This book as the title suggests, is a reminder to slow down. Especially in a fast paced world where it’s easy to get carried away with worrying thoughts; of the future, what someone said, what might happen, your relationships and other anxieties that have become part of modern life. Its divided into sections on different topics: rest, mindfulness, passion, spirituality, the future and others. Each section comprises of short anecdotes followed by short messages and quotes both by more renowned authors, spiritual leaders, the Bible etc and several by the author himself who is a Korean Zen monk, drawn from his life experiences. These messages are meant to explain how mindfulness can help us in each topic. These are typically short and prompt some reflection from the reader.
With my fading memory of the Bible, I’d think I could compare this to proverbs. Only less abstract.
It’s the kind of book you can keep close and pick up at random moments, open to any page and find a message that speaks directly to you.
Writing some of the quotes feels like injustice to the ones I exclude as there are several very beautiful and meaningful ones therein. However I’m not sure of any other way to give you an idea of what to expect. So here we go.
“Many conflicts in our lives can be resolved if we put ourselves in the other person’s shoes. Try to look at things from her point of view. If you consider only your side, you are no different from a child.”
“Why can’t you trust that friend? Because you know all too well that you too, are capable of lying in a similar circumstance.”
“People who easily ignore others do so because they are afraid of being ignored.”
“The more you know, the more you think you don’t. The more you don’t know, the more you think you do.”
“The determination to convince someone might stem from being not completely convinced yourself. I do not go around trying to convince people that I am a man.”
“When a wise person wants something from others, she first does what she desires from then, exemplifying rather than asking for it.”
“Try these two things at the same time: pretend you are already a champion and work diligently at becoming one. The gap between belief and reality will soon close.”