THINK TANK THURSDAY - Emma Kimani covering for James Mathenji THE FAULT IN OUR STARS I recently read this book by John Green titled the fault in our stars. The lessons therein are not only thought provoking but also invaluable. The title is derived from this quote by William Shakespeare in his book, Julius Caesar. “The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves.” This book is about three or so teenagers battling cancer with admirable humour and courage. Hazel Grace is a 17yr old girl , a stage 4 thyroid cancer patient, who carts about this oxygen concentrate tank wherever she goes. She spends her time at the cancer support group where she meets Augustus Waters (Gus), who is also a cancer survivor with one prosthetic leg and Isaac, who gets both his eyes removed due to his cancer. Here are some of the lessons learnt: 1. We can view life as tragic or beautiful or we can view all life as tragically beautiful. 2. We have a choice. We can become a problem or a disease or a situation and let it consume us until we become it, or we can recognize it is just one part of us. Dont become the thing that is hurting you. Learn how to overcome the issues bothering you rather then letting them destroy you and your feelings. In the book they say, Dont tell me youre one of those people who becomes their disease. I know so many people like that. Its disheartening.” 3. Sometimes we become so caught up in our own situation that we don’t notice what is going on with anyone else. We are not bigger or more important than the people around us. It is important to extend concern and attention to them as well, regardless of what we may be going through at the time. 4. In one point of your life you suffer pain. If not, you seldom become a stronger person. The thing about pain is that it demands to be felt. Without pain we would hardly know what joy is. 5. Never underestimate yourself. Having opinions about you is completely normal. Every negative thing about you can be fixed, it just takes patience. 6. It is not the number of years that determines whether you live a full life, but how you spill life into the years. In the book Hazel says, “Sometimes, you read a book and it fills you with this weird evangelical zeal, and you become convinced that the shattered world will never be put back together unless and until all living humans read the book” This was one such book for me. The fault in our stars is the fault in our eyes and whether we take the time and focus to notice the stars at all. Will you live your life like a dim star barely visible in the darkest of skies or will you live so loudly that no one will miss how brightly you shine? Have a good day, from Emma Kimani
Posted on: Thu, 15 May 2014 04:00:00 +0000
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