Summary

The chapter opens with an ancient story about a prince whose father endeavoured to shelter him from all the evils of the world. Surrounded by luxury and sheltered from reality, this prince soon came to feel that his life was empty and valueless. He then decided to give up everything and live in the streets. He lived a hard life of suffering for years before realizing that this too eventually came to feel meaningless. After much reflection, the prince came to the conclusion that life--for everyone regardless of wealth or status--is a form of suffering. While not all suffering is equal, the prince developed this central tenet: "pain and loss are inevitable and we should let go of trying to resist them" (26). This prince later became known as Buddha. Manson uses this story to segue into a central problem with our cultural philosophy: "That...