Listening to stories that change lives and the way you look at ways to get contentment should be the norm. Audible has come out with a new audiobook by renowned Indian mythologist, speaker and author Devdutt Pattanaik — Contentment: Heaven Is No Paradise.
Released in October, this thought-provoking audiobook by Pattanaik goes deep into the meaning of being truly content in a world of discontentment. He talks about the way myth, culture, science, and technology shape our concepts of happiness and success with comparisons to the Western ideas of individualism and the Indian worldview.
Devdutt Pattanaik speaks to The Free Press Journal about his latest audio offering on audiobook, what it offers and more.
Excerpts from the interview:
What is Contentment: Heaven Is No Paradise about?
The audiobook is about asking ourselves why the rich, powerful and famous never look happy, and why people seem so committed to dying discontented. It is a meditation on these ideas, on why human beings keep chasing happiness but rarely find it.
What made you consider writing this audiobook? What were the points that pushed you?
I think the audiobook is a great format because it reminds me of the oral tradition. I wanted to share my reflections and meditations with people who, I realised, are being brainwashed into being constantly unhappy.
Can you give us a brief of the topics covered? What listeners can expect?
My book deals with how our brain is wired by the stories we tell. Modern stories are built on competition, comparison and violence. These can be traced to ancient myths from West Asia, which are very different from Chinese and Indian myths that are now being forgotten. Science has told us to ignore myths. Therefore, we ignore how our brain is wired. We don’t realise that we have been wired for unhappiness and discontentment.
Why do you feel contentment is something most cannot find in the present day?
As long as we are competitive and keep comparing our lives with others, we will never be content. We are told that competition makes us better people — but why do we want to be “better”? Why do we want to be richer than others? Paying bills and taking responsibility do not require competition. Capitalists want efficient employees and bigger consumers; socialists are constantly jealous of those who are more powerful than they are. Both are ruining our lives, and we don’t even see how this is happening.
What are the reflections on Eastern and Western ways of thinking about success and fulfilment?
Eastern and Western worldviews are very different. The East has two parts — China and India. And they should not be confused. The West is largely Biblical and Greek. In the Bible, nature does not play an important role; it is all about God and humans at the top. That is why colonial and postcolonial discourse neglect nature. But nature is central to Chinese and Indian mythologies. Indian mythology additionally speaks of the human mind, which is missing in both Chinese and Western mythologies.
What is the intersection of myth and science? What do they reveal about human behaviour and belief?
Science completely ignores human psychology as it cannot measure emotions and sensations. No scientist talks about jealousy, which is ruining the world. No instrument can measure or regulate jealousy. Science fails here, and yet we believe science will solve everything. This shows how badly our brain has been wired — we imagine tools and technology will save us, when they cannot.
How was your experience working on an audiobook?
I have done several audiobooks. And it is a great experience. It is a return to the old storytelling tradition. The younger generation can listen to stories while driving, exercising or at the gym. It allows them to reflect on ideas in a way that is very different from reading a book. It suits the needs of the new generation.
What do you like listening to in terms of audiobooks?
I listen to a lot of audiobooks and podcasts while travelling because I like to hear the voice of speakers. Sometimes you don’t have the time or space to read. But on a crowded flight or a long journey, you can listen to conversations and lectures of great intellectuals and professors. It enhances your knowledge, and I enjoy it deeply.
What can your fans and other listeners expect from you in terms of any book or audiobook?
When you approach this audiobook, Heaven Is No Paradise, you will realise how your brain is being manipulated by your parents, by the education system, by the companies you work for. You slowly forget yourself as a person. It is important not to forget who we are and to question how we are being wired to be unhappy when happiness is actually within reach. That is what my audiobook aims to achieve.
