Gratitude: Day 18

Reading. This is something I definitely value more as I get older. Not only do I appreciate having the skill to read but I appreciate the fact that I have so many stories to choose from. There are so many great books out there, I always have things I love to read.

I also appreciate the fact that that there are so many options these days for how a person can read. You can buy books at a store, you can order online, you can use a book reader, or listen to an audio book, you can borrow books from a library, you can swap books online from people all over the world. I love all the options!

Existential Struggle

"The best way is not to fight it, just go. Don't be trying all the time to fix things. What you run from only stays with you longer. When you fight something, you only make it stronger." -C. Palaniuk

Just a quote from a book I recently read by an author who is quickly becoming a new favorite (at least his early stuff).

It's similar to one of Neitzsche's famous quotes: "Battle not with monsters lest ye become a monster, and if you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes also into you."

Which is interesting because recently I heard Palaniuk's works described as Existentialism for Dummies. That's fine by me. As someone who has spent years studying that stuff I'd say it's about time someone made the topic more entertaining for the masses.

Surrealism vs Magical Realism

Is it just me or do these terms get used interchangeably these days?

I am a fan of surrealism, but I find magical realism somewhere between tedious and annoying.

Surrealism leaves some doubt as to whether the events could or could not have happened. Magical realism removes that doubt.

But I am determined to read many more books that use magical realism as part of the story before I decide it's not for me. I do remember a time when I hated stream of consciousness, and now I can't believe I ever felt that way.