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Writer's Block: Desert island
Sep. 22nd, 2011 04:47 pmThe specific "assignment" for this edition of "Writer's Block" reads: "List three books that have changed your life." The subject supplied suggests an answer to the rather overworked "What three books would you want to have with you on a desert island?"
In my case, at least, the two sets of books do not intersect.
As concerns the top three books that have changed my life, these might be, in no particular order:
How To Win Friends and Influence People - Dale Carnegie
Today often maligned as a handbook on manipulating others, this book was valuable to me because it hammered home the idea that (a) people are more interested in what they want that in what I want, and that (b) consequently, the path to my fulfillment is to aid and abet in the fulfillment of others. What's difficult about the technique is that taking an interest in others is, initially, rarely a natural act (it's sort of like parachuting out of an airplane, just not as dramatic or blood-pumpingly dangerous), and just as with any skill, first steps feel awkward and forced, making it easy to abandon the effort. This book helped me maintain that effort, which has made quite a difference in my life.
The 10 Natural Laws of Successful Time and Life Management - Hyrum Smith
Other self-improvement books I've read merely emphasize the importance of setting goals as a means of accomplishment, and then go on to explain how to set and achieve those goals. This book made me rethink my priorities, so that my goal-setting activities reflect the results I want to achieve. As a result, I no longer feel obligated to get 16 hours of work done in 8 hours; I will be satisfied to work in a manner that addresses what is most important to me in life, be it in an 8, 10, 12, or 2 hour period.
A Guide to the Good Life, The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy - William B. Irvine
I recall how, during a discussion of Greek philosophy in high school, the Stoics received about thirty seconds of attention that could be summarized as "nothing to see here," and left one with a fairly cold attitude toward what is popularly understood as stoicism. My interest in Stoicism was kindled by reading Thoughts of a Philosophical Fighter Pilot, by James B. Stockdale, whose personal philosophy—drawn from the Stoics—helped him survive captivity in a North Vietnamese POW camp, but it wasn't until I picked up this book that I ran across a text that (a) advocated the adoption of a philosophy of life (a term I hadn't hears since college) that is not centered around the worship of a deity, per se, and (b) nevertheless laid out fairly ecumenical recommendations for Stoicism as a philosophy of life that leads to tranquility and happiness.
As concerns the books I'd like to have with me if I were marooned on a desert island, I think I'd choose Chapman's Piloting, Seamanship and Small Boat Handling, Practical Navigation: A Simplified Handbook of Chart-and-Compass, Electronic, and Celestial Navigation for Boatmen, and a good book on small boat construction with limited tools.
Cheers...
In my case, at least, the two sets of books do not intersect.
As concerns the top three books that have changed my life, these might be, in no particular order:
How To Win Friends and Influence People - Dale Carnegie
Today often maligned as a handbook on manipulating others, this book was valuable to me because it hammered home the idea that (a) people are more interested in what they want that in what I want, and that (b) consequently, the path to my fulfillment is to aid and abet in the fulfillment of others. What's difficult about the technique is that taking an interest in others is, initially, rarely a natural act (it's sort of like parachuting out of an airplane, just not as dramatic or blood-pumpingly dangerous), and just as with any skill, first steps feel awkward and forced, making it easy to abandon the effort. This book helped me maintain that effort, which has made quite a difference in my life.
The 10 Natural Laws of Successful Time and Life Management - Hyrum Smith
Other self-improvement books I've read merely emphasize the importance of setting goals as a means of accomplishment, and then go on to explain how to set and achieve those goals. This book made me rethink my priorities, so that my goal-setting activities reflect the results I want to achieve. As a result, I no longer feel obligated to get 16 hours of work done in 8 hours; I will be satisfied to work in a manner that addresses what is most important to me in life, be it in an 8, 10, 12, or 2 hour period.
A Guide to the Good Life, The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy - William B. Irvine
I recall how, during a discussion of Greek philosophy in high school, the Stoics received about thirty seconds of attention that could be summarized as "nothing to see here," and left one with a fairly cold attitude toward what is popularly understood as stoicism. My interest in Stoicism was kindled by reading Thoughts of a Philosophical Fighter Pilot, by James B. Stockdale, whose personal philosophy—drawn from the Stoics—helped him survive captivity in a North Vietnamese POW camp, but it wasn't until I picked up this book that I ran across a text that (a) advocated the adoption of a philosophy of life (a term I hadn't hears since college) that is not centered around the worship of a deity, per se, and (b) nevertheless laid out fairly ecumenical recommendations for Stoicism as a philosophy of life that leads to tranquility and happiness.
As concerns the books I'd like to have with me if I were marooned on a desert island, I think I'd choose Chapman's Piloting, Seamanship and Small Boat Handling, Practical Navigation: A Simplified Handbook of Chart-and-Compass, Electronic, and Celestial Navigation for Boatmen, and a good book on small boat construction with limited tools.
Cheers...
