In this time of COVID one of the great things the world has learned is that artists and the work of an artist is essential. Maybe not as life saving as our medical personal and grocery store clerks who literally kept people alive, but art has had a massive hand in keeping people sane. And one of life's finest artistic gifts is literature. Books change lives. Their stories and characters and tales of fierce humanity and fragile love have given many people a purpose to go on. That's why so many books are so often reread and passed onto loved ones. its always fun to spread the wealth.
Redditor u/maplesyrupdeficiency wanted to what literature we need to get to immediately so can enhance our lives by asking.... What book have you read that has forever changed the way you view or live life?Mortal Thoughts...
think tom hanks GIF by The Late Show With Stephen ColbertGiphyCrime and Punishment by Dostoevsky. Jeez, it's such a weird-but-in-a-good-way book that really makes you reflect on morality.
All is Possible.....
I read The Phantom Tollbooth at a young age & it changed the way I viewed the world.
One of my favorite quotes from the book: "So many things are possible just as long as you don't know they're impossible."
Yessss, I love that book so much! I remember the cookies shaped like letters when the seller explained how vowels taste the best which is why people use them the most, and letters like Z and Q are kinda bitter so people don't like saying them.
The boy who floated with his head at his adult height and his feet got closer to the ground as he got taller The worlds tallest dwarf (not to be confused with the worlds shortest giant, the worlds fattest thin man, or the worlds thinnest fat man). So much excellent wordplay and Alice-In-Wonderland type logic. It absolutely shaped the way I see the world today.
The Count
The Count of Monte Cristo. I have no idea what it did to me but after I finished it I knew I was no longer the same person.
I don't know about those guys, but I became wiser at the end of it. Like the book taught me the art of patience and planning and seeing it through. It's like I became a century old monk having that final epiphany. And I don't even mean using this skill in a malicious way. It just literally taught me to be patient and that has freed me from a lot of aggravation.
Jacked....
the shining remix GIFGiphyThe Shining made me realize I need to do something about my alcoholism. The self sabotaging; the crappy marriage; the excuses....
Jack Torrence is a massive piece of crap and I was identifying with him.
Finding Myself...
Night by Elie Wiesel.
Came here to say this one. It is my favorite book and it is so haunting. It really pushed me at a very young age to learn more about the Holocaust and what people went through. I went so far as to travel to Auschwitz myself two years ago. Powerful and painful but so important for all to educate themselves on what really happened.
Leaving a Mark
Of Mice and Men... seriously scarring but effective.
I'm a freshman and for virtual classes we got assigned to read it this week. I still haven't but i guess now i know what i have to look forward to.
I'd never read it before, but by random chance i read it on Monday. It's very short, probably only took 2 or 3 hours. I was amazed at how good it was for such a short book, and how much i cared about Lenny. I guessed the ending about 2 pages early which made it really sad to read. 10/10 would recommend. I'm reading catcher in the rye now. So far, not nearly as good.
All that is Fleeting....
Man's Search for Meaning....
"...everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms - to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way." -Viktor E. Frankl
In my opinion, it is a must read.
Great book.
For those looking for "meaning" during all of this. Every man (and woman) has a meaning in their life. It may change from time to time but you find what your supposed to do and work towards it.
By the Numbers....
Zach Galifianakis Reaction GIFGiphyIntroduction to Linear Algebra.
After the first chapter, I decided I was going to law school.
Edit:While I have my 15 minutes of Reddit fame, it'd be dope if you could check out my band, Rawls Royce.
The Ender....
Ender's game. Summed up, it's not about winning, it's the way we win.
I was going to comment this book.
What affected me the most about it was Ender's incredible empathy. The connection between understanding and love. The cost of winning - destroying a part of yourself each time you destroy your enemies.
There's a quote that just stuck with me for all these years:
"In the moment when I truly understand my enemy, understand him well enough to defeat him, then in that very moment I also love him. I think it's impossible to really understand somebody, what they want, what they believe, and not love them the way they love themselves. And then, in that very moment when I love them.... I destroy them."
It just spoke to my heart. I think about it a lot.
