This time, I want to share a personal opinion: What we do not read is as important as what we read. In short we can say, “You’re what you eat.”.
I think the same is true for books. Whichever book you read, it shapes you. And the books that does not add even the slightest wisdom is a worthless book. Of course, wisdom can also be reflected in a variety of ways. What I mean by wisdom is not just “academic” or “philosophical” texts. What wisdom is, of course, is also a different matter.
Types of Wisdom in Books
To examine wisdom in books, as I wrote in Montaigne’s Essays post, I think a book should either
- Include beauty and goodness, to feed our imagination, lighten our souls;
- Inform us through reason and logic, enrich our knowledge and exercise our mind;
- Show us bad examples, as warnings, so we would know the dangers we should avoid.
Exemplary Texts and The Story of Dr. Jekyll
It should be added that the texts in the 3rd class are dangerous, one should not assimilate these situations, but rather see them as enemies and fight against them. Because the general theme of these texts are “Evil”. Otherwise, these stories might affect mental health of people in a negative way. The one who fills the inside of his mind with garbage eventually becomes rotten and full of disease. And because of this, texts like horror stories and psychological stories are meant to be read with great care.
The story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. The Hyde is also in 3rd class. It tells the tale of a man who voluntarily surrenders to his dark feelings.
To get rid of the evil and aggressive side within him, Jekyll prepares a potion that splits his conscious in half and reveals his evil side at night. The rest is the story…
This is the story of how weariness, the pressure of society and repressed emotions accumulated over the years, drags people into the abyss.
I think there are many lessons to be drawn in this little book.
It is a book that should be read with great care. Because the pain of the individual does not change the truth itself, it is utmost important to keep this in mind (if you read the book, you can better understand why I said this).
