Michael Puett & Christine Gross-Loh's "The Path" & The Myth Of Fixed Personality

The Path emphasises the relevance of Chinese ancient teachings to our present world, imploring us to study and live them as best as we can.

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Do What Makes You Happy?

Elizabeth Esther On Spiritual Sobriety & The Realities Of Religious Addiction

Spiritual Sobriety illuminates the dangers of religious addiction. The book defines religious addiction as "the state of being dependent on a spiritually mood-altering system". It says that the aim of religious addicts is "not to worship God but to alter their perception of reality. (Such addicts) ...are religious junkies, obsessed with mood alteration and a quick fix to face life."

The book listed few characteristics of religious addicts as:

• Attending church to feel significant and secure.
• Using prayer as a medium to feel good.
• Taking pride in the number of hours spent in prayer.
• Transactional use of God, which is paying God with zeal and commitment while expecting good feelings, financial rewards and other blessings in return.

The book also highlights the issue of emotional manipulation by churches, as well as religious doctrines that borders on paganism. The author, who went through similar experiences, summarises the kind of teachings she was taught, saying: "instead of 'If you sacrifice a goat, it will rain,' we had 'If you tithe, you’ll have financial success' or 'If you avoid public school, your children won’t be tainted.'"

Spiritual Sobriety asks us to abandon our selfish, addictive ways and replace them with healthier expressions of spirituality.  It also pleads with us to nurture ourselves and be of service to our fellow humans. Even when we have our most pressing life questions unanswered, the book advises us not to obsess over silence, but be comfortable with life's unresolved riddles.

Spiritual Sobriety doesn't just exhort us to abandon our addictive ways, it also reveals what we can do to replace them. It tells us to:

"...refrain from using religion as a punishment against others or ourselves; seek to be rigorously honest rather than unfailingly good; and retain the best of (our) spiritual devotion in positive, life-enhancing ways".

Spiritual Sobriety is a book I wished I read many years ago. It is full of personal experiences and insights into the nature of modern Christianity's brand of perversion. The book doesn't pose to have all the answers, but gives simple guidelines by which you can start your own journey to recovery.

On the negative side, few people might be put off by few New-Age-y concepts the book bandies around. Spiritual Sobriety isn't perfect, but just like a sudden flash of lightning across the sky, it shines a bright light on a problem that many prefer no one talks about.

Many thanks to Covergent Books for review copy.

The Two Sides Of Faith

There is the faith that raised up the dead. The faith that opened up a closed womb. The faith that opened the sight of the blind. The faith that recovered what was lost.

On the other hand, there is the faith that did not raise up the dead. The faith that did not open a closed womb. The faith that was powerless against the onslaught of evil. And the faith that got your butt kicked all over the place.

Both faiths are one and the same.

For many generations, we have heard about the miraculous things done by faith. In the process, we have drowned out the voice of other credible witnesses who tell us the other side of faith - the shells of broken promises and husks of unfulfilled hopes - the ironical signs of a covenant on its way to fulfillment.

The triumphant side of faith brings lots of benefits to its teachers... and a little less to the hearers. But we do no one any favours by obsessing about that side of faith. There are ordinary men and women like you and me who died while having faith, who got killed doing what God wanted. But God did not save them for reasons unknown to us. We must celebrate that side of faith as much as the other. I daresay we must revel in it. For acknowledging and revelling in it holds one of the keys to understanding the frightful nature of God and much more.

- Hebrews 11:39

** Photo used is "Urban Sadness" by Aramisse and made available under a CC BY-ND 2.0 license

Kentaro Miura's Giganto Maxia

Giganto Maxia will be big. There is no doubt about it.

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"Real Artists Have Day Jobs & Other Awesome Things They Don't Teach You In School" by Sara Benincasa

How do you know, within the first 10 pages of a book, if it was written by a feminist? First, you’ll notice signs of self-flagellation - with a hint of oversharing. Afterwards, you are likely to witness an intense session of self-love, followed by unabashed self-bigging-up in form of grandiose statements. Fortunately or unfortunately (depending on which side of the table you are sitting), "Real Artists Have Day Jobs" by Sara Benincasa ticks these boxes.

"Real Artists Have Day Jobs" is a collection of essays on issues such as mental illness, creativity, relationships, work, etc. The book reads like a series of light blog posts - you will find no in-depth analysis or intellectual discussion here. Most of the articles in the book are based on the author's past experiences and how she overcame her situation and moved on. "Real Artists Have Day Jobs"sometimes feels like reading the lost-but-found letters of your weird but interesting aunt.

For example, in the first essay of the book, the author advises artists not to wait on external validation before referring to themselves as artists. She writes:

Have you ever described yourself as someone who does something amazing and magical and wonderful and life affirming and then added 'on the side'?
...Because I have come here today to deliver the unfortunate truth that you are lying to yourself. You are not going to become a real artist one day. You are a real artist right now. You are a real artist when you sit in traffic, when you wait for the dentist, when you clean up the toys in your kid's bedroom.

Also, on the importance of having close confidantes, Sara Benincasa writes in the essay, "Elect Your Own Executive Board":

Any successful corporation has an executive board of individuals who presumably guide the complex, multicelled business organism towards a bright and prosperous future. Ideally, each board member brings to the table a unique and valuable set of skills that enhances the operations of the board and, by extension, the entire company.I figure, why not do this for a human being? Luke Skywalker had Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda, plus Han Solo and Leia and Chewbacca and other teammates. Why not create a dream team of your very own?Your executive board needn't be comprised of superstars... or adorable animatronic puppets like Yoda. The board members should be people you trust. They should have sharp minds, good hearts, and a generosity of spirit. They may not all agree with one another, which is absolutely fine. Your aim in selecting them is to get a variety of perspectives on your life from people who are invested in your well-being but can remain clear-eyed enough to give you a logical evaluation.

Real Artists Have Day Jobs is full of uncomplicated but relevant observations about modern life. The author's no-nonsense approach strengthens its impact, making the book an engaging read. If you are a fan of Amy Poehler, Roxane Gay, Mindy Kaling and the likes, then you'll probably love this book.

Turn offs? Well... there is a bit of oversharing for one. Vulnerability is different from "my scars are probably bigger than yours" pose, which this book kind of projects. Also, most of the essays focus heavily on women's issues (though the author makes an effort to balance it out by addressing men on a few occasions).

Overall, Real Artists Have Day Jobs is a fun and insightful book, though I wouldn't adopt any relationship advice from it.

Many thanks to Morrow Paperbacks for review copy.