March

Fundamental Principles of the Metaphysic of Morals (1785) by Immanuel Kant

Read with: Great Books Project Y2Q4
 
Reading this was like going through a dark tunnel of condensed thoughts and then suddenly arriving at the light and saying ‘Oh, yes, now I get it’, only to enter back into the tunnel hoping to see light once again.

Meadowlands (1996) by Louise Glück

Louise Glück’s poems are filled with the essence of life. I feel joy, and I feel pain with a few of her words; I laugh and sometimes sit in shock, thinking, I can’t believe she said that. The honesty in her poetry ensures me that I am not alone in this world. 

Anxious People (2019) by Fredrick Backman

Reading i Sverige

Anxious People is a Swedish book, and the story is set in a small town in Sweden. Now that I live in Sweden, I am aware of the story's undertones, the cultural aspects that I would not have picked up otherwise. The story is about ordinary people,' idiots,' where one becomes a bank robber. The story is about living in the modern world and the anxiety it produces. The institutions force us to live in a manner that we do not want. Human relations are always complicated because of wanting to help, lost chances, failure to communicate, grief. Yet, other anxious people can fill the terror of loneliness. It was a real story, and I cried.

Paradise Lost (1665) by John Milton

Read with my Mom and brother

Milton's 'Paradis Lost, is an impressive work of art. His use of language through poetry is beautiful. His retelling of the Biblical account of Adam and Eve, as well as a quick review of the entire Bible, all in poetry, is an amazing feat. Milton's thorough knowledge of science, geography, history, ancient and modern culture, mythology, and Christian doctrine is woven into the story, again, all through poetry. Being familiar with the Biblical stories helped me understand the poem. I also listened and read at the same time. This brought the beautiful language of the poem to life. 

On Liberty (1859) by John Stuart Mill

Great Books Project Y2Q4

A few quotes I liked:

'Men are not more zealous for truth than they often are for error.'

'It is not because men's desires are strong that they act ill; itis because their consciences are weak.'

Paradise Regained (1671) by John Milton

Paradise Regained is a much shorter book than Paradise Lost, and maybe not quite as beautiful. It tells the story of Satan tempting Jesus while in the desert for 40 days. One section caught my attention. Jesus is responding to Satan in regards to the ‘wise’ man.

 ‘Ignorant of themselves, of God much more,

 …Much of the soul they talk, but all awry,
And in themselves seek virtue, and to themselves
All glory arrogant, to God give none;
 
…Wise men have said, are wearisome; who reads
Incessantly, and to his reading brings not
A spirit and judgment equal or superior,
(And what he brings, what needs he elsewhere seek?)
Uncertain and unsettled still remains,
Deep versed in books and shallow in himself,’

A Tale of Two Cities (1859) by Charles Dickens

I remember reading this book when I was in high school and loving it. I was again enthralled with the language and the story. The story of love and betrayal is a timeless tale. Dickens writes about the French Revolution and the themes of love and betrayal wind through the individual relationships and how those impact the country. He reminds us that we never truly know each other, “A wonderful fact to reflect upon, that every human creature is constituted to be that profound secret and mystery to every other.” The memorable opening of his book describes life. We must find our place in it, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.”

Oneing: An Alternative Orthodoxy, A Liminal Space Vol. 8 No. 1 (2020)

The Center for Action and Contemplation 

Each of the journal entires discussing Liminal Space were thought provoking. This threshold space is a space that is helpful in life to understand.