Between life and death: lessons from "The midnight library"

Between life and death, there is a library. Every book provides a chance to try another life you could have lived. Aren't you intrigued? 

 

Is there anyone who, other from a former addict, could better argue for the dangers of alcohol?

Matt Haig, who has tried to end his life and survived, tackles the subject of crippling depression and existential crisis with a touch of philosophy and magic in "The Midnight Library."

 

Nora Seed, who was drowning in an ocean of regrets and felt like she was stripped off of all the purpose she had in life, decides to take her life but finds herself in a fascinating place: a library. 

 

The thing about the library is that the books on the shelves are chances. Chances to try out lives you could have lived. 

 

Isn't it comforting that there are infinite possibilities spread out in front of us? Isn't it intriguing that we, at this moment, can change literally anything about our lives? 

 

People don't take their lives overnight, and it's not always for one grand reason. There might be a plethora of little things that are deemed insignificant by others. As if a bus on the edge of a cliff is unaffected by the weight of the passengers, yet a single pebble could cause the collapse. Matt Haig has brought this topic so close to reality.

 

Here are my 18 favourite quotes from the book “The Midnight Library.”

1. Disobedience is the foundation of liberty. The obedient must be slaves. 

2. A person was like a city. You couldn't let a few less desirable parts put off the whole. There might be bits you don't like, a few dodgy streets and suburbs, but the good stuff makes it worthwhile. 

3. Sometimes regrets aren't based on fact at all. Sometimes regrets are just a load of bullshit. 

4. The only way to learn is to live. 

5. You can choose choices but not outcomes. 

6. Never underestimate the big importance of small things. 

7. Most gossip is envy in disguise. 

8. There is no rejection, only redirection. 

9. I never found a companion as companionable as solitude. 

10. In the face of death, life seemed more attractive. 

11. You will never live if you are looking for the meaning of life. 

12. It is easy to imagine there are easier paths. But maybe there are no easy paths. There are just paths. 

13. It's not what you look at that matters, but what you see. 

14. When you have worries about things you don't know about, like the future, it's a very good idea to remind yourself of things you do know. 

15. What sometimes feel like a trap is actually just a trick of the mind. 

16. Prison wasn't the place but the perspective. 

17. We don't have to do everything in order to be everything. We are already infinite. 

18. Well that's the beauty, isn't it? You just never know how it ends. 

Some of you can find this book monotone and this is not everyone's cup of tea. But those who get it, will get it. 

Surya Prabha 🌟

(Pics from Pinterest 🦋)