Things seem to be getting crazier out there, or maybe it’s just me. I try to stay out of the worst of it as much as I can but I feel that I should say something about it. Thinking about everything that’s going on right now made me realize that it can all be boiled down into a few key issues. I then thought of a few books that can be helpful for addressing these issues and providing a path toward a solution. With that in mind, here are the books that I think everyone should read right now.
This book is all about why people think they way that they do and how good people can disagree on political and religious matters. Jonathan Haidt does a great job explaining some big psychological concepts in a way that the average person can understand fairly easily. If more people understand how others think and where they’re coming from, then there will be more widespread empathy and peace, and we need as much of both of those things as we can get right now.
By far the best book I’ve read this year and one of the most helpful books I’ve ever read. Letting Go has reminded me of the importance of spending time each day working through unwanted emotions. It got me through the most difficult season in recent memory and I’m sure it can do the same for anyone else who needs some emotional healing.
The Fourth Turning is all about cycles and patterns that repeat through the ages. It contains a lot of stuff related to generations, including why people in different generations live and act as they do. Since there have seemingly always been generational battles, I figure this book could be useful for facilitating understanding and showing that what’s going on now has happened countless times before and will likely continue to happen.
Although I’m only about halfway through with this book, I can already tell that it’s a powerful resource for healing from traumatic experiences. Viktor Frankl uses his own experiences in a concentration camp to illustrate the techniques that helped him survive and find meaning in life despite everything he went through. I waited until I was in a good place mentally before reading the book due to the heavy subject matter, so keep that in mind if you decide to check it out. Still, I think it could be an invaluable resource for many people who are hurting and want relief.
