The Cafe on the Edge of the World is a short and easy read centred around three questions:

1. Why are you here?

2. Do you fear death?

3. Are you fulfilled?

There’s not much of a plot. The storytelling may come across as a little naive, but having common sense laid out with contextual analogies makes it approachable and to the point. It didn’t come across as an epiphany, but rather it has cemented ideas I believe in firmly. Many have compared it to a modern version of The Alchemist (which I am slowly getting to on my list!), and I imagine it may do wonders for those in transitory stages of their lives.

The book also alludes to concepts not unlike The Uncomfortable Truth in Manson’s Everything is Fcked: we are infinitesimal pieces of the cosmic universe, and most of the trivial things we fret about will cease to matter in the long run as the world will keep on turning long after we pass. So what is our purpose, and how will we make our mark on the world?

I’ve had first-hand experiences that life can become so overwhelming it may seem impossible to find the breathing space or stamina to make conscious changes — I can barely roll with it daily. So how am I supposed to do more? But sometimes more doesn’t equal better. Instead, we need to pick the right battles and dive in with dedication, find accountability to own up to our decisions, and be ready to pursue our goals relentlessly.

Takeaways:

• We need to realise that something is fulfilling because we determine it, not because someone else tells us so.

• Fearing death is primarily a FOMO. But we can eradicate this fear by living out the life we want with fewer regrets instead of busying ourselves to survive and prepare until the day we retire.

• If we’re not focused on our goals, we may deplete time and energy from distractions and miss desired opportunities.

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