BY EDISON MARTE SICAD
“Strong minds discuss ideas, average minds discuss events, weak minds discuss people.” ― Socrates
WHAT book are you reading right now?”
I rarely ask this question; maybe because it may sound intrusive or be misinterpreted—or just plain “common” nonsense. Sharing ideas about books seems to belong only in book clubs and classrooms. I am not sure—although almost convinced by observation—if it is a Filipino thing: we are not a nation of readers—and I mean books with literary merit.
But still, there are those who consider reading a normal and productive way of spending time.
I had a teacher in college who would always bring a book—even in parties. Not that he reads while partying (what a nerd!). But when I asked him why, he said that when he commutes or is waiting (for he arrives early in any gathering) for a program to start, he would read a page or two.
And mind you, talking with him is no chit-chat: it is a learning experience. Have you experienced talking to a person and afterwards you had more belief in humanity, in yourself, in the many good things you realized you are capable of doing? If you are lucky, then nurture such companionship. If not, or if you want to “level up” your thinking, reading a book may be the best companionship you can give yourself.
I like conversations that dwell more on ideas—but talking about someone else is more often the common ground of human discussions. The liveliness and cheer—especially in coffee shops—of a BFF gathering is usually seasoned with the faux pas and socmed activities of “who’s who.” In one word: schadenfreude.
But don’t get me wrong. We all need someone to share our thoughts with. Conversations have a catharsis effect. And talking to someone creates a sense of belongingness: that we are not alone. Sometimes, if we are lonely and depressed, our own thoughts can be a quicksand. For our own thinking can sometimes betray us and blur our perception, leading us into deeper trouble, getting us stuck into a vicious cycle of regret, fear, and self-pity.
But there is also what I call Book Therapy: where solace can be found in a corner, with a book in hand, the words assuaging a troubled heart or a confused mind; the words calming the raging tempest within; or just plain reading, with coffee, and solitude as bliss and silence as blessing.
Of course, a person cannot “really discuss” with a book. But the beauty—and mystery—of the mind is that it is able to reflect and think back when it encounters an idea. The journey from within is as mystical and real as the journey from without. In a sense, a new frontier can be discovered from the inner recesses of our mind, with the Muses as the guide and inspiration. As Carl Jung would say, “People don’t have ideas. Ideas have people.”
And in my readings, there are some authors who dramatically influenced my thinking: challenging and reshaping and clarifying my personal definition; making me question with appreciation the wonder of humanity’s capacity for greatness and the baffling magnitude of man’s propensity for malevolence. As Hermes Trismegistus exclaimed: ”A great miracle, Asclepius, is man.”
To a reader, the influence of an author is not directly intentional but always personal. Although it is a one-way conversation (the written words giving a permanent and fixed presentation of ideas), the reader is still having a dialogue with the author—a surreal experiential learning. And for better or worse, a book can change our life.
Three authors whose books I will read again and again
1. León Maria Guerrero III
His book, The First Filipino: A Biography of Jose Rizal, was given to me by a colleague. This is one of those incidents proving the statement: “The right book will find you.”
Mr. Guerrero, with his passion with the subject matter (for he is also a Jesuit and with a matching scholastic record like Rizal), was able to write with artistry conveying this message: That Jose Rizal is only a person whose life was immortalized by the magnitude of his vision: a Filipino nation.
My admiration of Rizal was strengthened by the way the author presented the hero’s story. And this is no hagiography. Rizal was portrayed as a man who, despite suffering “the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,” still was the master of his fate, the captain of his soul.
And Rizal was also a voracious reader. In his prolific career as an intellectual, we can aptly say, “He doesn’t read books; he reads libraries.”
2. Ayn Rand
By serendipity, Ayn Rand made me read a thousand-page novel in font 9 Open Sans. Her books, The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged, made me appreciate the writing of dialogues. Her novel Atlas Shrugged gets me irritated again and again because of the unceasing human foibles. I get affected with some lines and since I already know the story, I would skip some pages to avoid such reaction. But some lines are straightforward interesting: “What do you think of me?”, “But I don’t think of you.”
Although I admit that Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest was for me still the ultimate page-turner (I just have to read it in one sitting or suffer in limbo), Ayn Rand’s books are the kind of reading that I wished I will read “again” for the first time. Oh, the envy I have for someone who will read these books for the first time.
These books are my Urim and Thummim (like Santiago in Coelho’s The Alchemist).
3. Jordan B. Peterson
“Responsibility before Right.”
Peterson became a sensational psychologist because of the way he answered during an interview. But what I like about him the most is that he can present a highly abstract or abstruse idea into a meaningful and convincing proposition, giving his readers and listeners a new perspective. In reading his book 12 RULES FOR LIFE: An Antidote To Chaos, the adage or advice that struck me the most was: “We have to find meaning in our sufferings: a cross with a redemptive personal and social transformation.”
IN SUMMARY, as what I wrote in my other article, “Our words, are our wands.” I was able to hone my skills in writing by reading a lot. I was able to rekindle enthusiasm and find strength in words because of the way these authors shared to me their passion, their art, in a way, their life’s masterpiece.
For life is a canvas. Or a book. An opportunity to engage, a story of growing, an image of greatness. To define life by words. To see by “standing on the shoulders of giants.” These are responsibilities, a treasure, that socmed sometimes robbed us of.
To live as inspired by these authors. And eventually to write a book. Yes. I will write a book./PN
