Redeeming Fiction

The Globe and Mail published an article last week in defense of reading fiction; apparently, fiction and literature is good for your social skills. A study, which became the subject for the article, intimated that those who read frequently demonstrated more advanced social and communication skills. The reason given: literature sets up dialogue and other social exchanges from which the reader learns and uses to incorporate into actual social settings.

Assuming your choice in fiction is substantial, the thesis of the Globe’s article and supporting study seems reasonable. If you’re unsure of what might qualify, ‘Pride and Prejudice’ certainly would be a worthy benchmark.

Jane Austen is a renowned 19th century writer whose most prominent works include ‘Pride and Prejudice’ (c.1813), a tale that sets Elizabeth Bennett, an intelligent, witty, young woman as the heroine and Fitzwilliam Darcy as the uncannily real, yet often misunderstood, male protagonist.

A romance? I suppose, given that two weddings take place in the last chapter and the opening line of the book reads: “It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.” Yet the romantic element plays only a supporting role to the greater plot of the story, the exposure of true character contrasted with the prejudicial opinions formed on first encounters. Indeed, were all romance novels written with such quality and underlying substance, I venture to suggest that they would not be altogether useless as reading material.

The sheer quality of writing is enough to render this work nothing short of a pleasurable diversion. Austen’s character development, dialogue, and descriptive narrations are a true joy to read, mentally stimulating, provocative (in a pure, thoughtful sense; another blessing in older writing is that it is utterly clean), and satisfying.

Although this was my first Austen novel, it certainly will not be my last. Indeed, fiction of this calibre has redemptive value in that its dialogue and narrative can be absorbed and assimilated into intellectual reality, its content can be discussed with pleasure among others who have read it, and its characters actually expose real character traits from which the reader can gain piercing insight into humanity. In fact, the richness of the characters in this book can actually help one identify character strengths and flaws in their own life, and use that knowledge to enhance their own personal development.

In short, ‘Pride and Prejudice’ boasts superior entertainment that also has potential to make the reader a better person for having read it. This, and other similar works, hold the redeeming qualities that most of today’s fiction lacks and desperately needs.

Personal Humility and Professional Will

Jim Collins is a world-renowned business writer, and his book Good to Great is one of the leading business books ever written. Collins and his research team sifted through more than 1,400 companies to finally identify just 11 that met their criteria for Good-to-Great businesses and then gain empirical evidence to differentiate the habits of the good from the great.

The first concept Collins presents in his book is Level 5 leadership, which is described summarily as personal humility and professional will. Interestingly, CEOs of all eleven subject Good-to-Great companies demonstrated this paradox, while CEOs of the comparison companies were "celebrity leaders" that had all the chutzpah and fanfare but in the end delivered mediocre results at best.

Determined ambition is often accompanied with egotism in the most apparent leaders, but the evidence clearly demonstrates the value of humility in leadership. To maximize leadership potential, one must learn to appreciate the efforts of their entire team and defer credit to others at every opportunity. In the words of former President Harry Truman, "It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit."

Collins suggests that Level 5 leaders are most likely to be found in areas where a lot is accomplished and no one is taking credit for it. These rare leaders are not especially comfortable receiving accolades for their accomplishments; instead, they view their work as simply doing what needed to be done. As one executive illustrated when comparing himself to a flashy comparison executive, "He's more of a showhorse, whereas I'm more of a workhorse."

There is far more discipline and far less recognition in Level 5 leadership than conventional leadership; this leadership style is reserved for those who are more inspired by excellence for its own sake than excellence for the sake of personal gain. Ironically, those leaders less concerned with the appearance of success tend to realize the success that the charismatic, egocentric, conventional leaders aspire to but likely will never attain.

The results speak for themselves.

Appendix to Changing Times

I just read this verse, which succintly and reverently encapsulates what I tried to say in my last post:

So teach [us] to number our days, that we may apply [our] hearts unto wisdom. ~ Psalm 90:12

Amen.

