"This book changed my life," is what I wanted to say. It's a very profound statement and emphasizes the impact the book (Ishmael, by Daniel Quinn) had on me. The only problem is the book did not change my life, my life is still the same as before I read it. Any changes that happened took place in spite of reading the book.
So I sat there with an open mouth, searching for the right words as my friend waited patiently. After a moment, I realized what I wanted to say. "This book changed the way I look at the world." It was less pretentious, more accurate, and spoke to its influence on me as evidenced by my friend asking to borrow the book.
It made me wonder how often to we say "(fill in the blank) changed my life," and not really mean it. If you were in a car accident and it made you a paraplegic, then yes, that event changed your life. But the way we think or feel about things is not really life-changing at all. The circumstances in our lives involve our environment and the people with whom we interact. When that changes, your life has changed. Your life does not exist inside your head.
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