Y.S. Stephen - Reader | Casual Observer

Be Mindful and Simplify Your Life by Kate James is a collection of tips on ways we can simplify our lives by living more mindfully. Kate explains the phrase "living more mindfully" as “paying attention to the choices we make, rather than operating on autopilot.” 1. The Importance of Struggling:  Kate believes meditation can be a difficult task for the mind to endure. And since humans detest activities we struggle at, it is easy for us to give up when we fail at it. However, the author insists that the struggle itself is the point. She writes, "It’s normal for your mind to wander during meditation, and you may well experience boredom or restlessness. If you can learn to be with these feelings, you will lay down a foundation for accepting the challenges you encounter in everyday life." 2. Being Always On-The-Go Has Its Price:  While our modern society admires anything or anyone fast and efficient, it is not always sustainable. With time, our speedin...

"...It is disadvantageous for thinker to be linked to any single person. When a man finds hiself, it is preferable that he loses himself again from time to time and then rediscovers himself once more." Nietzsche by Stefan Zweig is an examination of the man, his life, and his philosophy. We are given a glimpse of Nietzsche's default mindset, the passion with which he pursued truth, and what it costs him. The book contains a number of his essays, dissecting their meanings in relation to what Nietzsche was going through at the time. POSITIVES I like Stefan Zweig's portrayal of Nietzsche's psychological profile. We are able to have a glimpse into his makeup and what sort of "madness" drove him to see the world as he did. This profile drives our empathy as well as understanding of why he behaved and wrote the way he did. DISLIKES None. SAMPLE PASSAGE "Finally he (Nietzsche) invents a dance, a dance of swords and, butchered, torn, bloodied, h...