As we embark on the journey into the new year, we all share the desire to set new goals and create a wish list containing our aspirations – from places to visit and people to meet to new skills to learn. Like many, I also confess to having an extensive bucket list akin to the pages of a large book. Each day, as I cross off accomplished items while adding new ones, I recognize that life is a continuous path forward, offering something valuable, even small, at every step.
In early 2O23, inspired by my participation in a book club and a creative writing class led by Moniro Ravanipour, a few friends and I initiated the "Tea & Book Cafe" book club. Ravanipour's motto, "Do things you haven't done, Go ways you haven't gone, See places you haven't seen, Say things you haven't said," always encourages all to have our own group of reading together and read as many books as possible. That advice embraced the idea of reading together and exploring diverse perspectives on a single book. The result? The formation of our book club, where each book becomes a passage to experience different ways of living, diverse characters, new places, and a wealth of knowledge.
Amidst the demands of work life and the tendency to confine our reading to our professional fields, it is crucial to remember the importance of intentional and diverse reading. Whether fiction, memoir, history, economics, or self-advancement, each book category can expand our creativity and imagination.
Our "Tea and Book Cafe" book club follows a biweekly gathering on Sunday afternoons, rotating between coffee shops, public libraries, and residential clubhouses. With each session hosted by a different member presenting three favorite books for group voting, our democratic approach ensures a rich and diverse reading list. Over the past year, we've completed eight books, including: "I Am OK, You Are OK," "Kafka on the Shore," "These Three Women (A book in Farsi)," "It's Not What You Say, It's How You Say It," "Killers of the Flower Moon," "Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents," "Anxious People," and "The Conquest of Happiness". So, what would be more liberating than concluding 2O23 with a quote from Bertrand Russell, author of "The Conquest of Happiness":
"I should like to say two things [as a message to future generation], one intellectual and one moral. The intellectual thing I want to say to them is this: When you are studying any matter or considering any philosophy, ask yourself only what the facts are and what the truth is that the facts bear out. Never let yourself be diverted either by what you wish to believe or by what you think would have beneficent social effects if it were believed, but look only and solely at what are the facts. That is the intellectual thing that I should wish to say.
The moral thing I should wish to say to them is very simple. I should say: Love is wise, hatred is foolish. In this world, which is getting more and more closely interconnected, we have to learn to tolerate each other. We have to learn to put up with the fact that some people say things that we don't like. We can only live together in that way, and if we are to live together and not die together, we must learn a kind of charity and a kind of tolerance which is absolutely vital to the continuation of human life on this planet."
We entered 2O24 with our first book, "Lord of the Flies." I would wish you to be the symbolic "Conch" of the right and impeccable word and kindness each day. If you wish to join our book club or share your favorite books, feel free to reach out.