Three books that just might help ...
Recent reads on AI, back pain, and harsh seasons of waiting.
Hi, I’m Matt, and Welcome to Steady Beats: a regular column on muscle, meaning, and merriment at mid-life.
Lately, my reading has bounced between science not-so-fiction, faith, and physical resilience—themes that keep circling back in my life. These three books each found me at the right time, and maybe one of them will do the same for you.
Daemon
Here’s a hack for learning about AI: read fiction.
You’ll find technical explanations wrapped inside narrative, making them more digestible (kind of like when you put a pill inside peanut butter for the dog).
Take Daemon.
The daemon in Daniel Suarez’s story isn’t a conscious, sentient AI. It’s a program—a self-sustaining background process designed to operate autonomously. But in the world of this novel, that’s close enough to wreak havoc, death, and destruction. Written in 2006, the book follows the daemon’s mission as it carries out the wishes of its deceased creator.
Through a sweb of automated scripts, propaganda, and cyberwarfare, the daemon carries out a bloody plan to reshape society. It manipulates people just as easily as computer systems, and honestly, most of what it does seems quite plausible by 2025’s AI standards.
I tore through this book.
And now I’m onto the sequel, Freedom, to see how mankind’s last stand against machine ends.
Choosing the Extraordinary Life
I often choose books by intuition. Recommendations are great, but sometimes a book’s energy grabs me and pulls me in like a tractor beam, whether I see that book online or in a store.
Choosing the Extraordinary Life was one of those, leaping off the shelf and smacking me across the metaphorical face.
Dr. Jeffress’ book is about waiting, and how to lean into God and Biblical teachings in seasons of transition to come out the other side stronger, smarter, and more aligned with your purpose.
We all face trials and painful transitions. Jeffress points to Elijah as a prime example. Elijah wasn’t some superhuman saint; he was a man who, despite his faith and courage, still battled despair and doubt:
Elijah was not a super-saint but a normal person who even as a sold-out servant of God had to battle despair, depression, and doubt. One moment we find this man courageously standing for God on Mount Carmel, and soon after we find him curled up in a fetal position, wanting to die.
This book found me just as I needed it, and its teachings on purpose, patience, and perseverance might hit the spot for you, also.
Healing Back Pain
This one is controversial. But it worked for me.
I don’t have debilitating back pain, but my lower back is usually varying flavors of stiff—something I chalked up to being an old guy who lifts weights. And every few years, I’ll get a nasty spasm with shockwaves that last for days.
Healing Back Pain isn’t a new book. First published in 1991, it offers a radical premise:
Your back is stronger and more resilient than modern medicine and culture gives it credit for.
Chronic pain is often the result of unresolved emotions—your subconscious is creating a distraction to avoid feeling an unpleasant emotion.
You can tell your subconscious to knock it off, and it will.
Too ridiculously simple, right?
That’s what I thought, too. I picked the book up (gently) after after a particularly bad spasm—one that hit right after a high-stress situation.
After reading, I decided to give my subconscious a thorough talking-to.
I visualized an elevator taking me deep into my mind, where I found my subconscious operating as a massive, blinking 1950s-style sci-fi supercomputer (my brain needs a tech upgrade).
And every day, while on the elliptical and again before bed, I’d take the elevator down and tell it, firmly:
"Hey, I see what you’re doing. I know you think you’re protecting me, but you’re not. I can handle my emotions just fine. So quit it."
And you know what?
Gradually, over a few days, the pain and stiffness just stopped. Just … stopped.
Maybe it was a placebo. Maybe it was exactly what the book said it was. Whatever it was, I’ll take it.
If you’ve been battling chronic pain, it’s worth a read. Worst case? You spend a few hours on a book that doesn’t work for you. Best case? You stop hurting.
What book has reached you lately?
That’s my recent reading list—three books that, in their own ways, altered my thinking and plussed up my knowledge. If you’ve read any of these (or have recommendations of your own), let me know.
I read the back pain book a few years ago after I too had a few really bad spasms. I was astounded that it actually worked. My challenge is to remember the wisdom of ths book in times of stress.
I may also read The Extraordinaly Life. Have you read We Who Wrestle with God, the new Jordan Peterson book? On my list and sounds like it would be of interest to you.
Choosing the Extraordinary Life sounds like an intriguing book. I'll add it to my list! It reminds me a little of The Prodigal Prophet by Tim Keller, about the book of Jonah.