Yes I realize this is far more than one book, but I read all of these stories in very close succession & I believe they shaped me into the guy I am today. These are all very sensitive-young-man-core, but what can I say? I was a sensitive young man.
I have a very complicated relationship with Mother & Father. When I was first introduced to Kafka, it was like meeting my soulmate. I donāt have it in me to go into much detail at this moment, but being condemned to death by drowning for failing an aging father who can sense a deeply felt resentment; waking up one day to find youāve turned into a disgusting bug after sacrificing so much for a family that cares so littleā these are ideas that deeply rattled & resonated with me personally at the age that I read them. I resolved to try to live differently.
Death of Ivan Ilych was simply further exhortation for me to not live my life according to convention, to pursue wealth, status, family life for their own sakes. I think every single one of us has it in us to become an Ivan Ilych without even realizing. I was totally rapt & manic upon finishing this one I still am today, to some degree.
Portrait of the Artist really spoke to me as well. When Stephen looks at his father & realizes heās a fool, and that he wants to be nothing like him. The moment when he sees the girl in the water & he becomes so horny he decides to dedicate his life to the pursuit of beauty, to aesthetics, to being an artist. The entire ending segment written as first person journal entries filled me with a lot of hope.
Emerson is the man. Great way to shock the materialist reductionist, the comformist, the busybody, & the consistent, conventional company man out of your system. Probably made me a more annoying person when alls said & done. Oh well.
May 12, 2024
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This one changed me, blending well with my Absurdist and Buddhist beliefs.
The thesis of Beckerās book is that human civilization is rooted in our internal defenses against the inevitability of death. We struggle to accept our impermanence and thus devise āimmortality projectsā that we hope outlive us. If we must die, we hope to be remembered via some kind of legacy that will live on symbolically. These projects could be grounded in oneās work, family, or religion.
We seek symbolic illusions that assuage our death anxiety, or we drown ourselves with triviality and hedonism. Either way, our survival instinct makes it difficult for us to face the certainty of death and the uncertainty of life.
While the topic is heavy, shining a light on the terror of death, it also helps me feel lighter. It reminds of how many of the things that feel so urgent in life are really just distractions. Everything we do is beautifully temporary. Life is building sandcastles on the beach. And while it can be beautiful and meaningful for us to create and collaborate, there is a lightness to the understanding that everything we ever do or make will one day be nullified by our ultimate annihilation.
So, in other words, donāt take yourself too seriously.
Dec 9, 2024
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both books I read in book clubs this year that have definitely set me on a new trajectory in life. the only real common theme between them (one is about Marxās unpublished ecological/economic work and one is about Mazlowās unpublished expanded humanist psychology) is the theme of agency in service of communion.
individuals should strive to meet their needs and be their best/truest selves, but this also naturally allows them to aid others in meeting their needs and being their best/truest selves. this concept has been huge for me lately and I have these books to thank for that!
Dec 13, 2024
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Recently, I read Siddhartha & Catcher in the Rye. Both protagonists, Siddhartha & Holden, were relatable for different reasons. Siddharthaās quest for knowledge and Holdenās recognition of the performative nature of everyone around him - of their inauthenticity.
Holden is frustrating though - heās a stagnant character through and through - and the lack of growth leaves him in a mental hospital at the end of the story. A setting Iām sure many of us on here are familiar with.
I donāt want to ruin Siddhartha for anyone, but the lessons about balance resonated deeply with me as a Libra āļø
Jan 20, 2024
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sometimes you just need to read some real shit straight from the realest person you know .
Feb 24, 2025
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Mar 4, 2025
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I LOVE DAYLIGHT SAVINGS I LOVE THE LIGHT I LOVE GOING FOR A HIKE AFTER WORK AND HOW WATER LOOKS IN THE WARM DUSK THANK YOU DAYLIGHT SAVINGS----- I HAPPILY SACRIFICE AN HOUR OF SLEEP COME THIS TIME OF THE YEAR WAKING TO THE SUNSHINE JABBING ME EYE----- IF YOU DON'T FUCK WITH DAYLIGHT SAVINGS UNFOLLOW ME I DONT FUCK WITH YOU----- THE GREATEST BETRAYAL OF MY ADULT LIFE WAS WHEN THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA VOTED FOR PERMANENT DAY LIGHT SAVINGS ALL THE TIME AND THE COWARDS THAT RUN THIS PATHETIC EXCUSE FOR A STATE FAILED TO IMPLEMENT ETERNAL SUMMER
Mar 4, 2025