“On the Unseriousness of Human Affairs: Teaching, Writing, Playing, Believing, Lecturing, Philosophizing, Singing, Dancing” by James Schall.
The subject matter was actually quite depressing, but the effect was quite uplifting.
I’ll also agree with others who have mentioned “The Bhagavad Gita”. It’s actually quite short, written in an entertaining fashion, and of course, quite profound.
And just to shake 'em up:
“The Denial of Death” by Ernest Becker
Well written with savage insights. Precipitated a full-blown existential crisis in my case.
Really? If you can find the word “stupid” in my post, I’ll paypal you $5000. What’s funny to me is how defensive some people get if their worldview is questioned.
Yes, I think this amounts to thread shitting. I’m a stone atheist and a skeptic but I respect those who are spiritual. I have friends who are Jews, Catholics, Buddhists, and Muslims, and I don’t try to convince them they’re wrong. Religion is their trip, I have mine, and that’s fine. If I overheard a group of people discussing their favorite spiritual books I wouldn’t barge in and recommend a book about science, despite that I’d personally prefer the latter to the former. And I wouldn’t do it online, either.
My preference is for a spirituality compatible with science. I never understood why those two ways of understanding the world are always portrayed as invariably antagonistic rather than complementary.
To my way of thinking, there is but one universe out there; science is a good tool to explore the physical aspects of it, the what of it if you will; and spirituality is a tool to explore the why of it.
The two tools I think work well together. The big drawback of spiritual or mystic thinking, when it goes bad, is woolly-headedness and the tendancy to believe in the physical reality of mythology and magic (which can lead to inhumanity); the big drawback of scientific thinking, when it goes bad, is the tendency towards egotistic thinking that leads to inhumanity. Scientific thinking keeps mystic thinking sane, and mystic thinking keeps scientific thinking human, for a net benefit all around.
Indeed, one can lead to the other. Many a scientist has found, in the study of the natural world, an increased sense of wonder and interconnectedness that can only be described as “mystic” or “spiritual”; a truly religious/spiritual/mystic person would, in pursuing his or her love of the diety, wish to know as much as possible about the physical manifestation of it, and so turn to science as an act of love.
I think you’re right. What I object to is using the term “fairy tales” to dismiss someone’s spirituality. It’s a loaded term that carries connotations of childishness and frivolity, and we all know it. So please, be more respectful.
Illusions: Richard Bach Celestine Prophecy all of them. James Redfield Compass of the Soul
Most of Andrew Weil’s philosophies…
I actually enjoyed **the Secret ** quite a bit. One doesn’t have to intellectualize EVERYTHING, right?
Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell Illusions by Richard Bach Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert M. Pirsig If You Meet the Buddha in the Road, Kill Him by Sheldon Kopp Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu Franny and Zooey by J.D. Salinger Raise High the Roofbeam, Carpenters and Seymour, an Introduction by J.D. Salinger Man’s Search for Meaning by Victor Frankl The Four Noble Truths by the Dalai Lama Loving What Is by Byron Katie Conversations with God by Neale Donald Walsch The Cliff Walk by Don J. Snyder The Doors of Perception by Aldous Huxley
If you thought Demon Haunted World was directed at spiritual people and helping them learn how to not lean on “fairy tails” so they could “depend on themselves”, then you didn’t understand the book.
I recommend rereading the book, this time for comprehension.
You also might try rereading the book in question. It was most certainly directed at people who would read such books as The Secret, mentioned in the OP. But you’re too busy trying to put words in my mouth to do that, I suppose.
I would think Sagan would encourage reading the book with a skeptical mind. If you think that amounts to learning how to not depend on “fairy tails” to know how to live one’s life, then I refer you back to my last post.
ITR Champion stole my list. I’ll add: As I Lay Dying- Richard John Neuhaus
Pilgrim at Tinker Creek- Annie Dillard
Gilead- Marilynne Robinson
My Utmost for His Highest
Specifically for Catholics or liturgical Christians, I’d probably add:
Swimming with Scapulars- Matthew Lickona
The Seven Storey Mountain- Thomas Merton
The Divine Comedy
I’m sure there are lots of others, but I can’t think of them right now. I’d be more inclined in general to recommend books that I’ve found life-changing than how-to guides, but that’s at least partly because I have no experience with how-to guides, and therefore can’t recommend any from personal experience.
I suggest The Celestine Prophecy by James Redfield, also Conversations With God,by another author. And the Bible!
I wanted to introduce myself really quickly, wasn’t sure where I could so formally. I am new and I just wanted to say hi! I live in N. Va, and work in marketing for Bud.tv which has been so awesome thus far. On the weekends I like to stay active and with the weather being so good, I love to tan and swim! Look forward to chatting with everyone really soon.