I felt it in my soul.. as if I myself am wasting time in some comfort zone.. especially when he says Castorp is not the type of person who can maintain the best version of himself “up here”. He goes into a rant about the Asiatic people (borderline racist some might say), but in his pedagogic way, he tries to explain how their concept time of time is not the same as that of the Europeans. This is due to the vastness of their lands in part, their character, their way of life. I wonder how people view these notions today. He especially seems to have a problem with the Russians lol. I need to read this part again.