The older I am, the more I feel I read to remain calm.
Books offer me occasions to reflect, counsel, and consolation. I want to understand my existential suffering. I want to calm my spirit and simply live and die well, with respect to the broadly defined Nature. Reading is like nourishment for the mind. That’s why I focus on many books about broadly defined art, science, philosophy, or broadly defined classic literature. Taschen, Phaidon, Thames and Hudson, and the Polish Bosz are some of my favorite publishing houses.
Regarding writers, today (I wrote this text on the 2nd of January, 2024), I’ve finished reading the second tome of Marcel Proust’s “In A Search Of A Lost Time.”
There are still five ahead of me. In the meantime, I started to read Marcus Aurelius’ “Meditations.” In 2013, I read almost all of Fyodor Dostoyevky’s novels. Also, I read many of Stanislaw Lem’s books. Also, I read masterpieces written by Seneca (“Dialogues”), Thomas Mann (“The Magic Mountain”), and Anton Chekhov’s shorter novels. Undoubtedly, reading all these works widened my horizons.
I have no doubt that one of the most precious pieces of wisdom and knowledge we can find in books.
Still, I do not read fast foods for my mind (shallow criminals, romances, or horrors). I always try to feed my mind with one of the most precious gems the human mind could write. Of course, it is not the case that all the books I read are the best. No. Still, I simply aim to read such books. I read to calm myself and bring back my spirit’s harmony, balance, and proper perspective on many issues that bother my soul and mind. Books give a reflection of myself so I can dive deep into my mind and soul to better understand not only the surrounding world but also myself.
