Friday, January 29, 2010

Mixed Messages

There is a very popular blog called Zen Habits. According to a widget at the head of the right column, this blog has 157,500 subscribers via feed. The author, Leo Babauta, likes to recount how he started his blog with zero readers and has built it to be one of the most popular.

On the surface, he seems to dispense great advice on a number of topics. However, something about his blog and attitude really rubs me the wrong way! I began to realize that the vast majority of his "Zen-like" notions had one thing in common: all seem to be focused on how to became filthy rich. I'll admit that I don't know a lot about Zen Buddhism, but I'm almost certain that is not the key underlying message. (Of course, it should be noted that the decision to go with the title Zen Habits was a marketing ploy. Leo himself admits it's not necessarily Zen philosophy.)

Leo talks a lot about simplifying one's life and the most recent post, How Not to Hurry, begins with a quote from Lao Tzu. Unfortunately, it looks like his calls to slow down and simplify are marketing ploys too because his first blog has morphed into several and he conducts numerous web retreats for a pretty penny.

One of these new ventures is called A-List Blogging Bootcamps. I signed up to be on the email alert list. I didn't sign up because I want to learn the so-called tricks to turn this blog into an "A-List" one; I did it because I wanted to see what this fellow is selling.

In the most recent alert, I learned there are 7 useful tips for turning my blog into a cash cow (as if I care.) Of these seven "tips", I found the info in #2 to be rather disgusting. First, we're told that our blog should be about a topic we're passionate about. He reasons that if one plans to keep the blog around for a good period of time, you need to pick a topic that you enjoy and have a lot to say about.

So far, this seems to be commonsense. But the second half of Tip #2 seems to fly in the face of Zen (and Taoist) philosophy -- you need to be sure that you're passionate about popular things! If you aren't passionate about the right things, then say bye-bye to a large readership and, of course, easy money.

I would think that the real practitioners of Zen would not be pleased. He's giving their belief system a black eye.

Like I said, his whole shtick rubs me the wrong way.

2 comments:

  1. strangely, i'm hardly ever rubbed the wrong way.

    if i were a cat, my hair would stand straight up, because nothing would go "against the grain"

    except when people talk about how gays don't deserve the same rights as others. THAT rubs me the wrong way. and i'm not even gay (that i know of)

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  2. There's always "Seven Habits" of success (etc.)...like Covey and his band of productive goal-setters...

    His 7 tips for a "slower-paced life" seem to be about people whose life is the office....very commercial!

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