You Are What You Read (Or Something Like That)

I recently had to answer an essay prompt for a job application, and the prompt read something like "List three books that shaped your thinking and why." Of course this means you had to have read three books recently in order to have it "shape your thinking."

I live for essay prompts like this because, essentially, there are no right or wrong answers. This prompt had me thinking because everything we read has an influence on our thought process, but now I had to face how what I had been reading affected my thinking.

So besides analyzing what I had recently read, the only major problem I have with a prompt like this is that I can only choose three.

Anyway, I narrowed down my list, eventually; below are my responses.

(Side note: these books reflect my own personal opinion and , hopefully, a reasonable defense to why I chose these three books.)

Three books that have influenced my thinking are Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s Faust, Homer’s The Odyssey, and the Holy Bible. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s Faust, though written in the 1800s, still represents many universal truths. Faust showed me that man today is still searching for the truth. The main character, Faust, is representative of modern man. Goethe draws from the societal problems of his day, and these same problems of Goethe’s age are still prevalent in modern society. In his quest for satisfaction and happiness, Faust is comparable to modern man. Faust’s traits and flaws are universal. What was socially evident in Goethe’s day is still evident today. Modern man will always be faced with feelings of despair, dissatisfaction, and hopelessness; and modern man will always try to fulfill himself the same way. This book showed me how desperate man has always been, and still is, for truth. Like many men today, Faust was so close to the truth, yet he errs. Each person has to make a decision of whom and what they are going to believe; but if he wants to find true satisfaction and lasting happiness, he must choose Christ.

The second book that has influenced my thinking is Homer’s The Odyssey. Homer gives the main character Odysseus many strong leadership traits. Upon reading this book, I learned what makes a good leader. Odysseus is wise in his decision making, caring, patient, and loyal all while still remaining a strong and brave warrior. This book taught me that being a leader requires all of these characteristics that Odysseus displayed. Odysseus was strong in war time and in peace time. The Odyssey helped solidify my thinking that a leader does not need to be a dictator to gain respect and to gain a following; he must, instead, stay consistent and not stray from his convictions and morals.

The third and certainly most important book that has influenced my life and my thinking is the Holy Bible. Although the other two books previously mentioned are good reads, the Bible is the only book that I can guarantee will change the thinking of anyone who ventures to read its pages. All of my life’s greatest and minutest of decisions have been based on this book. I believe every word written on its pages. The Bible contains the answers to all of my questions and to all of man’s questions. The Bible stands in contrast to Faust, the book I mentioned previously. While Faust presents what man is searching for, the Bible presents all of the answers to his search. I believe the Bible is God’s written word; and because of this, I rest all of my faith in it. My standards, morals, and convictions are all founded in this book. The Bible has shaped my thinking and beliefs about the beginning of time, the end of time, and everything in between.

(August 2016)