I would like to pause here to think why I write this blog? Is reading important? Yes it is, it develops your vocabulary, your expression and an opportunity to immerse yourself in language and literature. It can shape your thinking, and provide solace & encouragement at times.
"Man's mind stretched by a new idea never goes back to it's original dimension" This quote by Oliver Wendall Holmes was in a book that was gifted to me.
Which is what a whole lot of "self-help" books did for me in my teens. Wayne Dyer's "Your Erroneous Zones" taught me how not to procrastinate and in general understand & manage my emotions.Presented along with case study examples they made reading interesting.
Of course I don't remember much of the details in the book. I remember it did impact my thinking and helped me learn a few good habits. I loved Wayne Dyer; infact in one of his books that I read much later when I had kids of my own, he candidly admits to the failure of some theories of raising children.
He says, quoting someone else, "I once had 7 different theories for raising successful children when I had no children, now I have 7 children and no theories" hahaha! I could relate to that very well.
My sister's friend was clearing out his library as they were moving to another city and she brought home a few books. Among them was Thomas Harris : "I'm OK , You're OK". A book on transactional analysis, made a very interesting reading. We each have a Parent, Adult & Child that transacts with each other and problems arise when the transactions get crossed.
Then there was Dale Carnegie's " How to make friends and Influence people" and "How to stop worrying and Start living"..
These books were interesting, however I am not sure if my habits or for that matter I, really changed after reading them. They were undoubtedly good to read, so I read them.
It was my lecturer in Psychology who first mentioned Richard Bach's Illusions to me.
"Argue for your limitations, and sure enough they are yours" she said one day, quoting from the book. I wanted to read the book, and it wasn't until I got married, moved to Mumbai that I was thrilled to see it with my husband's collection of books. I devoured every page of that book, read and re-read multiple times.. quoted from it backward and forward..well almost. I find the Messiah's quotes uplifting even today. The only other book that is similar to this is, "The Book of Mirdad" by Mikhail Naimly. I would need a separate blog to talk about Mirdad though.
After "Illusions", I was high on Bach: "Jonathan Livingstone Seagull", "The Bridge Across Forever" and "One". "Bridge Across.. was his meeting his soulmate Leslie Parish and it seemed like the most ideal relationship. And interestingly we read it (Raja, my husband & I) almost together and were quite excited with the book. It made us feel that we were soul mates too. :). Recent googling of Bach, held the news that he and Leslie parted ways and he remarried the third time. While Raja & I have not parted ways, it is quite interesting to note that a relationship this close can be subject to many challenges and the way you view or experience it can be different.
Raja brought home a good many interesting books from the L& T library (L & T was his place of work). One great book was Will Schutz's "Profound Simplicity"
Will Schutz was the pioneer of FIRO -B. Fundamental Interpersonal Relations Orientation.
Interpersonal relations is measured across 3 factors: Inclusion , Control & Affection , measured in 2 dimensions each : felt (wanted) & expressed. His theory, I learned much later, but Profound Simplicity for the first time urged me to behave and live responsibly, especially in the area of personal health. The key message I took away from the book and which played a significant role in my life was... become aware of your psychological needs. The more aware you are of them the less likely you are to suffer illnesses. He traces major illnesses of people to their general emotional needs and how the illness is an expression of the psychological need.
Powerful book ...to me, life changing.
To continue...
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