Appreciating Reading Thoughts from Great Writers

I am back at writing in Living More Than OK after a lengthy hiatus. From the stress of working on the dissertation, (which still isn’t done- but closer), to other problems I decided I should still take time to do some work on my blog. With my starting to write again in my blog I thought it best to share some thoughts on one of my favorite activities reading.

Reading has been a lifelong passion. I recently finished a book On Stories, by C. S. Lewis. It is a collection of Lewis’ essays on writing. C.S. Lewis has always been one of my favorite authors with his fiction of Chronicles of Narnia and his non-fiction on spiritual issues such as his Mere Christianity. In this compilation of essays he shares about the works of some of the favorites authors he enjoyed reading such as Charles Williams, E. R. Eddison, Tolkien and Dorothy Sayers. He discusses some of their great works and why he enjoyed their writings. His discussion got me interested in looking into some of the writings of Williams and Eddison as I have read Tolkien and Sayers.

In his essay “On Stories” he emphasizes the importance of story. He looked at various aspects such as excitement. With excitement each reader has their own feelings of what excitement means. He also brings out how stories many times bring out the supernatural or what is marvelous about life. Along with what is marvelous about stories that are good often bring a sense of awe to the story line with the characters.
With his thoughts on awe he moves also to free will. Lewis writes, “We have just had set before our imaginations something that has always baffled the intellect: we have seen how destiny and free will can be combined even how free will is the modus operandi of destiny.” (page 21). This balance is seen in stories and can help the reader in understanding real life that we face in our daily journey. Our lives as we reflect often show a balance of Destiny and free will at work. This thoughts relates also to how story to Lewis is important to pleasure and the pleasure in story can aid in our enjoying pleasure in life. As he puts it, “And in the same way the whole story, paradoxically enough strengthens our relish for real life. This excursion into the preposterous sends us back with renewed pleasure to the actual.”(page 20). From this though we can learn to appreciate how the pleasure of reading can bring new levels of pleasure as we live out the story of our lives.

I also enjoyed in the book how Lewis shared how his fictional works began with pictures in his mind. “One thing I am sure of. All seven of my Narnia books, began with seeing pictures in my head.” (page 79). This shows the importance of visualizing in our lives. He used pictures in his mind to help create the stories. By thinking of pictures in our minds we can improve our level of creativity.
Excitement, awe and pleasure are important take-aways from our fiction reading. As I look back on the fiction works I have read over the years I see those terms and others that come to play. Reading often opened up feelings of curiosity to learn more about things I read about in books. Also I can think of times I read when I was young and it gave me an appreciation for the amazing world around me to seek to travel and see other cultures.

Reflection: How do you relate excitement, awe and pleasure to the books you read. What favorite authors do you have and what do you learn from their writings?

Classics As Part Of Your Reading Diet

With Summer coming soon I will doing some blog posts that focus in on reading. I have several clients in my counseling practice that are telling me they will have their children involved in Summer reading programs at their local library. I often encourage them in doing so. As I have mentioned before libraries and reading has always been important in my life.

In considering reading material I read a short book recently from a teacher encouraging the reading of classics by children. The title of the book is Classics Why we should encourage children to read them. It is written by teacher and author, Fiza Pathan. Knowing that a teacher has a passion for encouraging young people to read literary classics was a pleasure to read about. So many of my teen clients and college students paint a picture of schools K-12 being about standardized tests which actually turn them off to learning. We need more Fiza Pathan’s out there in the schools stretching the minds of students in writing essays and reflective papers on literary works as she describes in her book.

Reading through her book made me to think back over my reading history when I was younger and some of the literary classics I had read. Titles such as The Call of the Wild by Jack London, The Time Machine by H.G. Wells, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, and my favorite The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis were a few a my favorites that I reflected upon. Fiza’s passion for the classics reminded me that I need to incorporate some of the classics from her list that I have not read into my present and future reading. Most likely future; with my next year being inundated with my PhD dissertation work. She reminded me that there is profit in re-reading old favorites as well; as at a different age and context, I may gain new insights from stories like The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells for example.

Fiza also develops an argument for young people reading of the classics by emphasizing how this can develop their minds. One of the first aspects of development and I feel the most important is how reading the classics develops the imagination. She makes an important statement, “In my teaching experience, I have realized everyone has an imagination; whether the student is an honest first ranker or a sports freak… one has to make a student aware of his or her capabilities. With a rich imagination, a person can do wonders with one’s life.” (Page 9) An imagination and creative mind can be built up as the stories in the classics encourage the mind to take the reader into the story and visualize what they are reading.

