rambling man
Somewhat Deadly
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Just wonderin.....if one did, what was it and why....
Did a Book Ever Change Your Life?
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Savage Kitten
Image IS Everything
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actually 2
In my early teens I was going through some rough times. Having hard times at home, too much responsibillity for young shoulders, as well as trying to fit in at school.
My escape was books. Reading The Diary of Anne Frank really opened my eyes. It showed me there were horrors out there greater than mine. The other one was Are You There God? It's Me, Margerette. by Judy Blume. She is just an awesome writer, who is able to write on a level that young adults can relate to.
In my early teens I was going through some rough times. Having hard times at home, too much responsibillity for young shoulders, as well as trying to fit in at school.
My escape was books. Reading The Diary of Anne Frank really opened my eyes. It showed me there were horrors out there greater than mine. The other one was Are You There God? It's Me, Margerette. by Judy Blume. She is just an awesome writer, who is able to write on a level that young adults can relate to.
Renegade
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Go Ask Alice
First read it back in my freshman year of high school. To this day it's one of my favorite books and it helped me make up my mind against using drugs at a point where I was starting to become tempted. Guess you might say it helped prevent what could of been a bad change in my life.
First read it back in my freshman year of high school. To this day it's one of my favorite books and it helped me make up my mind against using drugs at a point where I was starting to become tempted. Guess you might say it helped prevent what could of been a bad change in my life.
willywanker
just one man's opinion
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Ok, this is going to get me flamed but...
I've got to go with "The Holy Bible".
So why would I post that on a BB at a sexually oriented site? I quess some of the threads on here of late have made me stop and take a closer look at my life. Should a professing Christian be posting here and should he have an avatar like mine? **Laughing** Maybe not, might even go so far as to say probably not. But should I just keep my head down and cower in fear someone might find out? Thats not me either.
I had a chat with someone last week about posting here. I decided then that my fasination with sex might be a little out of bounds for most in my faith but that I'm comfortable with who I am. I'm not perfect, "just forgiven".
I've got to go with "The Holy Bible".
So why would I post that on a BB at a sexually oriented site? I quess some of the threads on here of late have made me stop and take a closer look at my life. Should a professing Christian be posting here and should he have an avatar like mine? **Laughing** Maybe not, might even go so far as to say probably not. But should I just keep my head down and cower in fear someone might find out? Thats not me either.
I had a chat with someone last week about posting here. I decided then that my fasination with sex might be a little out of bounds for most in my faith but that I'm comfortable with who I am. I'm not perfect, "just forgiven".
bluntforcemama
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Yes, when I was going through a rather dangerous depression, about three years ago, I read a book called "The Meaning of Life," written by a man who survived the Holocaust, but lost his entire family to the horrors of the camps. He's now a psychiatrist, and he tells his story, and why he chose to keep living. I'll look up his name and tell you when I find the book.
rambling man
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It's such a misperception that Christians do not have and do not enjoy sex, don't fall for it. I told Miles last week (he was joking about sex attitudes) that if you look at large Puritan and Catholic families historically, you find a definite love of sex...If you look at the Old Testament, they seem to really enjoy it as well.
I think if you look at the Bible, its message is to not use sex in such a way that it hurts others....in that time and place sex and pregnancy outside marriage left women alone and abandoned, unclean, therefore a man who would do that to a woman is visiting potential harm upon her, same with adultery. It doesn't say you cant like sex, only people who came afterwards with agendas of control would claim that.
As a matter of fact, St Augustine told men that if they did not satisfytheir wives sexually, then the wives had the right to go elsewhere to satisfy themselves sexually...of course he wrote this in a time where the Romans had transformed into a more Greek type mindset complete with widespread homosexuality among men, leaving the wives very much lonely as you can imagine.
My book was Fareignheit 451, I read it in 8th grade in 1986....it just seemed like the shallowness portrayed in that book seemed so real, I could never watch much television again after that..
