What books will you be reading during the vacation? Here are a few titles that stood out to us and that we want to share with you.
Silvia Piccin recommends three very different books: “Johnathan Livingstone Seagull” by Richard Bach, “The Eye of the Needle” by Bernard Lievegoed and “Humble Inquiry: The Gentle Art of Asking Instead of Telling” by Edgar Schein. She explains, “Johnathan Livingstone Seagull” is a beautiful novel about the journey of discovering ourselves and our potential. “The Eye of the Needle” on the other hand, is an autobiographical story by Lievegoed, founder of the NPI, the Dutch pedagogical institute that works on individual and organizational development. I was fascinated to enter his life and discover the personality of this man, explore his past and live through his telling the events that led him to learn about anthroposophy and the founding of the institute of which he is the father. The reason I recommend “Humble Inquiry: The Gentle Art of Asking Instead of Telling” is different. Our culture is based on “telling” rather than “listening and asking.” And this book offers new perspectives with which to look at encountering and communicating with the other. How can we give attention to the person in front of us and welcome them for who they are and establish a relationship of trust with this person? How can questions help us create a mutual and authentic relationship with the other?”
Ilaria Buccioni’s suggestion is Carlo Rovelli’s “The Order of Time”: “a beautiful book about physics, very simple. In fact, it’s about the experience of time as a mystery for every human being, even for scientists”.
Elena Crudo, on the other hand, definitely recommends Byung Chul Han’s “The Burnout Society”. “Re-reading this book after years, I find it very timely and a wonderful description of the moments of Presencing”. If you want to learn more at this link you can find a great piece. In the meantime, let yourself be inspired by this quote: “It is only the enchanted bird that can hatch the egg of experience – says the philosopher Walter Benjamin – The ability to lay an enchanted gaze on our surroundings is a capacity for deep, contemplative attention to which the overactive ego no longer has any way of accessing”.
Lastly, the suggestion of Valentina Catena, who recommends “Let your life speak” by Parker Palmer. “It’s a book that really struck me because, in my opinion, it describes really well that malaise that sometimes arises when we decide what our life should be before we even live it, when we create ideals and images of ourselves that respond more to our projections than to who we really are. It originates from a real story, from Parker Palmer’s biography, which tells how he had to go through a time of pain and depression to create that space of emptiness that would allow him to see his new path and journey emerge. Because it is only through creating that moment of inner silence that the reality of who we are meant to be can emerge. The book is full of metaphors, it’s very small, very easy to read and also very light, despite the fact that the theme may not make it seem so. I recommend it to all people who are going through a transition, who want to find a moment of inspiration, to be able to look at their own path with different eyes”.
What about you, what books do you recommend?