Like a Knife....
david lynch come at me bro GIFGiphyDune. The pragmatism is real. It cuts through politics and religion like a hot knife through butter. It's like reading The Prince but applied to a very cool and original sci-fi world.
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"What’s the wildest thing you’ve ever heard teacher say in class?"
And Anyone With Such Closed Minded Views Shouldn't Be Teaching...
"Had the Head of the Department in college claim in class that anyone who actually needs accommodations for mental health issues should not be in college to begin with."
"This was while we were discussing 'Death of a Salesman' and the discussion had veered over to unhealthy pressure and social standards for success."- RavensQueen502
Wait what?!
"My very well-respected Biology teacher in college spent almost an entire lecture telling us that Jamie Lee Curtis was a hermaphrodite."
"It seemed oddly personal to him."- Urbane_Cowboy
Sad On So Many Levels
"Not heard but my freshmen year high school teacher once pulled a bottle of Jack out of his desk and took a shot during class."
"He was dying so towards the end I think he just stopped caring."- Mangothefello
Can't Take The Heat, Then Stay Out Of The Classroom...
"High school science teacher told my class that a kilometre was longer than a mile."
"Refused to budge when refuted and kicked out several students for doing so."- SupersonicDebris13
"5th grade teacher: 'Mount Whitney in California is the tallest mountain in the world'."
"5th grade me blurts out: 'No it isn't, Mount Everest is."
"Whitney is not even the tallest mountain in the USA, which is Mount McKinley in Alaska'."
"I got in trouble for 'contradicting the teacher'."- gtmattz
get out GIFGiphyIt's Not Just Students Who Are Bullies...
"I had a teacher ridicule a fat kid about his lunch choices in front of the whole class."
"He ran out crying as she was making fat guy blimp gestures and telling him he was going to be huge as an adult."- SnooOwls5859
Some Dramatic License It Seems...
"I had a literature teacher who told the class that he didn't believe in dinosaurs, because the universe is only a couple thousand years old."
"The bones were put there by Satan."
"Thank f*ck he wasn't a science or history teacher."- AllBadAnswers
of montreal dancing GIF by Polyvinyl RecordsGiphyEveryone Deserves Nice Acomodations...
"My English teacher told us that he genuinely believes that the Rothchilds own a hotel for aliens in the Bermuda triangle."- TroyLear77
Well, Then...
"We had this kid in our 6th-grade class."
"Very dark skinned kid from Africa."
"His name was Tajak."
"Every now and then when we'd line up to go to another class or lunch and the lights would go out some of his friends would go 'where Tajak at?'"
"Anyway one day we had a sub and we we're lining up for lunch, the lights went out and there went the 'where Tajak at?' and the SUBSTITUTE TEACHER who was also black went 'Boy you darker than night'."
"6th grade was f*cking wild."- 11221mikew
Sad Premonitions
"Psych teacher in high school told us that 1 in 10 of the people were friends with in high school would be dead within 5 years of graduating."
"At the time I thought it was hyperbole, but it turns out he was being conservative."
"3 of the people in my high school friend group were dead by the time I was 22."- Reddit
Do They Really Need A Reason?
"'Now girls, don't you let them boys touch your breasts'."
"'It'll give you cancer'."- jondru
Maybe Should Have Checked With The Geography Teacher?
"A teacher in Elementary school claimed during history class that the Colosseum was in Greece, as an Italian kid I was very confused, this was in Mexico."- Spascucci
So Much For Instilling Hope...
"Didn't hear this personally, but read in a book about a guy who recalled his teacher skipping chapters in a textbook and saying 'You will not need to know this when you are down in the mines'."- futanari_kaisa
The mark of a good teacher is that students will take everything they hear from them with them for the rest of their lives.
Though, the less-than-wonderful teachers may also say things their students will never forget.
Redditor RedditPenguin02 wanted to make a list of the best inquiries to make when starting a relationship, so they asked:
"What is a good question to ask before you start dating someone?"
From what I've learned in my past, always ask... "Are you into Buffy the Vampire Slayer? The TV show."
If it's a no, then it's a dealbreaker.
