Something for Every Dummy

Have you ever read any self help books? There are so many around. I heard that these books make up the majority of books sold today. You would think we didn’t know how to do anything. We must all be totally incompetent to do things on our own, think things through or just deal with life. Here are just a few of the titles that I encountered: “If You Had Controlling Parents,” and “Put Old on Hold.” That one sounds like a book for aging people and how not to. Then there was, “Are You Living Or Surviving?” and “Self Help Stuff That Works.” I would guess that one is for people who have shortcomings in all areas of life.
Then we get to the really specific titles, and these ones always point to those people, like me, who have a hard time in the new ways of living. They cover subjects like, how to install a surround sound or how to get the most out of your cell phone. They have titles like, “.......(Something) for Dummies” By what we read, these subjects take on new meaning. They take a subject and bring it down to the level that even I can understand. But do any of these books make life simpler, more fulfilling, or just simply enjoyable? I wonder? Actually, I wonder where I can get the time to read all of these books, let alone remember anything that I read. And who really needs a phone that can take movies, pictures, surf the net, send emails, shop around the clock or can you believe it, even be used as a phone?
Take a look at some of these book titles. These come right off Chapters website where I found 2645 titles related to books for dummies. Now, here we go, Investing for Dummies, Taxes for Dummies, Ebay for . . . , MBA, PHD, Disaster, Body Language, Makeup, Plumbing and even Walt Disney World for Dummies. The list goes on and on and on. You would think, either we are all in need of learning or there are a lot of people out there that think we are.
Self help books are supposed to be just that, self help. The problem is they aren’t. Self help is just what it implies, helping oneself. And don’t get me wrong, some of them are great but we need to call them what they are, manuals. Self help is not listening to someone else rectify your problems or someone telling you what you should do. It is asking you what you think is good for you and what will work for you in your situation. Years ago I had a professor share with me his understanding of people with problems. It’s simple, They are all unique, and treat them as such. There are no pat answers in life. Or is there?
Before any of these books were published there was only one self help book. I picked one up just the other day. Turns out that it is not a self help book after all. It was a history book of sorts. It told stories of how people sorted out their lives and live fulfilling lives. It did tell me what could be wrong, what is wrong and what to do about making things right. But it was not a self help book. It was the bible. Everything you need to know about life is found in this one volume. We don’t need to read 2465 books to figure things out. Just open the Bible and you will find God talking to you. He will be letting us know what we need to learn, and how we can take what we learn and become a little more like Him each day. All we had to do is listen to what He has to say.
After all, He’s never wrong and I am.
Something to think about.
Rob