
Words, words, words. While I admire Seth Godin's apparent passion for the subject passion, these are words with no practical application attached to them. The most meaningful response one could have after reading this passage would be maybe a thoughtful tilt of the head followed by a self-affirming nod, as if to say, "Yeah! I can do this. I am a god. I can do anything if I put my mind to it." Then you get out into the real world, back to your everyday business, and you remember that there is still cotton to be baled, hay to be mowed, forms to be filled out, tests to be taken...and your little self-help book did not actually give you any answers regarding how you might do these things with a creative flair. If you're someone who needed Seth Godin's empowering words to motivate you to think outside of the box, perhaps The Icarus Deception inspired you in some way, but that's all it can really do for its readers. Because I am fortunate enough to be surrounded by resources that help me to kindle my own creativity, I don't need this book to open up my eyes, and therefore I don't feel that I am learning anything from it.
My biggest problem with The Icarus Deception thus far is that, through the use of its generalized statements and flashy middle-school-motivational-speaker-style language, it makes creativity look easy. It proclaims, "Follow these simple steps, and you will be a true artist!" The truth is that everyone has to work hard to discover their own unique process by which they may tap into their own creativity, and one thing's for sure: it's not a process that you can learn from any book.
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