What I'm Reading This Month (Jan. 2023)
Hello!
I hope you’re doing well and still following through on those New Year’s resolutions. I learned that apparently there exists a day known as Quitters Day (January 17) which is when most people abandon their resolutions. Don’t be part of that group! Take it day by day and focus on the small steps.
I wanted to share the books that I’m reading this month, as it’s been a while since I’ve done one of these. I like to keep a balance between too little and too much- I don’t like to limit myself to reading just one book in any given time, but also don’t want to be reading four things simultaneously, either.
Without further ado, let’s get started.
If Life Is a Game, These Are the Rules (Chérie Carter-Scott)
Coming in at just 133 pages, this book is short and sweet. It’s written in simple language so it’s by no means a difficult read, either. The premise of the book is that there are basically 10 rules for living life. The kicker is that these aren’t rules in the sense of imperatives, like the 10 Commandments, for example; rather, they’re more like “conditions” that humans are subject to during our time here. I won’t go over every rule here, since I feel it would be a sign of disrespect to divulge the author’s work completely. If you’re curious, though, I encourage you to pick up the book at a local store. A few of said rules are:
You will receive a body.
A lesson is repeated until it is learned.
“There” is not better than “here”.
I think all 10 of the rules make total sense. It doesn’t get way too mystical beyond belief, and they all align with common experience. In the case of the first rule, it’s pretty obvious; we do, in fact, have a body. Notice, though, the language- we will receive a body, as though something is giving, or, more accurately, lending us one. I always say that this vehicle of ours is just something that we borrow for a few short years before giving it back to the universe and being recycled into something else.
Number two: also true. If you’ve ever messed up time and time again, you know that you will have to keep enduring the situation until you overcome it (just like school). In the school of life, learning a lesson usually comes in the form of acceptance and surrender.
Finally, “there” really isn’t better than “here”. Certain circumstances are definitely more favorable over others, but I take this more to mean that problems will be present no matter where you find yourself, and there really is no escaping this requisite of life. The grass is brown everywhere, as I’ve heard it called.
Maybe you’ll disagree completely with some or all of these rules, and that’s ok. But if you do choose to give this a read, I encourage you to go into it with an open mind. Send me a message and let me know your thoughts!
Why Buddhism Is True (Robert Wright)
I’m not usually the biggest fan of apologetic texts. I definitely think it’s fascinating to hear why people think and believe the things they do, but I find that the line between explanation and persuasion is very fine and often blurred. No only that, but many opinions (about anything, for that matter) are rooted in pure belief and not factual evidence.
I find Buddhism to be different because it’s just as much a science of mind and philosophy for living as it is a religious belief system. In other words, it can be classified into its mystical side and its psychological side, and the books aims to argue in favor of the truth of the latter. Just like the 10 rules of the last book, the fundamentals of Buddhism can be verified with universal experience and easy accessibility.
I think we can all agree that life brings dissatisfaction to everyone at some point or another. The states of sorrow, joy, and neutrality do not last. We get dissatisfied because our life conditions are not as we wish to be, however major or minor that may be. Authentic introspection and reflection (commonly in the form of meditation) can provide lasting positive effects to our mind and, by extension, worldview.
This literature leans more on the academic side for the simple fact that its goal is to prove something, therefore it relies on facts. But don’t worry- it’s not a super challenging read and I think it’s quite mentally stimulating.
I’m only a little bit into the book but it’s one that I’ve been meaning to read for a long while now and one that I’m super excited to learn from.
Other Media
I also signed up for a free trial of Gaia thanks to this video. If you’re not familiar with the platform, it’s essentially Netflix for spiritual-minded seekers, but heavily New Age. I watched some documentaries on Gaia a while ago, but their catalog was lacking for my interests and I found it way too saturated with (in my opinion) outlandish conspiracy theories and extreme “Age of Aquarius” vibes. It still has those things, of course, but for now it seems like it’s expanded and published more “grounded” videos. I’ve been meaning to absorb more conscious media as opposed to the typical doom-scrolling of social media, so we’ll see how Gaia holds up.
Also, here’s an image I found online that resonates with me deeply and the whole purpose of Human+ 🤣
I have a podcast episode coming out real soon on a subject that’s been present in my life lately. I can’t wait for you to listen to it, so stay tuned!
Thanks for reading,
Alan
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