For those who've lent me books only to find that you've not gotten them back from me in a like... a year? I must first thank you for the books that you've loaned to me but i'm so sorry for the delay and the continuing delay. (hah, no, this isn't a confession that i've burnt them) Though i want to read the books, my attention span is horrendeputus, i'm a moving-pictures kind of person, so book reading is a slow process akin to a snail making its way across a busy street. It badly wants to make it across, but because of the contraints that's out of its personal control, it can't really speed up. I suspect it's been the academic reading that has put me off anything that involves paragraphs.
If you've noticed, i used to blog with just a few lines at a time, avoiding thick wordy squiggles to be read. But in recent times, i'm trying to undo that. Reformatting my mind this way, yo.
Ok, the difference between said snail and me is that i have "agency", my ability to reflect on my inner experiences and having the freedom to make my own choices to better my being. Heh, social psychology students will know i'm yabbering about here.
Reading... Is as important as breathing.
With that in mind though, i've picked up the Purpose Driven Life book, after a long, long incubation period. Why do i mention "incubation"? When it first came out, sure we were preached sermons based on the lessons. Meaningful, yes, but i wasn't awed, i wasn't compelled to devour the input. I wasn't all that interested in furthering the lessons to make it part of my life's beliefs EVEN IF they were the truths.
But now as i look back and remember the person i was then and as i compare it to the person i am today, i think that the build up of events in the recent couple of years have shaped my perspectives and heart such that i'm ready to receive. Think of it as: "The dry soil (hardened heart) has been broken, has been watered and is softened, and is therefore now prepared to receive the seeds of truth. That will in time grow roots that go deep to grip firmly, that there will be germination, and fruits that sprout life." So whatever time that has gone by was the incubation period, a time placed aside for the development of a right frame of mind and heart, the time of preparation.
I'm taking the book slow. A chapter a day, like it suggests that we should. It helps to take it nice and slow, for practical reasons too.
At times i find it hard to relate to the lessons because either:
- i'm falling asleep. (i was stuck at Chapter 3 for 2 days for this very reason)
- i've never experienced "xyz issue" for myself
- i didn't take enough time to reflect on, chew on, and digest it to find the "B-I-N-G-O!" nugget of realization.
- Impatience. (the effect of paragraphs on me. OH! I shall now call it, "The Paragraph Effect".)
But as i remedy the problems along the way, and check that i'm making good use of my reading time, i realize: "GOSH, there is so much wisdom in this." So yes, take time to ingest the truths. Even if it isn't directly linked to the self, think outside of the self and see how one can be of help to others through understanding some of the issues that they may be facing.
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On a completely irrelevant note. Don't you think that the slogan "All Braun and No Brain" ("All Brawn and No Brain") makes such a splendid tagline for the brand?
Why? Because firstly, it reiterates that the product-in-question is all about the brand and what it stands for (which i don't know, but let's pretend it's something to do with being "leaders in smart innovation", "chic", "exclusive", etc.). And secondly, it emphasizes that the product of this brand is so easy to use, so idiot-proof that even an... er... yes, idiot could use it.
I so clever. I know. *smug grin*
Butttt thennnnn... My sister says that it sounds really negative. Ok, well, true. *wistful sigh* Now you know why i'm not into marketing or advertising, and so much for positive buyer psychology. Teehee.
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