Developing A Mature Perspective

I have heard it said, and it has become my belief, that if a person would study one classic essay per week, then in a few short years, they will be among the most educated people in the nation, earning the equivalent of a degree in literature.  Below is the start of a selection of articles and essays, arranged by topic, that I consider classic—articles that, upon serious reflection, have the potential to drastically improve the way a person views the world and approaches life (A greater number of stars (*) indicates a superior level of transcendence):

 

Classics

 

Plato, The Parable of the Cave (8 Pages, ****)

 

Communication:

David Cain, “The Secret to Connecting With People” (4 Pages, ***)

David Cain, “How to Always Have Something Better to Talk About Than the Weather” (5 Pages, ***)

 

Education:

Eliot Butler, “Everybody is Ignorant, Only on Different Subjects” (16 Pages, ****)

 

Goals and Achievement:

Advice from Elder Widtsoe (3 Pages, ***)

 

Morality:

Clayton M. Christensen, “The Importance of Asking the Right Questions” (4 Pages, ****)

 

Understanding:

Chana, Joffe-Walt and Alix Spiegel, Psychology Of Fraud: Why Good People Do Bad Things (5 pages with comics, *****)

 

Worth Your Time:

http://inspirationandchai.com/Regrets-of-the-Dying.html

http://youarenotsosmart.com/2011/10/05/the-benjamin-franklin-effect/