I know you’re very busy, Mr. Harper. We’re all busy. Meditating monks in their cells are busy. That’s adult life, filled to the ceiling with things that need doing. (It seems only children and the elderly aren’t plagued by lack of time — and notice how they enjoy their books, how their lives fill their eyes.) But every person has a space next to where they sleep, whether a patch of pavement or a fine bedside table. In that space, at night, a book can glow. And in those moments of docile wakefulness, when we begin to let go of the day, then is the perfect time to pick up a book and be someone else, somewhere else, for a few minutes, a few pages, before we fall asleep.
Yann Martel asks, "What is Stephen Harper reading?" Martel vows to send Prime Minister Harper a book "known to expand stillness," every 2 weeks, documenting the books and any response on the website devoted to the project.
Book 1: The Death of Ivan Ilych, by Leo Tolstoy.
While the merits of the project may be questionable, the above-quoted sentiments couldn't be truer.
1 comment:
My God!
This is fascinating.
Thank you for bringing it to my attention, Ms. Octopus!
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