January has been a wonderful month of introspection for me. It’s been a month of truly investigating, studying, evaluating, probing and reaching way beyond my normal boundaries of thoughts, beliefs (especially limiting ones), ideas, and the way I live my life and interact with others. To say it’s been rewarding too does not do it justice.
I’ve read more books this month (8 or 9) on a variety of topics that I had not considered before. For example, I found Eliza Griswold’s book, “The Tenth Parallel” spellbinding and feel it should be mandatory reading and studying in every American high school today because it challenges our assumptions about different cultures, religions and beliefs. Eliza spent the last 7 years travelling the tenth parallel – the line of latitude seven hundred miles north of the equator from Nigeria, to the Sudan, Somalia and in Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines - from megacities to sprawling jungles – the ideological frontline where Christianity and Islam collide.
This inspiring book is teaching me much about the world’s religions, how and where beliefs originated and an open look into Islam’s origins and beliefs as well as taboos. Eliza deftly explains that religious conflicts are also conflicts about land, water, oil, and other natural resources. I’m still engrossed in reading it …
The other book worth mentioning is “RESET” by Stephen Kinzer, a former New York Times Bureau Chief in the Middle East. It’s a critique of America’s approach to the world’s most volatile region, the Middle East, and offers a startling alternative.
I have felt woefully inadequate, or ignorant of this part of the world (the Middle East) and have wanted to learn more to better understand what’s truly going on there and what America’s role needs to be.
Lastly, I am re-reading a book I bought many years ago “The Four Agreements”by Don Miguel Ruiz. It’s a paperback and is a Toltec wisdom book about the steps to take on the path to personal freedom. I am particularly interested in the Second Agreement – “Don’t Take Anything Personally.” Earlier, I got mired down in a friend’s comments about what I should do with my life and what I couldn’t do, and found myself at odds with that evaluation. Hence, I stopped blogging until I could literally discover for myself what works and what doesn’t. I think I’m now back on track and ready to blog away!
How was your month and what have you learned?
Shirley M. Carolan, ATMG
Writer ● Speaker ● Artist
artistwithaflair@att.net
Phone/Fax: 760-732-0663
Writer ● Speaker ● Artist
artistwithaflair@att.net
Phone/Fax: 760-732-0663
Copyright© 2013 by Shirley M. Carolan. All rights reserved. To reprint any part of this article simply contact Shirley Carolan at artistwithaflair@att.net. Thank you
