I have had the privilege to go through many books: old/classics, new/contemporary, even soon to be published. I love all ‘’good” books. I judge books by the cover (being a designer), from the synopsis and certain recommendations from devourers of prints and e-copies. I must say this, the last time I read something that held me through the night was a candid retrospection of a friend, brother and egbon / elder – Victor Adeyemi‘s IF YOU CAN’T BUY IT, STEAL IT! I don’t like books written to impress or such in circulation not addressing or in the pattern of the doctrine of a strenuous life [a speech by Theodore Roosevelt] . In the last couple of weeks, I have read two of Ryan Holiday’s books: Ego is the enemy and Obstacle is the way. It is good to see / reflect your life through the writings of noble writers / thinkers. I had the opportunity of reviewing my goals in life to see if it was driven by the desire for recognition or the desire to the higher calling – actualization / self-transcendence. Our society is full of men riding on their ego and cannot eschew the spotlight for the higher goals. A thought provoking question from ‘Ego is the enemy’ – “How are we supposed to reach, motivate, or lead other people if we can’t relate to their needs—because we’ve lost touch with our own?” The society is full of egoistic people, people that can’t see beyond the trifles of their mundane works as the only best thing that had happened to this generation. “When we remove ego, we’re left with what is real”. You will also find his book, “Obstacle is the way” interesting.
I am also going through ‘Ideas, a history of thought and invention, from fire to freud’ a good ride of reading across the scrolls of our development, beliefs & inventions. I saw a copy of it in a friend’s room [Aji Baba], started reading. I didn’t ask him to borrow me – I ordered my own copy! Man has developed and evolved. Time to revolt. But against what?