More "Help" For the Wrong People

On my quest to read a book each month, I've created my intended stack and just finished up my book for March.  A trend I've realized, reading through this book in particular and pairing it up with other books and materials I've read or leafed through, is that many of the self-motivational, "unlock the inner you", happiness-builders seem to be directed at only a portion of the population, and it's predominately (and predictably) those not revolving around some catastrophic or traumatic event.  The books I'm referring to aren't the memoirs or autobiographies of those facing incredible obstacles, but those written, seemingly, by those coming from an affluent, upper-middle class upbringing, writing for others "struggling" to survive their same conditions.


The Happiness Project, my book for March, certainly has made several insightful observations and doled out its fair share of advice to incorporate into my day.  But by and large, the author really doesn't have any issues from which to base her book.  Living in Manhattan, married (both spouses are employed and financially sound), with two healthy children.  Even the author admits that she's not actually UNhappy, she just thinks she could stand to be MORE happy, going on to talk about her shopping trips and birthday parties and wanton spending on gym memberships and trainers and stopping at a news stand to buy five different magazines each afternoon.  Instead of appealing to a wide range of audiences, she almost seems to alienate herself into a class-divided world, where the haves can afford the luxury of her escapades while the have-not's sit on the sidelines.

To make it clear, I don't mean to call one particular author out, this book is simply serving as the inspiration: Joel Osteen, Martin Seligman, Tony Robbins...really anyone with a book title containing any combination of "real you", "inner self", "reinventing", the "life you want", etc. are all antagonists here.  The issue isn't that I believe some people shouldn't be writing on the subject or have nothing to contribute.  I'm simply pointing out that many of these "self-help" books focused on "living the life you deserve", "unlocking your true potential", and "making the most of each day" seem to have a secondary commonality: none of these people have really any idea some of the obstacles facing many many people.  I'm also not saying that I'm in any position to write to this invisible majority, only that if you're climbing the ladder to the upper economic echelon of society, please stop talking about how much sleep you lose at night worrying about money or the future.  There are real people out there wondering how to pay for the next doctor's visit or scraping enough together to pay for an orthodontist for their child because insurance won't cover the braces.  Please stop talking about how much work it is to plan a birthday party because you're stumped on the type of invitations to send.  There are people with real problems.