Most influential non - religious books

[waynehead83]

I would be greatful if anyone can suggest any books they have read which have changed the way they think about and view life.

Upto now the ones I have read which have influenced me have been Timothy Leary, Aldous Huxley (The Doors of Perception) and The Electric Kool-Ade Acid test.

Any suggestions certainly don't need to be along psychedelic lines, just books which have changed the way you look at things, hopefully changed you for the better, thanks

[Talisman]

A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle

The Conversations with God series by Neale Donald Walsch

A Course in Miracles

Emissary of Light by James Twyman

Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway by Susan Jeffers

Living in the Light by Shakti Gawain

The Celestine Prophecy by James Redfield

 

These are the ones that immediately spring to mind, although I am sure there are many, many more ! None of them incidentally are psychadelic but all need much careful reading to digest the concepts that the various authors present. They say that when the student is ready the teacher will appear, and all of these, particuarly the first three, have been great teachers in my life.

[waynehead83]

Thanks very much I will check these out

[Talisman]

Good luck !

[jjzazzy]

The Power of One - Bryce Courtney

[julie]

I think I'd have to go with any of the books by Mitch Albom . They were so very impressive and make you think a lot about life and how you live it and the choices you make .

They didn't seem "preachy" to me at all, just had some really good life lessons to learn . Hope you give one a try if you haven't already .

[Tinatin]

Eat Pray Love is simply marvellous. There's no religion in it, at least I didn't find any when I read it, and it really is empowering. When I first read it, I believe I was a bit too young to understand it, since I was only 15 years old, but being 21 now, I see how great that book really is. Trust me, you won't regret it, it has the perfect amount of humour and philosophy in it.

[Arukiyomi]

Blue Like Jazz

[~Andrea~]

Blue Like Jazz

That's a book I've been wanting to read for a while.

[Coryographies]

The Origin of the Species by Charles Darwin

[vodkafan]

Black Like Me by John Howard Griffin, which I first read as a teenager.

[frankie]

I have to recommend Yes Man by Danny Wallace. It's a true story about a guy who's been dumped and who would rather just sit at home and not engage in anything, instead of using his and life's full potential. After a strange encounter with a man on a bus, he starts saying 'yes' to everything and he goes on this 'journey' of discoveries.

 

I've said 'yes' to a few things I would have normally said 'no' to after reading the book, and I've had a few more interesting days than normal

[willoyd]

Not many in this category for me, but a couple stand out:

 

Small is Beautiful by Ernst Schumacher.  The title says it all, the subtitle backs it up: A Study of Economics as if People Mattered.  Something that our government (whatever its complexion) would do well to absorb.

 

The Breakdown of Nations by Leopold Kohr.  "Throughout history, people who have lived in small states are happier, more peaceful, more creative and more prosperous".  Something else that our government would do well to absorb.

 

The History of the Countryside by Oliver Rackham. Changed my whole perception of the landscape, how it came about and thus, implicitly, raising issues about where it and we are going.

 

They are all, incidentally, really good reads!

Edited May 23, 2013 by willoyd