I think if you look at the Bible, its message is to not use sex in such a way that it hurts others....in that time and place sex and pregnancy outside marriage left women alone and abandoned, unclean, therefore a man who would do that to a woman is visiting potential harm upon her, same with adultery. It doesn't say you cant like sex, only people who came afterwards with agendas of control would claim that.
As a matter of fact, St Augustine told men that if they did not satisfytheir wives sexually, then the wives had the right to go elsewhere to satisfy themselves sexually...of course he wrote this in a time where the Romans had transformed into a more Greek type mindset complete with widespread homosexuality among men, leaving the wives very much lonely as you can imagine.
My book was Fareignheit 451, I read it in 8th grade in 1986....it just seemed like the shallowness portrayed in that book seemed so real, I could never watch much television again after that..
Dhalgren
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tickle your archtypes
James Joyce's "Ulysses"...just blew me away.
And the meaning layered under the hidden layers, wow...Joyce never wrote a word without being aware that it would be savoured, digested and understood differently within each passing through its brilliant prose.
And Vonneguts "Cat's Cradle," well...just about anything from Kurt is apt to tickle something deep within all of us.
James Joyce's "Ulysses"...just blew me away.
And the meaning layered under the hidden layers, wow...Joyce never wrote a word without being aware that it would be savoured, digested and understood differently within each passing through its brilliant prose.
And Vonneguts "Cat's Cradle," well...just about anything from Kurt is apt to tickle something deep within all of us.
rambling man
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Player Piano from Kurt Vonnegut also struck a chord within me, I read it as a college senior
willfulbrat
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There are so many! Yes, the Bible is one that made a big difference in my life.
Also, The Hiding Place by Cory Ten Boom, any amazing true story about a woman who remained faithful, thankful, and kind through the horror of living in a Nazi prison camp.
Les Miserables is also a beautiful story about how forgiveness and kindness can change a person's life.
Also, The Hiding Place by Cory Ten Boom, any amazing true story about a woman who remained faithful, thankful, and kind through the horror of living in a Nazi prison camp.
Les Miserables is also a beautiful story about how forgiveness and kindness can change a person's life.
Dhalgren
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adultery
rambling man said:
"....in that time and place sex and pregnancy outside marriage left women alone and abandoned, unclean, therefore a man who would do that to a woman is visiting potential harm upon her, same with adultery. "
In single family dwellings, especially. The scare of raising a child alone due to being seperated from a tribal situation as early humans were prone to living..was enough to sprout a wild need to keep your spouse only unto you.
As for men...I'm still wondering why so many actually ask for monogamous marriage.. =}
When I read the bible as a child and it was telling me that Noah lived to be 989; Moses almost 1,000...it really made my head wonder...
rambling man said:
"....in that time and place sex and pregnancy outside marriage left women alone and abandoned, unclean, therefore a man who would do that to a woman is visiting potential harm upon her, same with adultery. "
In single family dwellings, especially. The scare of raising a child alone due to being seperated from a tribal situation as early humans were prone to living..was enough to sprout a wild need to keep your spouse only unto you.
As for men...I'm still wondering why so many actually ask for monogamous marriage.. =}
When I read the bible as a child and it was telling me that Noah lived to be 989; Moses almost 1,000...it really made my head wonder...
Dixon Carter Lee
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A few books...
1. "Lord of Flies". We read it Freshman Year in English class, a chapter a day. Now, the story itself didn't chagne my life, but the teacher's analyzing of the book, chapter by chapter, paragraph by paragraph, metaphore by metaphore, changed the way I viewed ALL story-telling, and that had a profound influence on how I approached my career as a writer and actor. It was like learning magic, suddenly I was let in on all the secrets. I could not read a book or see a movie without working hard to discover the arcane blueprints involved in its dramatic presentation. It was like understanding for the first time that books aren't just written, they're crafted.
