Getting Your Curiosity Mojo Flowing

At the beginning of some presentations at work, on of the Vice-Presidents, the one who initiated the projects, gave a bit of a talk and mentioned a couple/few books. One of these The Power Of Why by Amanda Lang caught my attention. As someone who is big on testing out potential scenarios on new programs 'what ifs' really, I liked the notion of asking why. They're similar questions, but Lang's is more about general discovery and at which point, or why we stop asking why. Since I often am told not to worry about the what ifs, I found that being encouraged to read a book about why would probably help me with my own troubles.

Turns out I'm right, but probably for the wrong reasons. I approach it in a way that should be more like asking why. Nonetheless, enough about me and more about this great book. Through some self-discovery, Lang realises that preventing ourselves from asking why at any level of our lives, but particularly in business, is posing more limits on what is possible than any other thing. She suggests that we are constantly needing to, in post-modern parlance, control/alt/delete and restart thinking from scratch. This ensures more well rounded responses, and seeing how what we do affects us and others, but from a different perspective.

In the first 150 pages I simply read. However, something she wrote must have triggered something, because suddenly I had a stack of blue sticky notes and whenever a 'why' about something regarding a process our company uses popped up, I'd write it down. The VP is going to be a bit surprised when I give him the sticky note filled book back tomorrow.

The point that Lang strongly makes though, and every example she provides supports it, is that we do really need to reconnect with our inner child, not only to have fun in our lives, but so that we can reduce the number of limitations we've set for ourselves without actually realising it. That by not limiting ourselves, we open up to a lot more of what's 'out there'.

One thing she did conclude is that often, we are best at fixing or creating things when we don't know anything about that thing. Successes breed in ignorance. So, if you're looking to fix something that you've no business fixing, don't stop yourself! Try to fix it, because all those who wanted to fix/create it before you, and know about that thing, are likely to have set limits. You on the other hand, don't even know you're meant to limit yourself. So have at it. In my opinion, the best advice ever.

I never thought I'd say this about a non-fiction business type book, but here we go: 5 out of 5 eurekas.

War In Afghanistan And The Art Of Honour

It's no secret that Afghanistan has probably been the one place in the world where there is always conflict within its borders and from without. Yet, no one, either within or without has been able to find a way to give the land peace. Steven Pressfield's The Afghan Campaign demonstrates this through the eyes of a young soldier joining the fight, while making it clear that this is a modern allegory.

Matthias follows in his brothers' footsteps and joins Alexander's army. When he arrives, he is told that he's unlikely to fight for very long, that likely it would all be over by the end of the season. Three years later, Alexander makes his way toward India, but leaves behind one third of his forces, most of whom are married to an Afghan woman, simply because he could not trust the peace of that land.

Written in the first person, we see Matthias struggling with notions of right and wrong, morality and justice. Mostly though, he struggles with honour and how it is perceived in vastly different ways by the Afghans, the military decision makers, philosophers, poets, authors and his mates. The author clearly shows how war changes the meanings of everything, by just about everyone.

I doubt anyone would disagree that war changes a person, full stop. But Pressfield is using Matthias to help explain to people with loved one in conflict, what goes on in the minds of a combatant and that each has a different point of no return. A moment where something so significant happens that the individual cannot see themselves going back to a life such as the one they had prior to war. It serves to help those not at war to understand just what it takes to make a person shut down emotionally and to some degree, intellectually.

Some might be a bit put off by some of the more modern sounding words and terms, but for those that aren't bothered by this so much, and who enjoy military fiction, I expect this might be a good fit. There is minimal swearing, and it's used to good effect - meaning, not gratuitous.

I would rate this book at more than 3 yaboos (out of 5) but I don't know if I'd go so far as to give it 3.5. As a reader of a lot of military fiction and non-fiction, little of this was new. So in that sense it was a really good story, but it didn't awe me. This is unlikely to be the experience of all readers.

Taking on 2014

I ended 2013 with over a dozen books to review, some of which I'd read in May. I decided not to review them because it wouldn't be fair. The memory isn't as good as it used to be and some of them paled in comparison to others I read afterward.

I have resolved to do better this year and am hoping to review books within a week of reading them. With any luck, it'll work.

I leave you with a couple reader type things happening in 2014:

The 50 Book Pledge
Canada Reads