The Art of Serenity:
The Path to a Joyful Life in the Best and Worst of Times

by T. Byram Karasu
New York: Simon & Schuster, 2003

Reviewed by Patrice Fagnant-MacArthur

Dr. T. Byram Karasu relies on both Eastern and Western religious thought to create a path to serenity. He deftly weaves spiritual teachings from many masters and traditions in an easy-to-read description of the quest for a joyful life. The Art of Serenity: The Path to a Joyful Life in the Best and Worst of Times treats most of the main tenets of life: family relationships, friendships, work, material possessions, health and religion.

Dr. Karasu consistently maintains that happiness is to be found in the simple things of life. Family relationships bring joy when we work at them and accept the other people in our lives for who they are. "We should not be hoping that one day this person will finally mature and become like ourselves." Friendships are important because they make us part of a larger community and fill a void that our family relationships cannot. Work becomes meaningful when we approach it with a sense of purpose and imagination. Dr. Karasu does not suggest ridding our lives of all material possessions, but instead encourages us to value those that we have and treat them with respect. As a physician himself, Dr. Karasu has a special interest in the role of health and physical suffering in our lives. His discussion of the fear of death is especially moving. He maintains that "the process of dying must also be lived." He also comes down decidedly in favor of organized religion. While acknowledging that some people can live deeply spiritual lives without being part of a faith community, religion provides a sense on continuity with the past and the future. To belong to a religion is to belong to something greater than us. Religion also helps meet our need for rituals in life. Dr. Karasu believes that the knowledge of God is imprinted in every human being. It "can be forbidden or denied, but it cannot be erased." It is ultimately that belief in God that sustains us and brings us a "joyful serenity




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