The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran: Introduction and Overview

I lay down no rules of conduct. 

Do whatsoever you will so long as you do it beautiful. 

~ Kahlil Gibran

I bought this book as one of the required readings when I was in third year high school. I read it for an exam but did not fully digest its teachings. At that time, I did not understand a thing about philosophy. Like all teenagers, my understanding of life and the world were too shallow and superficial.

As part of my quarter-life crisis, I started the task of rereading all the books I've bought or read since I was a child, as long as I still have the copy. That includes the Nancy Drew series, John Grisham novels, and readings from school. The goal is to gain a new understanding of the literature I read before. There's a chance of gaining new perspectives but there's also the risk of disappointment and the whole thing becoming a waste of time. It doesn't matter since I will only be doing it during my free time.

So, the first book I reread which will have the honor (hhm? well let's just accept it) of getting blogged is Kahlil Gibran's The Prophet. My copy was published by the New Dawn Press and contains 96 pages of teachings and paintings. The introduction was brief in telling the reader what to expect from the book: Gibran's take on the many aspects of life among them marriage, laws, prayer, and eating. It also enumerated some of the Lebanese philosopher's  works throughout his 58 years of life which included The Prophet Trilogy.

The book tells the story of a man, Almustafa, who was living in the city of Orphalese for 12 years and is finally going home with his fellow sailors who fetches him. Before he boards the ship, he reminisces on the time spent on the island and bids goodbye to the citizens through a lengthy conversation. The conversations, and thus the book, were divided into chapters based on what aspect of life was being discussed. I will reiterate and comment on these on my next posts.