Current listening: Monster Ballads compilation CD
A few months ago I read Born to Run, and not only is it my new favorite book but it also got me thinking a lot about how I live and how to live better. At this point I'm convinced that three books are musts for anyone exploring how we humans exist can live well in the modern age:
1. Ishmael, by Daniel Quinn: Quinn teaches us about the all-permeating lie our culture has adopted since the agricultural revolution, and he does it via a psychically communicating ape fully versed in the Socratic method. (Note: Any of Quinn's books can teach you pretty much the same lessons. He has mastered the art of selling the same thing over and over again in a slightly varied form.)
2. Born to Run, by Christopher McDougall: Despite what your knees tell you, we're all supposed to run. I could tell you why, but then you wouldn't have to read the book, which you should do. Like Ishmael, this book points us to what we've lost in our existence of sloth, stress, and computers, and what we've lost is brotherhood, joy, athleticism, and a sense of play. (In other words: humanity.)
3. The Art of Possibility, by Roz and Ben Zander: Ben's a former teacher of mine, and I'm currently rereading his book. My second year in graduate school started off with my dad dying and ended with me feeling like I was more myself than I'd ever been before, and it was because of Ben. I finished the book in three days, which is pretty crazy for me, given that I'm bright but read about as fast as a ten year old. Anyway, Ben's all about being positive and enrolling the world in your joy, and the book is useful to musicians and corporate types alike. My very favorite story is about a foreign cellist who gets so fed up with staying inside the box that he gets "peesed off," and says "F*** it." He then plays like a maniac and wins a big audition. In Ben's words, we all can learn to go BTFI, "beyond the f*** it."
So consider this list my gift to all of you, Sarah's Recipe for Joy. The three of them run the gamut from mental framing to physical exercise to the construct of civilization. And maybe while you read them try the recipe in Born to Run for the best concoction ever: chia seeds, water, lime juice, and honey. Yes, I mean chia like chia pets, but buy them from a supplement place and don't use the seeds from your favorite Barack Obama chia pet. I'm not kidding, when I drink this drink I take a good 30 seconds off my mile time every time, and I feel good and peppy. Let it sit for 15 minutes before you drink it, so the seeds get good and gelatinous. Yum! It's the drink of Aztec warriors, and it's delicious.
Chia Obama looks like an Oompa-Loompa
As a side note, when I was just looking for Chia Obama photos on Google, I saw a picture of a guy wearing a green wig on a costume site. I WENT TO HIGH SCHOOL WITH THIS GUY.
This is what LA does to people. And now speaking of LA, my lightening heart has a trip to LA to plan, although I promise to return senza wig. Look out, Goofy: in a couple of months, it's Disneyland or bust!
Labels: books, state of the world
