My 30 Day Challenge - Day 23

Day 23 - A picture of your favorite book.
(Read more about the 30-Day Challenge)

I have no clue how far would the discussion take, or how long the back-and-forth arguments would last, trying to convince me that this is not a book to be considered among other books, such as novels or biographies, existential or philosophical literature. In fact this book is simply another perspective that goes way beyond the title, to the point that I can truly admit it (somewhat) never speaks about religion in the first place! The book is titled "The truth about Islam" and the author chose to caption the front page with the most amazing saying ever "A book that is 4000 years overdue" (4000, don't confuse it for 1400..)

Why is this book my favorite? I saw myself inside, I say a complete projection of all what I wanted to say and all that I didn't know of. The fact that there's someone else who backs the things I kept my mind busy around in the last few years and confirms them was reassuring by itself. Let's add a more awesome fact, I have met the author, several times. He is younger than me and thus, still is capable of defining right from wrong, especially in the light of the way he was raised and brought up. This guy lives on no food. Shocked? He's planning on living only on breathing, meaning he'll refrain from eating AND drinking his whole life. This person is a pure genius, who has showed me repeatedly so many secrets that can never be revealed to the public especially in these days.

I quote the following:

"Since our early childhood, we have learned to repress our feelings. Kids are told not to cry, not to play, to stop making noise, to do this and to stop doing that. Some grow to believe that they do not measure to a sibling or a parent, females sense great discrimination between them and their male peers, some grow to think that they are ugly, losers, fat, dark skinned etc. It’s a vicious reality we’re all experiencing. More and more conflicts are imposed through the peers – who have undergone the same parental dilemmas. More is imposed by the schools, by the mainstream’s media and by the society. Gradually, we are programmed into believing that a certain social standard must be met in order for us to measure up. And sadly, almost each one of us falls into the traps of this mindset. The youth of the society experiences the greatest amount of confusion, being lost between parental and social expectations, each showering them with stereotypes of those whom are most popular and accepted."

What I love about this book and its author, is the crucial variant of offering a SOLUTION, a way to sort out all the issues he methodologically discusses throughout the early chapters. What's even better is that he tried every single one of them on his own self. He was his own lab rat until he was convinced with the result.

"One of the best exercises we have come to experiment with involves sitting and starting to chant a sad melody, one can chant freely as long as the melody resonates with one’s wounds. Keep chanting and gradually feel how the chanted melody becomes the feeling rather than just a harmonic sound, start expressing these feelings more and more with the sounds you chant. And when you feel like it, slow down into silence, and once so, open your eyes and keep them opened, stare into the void in front of you, and feel how the feelings become more and more surfaced, usually causing the eyes to start crying. You might not be aware what exact memories are causing this to happen. For the time – as it’s not important - just allow the feelings to surface and the eyes to express."

Don't get me mistaken for someone who doesn't read any literature, I used to be a regular reader, but I simply became fed up with problem posing, and would love to skip to problem solving.