Cinnamon Zone: Thoughts

You see a girl, wearing fashionable clothes, driving a brand new car, carrying the latest mobile phones, going out often, spending money here and there, yet when it comes to books, 8 JD's is too much!!

Are books really too expensive? Or is it about people viewing books as a stack of paper?

I don't mean to be judgmental, and I know not everyone can afford to buy a book for 10 or 15 JD's, but I'm talking about the whole mindset of those who can afford it. Some people are not willing to spend their hard-earned money on a book, but they are willing to buy expensive clothes because they think "it's worth it". Some people think that since they can borrow the book, they don't have to buy it. Well, this seems practical, but personally I can't imagine reading a book then giving it back. That's why I don't borrow books; for I feel there's some kind of bond established between you and that book, not to mention that you may want to keep it for future reference. Moreover, in the long run, you might want to build a library and leave it to your children and grandchildren.

Books are not merely ink on stacks of papers. They are someone else's thoughts, mental effort, emotions, self poured into paper, a flow of consciousness with a streak of sub-consciousness…

Maybe if we look at books this way, we might change our mind about what is and what is not worthwhile. And if that ever happens, I'm pretty sure it's not the only thing that's going to change.

The other day I heard this Ad on radio, it goes like this:

بتتذكر تاني أغنى رجل في العالم؟

طبعا لأ! لأنه التاريخ بيذكر الأوائل فقط

(Do you remember the second richest man in History? Of course you don't, because History glorifies the first, not the runner up!)

Well, with all due respect but, says who? Being ranked first or second is all about comparison, and I think it's very destructive to depend on that to determine your success. Why not just do your best regardless of the rest? If you open any personal success book, the first thing you'll read is probably the definition of success, which is: there's no definition for success. Success differs according to each person's perspective, goals,, dreams and potential. I remember that bit of Top Gear, the car show, in which they receive a letter form a person challenging to drive the car in their track and record a time that overtakes the last person on the list. At first you might be like: what's the big deal? But I think you'll think differently when you know that the man was blind. And he not only overtook the last person, but the last two persons. What seemed like an easy task for any professional driver was a huge success for this man. I'm not saying we criss-cross cpmpetition and throw it out the window, it's important to hav ecompetition, but that is very differnet from envy, sour grapes and trying to imitate others and be like them. Every person is a unique being, you don't have to be compared with others in order to stand out. Not to mention than it's not always as accurate as you think, it's rather complicated. You know they say there are two ways to have the tallest building in a neighborhood: Either by building the tallest building, or demolishing all the buildings around. Constant comparisons might lead you to the latter. I think you all heard that funny story about Charlie Chaplain participating in a look-alike contest and coming in the second place! This tells you this: who decides who's first anyway?

Anyway, the aforementioned Ad reminded me of this bit I read once in a book called Tuesdays with Morrie…

"It is 1979, a basketball game in the Brandies gym. The team is doing well, and the student section begins a chant, "We're number one! We're number one!" Morrie is sitting nearby. He is puzzled by the cheer. At one point, in the midst of "We're number one!" he rises and yells, "What's wrong with being number two?"

The students look at him. They stop chanting. He sits down, smiling and triumphant."