No Longer Human
summary
Yozo is a man who does not seem human. He meets women throughout his life and goes on a downward spiral of drinking and delinquency. He only seems to find joy in painting, yet he isn’t able to become a painter. He commits suicide.
notes
- do I live to eat? do I live to make money?
- no, I live to feel joy, to feel pleasure, to enjoy the little things, to be alive. I want to live a life of passion.
- "The one thing I must avoid is becoming offensive in their eyes"
- if placating people is what makes him inhuman, maybe I should just live to be and not care about others' perception of me
- as I reflect the visualization of two magnets repelling at the same pole comes to mind
- when we connect, do we really connect with others? or are we all playing the roles of clowns, fooling everyone, even ourselves?
- the most fearsome thing is being seen, but it is also what we desire the most
- whereas I have many facets of my persona that still remain true to myself, Yozo's persona is so far removed from his ego that he has way too much dissonance
- I like how this book highlights the hypocrisy and complexity of human nature