A Book I Finished Literally 5 Minutes Ago

- June 12, 2022

Hello person reading this!

I don't think that the title needs any further explanation :)

Do you know this bizarre sensation you get after you finish a profound book? You just sink into yourself and life in general. You might even attempt to discover a solution for the endless questions being bombarded by the author. That's how I felt when I finished the Arabic book 'الخروج عن النص' which translates to 'Getting off the script'.

To wrap things up, WITHOUT spoiling the book, it's discussing the human psychology and relationships. He describes to the reader how psychologically healthy relationships are normally like. The relationships he focused on THE MOST were about marriage, parenting and the self, but he discussed all types of possible human relationships.

You might be wondering why I choose to write a blog about this book?

Well, even though it was one of the shortest books I've read when if comes to Mohamed Taha (the author), I was able to observe how much he has matured over the years. I still remember that in one of his first books he wasn't a fan of psychologists who connect this science to spirituality. Now, he, as one of the most famous psychologists in Egypt, agrees to create such connection, too.

Indeed, this book wasn't as psychologically changing as his other books, but I still admired the book's message overall. My recommendation for this book is for everyone above 12 years old as it might open someone's eyes to a mental or behavioural problem they had but never knew about.

For instance, you might tell your child, "Drink your milk so that I love you." You might say, "If you don't do your homework, God and I will be mad at you." Concerning parenting, these emotionally manipulative techniques of raising a child might harm them psychologically. The first sentence implies that the parent's love is conditional and has the capability to fluctuate at any given time, and the second one doesn't explain why is doing the order crucial.

Because I'm neither a parent nor a wife, I'm not able to utilise the book completely :) However, this book, along with the ones this genius author wrote, is definitely on my list of reading before marriage or having a baby.

On the other hand, I was surely getting advantage of the chapters in which he explained the topics about the self.

He answers questions like:

Why do people commit suicide? What's the most powerful weapon of human psychology? Why do people have eating disorders? How and why do people 'bury' parts of themselves? Why do people get addicted?

Moreover, he explains how do parents (and maybe even society) spawn weak personalities, antisocial nerds and inappropriate stars.

Personally, I felt that his last message struck my heart the most: know your purpose.

What's you purpose? Is it really your purpose or is it someone else's? Did you choose this purpose to merely oppose your parents' wishes? When and how did you know that this is your purpose?

These questions need a serious halt before anyone attempts to chase a certain goal for years.

Unfortunately, some people end up having something called Post-Success Depression. This case simply means that they realise, after these people endeavoured for a supposed purpose, that this wasn't the one. It wasn't their purpose; it was someone else's.

Coincidentally, I suddenly remembered one of the valedictorian I encountered on YouTube called Kyle Martin. Unfortunately, after striving for a year to reach the first place in his college, he realised that this prestigious place didn't make him achieve his desired gratification. He realised how mundane and unimportant this goal was to him, and what he truly needed to fill his void was true, honest relationships.

You can see a film called Adjustment Bureau to grasp the idea more.

Unfortunately, the psychologist states that he still didn't reach the clear-cut answer to the question: How do I know if it is really my purpose?

He spoke about reaching the depth of your soul and how some actions or situations might spark something within yourself to get an idea of your purpose.

The actions or situations include:

1)A near-death experience