2. Believe it or not, "The Greatest Story Ever Told", a fascinating and pious account of the Christ story. I was 13, I think. As devout as the book was, it was also chock-full of tidbits about life in Judea and the details of the Roman occupation and the politics involved with the Jewish leadership, etc. It brought the story of Jesus to life wonderfully, and, despite the fact that it presented an unquestioning view of Christ as God incarnate, it had the effect of "de-mystifing" the mthyology of Jesus for me, and I began an intense exploration of faith and truth which solidified an atheism I already suspected I had.
3. "Superfly", which I read when I was around 11 or 12. It was the first adult novel I ever read, and I didn't understand ONE Godammned word, but I got through it and forever put aside the Hardy Boys, and quickly became a voracious reader.
1. "Lord of Flies". We read it Freshman Year in English class, a chapter a day. Now, the story itself didn't chagne my life, but the teacher's analyzing of the book, chapter by chapter, paragraph by paragraph, metaphore by metaphore, changed the way I viewed ALL story-telling, and that had a profound influence on how I approached my career as a writer and actor. It was like learning magic, suddenly I was let in on all the secrets. I could not read a book or see a movie without working hard to discover the arcane blueprints involved in its dramatic presentation. It was like understanding for the first time that books aren't just written, they're crafted.
2. Believe it or not, "The Greatest Story Ever Told", a fascinating and pious account of the Christ story. I was 13, I think. As devout as the book was, it was also chock-full of tidbits about life in Judea and the details of the Roman occupation and the politics involved with the Jewish leadership, etc. It brought the story of Jesus to life wonderfully, and, despite the fact that it presented an unquestioning view of Christ as God incarnate, it had the effect of "de-mystifing" the mthyology of Jesus for me, and I began an intense exploration of faith and truth which solidified an atheism I already suspected I had.
3. "Superfly", which I read when I was around 11 or 12. It was the first adult novel I ever read, and I didn't understand ONE Godammned word, but I got through it and forever put aside the Hardy Boys, and quickly became a voracious reader.
Weird Harold
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I've read so many over the forty-plus years since I learned to read and learned so much from what I've read...
I'd have to say that The Dick and Jane Reader (whatever the proper name for that series of books is) had the biggest effect on my life if only indirectly. Because of them, I learned logical thinking from the Hardy Boys and Sherlock Holmes; The wonders of Science from Tom Swift, and other juvenile heros; The importance of tact from Podkayne of Mars; and everything else I know now.
I'd have to say that The Dick and Jane Reader (whatever the proper name for that series of books is) had the biggest effect on my life if only indirectly. Because of them, I learned logical thinking from the Hardy Boys and Sherlock Holmes; The wonders of Science from Tom Swift, and other juvenile heros; The importance of tact from Podkayne of Mars; and everything else I know now.
cymbidia
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Thank you, in advance, for your tolerance with this post.
Many, many books have affected my life and changed me. When i was a teenager, however, i recieved a copy of The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran, and that book had a profound influence on my life in all the years since then. (http://www.columbia.edu/~gm84/gibtable.html)
I've committed whole sections of the book to memory, and spent time weighing specific ideas against the evolving tapestry of my life.
Indulgently, i'm going to stick in a few of the bits that mean the most to me. Feel free to get the hell out of Dodge now. (For all you non-Americans, that means feel free to go someplace else now.)
On Joy and Sorrow:
Your joy is your sorrow unmasked.
And the selfsame well from which your laughter rises was oftentimes filled with your tears.
And how else can it be?
The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain.
On Pain:
Much of your pain is self-chosen.
It is the bitter potion by which the physician within you heals your sick self.
Therefore trust the physician, and drink his remedy in silence and tranquillity:
On Giving:
You give but little when you give of your possessions.
It is when you give of yourself that you truly give.
For what are your possessions but things you keep and guard for fear you may need them tomorrow?
And tomorrow, what shall tomorrow bring to the overprudent dog burying bones in the trackless sand as he follows the pilgrims to the holy city?
And finally, On Children:
Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you,
And though they are with you, yet they belong not to you.
You may give them your love but not your thoughts.
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.
