SUBJECT: 4.5/5
WRITING: 3.5/5
OVERALL: 3.5/5
THEMES: Philosophy, Spirituality, Self-Love, Love & Relationships
“Peace doesn’t mean a life devoid of adversities, troubles and challenges. Instead, it means to be surrounded by all of that and yet have faith and be calm. That is the real meaning of peace.”
– Om Swami, A Fistful of Love
On the lookout for a read on everyday wisdom encompassing personal growth, relationships, love, and hope, I stumbled upon Om Swami’s A Fistful of Love on my Kindle. The book’s blurb resonated with me, especially when it talked of love being one of the most basic of human needs and yet remaining one of the biggest challenges in life.
So, what is it about love that makes it so elusive, so difficult to grasp, and so challenging to navigate? Well, the famous Himalayan mystic Om Swami tells you just that.
What is the book all about?
Starting with an interesting tale of Gautam Buddha and his disciples, Om Swami illustrates just how easy it is for us humans to overlook years of love, care, and attention from loved ones for just a few fleeting moments of validation from others.
He compels you to ponder over the meaning of life, the direction you are headed in, and the true worth of your goals.
A Fistful of Love, all of 214 pages, comprises of around 50 small essays whose topics range from love, attachment, marital relationships, problems and inconveniences, kindness, love language, human desires, cheating in relationships, marriage and its truths, desires, and its DNA, personal fulfillment, destiny and free will, tolerance, eternal truth, faith, realization, etc.
My Thoughts on A Fistful of Love
The chapters are short and crisp, with some deep thoughts that make you reflect on your position in life. This reflection part is what I like the best about the book. It serves many purposes –
– It makes you take a serious look at the way you live your relationships.
– It makes you reevaluate your material desires.
– It makes you question your notions of success and achievement
The choice of topics is vast, and they focus not just on the philosophical and spiritual aspects of life, but also on many practical things. For example, there are chapters on abusive marriage, unrequited love, when to move out of a relationship, etc.
The wisdom of the mystic is infused with a generous dose of humour, where we have Mulla Nasruddin, a character who keeps sharing tidbits from his life in the form of examples, and as a way to drive the message deeper. This also keeps things interesting and breaks the monotony that might have crept in otherwise.
We then have examples from Vedic and Sanskrit texts and examples from the lives of Gautam Buddha, Swami Vivekanand, and others, which further makes for interesting and informative reading. I am pretty sure, if not for these examples, the wisdom of many thoughts would have been lost on me.
In the end, though A Fistful of Love is not the best book I’ve read on this topic, still it reminds you of the previous lessons that you’ve learned elsewhere but forgotten over time. It also adds new life lessons to your ever-growing list, and for that, I am very grateful.
My recommendation would be to read it slowly and let each chapter sit with you for some time before you delve into the next one.
Not a great read, but definitely a good one. Gift it to your loved ones and gift it to yourself, either way, you are the one to be benefitting from this lovely collection of a monk’s wisdom.
Can’t wait to read it? Buy your copy of A Fistful of Love using the link below.
