Books and Perspective

A few weeks ago I finished listening to the audio book ‘Will’ by Will Smith. I loved the dude growing up and still know a little too many of the lines from the Fresh Prince than is probably healthy.

In one of the chapters, Will describes a period of seclusion where he began devouring books. I’ve always considered myself fairly well read, but stuck to biographies and fantasy. I hadn’t really read anything that would be deemed a classic or life changing in any way, maybe outside of the Tao Te Ching.

So I looked up various lists of books to change your outlook on life, and books you have to read before you die. You know those kind of lists… I began a collection of titles to pore over and arrived at the following books (so far)

• On The Road – Jack Kerouac
• The Autobiography of Malcolm X
• Walden and Civil Disobedience
• The Art of Thinking Clearly
• The Bhagavad Gita
• The Alchemist
• The Book Thief
• Rich Dad, Poor Dad

Sadly, most of the lists tend to gravitate toward self-help books and business oriented content. 

Since the purchase of The Bhagavad Gita I have learned its content is religious so I’ll imagine it to be rather a difficult read as I don’t really put much stock in religious works. I am willing to see it through though.

I’m acutely aware of the fact that people generally take their own meanings and views from these type of books, but I’d be interested in looking into any suggestions offered.

I’d love nothing more than to arrive at my own Chapel Perilous, but when reading these magnificent and vast concepts of anything other than the world I see before me, I tend to switch off a few pages in and dismiss it as nonsense…