A Word on Autobiography

"We commonly do not remember that it is, after all, always the first person that is speaking." 

Henry David Thoreau

Autobiography is ideal reading for general education. Reasons:  

The worth of any written work is dependent on the character of the author. In fiction and philosophy, one puts forth a view of life. In reference books and how-to guides, one proposes principles, methods, and facts. But what are the fruits of those attitudes and ideas? Who is writing them? Autobiography is by nature an answer to these questions. 

When a man, having lived and achieved something of significance, in his view, lays the story of his life before the public, he searches in his memory and finds those moments which were pivotal. In his poetry, a man might describe a sparrow in flight. In his textbook, he might expose the mysteries of the atom. But in his autobiography, he includes only the details that defined his life and determined its course. 

It is pure case study. It does not supply theoreticals. One writer establishes the common pitfalls of marriage by statistics, and speculates prescriptions. Another simply tells you of his own marriage, its highs and lows, in candid detail. 

Other forms have their places of honor. But perhaps no writing is so useful as a personal account of one's life.

Picture a table at a restaurant. The waiter appears. He hands you a piece of paper. It is a list of names, some famous, some unfamiliar. 

    “What is this,” you ask?
    “Tonight's guest list. Who would you like to meet?”
    “Gandhi is here?”
    “Yes.”
    “And… Hitler?”
    “Yes. It’s before the war for him. He’ll try to convince you.”
    “Benjamin Franklin, Henry Ford, and Andrew Carnegie are here?”
    “It’s a long list. You mustn’t look so star struck. They are only men.”
    You sit for a moment in pause. The waiter adds, “There is only one rule. You must be quiet and listen.”

Given that the art of living well is the most pressing problem of all, it would do to find the best mentors and come face to face with them.