The Book of Answers

After my ‘me’ time yesterday (see this link), I went to Fully Booked to check out their books on sale.  I can still clearly remember how I used to spend time in Powerbooks in Megamall when it was still spacious and cozy. I'd sit on the floor and read books especially those I could not afford. 

While going through the books in Fully Booked, I stumbled upon this book entitled "The Book of Answers" by Carol Bolt. I was curious. I thought it was an IQ Test book or a bunch of trivias. 

It was not. For you to enjoy the book, you should do the following steps:

Just hold it  closed in your hands and concentrate on any question you might have for a few a seconds. While visualizing or speaking your question, place one palm down on the book's front and stroke the edge of the pages back to the front. When you sense that the time is right, open to the page your fingers landed and there is your answer! It's fun, satisfying, and a lot less time-consuming than asking everyone you know for advice. - SOURCE: thebookofanswers.com

It was actually fun. I flipped through the pages to find out what the 'answers' are. Some of the answers are:

Don't force it.

Wait for a better offer.

Make a list of why.

Ask again.

Don't ask for any more at this time.

Ask your mother.

A year from now it won't matter.

Finish something else first.

Seek out more options.

No.

I swear I was secretly smiling with the answers am getting to every question I thought of. I just hope the people around me didn't notice my 'smiling' which I find myself doing a lot when reading something funny.

It was fun. But it got me to thinking about how easy it is for anyone to get attracted to this kind of search for answers. With the impatience  that we, humans, innately have, we can go for fast answers, fast food, instant snacks, fast downloads and other easy-access answers. We, Filipinos, even go to the lengths of religiously checking our daily horoscopes to find answers. With all these sources available to us, we skip the most important source of answer - God. 

It is so easy to get a book like this and trust our life on it. It is so easy to subscribe to daily horoscopes and let it dictate our actions and shape our goals. It is so easy to ask the closest friend on what to do...while it is difficult to get ourselves together to ask our Father "What shall I do?". 

Why? Because we need a tangible answer, something direct, an answer that is specific to our question. We are too lazy to figure things out and too impatient to wait. We need someone who talks and responds the way we want it. 

"For I know my plans for you", declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a future." - Jeremiah 29:11

It was fun playing with 'The Book of Answers". And sometimes, a friend of mine and I would also read our horoscopes for fun and, most of the time, laugh about it. But I know deep in my heart, the answers will come from the One who knows it. Our first action for every crossroad should be to pray.

To make this book hunt more interesting, I asked (so to speak) the book one last question, "Should I buy this book?" 

The book said... 

Trust your intuition.