Changing Times

I'm preparing to write an important exam in a few weeks that will hopefully complete my accounting program of professional studies. To help prepare, I'm reading the CICA Handbook, the definitive set of accounting guidelines for my nation commonly known as Generally Accepted Accounting Principles.

Here's the kicker: these rules will be phased out within 3 years and replaced with an international set of guidelines known as International Financial Reporting Standards. So I am currently sacrificing valuable time to study a document that will be irrelevant in about 1,000 days. That really isn't too far away.

The accounting profession isn't all that's changing. In fact, when stereotypically staunch, rigid, conservative accountants (like all stereotypes, a grandiose embellishment on a grain of truth) are undergoing massive change, it speaks to the pace of change that the rest of the real world must be experiencing.

Change in the context of progress and improvement is good (change for its own sake is often foolish), but this whole exercise has gotten me thinking about the importance of using time wisely to maximize my effectiveness in a changing world. What will it profit me to become an expert on accounting rules that will be obsolete in three years? Or worse, what will I gain from devouring today's newspaper when maybe 1% of what I read there will have any value at this time next year or even next month?

Time is a precious resource, and if it is to be invested rather than wasted, it will only be on account of deliberate action in the present. To maximize personal development will require foresight, wisdom, and diligence. Anticipate change, determine what is temporal and what holds lasting value, and relentlessly pursue the latter.

I've got a lot to do.

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

The names alone are sufficient to evoke rich imagery in the minds of nearly anyone in western society. Robert Louis Stevensen masterfully depicts the struggle between good and evil in his story of Jekyll and Hyde, and even though I could anticipate the outcome from a lifetime of hearing references to them, the read was still fascinating. (By the way, anyone who suggests that this story does not make moral statements is - I can't think of a nicer way to say this - deluding themselves.)

One thing that particularly struck me was how Mr. Jekyll laments that it is only evil that his potion can produce in purest form, not the good. Another profound thought Stevensen weaves into the tale is that the pull toward evil at once becomes increasingly compelling and increasingly detestable until it takes over and entraps and destroys a victim that no longer finds pleasure in its tentacles.

The story speaks a volume of truth to the nature of man. The first enticing tastes of wrongdoing draw out ever deeper passions and lusts. All too soon, though, the thrill of the forbidden becomes an addictive curse that overtakes every thought and action. Long after the enjoyment is replaced by bitter hatred, obssession remains.

O, wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from this body of death?

The story plays out repeatedly in the lives of your friends and mine, perhaps even in you. Fortunately, there is a hope that can transform your very nature; it is the power of the Holy Ghost, and it is available for those who seek Jesus Christ in all his power and suffering.

Stevensen's story ends without such hope; nonetheless, it is a tremendous literary picture of good and evil, and one you owe it to yourself to read.

Re-Discovering the Joy of Reading

Throughout childhood and adolescence, and into adulthood, I have always been a bit of a bookworm. During the past few years, though, the act of simultaneously balancing full-time work, post-secondary education, marriage, and all the other important things of my life has taken its toll, and my reading has been neglected.

Some people that are very close to me are tremendously well-read, and they inspire me to read more voraciously. To them I say thank you. I recently re-organized my bookshelf and counted the number of books I own but have not read. Twenty-two books of various genres, including theological, reference, personal development, business, classical, fiction, and literature, await my attention.

So I started reading again, and while I make no commitments as to my posting frequency, I will try to log my take-aways from books that I read on a somewhat regular basis. The Bible is my primary reading material. I do believe it is God's inspired Word to all humanity, I read it from that perspective, and I intend to reflect that in my posts. I do try to read other beneficial books, and I would like to summarize my thoughts from those as well. Of course, pop fiction would be excluded from this criteria, but it does have its place, and items from that genre may find their way onto my reading list on occasion as well.

This exercise is more for my own benefit than anything else; however, if you end up reading this blog for any reason, I would be interested to hear your thoughts on my thoughts on others' thoughts. If you've read the same things, or not, and you'd like to share your ideas, I would like to hear from you.