51 pages • 1 hour read
Thrive: The Third Metric to Redefining Success and Creating a Life of Well-Being, Wisdom, and Wonder
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Background
Cultural Context: Mindfulness & the American Workplace
Arianna Huffington draws upon a range of cultural practices in Thrive, with a particular focus on meditation and mindfulness, which have roots in Buddhism and yoga. These practices were increasingly being adopted in Western culture during the time Huffington conceived of Thrive. Jeff Wilson’s Mindful America: The Mutual Transformation of Buddhist Meditation and American Culture (2014), was published in the same year as Thrive.
Although Thrive is not explicitly rooted in a specific religion, the book explores themes of spirituality, seeking a deeper sense of meaning and purpose in life. This reflects a broader cultural interest in exploring spiritual aspects outside traditional religious frameworks.
The book’s foremost cultural context, however, is situated within American work culture, with its emphasis on success, achievement, and ambition. The culture also celebrated excess in terms of both effort and consumption, and the rise of celebrities as social media expanded in importance intensified the focus on more. There was, however, criticism being voiced in scholarship about the West’s obsession with excesses at the time of publication: “excess is at once regaled and disdained” (Sternheimer, Karen. Celebrity Culture and the American Dream: Stardom and Social Mobility. 2nd ed., Routledge, 2014, p. 16). Sternheimer also laments that culture in America has changed considerably; wealth used to mean “donating and volunteering…not consuming with excess” (22). Similarly, Thrive challenges certain aspects of the excess-obsessed American culture and how people work to attain success within the toxic framework. Huffington instead encourages readers to reconsider how they work, live, and, moreover, define success beyond the metric of wealth.
Historical Context: The Digital Age
Huffington wrote Thrive during a time when digital technology had become deeply integrated into daily life. Smartphones eased access to information, transporting the internet into people’s pockets, creating a hyperconnected society. People were grappling with the effects of constant connectivity, information overload, and the challenges of disconnecting from technology. The rise of social media meant that many people felt the need to perform happy, successful lives for an audience of friends and strangers, turning even their leisure time into another form of competitive work. The book addresses these issues by advocating for a healthier relationship with technology and, overall, emphasizing the importance of unplugging to nurture health.
With constant digital connectivity came not only added social pressure but added work stress as well. Workers were often expected to be reachable at all times, and work-life balance became more difficult to achieve. Thrive underscores the need for well-being and mindfulness practices as a means to combat stress and burnout. Through discussing and offering practical solutions rooted in presence and healthful practices as remedies for these work-related issues, Huffington tapped into the growing social interest in wellness and self-care to promote a holistic health picture of health.
Thrive also takes part in discussions about gender equality and the structural barriers that make it challenging for women to balance demanding jobs with personal and familial responsibilities. Huffington herself is a prominent figure in the context of discussing women’s leadership in a capitalistic economy, having co-founded The Huffington Post and embraced several high-level leadership roles in her professional career. She draws on these experiences in commenting on the costs of “success” as the West defines it.
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