BOOK 2 POST
Hi everyone, welcome back to “What am I reading today?” I read The Wayfinder: Why Ancient Wisdom Matters in the Modern World. I have a friend who studies Anthropology, and I love this story about how the world became what it is today. When I started the book, it was tough to read because of its complex nature, but the deeper I got into it, the better it got.
The Polynesia story reminded me of Moana. Yes, the Disney movie. At the risk of sounding childish, I watched Moana 2 when it came out. The movie’s storyline is about Moana, who tries to unite all of the islands of the Pacific, and I found this idea in the book. It talks about how the Pacific Islands were likely populated 10 centuries before Christ by navigators who could find their way around the open ocean, contrarily to the average European sailor.
This book wants to show that traditional ways of thinking could solve many of our modern-day problems. The Polynesian wayfinders navigated without fancy equipment, and Amazonian tribes have mastered survival, connection, and meaning.
The main message of this book is that progress does not mean disregarding the past. On the contrary, we should learn from it. There is so much to learn from our ancestors that by looking back, we might actually be looking forward.
This was such a fun post to read, Ale! I haven’t read The Wayfinder yet, but now I really want to. Loved the Moana reference, honestly, that made the whole concept click for me! It’s cool how you tied something so familiar to such a deep idea. The way you summed up the book’s message about learning from the past really stuck with me. “Looking back to look forward” is such a powerful thought. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteHi Ale, this book seems like a great read and I am glad you found a connection to it through something as fun as Moana. I agree with the book and your review that the past is the way we learn how to move forward. It is our greatest asset in terms of anticipating future events and consequences of certain actions. The stock market is a great example of this, almost everything that can happen to our markets has already happened and you can see exactly why by looking to the past.
ReplyDeleteHey Alessandro, thanks for sharing! It was cool to here that the book was in relation to Moana and had no idea that Pacific Islands were inhabited so early on and how skillfull the navigators were- all would ever hear is the names of different European sailors who would discover many of the places we know today. I also found quite interesting the idea about embracing the past as a means to progression and can be a great guide into gaining important insight that is actionable.
ReplyDeleteHi Ale, I really liked how you connected the book to something familiar like Moana. I also really liked that movie, so that comparison helped me! I really connected with the fact that change does not necessarily mean going away from what came before. It’s a great reminder that traditional knowledge still has so much to offer, especially in a world that often forgets where it came from.
ReplyDeleteHi Ale, this sounds like such a thought-provoking read. I like how you acknowledged that the book started out challenging but became more rewarding as you went on, that’s often the case with deep, meaningful texts. I’m really drawn to the idea that looking back at traditional knowledge could help us move forward in a better way. Thanks for sharing this!
ReplyDeleteHey Ale! I'm glad you stuck with this book and enjoyed it in the end. I love how this book makes you reflect on the past. I feel like everyone today is always thinking of the future which stops them from the living in the present. I agree with you about reflecting upon our ancestors as well. I feel like the past can teach you a lot about how to handle current situations/issues. Some people don't understand the point of learning about history. Personally, I don't understand that as history was my most favorite subject in high school. It's awesome that you were able to make connections to the novel which helped you understand the message of the book. P.S. I haven't seen Moana 2, but it is definitely on my list. Thanks for your honest review!
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