Have you ever read a book that changed your life?

Dr..

Kamal Abdul Malik

September 30, 2022

In interviews with Harvard professors, the Harvard Gazette asked them about the uncommon experiences, ideas, and wisdom in books that changed their lives.

The responses shed light on fiction, philosophy, poetry and biography.

I mentioned d.

Daniela Allen, director of the Edmund J.

These books: “Aristotle: Nicomachean Ethics”, “Politics” and “The Book of Poetry”, “from them I learned how to analyze problems, balance the many intertwined human stakes, and the ability to see asteroids in space while not forgetting the landmines to beware of....”

Turning to fiction and poetry, Allen cited Ralph Ellison's The Invisible Man, saying that the novel "taught me to see in my country the extraordinary tragic mixture of truth and error, of light and darkness that characterizes us." One of her favorite poems is William Carlos Williams' This Is Just to Say.

Arthur C. said:

Brooks, columnist for The Atlantic: "The books I've read that educate me as a person are almost all philosophical or wise, including Zen Buddhism and the Art of Shooting by Eugene Hergel.

It systematically guides the reader to learn Zen through the study of archery in Japan.

What it illustrates is the fact that zen is not a philosophy but an attitude and a life.

The Zen practitioner observes the world with complete openness;

That is why it cannot be taught, but only discovered through practice.

This book shaped my approach to many things - even my teaching and my writing.”

It is mentioned by Dr.

Jerome Grobman, Professor of Medicine, The book “The Ethics of Our Fathers” when he was a teenager and re-read it over the years, and the book is a collection of proverbs and visions dating back about 2,000 years.

He adds, “As I got older, I found that the book and its contents talk about many different issues and contexts in life.

For example, a series of questions posed by rabbi and scholar Hillel: If I were not for myself, who would I?

If I were only for myself, what would I be?

And if not (actual / practical) now, then when?”

“When you live your life, you think about your own needs, but you also have to realize that selfishness or ego has to be restricted.” He added, “I teach a course for freshmen on medical literature, and one of the main issues we address is whether you have an inner moral compass.” .

We read a whole bunch of texts.

We even read "The Death of Ivan Ilyich" by Tolstoy.

Money, power, and the drive to succeed are all very tempting and Tolstoy addresses them, and it's all found in Harvard culture.

So how do you balance fulfilling the dictates of society versus doing what is good for you?

Does inner drive drive you, or do you please others?

In the book (Pirkei Avot) we read: Who is the rich?

The answer is that he is the one who rejoices in his share of life.

So the ability to be content with what you have, what you have done, and what you set for yourself - which Ivan Ilyich cannot do - must remain your top priority in life.

“Who is rich?

The answer is that he is the one who rejoices in his share of life.” 

Visiting Scholar at Harvard University

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