Many, many books have affected my life and changed me. When i was a teenager, however, i recieved a copy of The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran, and that book had a profound influence on my life in all the years since then. (http://www.columbia.edu/~gm84/gibtable.html)
I've committed whole sections of the book to memory, and spent time weighing specific ideas against the evolving tapestry of my life.
Indulgently, i'm going to stick in a few of the bits that mean the most to me. Feel free to get the hell out of Dodge now. (For all you non-Americans, that means feel free to go someplace else now.)
On Joy and Sorrow:
Your joy is your sorrow unmasked.
And the selfsame well from which your laughter rises was oftentimes filled with your tears.
And how else can it be?
The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain.
On Pain:
Much of your pain is self-chosen.
It is the bitter potion by which the physician within you heals your sick self.
Therefore trust the physician, and drink his remedy in silence and tranquillity:
On Giving:
You give but little when you give of your possessions.
It is when you give of yourself that you truly give.
For what are your possessions but things you keep and guard for fear you may need them tomorrow?
And tomorrow, what shall tomorrow bring to the overprudent dog burying bones in the trackless sand as he follows the pilgrims to the holy city?
And finally, On Children:
Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you,
And though they are with you, yet they belong not to you.
You may give them your love but not your thoughts.
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.
Dillinger
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This is an excellent question - and I really liked reading the various responses. Several of the books already listed have affected my life, thoughts - in various ways.
You ask "Did a book ever change your life?" We are what we think... what we believe. If a book makes you think differently about something, re-affirms what you think, teaches you something new, gives you another viewpoint... all those things and more, I believe, have an affect on your life. There are quite a few books and authors who have affected my thoughts, my beliefs, my life... James Joyce (Ulysses, Finnigans Wake), Heinlein (everything!), Catcher In The Rye, Catch-22, Vonnegut!!!, Tom Robbins... but...
If I had to pick one author - that would be Robert Anton Wilson. And if I had to pick but one book that would be "The Illuminatus Trilogy" by Wilson. I believe I can say that book did more than just affect me - it did change my life - in every one of the ways I mentioned. It clarified many things for me - brought a number of my thoughts/ideas/beliefs together in a gestalt. It led me down paths I had never explored... it blew my mind! *smile* And from that book I continued on to read everyone of his other books and followed some of those new paths - a deeper exploration of Zen, the works of Korzybski, Fuller, Reich, Leary, Crowley, Gurdjieff, Hyatt, Regardie and many others.
It did change my life because it opened so very many doors for me... it was the beginning of an ongoing journey - one who's seeds had been planted long before but now came to fruition...
You ask "Did a book ever change your life?" We are what we think... what we believe. If a book makes you think differently about something, re-affirms what you think, teaches you something new, gives you another viewpoint... all those things and more, I believe, have an affect on your life. There are quite a few books and authors who have affected my thoughts, my beliefs, my life... James Joyce (Ulysses, Finnigans Wake), Heinlein (everything!), Catcher In The Rye, Catch-22, Vonnegut!!!, Tom Robbins... but...
If I had to pick one author - that would be Robert Anton Wilson. And if I had to pick but one book that would be "The Illuminatus Trilogy" by Wilson. I believe I can say that book did more than just affect me - it did change my life - in every one of the ways I mentioned. It clarified many things for me - brought a number of my thoughts/ideas/beliefs together in a gestalt. It led me down paths I had never explored... it blew my mind! *smile* And from that book I continued on to read everyone of his other books and followed some of those new paths - a deeper exploration of Zen, the works of Korzybski, Fuller, Reich, Leary, Crowley, Gurdjieff, Hyatt, Regardie and many others.
It did change my life because it opened so very many doors for me... it was the beginning of an ongoing journey - one who's seeds had been planted long before but now came to fruition...
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Pyper
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There are many books I have thoroughly enjoyed, but I think only two actually changed my life in any tangible manner.
The first was Jurassic Park. I read it when I was eleven. It was the first contemporary adult novel I had ever gotten my hands on, and I was like, "Wow! Violence!" After that I left the "young adult" section of the library to move on to bigger and better things.
