A Year's Reflection in Books (V)

“A stranger in the citadel”, with “no time to spare”, and little “baggage” to prepare, I kicked off 2022 against the “tides” to face “the changing world order” and explore a new “horizon”.

From “the first signs”, it was evident that strong “ethics” and an “unapologetically ambitious” mindset and drive were the prerequisites to take on “a season on the wind”. On “the road to wigan pier”, despite a “culture map” in hand, things were not always clear and “the end of the world” was what seemed near.?The “one mission” was to end “quackery” before the “end of eternity”.

I was confident from “the first three minutes” that if I left behind “the city of illusions” and “the view from the cheap seats”, I would hear “the mountains sing” and guide me to towards “all the light we cannot see”!

And so, “working backwards”, I went “across that bridge” to “think again” and then solve “the alignment problem”. Along the way, I made lifelong friends, read the “Screwtape letters” for new “lessons”, tackled some false “perception”, and tested the “lathe of heaven”. I saw “the last Queen” took “lessons in chemistry” and “Mao’s last dancer” took “understanding complexity”.

When the times were tough (as they sometimes are), I turned to “this tender land”, “east of Eden”, and had “the song of the cell”, remind me that ours is a “world of wonders”.?

As its tradition for this annual reflection, here is one more “crucial conversation”: My “brilliant friend”, battle hardened and strong at the core, “what happened to you” for millennia has taken its toll. But now, all “the four winds” roar so that “the silence of the girls” is no more! “Klara and the sun” are “dancing at the edge of the world”, “the indigo girl” is “building a story brand” of her own, and “Kristin Lavransdatter” is returning home from “neverwhere” and “the last crusade”, in that land faraway, all grown!

Here is to hope for another “astounding" year ahead, to leave behind this “freezing order” and take on “a world on the wing” in the “zone to win”.

Happy Holidays and Best wishes for an Astounding 2023! - Betsabeh