The Books that Shaped My Brain

Reading is a huge part of who I am. It's rare to find me without a book within arms reach. I have lived a thousand lives between those covers and as a result the person I am today reflects the books that resonated with me. Each of these title hold a facet of my soul. 

I fully expect to keep adding to this list in the future but I wanted to start with the bare minimum.

Stranger In A Strange Land (Turtleback School & Library Binding Edition) by Robert A. Heinlein (1995-08-01) A bizarre chance to look at humanity from an outsiders perspective as a human raised by an alien culture tries to learn what it is to be man. This was my first introduction to the idea that all living creatures are God and that we are all God together. Honestly, if Heinlein had been the one to form a church instead of Hubbard I would probably be getting up every Sunday morning.

The Obstacle Is the Way: The Timeless Art of Turning Trials into Triumph
A modernized introduction to the concepts of Stoicism for those who may find Marcus Aurelius and Senaca a little overwhelming or outdated. This book brilliantly puts forth the stoic concepts such as how we can't control the universe but we can control how we respond to it and how we perceive it. The concept here with the highest resonance for me is the idea that suffering can be a gift. You can't know who you really are until you have been tested. Suffering is the gift that lets us find out who we are at our core and how we respond when the worst happens. 

The Stand
This has been a favorite for decades but seems even more appropriate with everything that's going on during 2020. I love the concept that the end of the world is just the beginning. Seeing how people change in response to disaster provides amazing insights into how much we are all shaped by the environment in which we exist. Seeing how much of behavior and personality is just a reflection of your surroundings is both illuminating and thought provoking. 

I know that I am not alone in saying that this book is a paradigm changer. A simple adventure story somehow manages to give instructions on how to raise yourself to a higher level while also providing a commentary on how our current social structure can either help or hinder our spiritual development.
And of course you have to have all the books in the series...
The Tenth Insight: Holding the Vision (Celestine Prophecy) 

I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Home Manicure

Since people are always asking me how to do your nails at home I figured I would make a spot for all of the needed items in one place. So here goes. You will need the following...   A light to cure your gel nails https://amzn.to/3KNuNgF As for the nail polish I have found a few favorite brands that survive the trauma a nurses hands must endure. Regardless of which type you get you need to make sure that the top and base coat you use match the nail polish for best results.  For the absolute best wear time and resilience I haven't found anything that can compete with Aimeili gel polish. https://amzn.to/47FIBUy If your nails need some extra strength they also make a builder base https://amzn.to/3KQ0Tsb They have very mellow professional colors https://amzn.to/45xZU81 And crazy neon colors https://amzn.to/47Cbcda And fun color palettes in smaller bottles https://amzn.to/45At32e And my personal favorite is polish that changes color based on the temperature  https://amzn.to/3sf...
Read more

Social Media

Image
       We live in a world full of alternative facts and inconvenient truths. It has become accepted that those in power will lie and that those lies will be repeated to the point that the common man will often have difficulty separating fact from fiction. Far too many people are willing to lend credence to a statement they have read or heard online as long as it sounds right without taking the time to do a fact check. When I stop to think of how we got to this Post Truth Era as Daniel Levitin (2017) calls it, the only answer I can come up with is the popularity of social media. People have begun to confuse facts with opinions.       The world of social media has created a platform in which every person gets a voice and everyone can share their message. In many ways, this can be a positive thing but it becomes a problem when every voice is given equal weight without the fact-checking that used to go behind the worlds we once read online and in prin...
Read more