Lessons Learned from the Best Books

Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are likely familiar with Doctrine and Covenants 88:118: Seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom. For bookworms, this scripture may sound like a cozy invitation to settle down at home with a good classic. However, three 2026 Education Week lectures, sponsored by the Humanities Center, suggested that even slightly unexpected texts can contain wisdom that inspires more Christlike interactions with all of Gods children.

Professor Marc Yamada (East Asian Film and Literature) noted that his lecture title, How the Dao De Jing and the Concept of Non-Action Can Help Us Be Better Christians, may be confusing at first glanceafter all, the Dao De Jing, as the foundational text of Daoism, is not a Christian text. However, as Yamada explained its historical context and overarching philosophies, he showed how the ancient text aligns with many Christian beliefs, like peacemaking, trusting in a higher way, and learning gratitude for the simple joys of life.

Daoism emerged during Chinas Warring States period from 476 to 221 B.C., a time when conflicting regimes created instability in society. With that instability came the draw to new philosophical systems, like Daoism. The Daoist school of thought, Yamada said, functions a bit like beloved Pooh from A. A. Milnes

both prefer a sense of effortless living. Yamada explained that, far from promoting idleness, Daoism believes that the universe has a natural order that is meant to be tapped into, not created from scratch. This philosophy is not so different from the Christian parable of the lilies of the field, which teaches not to focus so much on what we want or our time or our worries, but to trust in Gods providence.

Yamada shared a quote from President Russel M. Nelson, who taught, The joy we feel has little to do with the circumstances of our lives and everything to do with the focus of our lives.

The Dao De Jing and Christian texts have many things in common, and one is the understanding, as Yamada said, that if your focus is broadened to understand your place in the greater whole, youll be fulfilling the measure of your creation.

Professor Kerry Soper (Popular Culture and Comedy) shared that wisdom from the written word is not limited to books, essays, or poemsit can also be found in cartoon panels. Sopers lecture, titled The Benefits of Reading the

Cartoons by Gary Larson, took a deep look at The Far Side: a single-panel comic strip that explores the absurdity, and sometimes morbidity, of human and animal behavior

When Larsons

comics debuted in 1980, their humor was considered subversive. Soper said that most contemporary single-panel comics were of a very tame nature, targeted to people who enjoyed cute jokes about pets or the funny things children say. Larson chose to play with taboos instead, displaying bizarre disasters, plays on stereotypes, and cows acting strangely human.

As Soper put it,

makes people laugh in a way that sort of flirts with a certain level of irreverence. Soper noted that this slight irreverence causes readers to think, laugh, and then ponder in quick succession, sort of like a party in the brain.

Soper also shared stories of his family, who often gathered around the table to read

comics, and who still quote them as inside jokes. He said, Sharing and reading this beloved text with friends and family provides a sort of social glue, reducing conflict, creating shared affinities, and building a storehouse of familiar family references and jokes. To Soper, his family, and a world of readers,

packages its wisdoms in humor and in share size.

Associate Professor Jamin Rowan (English, American Studies) spoke on the eye-opening influence of urban literature in his lecture called How the City Made Me a Better Saint. For every city that Rowan has lived in and visited, hes immersed himself in its literature. He said each book has offered him the wisdom of the citys story, teaching him that reading literature about the place you live can change the way you understand people.

In his graduate studies in Boston, Massachusetts, Rowan scoured the libraries to learn what made cities such amazing social spaces. Outside of studying, he and his young family were dedicated to soaking in the city life by visiting public parks, farmers markets, neighboring churches, and public libraries. Rowans research and personal experiences led him to see that the beauty of cities is that it makes it possible for all sorts of different people to do their things. The city made it clear to me that everyone is interdependent.

Rowan came across Jane Jacobss book

while living in Bostons South End, and it captured his experience of seeing all sorts of different people coming out onto the sidewalk and just doing this kind of dance. This text, among many others, reflected his growing belief that a city is a way for God to gather people from everywhere. People find each other somehow, Rowan said, and they creatively come up with solutions to problems that have plagued our heavenly parents family for ages.

The literature that Rowan read taught him to see the complexity and beauty of city lifeand even how it reflects heaven. Rowan said, If heaven doesnt look like the South End, Im going to be very disappointed because it just felt like Zion to me.

Learn about more humanities education week lectures on the College of Humanities Education Week news page.

Notes:

Russell M. Nelson, Joy and Spiritual Survival, (address, General Conference, Salt Lake City, UT, October 2016),

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2016/10/joy-and-spiritual-survival?lang=eng.