“The great thing about reading books is that it makes us better than cats. Cats are said to have nine lives. What is that compared to the girl, boy, man, woman who reads books? A book read is a life added to one’s own. So it only takes nine books to make a cat look at you with envy.” Yann Martel, 101 Letters to a Prime Minister 

Curious?

+ "This relentless reframing of the truth into something else causes us to not ask the right questions, it prevents us from understanding our options, and from making smart choices. As soon as we say the truth is relative, and shiftable, and a matter of opinion, we lose the power that comes from knowing.” Seth Godin 

+ Seth Godin again, he explains why it is so urgent to become resilient. Change is coming and we can ride it or be caught like deer in headlights. My great-grandparents could not predict how the world is organized now. I can not predict how the world will be organized in 100 years, let alone 10. I only know that things I think now that are for sure impossible will be commonplace. If not careful, looking back I will be thought of as provincial, not up to date, and maybe a bit daft. 

+ Optimists Decide the Future Kevin Kelly is a great calm thinker.  

+ Steven Pinker eloquently defends language. Speaks of the “euphonious dichotomies” questions that have the “feeling of rightness” but if fact are nonsensical and not worth considering, Not Even Wrong. Another powerful mental model. Wide ranging talk. "What is art but products of the human mind that resonate to our esthetics and emotional faculties?” 

+ In Life is Tough Norman Fisher interprets the six mind-training (lojong) slogans from classical Zen. He presents an understanding that fits well with a modern Stoic life. Take number 3. Be Grateful to Everyone. "Literally every thought in our minds, every emotion that we feel, every word that comes out of our mouth, every material sustenance that we need to get through the day, comes through the kindness of and the interaction with others."