Eat your heart out. Or something.

There's this book that I've picked up which until recently has sat in a stack of thirty or so books that I bought from Chapters before I quit. It has reached my hands and I can tell you dear readers that for all my delight in its contents, it is quite stupid that it has taken so long to look at it. The book is called Soul Pancake and it's by Rainn Wilson (yes, that guy who plays Dwight Shrute in The Office). Inside is much visual art, photography, poetry, essays, fiction, questions and activities that intent to get your brain working and chewing on life’s big questions. The first page after the introduction is “HOW DO YOU DEFINE TRUTH?” Yep. Big question alright.

This is what this book does to you:

It really gets you going. The questions are provoking and are certainly not of the what-is-your-favourite-colour variety. The book started as an internet project and became published as more of a working journal/activity book/magazine for people to write in and play around with.  But while the book you can physically write in, the website is updated more frequently and you can visit it here. 

Anyways, the book is very skilled at linking supposed dualties, such as faith and reason and greying the matter. It splits off into sections:

-Life, Death & Living
-Science & Technology
-Love, Sex & Relationships
-Introspection, Reflection & Identity
-Virtues & Vices
-God & Religion
-Experiences & Emotions
-Art & Creativity
-The Brain & The Soul

You can complete the book in or out of order. I choose in because I find it more disciplined and persevering a direction!

I kept wanting to when I was answering questions or doing activities, I keep wanting to share this book with the people in my life. And since I have, I've had some very interesting, enlightening and surprising conversations with these people. But it's also about having a conversation with your own brain in a way. Because no doubt, you may have had a Philosophy class before or maybe years ago you had a definite answer to one of these questions. But people change, and so have your views probably. You must trick your brain into letting go of any previous notions and think of something new. And that is challenging. But the answers, once you've found them (even if the answer is "There is no way to determine truth.") reflect who you are now. And that's also pretty rewarding.