Books like The Wisdom of the Desert Fathers: The Apophthegmata Patrum (Anonymous Series)

I can’t remember why I added this book to my “to-read” list. When I was looking up the call number at the library and I found myself being led away from the novels and into the Philosophy/Religion section I began to get nervous. “The Wisdom of the Desert Fathers” is a collection of oral lessons passed down from men who left their life in Egypt to live in the desert and contemplate God. The way of life that they established formed the basis of the Christian monastic system.I’ve often felt that I might want to be a monk. The idea of giving everything up to live a life of quiet contemplation sounds kind of nice. However, I’m not a man and I don’t believe in God, so I don’t think I’ll ever make the cut. That being said, I came to this book hoping to learn some life lessons. There is a very large gap between a 21st century woman and a 5th century monk. I hoped to bridge that gap and find a mutual understanding.I was not terribly successful in getting into a monk frame of mind. Many of their lessons and morals seem utterly ridiculous. I ended up enjoying the stories because I found them humorous, not because I found them enlightening. There were a few good lessons about being patient and accepting life, but a reasonable person would probably discard most of the attitudes advanced by the monks. The book was interesting from an anthropological view but the gulf between a modern secular American point of view and a 5th century monk’s point of view is too large to allow any real understanding.