First of all, I don't understand why people need to cuss so much, specially if you are a writer. If anything, it shows your lack of vocabulary to articulate your thoughts.
Second, as I went through the audio book while driving, I realised that the later chapters are quite contradictory.
On one hand he says he has traveled to 55 countries, slept with countless lovers and it hasn't meant much after a point and he's since then found more meaning staying committed at one place with one person. But on the other hand how traveling through Russia helped him learn new perspective.
On one hand he says "don't try", accept mediocrity as most of us are mediocre and "not special". On the other hand, he states that overcoming problems (which entails trying to change things ) is the source of happiness. Well, I do agree that it's not good to assume that we are "special" as it makes us feel lonely or entitled. But to say that stay a loser and don't give a damn about what others think of you being a loser is just plain stupid.
By the end of the book, he tries to sound profound by saying something like death is inevitable.
I am confused by what is the subtle art and how to learn it.
Just feels like the author was journalising for some time and made a book out of it by just putting together some parts of his writings. Not cohesive, not rendering much clarity.