"The Art of Possibility" - Some thoughts ..

"The Art of possibility" (by Rosamund, and Benjamin Zander) is a book  I stumbled upon by sheer chance. I first noticed it listed under the 'recommend reading' section in another unconventional book, and remember making a note of it, since one of the authors happens to be the music conductor of the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra, and I was curious to see what he had to say in a book of this nature. As is sadly often the case, this mental note was relegated to the 'Things I've forgotten all about' section of my brain; that is, until my father happened to glance at this 'recommended reading' section himself, and suggested that I might enjoy reading it, and gifted it to me for my birthday !

The Zanders note that the lenses through which we view the world are coloured, no matter how objective we claim to be. They then proceed to offer a set of practices/world-views that lure us into the possibility of inventing our own world, one that throws open vast vistas of possibility, to live into. They share several anecdotes and personal experiences that add significantly to the book, and help convey their ideas.The language is often metaphorical in nature, which lends it a touch of the poetic (albeit at the threshold of my own appreciation of it :-), which some might find exasperating; more so, if one is looking for a cookbook of techniques. However, it is, in fact this imprecise phrasing, that throws open the doors to various possible interpretations, that made the book all the more appealing to me. 

In essence, the practices they recommend enable us to become more open-minded, less self absorbed, more inclusive, and less judgemental. An outlook that combines childlike curiosity with an attitude of equanimity doesn't necessarily have to result in an incongruous mix..The book struck a chord with me because of the musical connection, but it doesn't assume any knowledge of music as such.. It has been a while since I have seen such compelling use of language, though the Zanders also occasionally left me exasperated; with a feeling that they are saying the same thing in 23 different ways, while any one of those would have adequately conveyed their point.. That however, is a small annoyance to put up with when you consider the possibilities the book has to offer, for it seems to achieve the near impossible - it is inspiring enough to appeal to the idealists, compassionate enough to satisfy the humanitarians, and intelligent enough to confuse the cynics :-)

At the end of the day, books like this are only as powerful or life-changing as we allow them to be. All in all, this is definitely a worthwhile read, and unique in its offerings in this genre .. I am aware that I have conveyed merely my impressions about the book, and little about the contents itself; I will leave that for you to discover :-)