Categories: spiritual-journey, books
Date: 07 February 2013 18:23:21
The most recent book borrowed from MK Library wasn't one of their "blind dates", it was 'The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari by Robin Sharma. Not a new title, but one which looked like it might be interesting.
Reading it was an interesting experience. I found myself getting really into it and reading random bits of 'wisdom' out loud and in turn being asked what 'hippy stuff' I was spouting by Karl. Once I'd got the message that it was best to digest it inwardly without exclaiming "listen to this" every five minutes I did have to contain my excitement about the contents every so often.
Part way through it struck me that this stuff was things I knew anyway but which I'd become familiar with using a different language. The principles of reflection and keeping notes of your goals, etc was simply journaling. That's something I try and keep up with doing anyway.
The reading for 30 minutes a day was similarly something I know Christians are encouraged to do. Regular daily reading of the scriptures and looking to read other books which are enhancing to them.
The meditation and silence is a tool we use for listening to and connecting with God.
The importance of self-control is something reinforced through the scriptures as is the fact we are all called to serve.
The material in this book then was stuff I already knew I needed to be doing but as the book says there is a difference between knowing and doing. We need to create discipline and new habits and that comes through overcoming our thoughts. This is where Sharma and I would diverge in view I think. He talks about the power to overcome these things coming from our minds, whilst I think that is true to some extent we can be helped to do this, I believe, through the Spirit. God can enable us to do things we feel to be impossible but it does require an act of will on our part.
Something I found interesting was the diarying in of time for yourself to nurture yourself. It's something I know that I have taken the wrong way in the past. It has in the past become a bit of a "I must relax and do good stuff" thing, and that has failed. Being with Karl has helped me to see that within our lives we need some level of spontaneity and openness to experience the unknown.
So is it The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari worth reading? Answer yes.