"To see is to experience the world as it is, to remember is to experience the world as it was, but to imagine - ah, to imagine is to experience the world as it isn't and has never been, but as it might be."
That passage is from a new book I'm reading in between nursing management. There's only so much PPO, HMO, DRGs that I can read about before feeling the need to pull out my hair. Anyway, it's by Daniel Gilbert called Stumbling On Happiness. I quite like it so far. It's the perfect combination of truths, logic, theory, and humor. He kind of reminds me of that wise man I mentioned before. I think he'd probably like the book. I just really love that line. It continues on with:
"The greatest achievemnet of the human brain is its ability to imagine objects and episodes that do not exist in the realm of the real, and it is this ability that allows us to think about the future."
I look forward to reading the book slowly, chewing on his words, savoring the flavor. It's quite interesting. Granted, I'm only five pages in but still, I read the entire foreword and acknowledgments. That's the part I usally just skim over.
Okay, enough gushing over this book. Just ponder that quote a bit.
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3 comments:
Maybe that's my problem. I don't chew my books long enough. I just finished the Alchemist and I didn't really understand what all the fuss was about. But it is definitely a book full of prophetic sayings and words of wisdom. Frankly I like action and imagination in my reading. But maybe I should take smaller bites and taste my books more often.
Eryka, I just finished the Alchemist and can't wait to read it again. I found myself re-reading passages because they just seemed full of truth.
Granted, I don't agree with all the theology presented in the book, but it still holds a few universal truths about Man and God.
Maybe you should re-read it and chew on it more? I thought it tasted pretty good and can't wait to taste it some more.
Mandy, just think, soon you will be able to read for pleasure, not just for school! So many good books waiting to be slowly digested and enjoyed!
I can do that. Chewing my books seems more like homework to me rather than pleasure tasting. I read to escape to other worlds. But I will try to evolve into something more grown-up. Round two may be this summer.
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