To start the second half of life again
Written with the heart of a humble monk
Thirty-eight readings, seventy books

A reading essay that proves the adage, "There is a path in the book."
The author, a reading education expert with 30 years of experience, introduces 70 books that will become your lifeblood during the second half of life, a time when you need a new mindset.
'Meditative reading,' a method of reading used by monks in medieval monasteries, provides readers who live in a time when reflection on life is more necessary than ever before with a direction on how to read the story of life.

"Meditative Reading that Takes Care of Me" proves that reading can become a new name for reflection by combining "meditative reading," a concept that has become unfamiliar in modern times, with reading.
This book, which the author has carefully selected from among the hundreds of books he has read since entering the latter half of his life, only those that have left a deep resonance in his soul, contains excellent books that you should definitely read at least once if you have ever pondered, "How should I live the rest of my life?"
"Meditative Reading for Self-Care," which covers a total of seventy books, including David Brooks' "The Second Mountain," Eckhart Tolle's "Live in the Now," and Ken Wilber's "Boundless" will be an invaluable guide for readers who want to pick up books they have put aside for a while as they face a turning point in their lives.

I think the journey of finding 'myself' in the second half of life is, in a word, an adventure for 'change.'

--- p.13

I wrote this book for those of you who are in the second half of your life and want to understand and care for yourself and live your life true to yourself.
Reading will be the answer.
The purpose of this book is to introduce books that will be helpful to those who want to look at life with a new perspective and transform themselves into more complete beings.
What is clear is that the process of reading for change is perhaps akin to a practice.
If you have never been familiar with books, you may need more time to become familiar with them.
On the other hand, if you are a reader who has read a lot of books, I ask you to welcome and allow the books to invade my brain and awaken it.
--- p.15~16

In the second half of life, you must become a reader who knows how to interpret and look at the book of life in a new way.
Ultimately, the process of listening to a story, reading it, interpreting it, applying it, and gaining insight into it can be said to be like alchemy, transforming oneself.
--- p.24

Why can't we realize that by reliving our lives as tragic narratives, we're actually exhausting and alienating our loved ones? Why do we spend the latter half of our lives struggling to be loved rather than giving it? It seems to me that countless people in the latter half of their lives are still struggling with a mentality of self-aggrandizement or overcompensation for what they didn't achieve in their younger years.
--- p.34~35

Of course, past experiences are also resources from which we can gain wisdom.
If we can utilize our experience properly, we could have a truly wonderful second half.
Unfortunately, most of us easily become immersed in the familiar, repetitive experiences of the past, the habits we have practiced professionally, and the comfort of the status and power we have acquired and enjoyed at work.
We tend to thickly wrap ourselves with them.
Even though they no longer have that status, they are unable to let it go and are afraid of losing it.
We must realize that the status, fame, power, and wealth we once possessed can actually hinder us from encountering our true selves and deprive us of the opportunity to be loved by others for who we are.
--- p.50~51

Therefore, what we need to do is to accept and enjoy life in the present rather than spending each day worrying about whether it is good or bad.
It's about living while accepting the changes that are coming to me.
It is about continuing to live in the face of aging, declining physical abilities, cognitive decline, poverty, loss, and isolation.
Because in our lives, there is always a loss and a gain, a good and a bad, and a pain and a joy.
--- p.60

Going with the flow of life is like surrendering to the natural flow of a stream, as if it were meant to be.
And like the sparkling lights in a flowing stream, life holds a wonderful and mysterious story.
--- p.82

Some psychotherapists even refer to housework as a “path to meditation.”
What we do every day affects not only our personality but also the quality of our entire lives.
The daily chores we have to do around the house, from cooking to sweeping and cleaning the room to washing clothes, give life to our souls.
I'm not saying that housework should be unconditionally praised.
What I want to say is that every corner of our homes and every object we use have a significant impact on our mental image.
Looking at a crucifix hanging on the wall or a painting by an artist is itself a form of meditation.
Even as we hang and fold our laundry, we can think of our families and pray for them.
--- p.88

Benedictine Father Heo Seong-jun, who has studied the reading of monks for a long time, says that the Latin word 'meditari' originally comes from the Greek word 'meletao', which means "to accept the word of God inwardly," and that going back further, it comes from the Hebrew word meaning "to mutter something half-loud." He says that the reading of monks is like the rumination of cows or camels, who store food and slowly chew the cud until it seeps into their flesh and bones.
--- p.150

Alberto Manguel, author of “A History of Reading,” said, “Reading is as essential a function as breathing. We read to examine who we are and where we stand, and to read the world that surrounds us.”
It is also said that meditation is seeing God within yourself, love is seeing God within the person next to you, and spirituality is seeing God everywhere.
It is a time when we need to read to become aware of and not forget the spirituality that is the source of our existence.

--- p.158