Random Walk Newsletter, Issue 16#
Audiobooks & Books#
Don't Try Too Hard in Life#
I have finished reading this book, and it's quite amazing. I read the Chinese version first and then the English version, so it's the first time I've completed reading an English book.
Although I had a general understanding of the book's content after reading it in Chinese, there were still many sentences in English that I couldn't follow. It's understandable considering my limited vocabulary and lack of regular English reading. It's a victory if I can get through it.
The author of this book is Eckhart Tolle. He is more famous for another book called "The Power of Now." I'm currently reading "The Power of Now," and I'm about 1/5 through it. The most memorable part so far is the introductory section of the book, which includes a new quote from teacher Zhang Defen: "What I fear the most is when the mind is here, but it runs to the past, bringing forth emotions like anger, sadness, regret, and guilt. Or when the mind is in the present moment, but it runs to the future, creating stress, anxiety, and panic."
About two years ago, I started planning to read more books, including audiobooks, especially those related to happiness and psychology. The theories in these books ultimately converge on the idea of "living in the present moment." For example, "The Courage to Be Disliked" mentions that life is not a straight line but a series of individual points. The point of living well is to focus on the present moment.
There's also "Flow," which describes the experience of being completely immersed in the present moment, with a clear mind and no distractions. Without distractions, there are no worries.
Meditation has also become increasingly popular in recent years. Actually, meditation is not about emptying the mind but about observing one's thoughts from a higher perspective without judgment or deliberate control (because not only is control impossible, it may also have the opposite effect). The first chapter of "The Power of Now" is titled "You Are Not Your Mind," so your thoughts do not define you as a person.
To be honest, it's quite confusing. Anyway, I'm still digesting this content. I have to say that many of my worries and lows in daily life come from my own imagination, especially when I'm about to go to sleep at night. I can think of all sorts of things, and the more I think, the more excited I become, making it difficult to fall asleep. It's also very difficult to concentrate when I have many thoughts, such as when I was recently laid off and worried about the current job market, then worried about whether the job offer would be rescinded after receiving it, and now that I've started the job, I'm worried about whether I can successfully pass the probation period.
Anyway, let's take it slow. Knowing something is one thing, but actually putting it into practice can be very difficult.
That's all for this issue of the Newsletter. If you have any questions, feel free to email me. Thank you for reading.