She goes on to discuss what I call the addictive levels of young people watching tv and computer videos. As a teacher she has seen the creative powers of students limited and stagnated by their almost constant visual attachment to a video screen. That is because the video spoon feeds their minds the visuals and information in a passive manner. Their minds are not stretched to visualize the scenery themselves. Their minds are not transported into the scene as they are mere passive observers. I have had young children as counseling clients who say their teachers do not read to them in today’s schools. Instead the “book” is shown in class on a screen with an unseen narrator reading to them. The schools are turning reading into another movie/tv experience. That is why I am not really keen on ebooks for children. It is just reinforcing an addiction to staring at a screen. How I remember my third grade teacher, Mrs. Clifford reading books to us. I believe that helped encourage me in my reading.

Fiza also moves into how reading books aids in vocabulary building and general knowledge about life and the world. Some of the great works like the writings of Dickens transports the mind back to historical times and can make history fun. Science fiction and futuristic books can encourage a young mind that is interested in science. There are a myriad of benefits to encouraging young people to read the classics. This does not rule out those of us who are not young people. As I mentioned she has an extensive list of classic books. Go to your local library and ask a reference librarian to help you look into some of the classics they may have in their collection. Or most libraries can get about any book you are looking for by their library loan programs. You may also wish to check out Fiza’s website www.fizapathan.com that connects to her blog to find other ideas about encouraging your children in reading or developing your reading diet.

Reflection: Think back to your favorite literary classic. Which is one of your favorites? Do you remember when you read it? Why did it impact you? Go to your local library and pick up a literary classic to read.

Taking A Second Look At Favorite Books

When I wrote about the Tuck & Patti concert we enjoyed several weeks ago, I mentioned how Patti reminded the audience to listen to old favorite songs over again. This was so that we could look at the songs in a fresh light. Being a Bookhead who enjoys reading I thought that can apply to reading favorite books as well. It was rather fortuitous that at that same time of the concert I came cross a book at the library about rereading books. The book is: Nothing Remains The Same: Rereading and Remembering by Wendy Lesser.

Wendy Lesser begins the book discussing how at one point she was rereading a Henry James novel, The Portrait of a Lady, and that experience had a startling effect on her reading experience. She shared how she had first read the book as an undergrad student and then in her graduate classes. Then the time she spoke of in her first chapter she was rereading it when she was in her forties. She found that she was looking and listening to the book from a totally different perspective from when she read it as a young student.

She found herself understanding the characters of the book in a different manner from the eyes of her own life experiences. In her words, “…I used to be tempted to skip ahead, I now wanted to saunter through the commas, linger at the semicolons, and take small contemplative breaks at the periods. The book was a much better that I had remembered it. More to the point, I was a much better reader of it. Both pleasure and understanding came more easily to me.” (page 2). This reminded me of mandatory readings in my college experience. There was always the temptation to skip ahead to have the reading over and done with. On the otherhand leisure reading that was enjoyable was always a more slow pace taking in fully what the author was saying.
She also makes the point that when rereading a book it is a new experience. “The idea that a simple rereading could also be a new reading struck me with a force of a revelation. It meant that something old wasn’t necessarily outdated, used up or overly familiar.” (page 2) The book then goes through a series of books that she reread and she shares what she learned from each of the rereading experiences. It is interesting how in many cases she remembered when she read the books for the first time and what was going on in her life at that time. Memories are powerful. She then would share how her rereading showed the books from a different perspective as she was at a different point in her life journey.

I have reread a few books over my reading life and I do agree with Ms. Lesser that the different life perspective does add value to the reading experience. I remember reading Mere Christianity, by C. S. Lewis as a young teen and the impact of his logic and thinking had on my thoughts on the competing worldviews that I was thinking about at the time. Then as an adult I reread Mere Christianity and I was able to understand more of it on a second reading and had a deeper appreciation for his thoughtful writing.

Victor Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning is another book I remember reading when I was searching ideas in high school and then I reread it as I began teaching college students later in life. Again the rereading is affected by being at a differing point on the life journey. I was able to understand the need for purpose more as I had traveled more life experiences than when I was in high school. So Frankl’s book holds so much more meaning to me in my later years.
Of course as a Christian I have reread the Bible and numerous portions of it over and over again. With each time I read a certain passage I can gain new life lessons based on what life experience I am going through at that moment in time. I am sure those of other religious faiths experience the same with their religious writings.

This book piqued my interest in other books I will want to reread in the future. Of course I emphasize the future as I have mentioned my next year of reading will be tied to my soon to start dissertation work on my PhD in Psychology. As I contemplate rereading some of my favorite books I realize I have quite a long list of first time read books that I have facing me as well. Of course that is the life of a Bookhead. At least I have interesting mind growing opportunities as I look at my ever-growing list of books to read. But with this book on rereading I will definitely begin adding to the list favorite books I want to reread.

