In the words of Miguel de Unamuno:
"... a new friend enriches our spirit, not so much by what he gives us of himself, as by what he causes us to discover in our own selves, something which, if we had never known him, would have lain in us undeveloped..."
This is what I value in a good piece of writing, that it has the power to put me in touch with parts of myself that I never knew existed and that it makes me more aware of my humanity--of qualities that I share with other human souls.
I have read many different types of books too, but the ones I find most helpful are the well-written, well-conceived novel. Often these are the classics in literature--Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, Hesse--but others provoke thought and feeling as well--Milan Kundera, Bela Zsolt, Henryk Grynberg. These are stories of humanity that spring from diverse sources, but which all revolve around the large questions and preoccupations of humanity--love, suffering, justice, truth.
I particularly like the novel because it speaks to the reader on a variety of levels (literal, metaphorical, allegorical) and, therefore, reveals much knowledge both that which the authour intends, and that which he/she does not intend.
Many self-help books, by contrast, claim too much in the way of secret knowledge, which if you but follow the prescribed recipe for success, will lead you to your personal Nirvana. Implied, and this is what I find most problematic, is that if you fail in your quest--by following the directions--you are assumed to be the failure and not the ideological recipe put forward by the authour.
Good novels are more humane, more forgiving, more understanding and thus more compassionate. Perfection does not exist here because the human condition does not allow for that. We have and aspire towards transcendent moments, but the astute authour, like the astute reader, understands that truth speaking is an uncertain art.
I particularly like the novel because it speaks to the reader on a variety of levels (literal, metaphorical, allegorical) and, therefore, reveals much knowledge both that which the authour intends, and that which he/she does not intend.
Many self-help books, by contrast, claim too much in the way of secret knowledge, which if you but follow the prescribed recipe for success, will lead you to your personal Nirvana. Implied, and this is what I find most problematic, is that if you fail in your quest--by following the directions--you are assumed to be the failure and not the ideological recipe put forward by the authour.
Good novels are more humane, more forgiving, more understanding and thus more compassionate. Perfection does not exist here because the human condition does not allow for that. We have and aspire towards transcendent moments, but the astute authour, like the astute reader, understands that truth speaking is an uncertain art.
I don't mean to trash all self-help books, nor do I mean to glorify all novels. I mean only to point out that a good piece of writing will give compassionate voice to human inconsistencies, contradictions and fallibility-the truth more often as relative, not absolute.
Human suffering and fallibility are much of what makes us human afterall, they are also what puts us in touch with our capacity for empathy, compassion and love--other very human qualities. We need the former to transform us into the latter. It is a question of how we go about managing the inevitable dissonance that makes all the difference in what prevails.
Human suffering and fallibility are much of what makes us human afterall, they are also what puts us in touch with our capacity for empathy, compassion and love--other very human qualities. We need the former to transform us into the latter. It is a question of how we go about managing the inevitable dissonance that makes all the difference in what prevails.
My recommendation is to read much, expose yourself to all kinds of ideas and ideals, but always refer back to yourself as the final arbiter on what you have taken in. Again, no one's opinion or experience is going to be more relevant to your life than your own.
A good book is food for thought, a means by which to plumb our inner depths and get in touch with the truth, in one of the most pleasant of ways.
It is communion with the Soul.
A good book is food for thought, a means by which to plumb our inner depths and get in touch with the truth, in one of the most pleasant of ways.
It is communion with the Soul.
