Reading: Nobility of Spirit

Nobility of Spirit: A Forgotten Ideal by Rob Riemen

I read this book a couple of weeks ago. This is a thought-provoking book, and to fully comprehend it, the author assumes a certain knowledge in history, literature and philosophy. The author travels through time using input from great thinkers like Socrates, Spinoza, Goethe, Mann and others and includes his own experiences and chance meetings to weave the story. Even though the book is thin, it is not a book to read cover to cover on an evening off because it requires a lot of reflection. It requires you to examine your values and opinions in light of the very profound ideas that the author brings forward.

Rob Riemen encourages the reader to strive for the classic human values: truth, beauty and goodness. He points out that in order to achieve happiness, we can not rely on consumerism and instant-gratification but instead must strive for “nobility of spirit”. This requires that the reader takes the time to reflect on his ideas and ideals. Not an easy read, but a very worthwhile book with ideas that linger for a long time.

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