BookMarks #92: The Rudest Book Ever

Title: The Rudest Book Ever 

Author: Shwetabh Gangwar 

Published: 2019 

Genre: , Self-help 

BookMarks 

“READ ONLY IF YOU’RE PREPAED TO HAVE YOUR FEELINGS HURT” 

“INSANELY PRACTICAL IDEAS TO FREE YOUR MIND FROM ALL BULLSHIT” 

These are the lines which scream out from the cover of the book. The book has ideas but are they practical? And can one really change just after reading a book? Also isn’t it all about making tiny tweaks rather than a complete overhaul for any change to even start? But before that following are some of the thoughts which I found interesting and bookmarked,

• Older people are children who have aged. Stop attaching maturity, wisdom, enlightenment to ageing. He is old, hence he must be wise is one of the stupidest notions we take for granted - I agree. 
• Learning how to think vs what to think? - I guess what we need is a balance of both. Can't start from a blank slate always 
• Whatever I do, I do it for myself, because I want to prove to myself I can do it - A great attitude to have but we are also living in a real world! 
• Specialness becomes a collection of skills, and feeling special is the sensation felt on upgrading in life after having mastered a skill - I liked this idea 
• Those who are able to find out what they want to do in life chase after greatness to prove to themselves that they are great at what they do. With time, they realise they don’t need anybody’s approval, as doing what they want to do gives them purpose, and fulfilling that purpose gives them satisfaction and a meaningful life. Also this takes time!
• Once you reach a conclusion derived from your thinking, it is called a realisation. And once you realise something, your perception changes about it once and for all. And that perception remains locked down until another realisation impacts it—that’s the process of learning and growing – The more I learn, the more I realise that like Jon Snow I know nothing 
• Wanting to do something vs having to do something- It's this choice which matters most 
• Taking ownership of failures - Very important 
• Time passes, people leave, and you are the one who stays with yourself. Knowing yourself is single-handedly the greatest superpower any person can have. - The truth 
• You are a fan of their extraordinary acts and the products of their talents, not their lives. Learn to differentiate. There is no person on this planet from whom you cannot learn something new. - Following others
• Separate data from the narrative - Especially true in the social media age where your stand on an issue depends on who is arguing rather than the argument itself.

These were some of the thoughts I would like to take from this book. Coming back to the questions – Is this the rudest book ever? I does make one think a bit but just because 4-letter words are randomly strewn all over the text doesn’t make it rude! And did the feelings get hurt? No, why take any random piece of text personally 😊 

The book has ideas, but they go all over the place. Could have easily been streamlined. Seemed more like an attempt to convert a TEDx Talk into a book. 

Previously on BookMarks: Autobiography of a Yogi

BookMarks #91: Autobiography of a Yogi

Title: Autobiography of a Yogi 

Author: Paramhansa Yogananda 

Genre: Autobiography 

Published: 1946 

BookMarks 

Autobiography of a Yogi is the autobiography of Mukunda Lal Ghosh and how he became Paramhansa Yogananda. It describes his various spiritual encounters and experiences in various places in both India and abroad. And its not just his story, it is also the story of his influences, Lahiri Mahasya, Sri Yukteswar and Babaji. 

What I liked most about the book is that it is not preaching but just narrating experiences of the spiritual nature which the Yogi had in his lifetime. And yet there were times in the narration which also rose the sceptic in me to question the events if they had happened at all. Which I guess is the most important objective of the book. To introduce Kriya Yoga to the reader and make them understand on their own! 

“God is simple. Everything else is complex” – what a simple and powerful line. I guess this line sums up the book. 

In the book, we also encounter famous historical figures of the times – Gandhiji, CV Raman, Tagore. Even Sherlock Holmes makes an appearance! We also read a lot of Einstein’s Theory of Relativity and how Science proves God. Scientists do a better job at proving God’s existence than most godmen! 

No wonder this has been one of the most influential books of India abroad. 

Previously on BookMarks: Bhagat Singh Jail Diary 

Goodbye 2021

2021! 

What a terrible year it was. Thought 2020 was bad, but it was nothing compared to the collective trauma of 2021. We thought we had ridden over the Covid wave, with cases on the decline and vaccines rolling out. And then we got hit hard by the variants. Suffering yourself, seeing your loved ones laid low, hearing news almost daily of classmates, colleagues and acquaintances passing away. Meanwhile social media was full of cries for help. Amidst the doom scrolling, wanting to help while simultaneously feeling totally helpless yourself. Times couldn’t have been grimmer. 

Yet how quickly life threw us back into our usual routines. The Work From Home experiment continued, and travel was limited. The entertainment means continued to be limited. Reading, a bit of blogging, some OTT content – in short, more and more screen time! Personally, watched one genre more than others – kids TV. My personal recommendation - Masha and the Bear, with Dora the Explorer taking the second place. 

That was 2021 - a year of survival. And now entering 2022 with another wave of the virus arriving and cases escalating. Praying that this one’s impact is minimal. 

Maroon 5’s Memories (from 2019) really summed up the over-riding emotions of 2021 

Let’s hope that we stop living in these “unprecedented” times soon and get back to the “old normal” in 2022. Wishing all readers, a Very Happy, Healthy and Safe 2022!