I Do
Shocked Schitts Creek GIF by CBCGiphy"Are you married?"
wrenchmonkey135
"I would ask that. If they said no, the next question was 'Would your wife agree?'"
"If they laughed, they were telling the truth. If they got indignant and pissed off that I thought they were lying…they were married."
"Worked every time."
Squibit314
We Lived!
"Do you clap when the plane lands?"
dont_u_know
"I swear people used to do this all the time when I was a kid (early 2000’s), and I don’t think I’ve heard anyone do it in 5+ years. I guess 9/11 really made people afraid of flying for about 10 years and then most folks decided they didn’t need to applaud when the plane landed safely?"
jmims98
Family Planning
"Do you want kids in the future? If one person wants kids and the other wants to stay child-free, then they are not compatible. And it is better to try dating someone else."
GoodAlicia
"It confuses me whenever some couples who disagree on this end up in a conundrum because one expected the other to change their mind. This is something I bring up early cause I see no future with someone who wants kids when I do not."
GoodAlicia
"You should always put childfree on your dating profile. It's not a small thing. Either you agree on it or not. If I had to date, I would put childfree on my profile too."
GoodAlicia
Carb it on...
"Do you like bread? That is the extent of my flirting skills."
HumpieDouglas
"Being German, bread is like a frickin' cultural phenomenon here, we have around 300 kinds of bread, there's a bread museum, every time I go on vacation I'm like yeah it's nice here but the bread ain't it yall, never as good as home lol. So yeah, valid question and the only answer to this is an enthusiastic yes."
Nayeliq1
Room Temperature
Frosty The Snowman Winter GIF by filmeditorGiphy"What temperature do you set the thermostat to throughout the year?"
OneFingerIn
"Haha this one always gets me as someone who needs low temps - you can always put on more clothes, I can't peel my skin off to get cooler."
djdante
The thermostat is a dealbreaker for me.
It's gonna be 60. Love it or move on.
Discovery
Blown Away Wow GIF by AminéGiphy"When was the last time you changed your mind about something?
"Opens a window to how they think."
youcantkillanidea
"If that was really early on in the dating I’d think it was a bit of a head-f**k question. I’d probably find that question a red flag, tone dependent, although I agree with the sentiment."
LivestockMarc
Personal Time
"Aside from major differences about finances, kids, politics, or religion, a big one is; What are your hobbies? If they don’t really have any, you may be the next hobby, which isn’t going to work unless you’ve got that kind of time. If the hobbies are time-consuming ones generally done with a SO."
"But you have no interest in them, that could be an issue as well. If only one of you likes camping, wanted to spend vacation lounging instead of exploring, didn’t like sports, etc either that partner is annoyed or the other feels like they don’t get to enjoy what they love."
Githard
Past Issues
"Ask them about their exes. If they think every single one of them is an a**hole... they are likely the real a**hole."
CantTakeMeSeriously
"I have mixed feelings about that - I've been in three previous relationships and all three were emotionally abusive towards me (one wasn't nearly as bad as the other two, though) in various ways. I know this is a common sentiment and it always makes me afraid that people won't believe me or something.
"I mean, I realize in your comment you said 'likely' and not '100% sure' and there's plenty of room for nuance."
phiore
Values
"I would try to take care of any dealbreakers. If I find out that she has different political values than I do, it's not going to work out in the long run, so I wouldn't bother. Same thing with other factors (religion, financial values, etc.). I would also ask how much cuddling she likes to engage in, as I prefer a lot."
SkullKrusher9000
Essentials
Tell Me More To Do List GIF by Disney ChannelGiphy"When I was dating my three essential questions were always kids, sex, and money. If you're not on the same wavelength for any of those three things, just don't even try."
KhaosElement
TRUTH PLEASE!!
"So, how much personal debt do you have?"
"Source: the guy who dated a woman with huge debts and was asked to pay for everything and then some".
"After that, I'd go with, 'Have you ever been diagnosed with borderline, narcissistic, or histrionic personality disorders?"
extracensorypower
The questions are basic.
Just ask for the truth.
Do you have any good Qs to add to the queue? Let us know in the comments below.