Thursday, December 17, 2009

ignorant or enlightened?

possibly somewhere in between.

I am on a journey. I am attempting to be honest with myself.

admittedly, there are many things I do not know about which I would care to know more about.

thus, this post.

I am asking for recommendations of books, articles, blogs, etc. What would you suggest?

What are the things that changed you, formed you, stretched you to become who you are now?

4 comments:

Bryan said...

Check out this blog - Archbishop Lazar has written things that have been pretty formative for me...
http://orthodoxy21.blogspot.com/

Also, you should read "The Shock Doctrine" by Naomi Klein.

And watch Arrested Development to keep you grounded.

Also, we should hang out.

Bryan

benyamen said...

If you want something beyond just the normal Christian literature. Read yourself some Douglas Coupland. Beyond all the religious stuff I've read, he's easily been one of the most insightful authors I've ever read. It's all fiction based in Canada using outlandish stereotypical characters. It's always entertaining and thought provoking for me. Me favourite to this point is still, "Girlfriend in a Coma".

JKrahn said...

I'll give you a full media experience.

"High Fidelity" - probably the movie that best explained growing up, falling in and out of love, knowing yourself, and knowing how we relate to music. Saw it in elementary school (definitely didn't get everything then, but still knew it was special), and I can continually find myself relating to different parts of it as I get older.

"America, a Citizen's Guide to Democracy Inaction" by Jon Stewart and the writers of the Daily Show (back when Colbert was among them) - I got the audiobook, for the experience, but either way this is perhaps the book that has taught me the most about the origins and pitfalls of democracy today. Also incredibly funny, and I think that's why I learned so much.

"Sliding Doors" - admittedly a chick flick, I really love this movie. How different would your life be if you missed your train, just once? A good reminder to appreciate the potential impact of seemingly unimportant events. I only saw it twice, a long time ago, and it has stuck with me.

"The Watchmen" - there's a reason that this comic book/graphic novel is listed as one of the 100 best novels of the last 100 years. It is that good. It's layered with so many personality traits/disorders, schemes, manipulations, political beliefs, loyalties, and points of view; it is an incredibly well told story, and uses the medium really well. It was okay as a movie, would be okay as a book, but amazing as a comic. I have probably read this book twenty times, and can foresee reading it until I am old.

"Famous Rich and Beautiful" by the Philosopher Kings. Incredible album. I think I first listed to it in grade 4 (another one I didn't fully understand at the time, but could tell was special even then). It's always been in my possession since then, and I always go back to it. It's almost the album that grew up with me. Lyrics have come to have meaning where there used to only be cool music. It's almost cheesy in how passionate it is, but awesome for how far its passion can swing. And the music still rocks.

"In Praise of Slow" by Carl Honoré. A great book that looks at how the speed of our lives is tied to the quality of our lives (horrible oversimplification). Not so much a attack on speed, as a celebration of peace; being free enough to be able to decided which pace of life suits which circumstance.

Unknown said...

Bryan - I agree. and I'll definitely check out all your suggestions.

Ben - we've had our twitter-chat.

Krahn - you've outdone yourself this time, sir. thanks for the media experience.