Self-Help Books

 Wit and Wisdom of GK Chesterton

It is not possible to read an article or book by the British journalist, GK Chesterton, without, at the same time, cracking a smile and letting out a laugh on one's face. The man is so intelligent that he can see through anything. It is precisely this vision that allows one to perceive a fool in his real foolishness. GK Chesterton possesses an extraordinary talent in exposing literary hoaxes and showing how they really lead nowhere. GK Chesterton was a defender of the dignity of intelligence, in an age where sophisticated reasoning tried to usurp it, and replacing it with a false one. The disarming of his adversaries was done in such an exquisite and witty way, that they simply had to take their hats off respectfully to him.

For example, in an article entitled "On the Fallacy of Success" (showing the stupidity of self-help books) he says that books on success "show men how to succeed in everything...but are written by men who cannot even succeed in writing books...success merely means what it is: a millionaire is successful in being a millionaire, a donkey is successful in being a donkey, and a dead man succeeded in committing suicide..."

Further ahead, Chesterton shows that the real underlying purpose of these books is not so much the question of success (he personally believes that there are only two roads to it: hard work or cheating), as the mysticism created around money, by the writers of these texts. They fall so much in love with money (and its possessors), that they come to a point in turning it into a cult. Chesterton's acute psychological intuition into matters explains the secret he had in being a great writer, journalist and thinker. It is worth the while to read his books, essays and articles.

I am happy to know that "Ignatius Press" has taken upon itself the mammoth project of publishing and making available to the public, the complete works of GK Chesterton. With the number of fools multiplied in our Babylon society, we need the voices of the wise to lead us. I hope Ignatius Press is successful in its endeavor to bring the wisdom of the saints to our bookshelves. For those who have not the patience to wait, but would already like to read the complete works of this British nobleman, I would recommend them to the following web-site; http://www.chesterton-library.net/

Anthony Mellace