This is the third in a series of articles on books that have inspired me and helped me on my journey. The links to the first two articles in the series are:
Using Books To Change Your Mindset
Books That Will Change Your Thinking
Here are some more of the books that have helped me.
Sceptical Essays by Bertrand Russell
Russell is pure entertainment, and you will learn a huge amount along the way. His vast learning, clarity and intellectual honesty will make sure of that.
Russell was a life long unrepentant rationalist but he himself had a mystical experience of a sort. He was not looking for it. It just dawned on him. And it basically drove and guided all his efforts for the rest of his life. He describes his experience as factually as possible in his autobiography.
As far as Sceptical Essays is concerned I have read the book more than once but only two chapters have stuck in my mind. The first is the introductory chapter and the second is the chapter on China titled Eastern and Western Ideals of Happiness.
This chapter on China – as far as I am concerned – is as close to perfection as anything that it is ever possible to achieve using the written word. I feel very strongly about this chapter because as the time when I read it seemed to speak directly to me and address my problems.
Just a few of the concepts that so changed my life and gave me a completely new perspective. I am here quoting from the book:
“Confucius was in all things moderate – even in virtue. He did not believe that we ought to return good for evil. He was asked on one occasion: “How do you regard the principle of returning good for evil?” And he replied, “What then is to be the return for good? Rather should you return justice for injustice and good for good.”
The books written by the Chinese have this characteristic that all they ever wanted to do is to help you survive, help you look after yourself and lead a happy life – to whatever extent possible – while you are on this planet Earth. They never did try to bullshit you and they had no ulterior motives.
We were not meant to be angels. What most people want to do is to get along and survive and be as happy as is possible under the circumstances. If that is the case then why not help people to get exactly what they want? If they are thinking clearly and are not deceived by delusion, then people will be well on their way to being happy.
It is my own experience and that of others no doubt that if we find ourselves to be deceived by people whom we trusted then we lose all sense of what is good and become hopelessly disillusioned and cynical. We might find ourselves deceived by our family, our friends or the books that we have read. In such cases most of us throw out the baby with the bathwater and reject not only what is bad in the ethic that we were taught but what is good in it as well.
The Introductory Chapter in Sceptical Essays makes a compelling argument in favor of skepticism. We – in India – and no doubt in western countries as well under the Christian influence are told to have faith and be obedient. Russell wants us not to believe but to be skeptical. And he says that this quality alone, if it became universal would turn our Earth into a paradise.
Russell’s description of how our unconscious malevolence towards others leads us to find excuses for actions that lead to our own ruin is incomparable. You will find that too in the introductory chapter and that itself is worth the price of admission.
From my own experience I would say that it is better to know yourself as the Greeks advised, if you wish to be happy in this world. For that books are only an aid. It is better to do meditation or learn martial arts. But is you are of an intellectual type, read Russell. You will not regret it.
It is best of course – as Osho Rajneesh advised – to be man of science as well as a man of the spirit. Then you are multi-dimensional, truly capable to taking on the world.
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