What Im Reading

by AJ

I am currently reading "The Death of Ivan Ilyich" by Leo Tolstoy.

As the title suggests, this is a story about a dying man. Ivan Ilyich is a very respectable judge in Russia. He lives a very conventional life. He lives his life according to society's rules.

But when he begins to die, he has many regrets. He wonders what his life has meant. He regrets that he didnt live a bolder and more interesting life. And he resists and resents the approach of death.

Obviously this is not a happy or light book!! But I find it very interesting and thought provoking. Its good to be reminded that we will die. Its good to remember that everything is transient and changing.

This book is encouraging me to think about my own life. Have I been bold enough? Will I regret my life when it is time for me to die? How should I live now so that I can die peacefully, with no regrets?

This book is causing me to ask many such questions.

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