Reflection: Is there a book you have reread? Think about the experience. Did you view the book differently in the various times you reread it? Are there other books you want to reread? Think over two books you want to reread. Why do you want to reread them?

Enjoying the Afterlife in the Present Life

While I was doing some work in my office, I was listening to a song by one of my daughter’s favorite bands, Switchfoot. It addresses a wrong viewpoint about Christians and Christianity. It speaks to the thought that Christians just sit around in their churches waiting to die so they can really live in heaven. Granted there are some Christians that are so heavenly minded they are no earthly good. Sad to say I have met people who can not stand Christianity, because they have run ins with Christians like those.

Christians that create these ideas that this life is all sorrow and sadness until we reach heaven are painting a false picture that the writer of the song is reacting to. We forget that Jesus was accused of carousing with sinners and gluttons. His first miracle was at a wedding. The disciples would try to chase children away from Him and Jesus would chide them as He enjoyed paying attention to children. As I have stated before, Jesus stated He came to give us life and life abundantly. Jesus wanted His followers to live in the present fully as well as look forward to the future finalized Kingdom.

Take some time to look over the words to this song. If you click on the title you can even listen to a video of the song.

Afterlife by Switchfoot

I've tasted fire I'm ready to come alive
I can't just shut it up and fake that I'm alright
I'm ready now, I'm not waiting for the afterlife

I'll Let it burn the way the sunlight burns my skin
The way I feel inside, the way the day begins
I'm ready now , I'm not waiting for the other side , I'm ready now, I'm ready now

Cause everyday the world is made A chance to change But I feel the same
And I wonder Why would I wait till I die to come alive?
I'm ready now I'm not waiting for the afterlife

I still believe we could live forever You and I we begin forever now
Forever now Forever

I still believe in us together You and I we're here together now
Forever now Forever now For ever now

Cause everyday the world is made A chance to change But I feel the same
And I wonder Why would I wait till I die to come alive?
I'm ready now I'm not waiting for the afterlife

Everyday A choice is made Everyday I choose my fate

And I wonder Why would I wait till I die to come alive?

Everyday I still feel the same And I wonder why would I wait till I die to come alive? I'm ready now I'm not waiting for the afterlife

I'm ready now I'm not waiting till the afterlife

The song starts out with a metaphorical thought of tasting fire which makes me think of the Story in The Book at Acts of the tongues of fire which was a testimony of the Holy Spirit of God in the early Christian believers. In Christ we come alive as energized like a fire. The song then moves into an analogy of the sunshine burning his skin; heating him up. I don’t know about you but after a few grey cloudy days I always feel more alive when the rays of sunshine break through and warm me up.

His phrase, “I still believe we could live forever “, and the name of the song shows he believes in an afterlife. Heaven that is beyond our imagination in splendor, is a reality I believe in, and the songwriter shows he believes it. I appreciate how he says, “You and I we begin forever now”. The spiritual relationship with God begins not when we die but now. We are not to sit on the sidelines through our time here, but to be active participants in enjoying the journey God has for us for our time on this planet.

I think of how in C. S. Lewis’ writings he portrayed the fleeting nature of this life as a proof of sorts, for the afterlife. This life goes by so quickly there has to be something more out there. This life is a foreshadow of what is to come in a more splendorous fashion. Sure there are many difficulties in this life and we each experience those times. Yet are we made to dwell on those and miss out on good times with family and friends, or appreciating the simple beauty of Spring flowers. “Everyday A choice is made Everyday I choose my fate”. Each day we can wake up and choose to dwell on the negative pains of life or choose to catch the Spirit’s fire and fully enjoy what God has waiting for us each day. A saying of C.S. Lewis states: "Aim at heaven and you will get earth thrown in. Aim at earth and you get neither” This puts the song lyrics in perspective. We do not want to have tunnel vision on just looking at life on this earth. Focusing on this life only will drag a person down. In keeping a forever focus we can look forward with anticipation to the promise of heaven. Also we can enjoy the full joy of living in our present life as well.

I have mentioned the organization Natural High before, www.naturalhigh.org They are all about helping especially young people live life to the fullest. In promoting Natural Highs they show young people you do not need drugs to enjoy life. Switchfoot in this song expresses the attitude of living a natural high life of living fully alive each day. If you have not checked out their website please do and see what they are doing to make a change in the lives of young people and then tell others, especially educators about their work.

Reflection: Are you staying the same or coming alive on your daily journey? List a few things you can do to come alive in your life!