The first book I read where I felt that I had truly gained some wisdom was, Plato’s Republic. I spent months reading the book. I slowly digest every single word that Socrates had spoken. Even though the book was nearly 3,000 years old, every single idea was totally new to me. I learned about justice, freedom, war, the good, the bad, politics, hate, love, god, and so much more. I was able to incorporate many of those ideas in the world we live in today. For a short time, I studied the Socratic Method, and tried to incorporate his style of conversation with my friends. The book was a book of wisdom. In some ways, it could even be a guide on how to live your life. It’s the one book that I can easily recommend to everyone.
Another great book of wisdom would have to be The Main Spring of Human Progress, by Henry Grady Weaver. The book tries to explain why American life has become so good over the last one hundred years. It sums up nearly 2,000 years of human struggle over food, money, and literature in order to unmask the reasons as to why we can live so comfortably in the 20th, and now the 21st, century. Perhaps the most significant argument the book made was of the world’s history during the “dark ages” of Europe. Apparently, while Europe was experiencing the dark ages, the rest of the world was busy at producing advanced mathematical concepts, pieces of art, and works of literature. The book opened my eyes to the world of Islam, a place where oil lamps were being used for lighting (instead of candles), where people washed every day, and beautiful churches were built in the name of god. Eventually, the book took me on a tour through the industrial age and it helped me to appreciate the life I have living in America.
Another work of literature that helped set my mind to the way it is today is a short essay called A Message to Garcia, by Elbert Hubbard. This short ten page essay helped me to realize the one thing that must be learned the hard way, a strong and proper work ethic. After reading the essay, hundreds of thoughts burst into my head. I soon began to realize how the rich could become so rich, how America could become so prosperous, and even how to improve my laziness. I stopped asking so many questions and just got to work. No matter how much I might disapprove of something, if a job is given to me, I must try my best to complete the job. This short little essay changed the whole way I treat every second of my life.
It is amazing that the mind is one part of the human body that improves the more you use it. I must agree with something that Francis Bacon once said, “I would live to study, and not study to live.” With that, I hope I can study as well as I live my life.
