I feel you, @debellator . I have never found any interest in having a lot of money or materials either, reason why some quite famous books never appealed to me. And I donβt even think that they have anything wrong in them, its just how a student of arts will find no interest in the most beautiful engineering books. Iβve always been into how can I better my eternal being and how can I make this place a bit better. Money is a necessity for sustenance, but its accumulation is something that has never appealed to me. After all, this body is way too mortal than we think it to be.
Its such a beautiful coincidence, you just wrote about this last night, and this morning we woke up to the news of Ratan Tataβs demise. Iβm personally a bit saddened that he is gone given the sort of person he was, but I believe that he is in a better place now. Things are only going to get worse in this world, with people over-emphasizing on their personal prosperity and growth at the expense of character and personality, material property becoming the measure of oneβs success and physical pleasures becoming the end means of this existence. I am glad I am here right now, but I know none of us will be here after some time, and I believe that nature has decided to do that deliberately β¦ for every beautiful begining, the destruction is a necessity.
I did not mention the books I have been reading or have read in past some time, but here are a few names, most of them meant for self-improvement, mostly in terms of character and spirituality- Will-Power and its development, Effective Life Management, The morning miracle by Hal Elrod, The Secret by Rhonda Byrne, Atomic Habits by James Clear, The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, Frequently Unanswered Questions, The Power of Now by Echart Tolle, and a few books in Hindi- Uttishthat Jagrat (Wake up, stand up), Swacch Jivan ki Disha Dhara (The Pathway to a Successful Life), and most importantly "The Manβs Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl; and a few biographies and novels (Up from Slavery- Booker T. Washington, Walden- H.D. Thoreau, War and Peace- Leo Tolstoy).
Though I admit I have not read most of these books in their entirety or very consciously. So, I have forgotten many important things with time. But fortunately all my books are still in fabulous condition, so I am re-reading them, currently reading -The Secret and Swacch Jeevan ki Disha Dhara. I usually spend 15-30 minutes a day on either book, one in the morning and other in the night. I have never been a great reader and so started pretty late, but these books have certainly helped me become a much better person and I know theyβll bring out the best of me.
Keep increasing your list @debellator , I know Iβll be looking for these books after I effevtively finish the ones I have .