Despite the fact that I don't really love reading, I love learning. So sometimes I read.
Mostly, my shelf is filled with Christian books, as that is the subject I'm most interested in mastering–not that you can really call it that. The Bible has such unsearchable depth and nuance, it always seems like there is something amazing to be discovered. But I've been branching out lately, and learning some cool things from some cool books like these:
Bushido: the Soul of Japan
This book, by Inazo Nitobé is a gem of wisdom. I have so much reverence for samurai culture, and the more I learn about it, the more awesome it becomes. Every guy would love how hard-core it all is. At one point, Nitobé writes about samurai children being sent at night to sites of public execution with instructions to leave a marker of their presence on a freshly severed head. This was done to acquaint them with death so they would not fear it when their time came to die in battle. But accompanying this callused toughness is a gentle wisdom that builds principled men of integrity who think that honor is valued above life, and that courage is not reckless abandon, but bravery in doing justice.
Uniquely, this account of samurai culture is written by a Christian Japanese native, which adds a powerful ethical backdrop to this culture of hardened righteousness. It's free on iBooks.
Swing Your Sword: Leading the Charge in Football and Life
Texas Tech fans know the name Mike Leach well, but knowing his whole story is pretty awesome. This guy has some impressive integrity, and the most dry, matter-of-fact code of self-conduct you've ever seen. A good mix of moral insight and autobiographical storytelling, this book has a small target audience, but I'm not sure how you could read it and not be impressed with this man. The book truly transcends his sporting career because Leach is "an endlessly innovative and original character, who just happened to coach football." (foreword) Glad he's back to coaching. Look for Washington State to start winning an unprecedented amount of games in the next few seasons.
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There's cool stuff out there. Feel free to share some good reads with me as well!
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