The second was Contact by Carl Sagan. It made me realize that there were other atheists out there besides me, and they were writing books no less!
The first was Jurassic Park. I read it when I was eleven. It was the first contemporary adult novel I had ever gotten my hands on, and I was like, "Wow! Violence!" After that I left the "young adult" section of the library to move on to bigger and better things.
The second was Contact by Carl Sagan. It made me realize that there were other atheists out there besides me, and they were writing books no less!
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Demian by Herman Hesse
Dhalgren
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Hermetic Authors
Dillinger said:
"....And from that book I continued on to read everyone of his other books and followed some of those new paths - a deeper exploration of Zen, the works of Korzybski, Fuller, Reich, Leary, Crowley, Gurdjieff, Hyatt, Regardie and many others. "
..Wow..you listed my bookshelf!
Nietzsche, Giti, Kaufmann, Kircher,Yeats, Jung....
Have you ever read Crowley's "MoonChild?" Aleister's Hermetic fiction is amazing.
Dillinger said:
"....And from that book I continued on to read everyone of his other books and followed some of those new paths - a deeper exploration of Zen, the works of Korzybski, Fuller, Reich, Leary, Crowley, Gurdjieff, Hyatt, Regardie and many others. "
..Wow..you listed my bookshelf!
Nietzsche, Giti, Kaufmann, Kircher,Yeats, Jung....
Have you ever read Crowley's "MoonChild?" Aleister's Hermetic fiction is amazing.
Dillinger
Guerrilla Ontologist
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Re: Hermetic Authors
Very cool! Welcome to Literotica... every now and then you might actually see a thread on some of the subjects these authors discuss - hell, I've started a few of those threads! *smile*
And can we assume that your name comes from the Delany book? Its one hell of a great novel but its been a LONG time since I last read it. Funny - being online is sometimes like living in a novel, isn't it? *Grin*
Very cool! Welcome to Literotica... every now and then you might actually see a thread on some of the subjects these authors discuss - hell, I've started a few of those threads! *smile*
And can we assume that your name comes from the Delany book? Its one hell of a great novel but its been a LONG time since I last read it. Funny - being online is sometimes like living in a novel, isn't it? *Grin*
Dhalgren said:
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LadyDarkFire
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"The Little Prince" because it helped me discover that I loved to read, and ultimately, loved to write.
Dhalgren
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Brass Orchids
Dillinger typed:
And can we assume that your name comes from the Delany book? Its one hell of a great novel but its been a LONG time since I last read it. Funny - being online is sometimes like living in a novel, isn't it? *Grin*
Ding Ding Ding ..yes!
Ah, I see you wear the chains too...
*grin*
I didn't even mention Samuel B. Delany..for hardly anyone ever knows of this brilliant author..let alone one of the best books written this Century..
Very cool to be here. Thank you very much for the welcome. =}
Dillinger typed:
And can we assume that your name comes from the Delany book? Its one hell of a great novel but its been a LONG time since I last read it. Funny - being online is sometimes like living in a novel, isn't it? *Grin*
Ding Ding Ding ..yes!
Ah, I see you wear the chains too...
*grin*
I didn't even mention Samuel B. Delany..for hardly anyone ever knows of this brilliant author..let alone one of the best books written this Century..
Very cool to be here. Thank you very much for the welcome. =}
Dillinger
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BTW - to answer your question - I've read - and studied - most everything by Crowley... for many years the name I used online was Aleister ... *smile*
Just a couple months ago, while travelling, I unexpectedly came across an original copy of Crowley's "777" in a small bookstore in the middle of practically nowhere - original edition AND signed! But, alas, I couldn't afford their asking price... they did let me look through it... it eminated power...
Just a couple months ago, while travelling, I unexpectedly came across an original copy of Crowley's "777" in a small bookstore in the middle of practically nowhere - original edition AND signed! But, alas, I couldn't afford their asking price... they did let me look through it... it eminated power...
