Theresa's Journal

 I visited Borders yesterday and read up on a 30 lessons from life, written by a white bearded medical doctor in his 60's' in a big general hospital. You'd think, look, here's a doctor, whethered through life and experience, not to mention wisdom gleaned in profession. Let's hear what he has to say. I am all, yeah, let's GO. Sat there for two hours, read it (it was great prose) in one breath.

Surprisingly (this word does come up a lot, doesn't it?) although the book was pretty good, I came up with a few criticisms. It was kind of simplistic in the sense of brandizing types of the various psychological states of people. In the final lesson or so he admitted that he is agnostic or beginning religious, and offers that likewise a person could have religious hope through death or losses, or familial love, for the meaninglessness life might beseige one with, and sort of accept the laws of life or of people. But it left me wonder: is this what it is? Instead of following the fantasy of life, is tending to the innate vulnerabilities of life the curve of the path wisdom leads? I think I am tending to agree with this point of the author, though in others, I am not so sure.

When it comes to psychology and self-help, there is the problem of variety if the writer is a scientist untrained in the field of psychology itself. A human inner life is so rich and so varied through individuals that, each person in himself is a world of its own. So one encounters problems if trying to apply immutable perceptable laws of human behavior to a greater audience. One is limited through his own limitations of perception, and one cannot possibly know the rich inner life of everyone. So I think that rather than trying to hand down a value system, one is much better off trying to impart rules of behavior proven to improve one's chance in one field, profession, so on. A smaller scope. Anything smaller than life.  (note from the blog writer: this is what cathechism is for)

Consider "Women are from Venus, Men are from Mars" by John Grey. It deals with a smaller scope of human experience, namely, gender relationship in romantic situations. The book's message speaks to many people and they actually get away with valuable lessons, small tips and communicational tools useful in their relationships. And they helped. It has been noticed. So did "Boost your Interview IQ"

Curious whether it was worth the strange looks from the passerbys, employees there as I intently pored through the pages of the book. But then again, it might just be the way I read books in public. Which is why I am changing the pattern of behavior, rather than blaming the book.

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