Why ‘To Have or To Be?’ Is the Self-Help Classic That Could Save Modern Life

Imagine a world where your worth isn’t measured by your bank account, your job title, or the number of likes on your latest post. What if fulfillment came not from what you own, but from who you are? Erich Fromm’s ‘To Have or To Be?’ is a timeless call to rethink the very foundation of happiness and success. Fromm, a renowned psychoanalyst and social philosopher, saw the modern obsession with ‘having’—owning, consuming, accumulating—as the root of our deepest anxieties. He contrasted this with the ‘being’ mode: a way of living based on presence, creativity, love, and authentic experience.

Fromm’s insights are startlingly relevant today. Our culture bombards us with messages that happiness is just one purchase away. We are taught to acquire—degrees, gadgets, followers—believing these will fill the gnawing emptiness inside. Yet, as Fromm shows, this endless chase only deepens our sense of isolation. In the ‘having’ mode, even relationships become possessions, and love is confused with control or security. The result? A society rich in things but poor in spirit.

But Fromm doesn’t leave us in despair. He offers a vision of the ‘being’ mode that is both inspiring and practical. In this mode, life becomes an adventure in growth and connection. Learning is not about memorizing facts but about transformation. Love is not something to own but something to practice—an art that flourishes when we give, listen, and nurture. Fromm draws on wisdom from Eastern and Western traditions, showing that the great spiritual teachers all pointed toward being as the path to liberation.

What makes ‘To Have or To Be?’ so powerful is its practicality. Fromm suggests daily practices—mindful presence, creative work, genuine dialogue—that anyone can adopt. He urges us to build communities that support being over having, and to challenge the social structures that keep us trapped in consumerism. The book is a gentle but urgent reminder: our future depends on this transformation. As ecological crises and mental health epidemics mount, the need to shift from having to being has never been more clear.

In a world that tells you to buy your way to happiness, Fromm’s message is revolutionary: let go, slow down, and rediscover the joy of simply being. The journey won’t always be easy, but it promises a life richer than anything you could ever possess. Ready to choose being over having?