Seeking peace and joy by the book Seeking peace and joy “BY THE BOOK” According to Groucho—if you know more than one Groucho then you’ll have to decide which one said the following “Outside a dog, books are a manh’s best friend. Inside a dog it’s too dark to read.” I listen to a lot of books. How many a year? I would guess about a book a day these days. Why so many? “Why not?” Okay that’s a cop out deflection and while I could stick with that I won’t. This morning, and the rest of today, I will be listening to a book about pioneers. It always strikes me a little odd that we refer to United Sates. Pioneers moving west as pioneers and settlers. I won’t go on my Columbus discovered. America rant no matter how relevant it is. I mean all our “pioneers” encountered native tribes as they moved across the nation so how could they be pioneering in spaces where some other people had already established a culture and such? So-called pioneers weren’t so much settlers as disrupters, however like I said this is a discussion for a different day. So I am listening to this book and these people invading the land were being described allowing me to look at the facts from the side of. The immigrants (white folks). And the native folks (Indians who weren’t from India?). I. Imagined the same people chopping down trees and hauling supplies over dirt paths and crossing rivers and trying to figure out how to sustain a group of people in a place that was “new” to them. So it goes with all books for me. I try to climb inside the experiences being described and the mind of the authors describing them and then try to determine. How that connects with things I have learned or things I am curious about. I read. A lot of books because I’m curious about a lot of things. Books let me expand my exploring without fear. Seeking peace and joy becomes easier when you can do it without. So much fear I think? Well where is this leading? This post and the next. Couple are going to focus on a few books that I think have really influenced my experiences in life and help me to seek peace and joy I’ll talk about two. Today and Two a day for. The next three days—and will there be poetry and a song? Well of course LOL. I learned a lot from children’s books....I still learn from them today and want to start with. One of my favorites. Sure I love all the Dr. Seuss efforts my favorite being “Green Eggs and Ham.” My favorite children’s book is by Remy Charlis — FORTUNATELY/UNFORTUNATELY. I’m not going to recap the whole book here you can find a summary in. tons of places. The main theme is that a person is going through a journey and ncounters a series of fortunate and unfortunate possible and real. circumstances. you know it’s one of those “things are great/things are not too great/tthings ar4e. horrible and back again books....and I would argue most lives either have those tgypes of experiences or we (as in I) create them in our thoughts. Anyway—spoiler alert—watch out for the pitchfork in the haystack. Book Two—The Holy Bible What a shocker from a kid who attended Catholic schools right? I’m not getting. into the debate about the historical merits or “provability” of the texts we use today—this is about the stories in the Bible or the sgtory that is gthe bible and the people it influenced and thus influenced me....yes nuns. Like I said it’s about the stories and the meanings behind mostly the new testiment but also some of the psalms. I can’t quote. it chapter and verse. The messageis clear. If you believe there is something bigger thanyou—apresence, a purpose,a collective —and you aren’t out to screw your neighbor (or one might argue your neighbor’s wife/family)you are going to find somepeace and joy either wiventually—like when you leave this current existence. Now the Bible doesn’t promise 72 virgins—but let’s face. itthis was. pre-Viagra and tinder. The bottom line is a lot of people I know can seek peace and joy through. the Bible and I find the more I understand about life the more wisdom I see in that book and in some of the people who try to live according tothe basic princples inb it. Okay....there’s enough to read for today..I hope you’ve enjoyed thinking about green eggs pitchforks, nuns, and virgins not necessarily in that order.. More tomorrow