Summary

In 2009, when Mark Manson was making a decent living through his blog and internet business, he became a digital nomad and began travelling the world. A desire for adventure combined with a fear of commitment led him to spend the next five years travelling to fifty-five countries where he met friends and lovers, but most of them were quickly replaced or forgotten as he moved on to a new place. Now Manson has "a house and furniture and an electric bill and a wife" (166). He prefers his sedentary life with commitments "because after all the years of excitement, [he learned that] absolute freedom, by itself, means nothing" (166). Ultimately, the only way to achieve meaning is through a narrowing of freedom and a choice of commitment.

Manson remembers travelling to Russia where he was initially struck by the bluntest of the people and culture. However...