Sarah loves books 😻😻😻 > Recent Status Updates

"Art is the criticism of life" - Matthew Arnold, professor of poetry Oxford 1869. What a quote!!!

"Follow your internal conscience rather than signs of approval or condemnation from outside. What matters is not what we seem to a random group, but that we know who we are"; use reason to determine if it is a fair criticism of yourself if true it gives you an opportunity to act, if not reject the criticism and reaffirm your self-worth -> so simple, so obvious, yet so complex and difficult to think of

Don't know if I hate or love this book- it certainly shatters you into a million pieces!!!!

Cont. from previous comment: I also keep thinking of Huston smiths confession that his greatest poison in the Buddhist tradition is greed (not material, but intellectual - sounds familiar much?!). Anywyas I guess status anxiety definitely goes beyond the Gucci handbag and house with white picket fence..

Picked up the book convinced that this will a study of "other people", status anxiety doesn't apply to me. 13pages in, I'm not so convinced anymore of that initial thought. Well I guess there is a reason de Botton is one of my favorites.

Note: explore 4yogis of Hinduism further

The vivid description of thousands of cattle struggling to find water and dying in the draught of the 1890s was incredibly powerful! Also helps explain why there are so many rural/ remote communities in Qld.

While this autobiography was written late in his life it seems the perfect introduction to his numerous works beforehand. Some paragraphs need re reading but I always find myself being able to follow his argument.

While this autobiography was written late in his life it seems the perfect introduction to his numerous works beforehand. Some paragraphs need re reading but I always find myself being able to follow his argument.

Cont. from previous comment: Interestingly Houston Smith is not a fan of Joseph Campbell it seems?! If I am learning one thing - nothing is black and white and you can never please everyone, Campbell is a genius I think but this other genius was not impressed...

After not being a huge fan initially (and procrastinating on this book for the past two weeks) I decided to return to Huston smith and give it another go (starting right from the beginning again) and surprisingly I like it! I can "feel" his stories more and there is a sense of eagerness to learn from this man.