Mental Fitness RX: Turn Off the TV, Try Reading, Keep Learning - My Current Project, "How Rome Fell" by Adrian Goldsworthy

Take a break from television, the "one eyed monster." Try reading.

The book "How Rome Fell" - economic crises, plague, war, religious change (sounds like our world today), cultural details and leaders of the Roman Empire - is mentally stimulating reading.

If your Mental Fitness Prescription is for exercising your mind I suggest reading "How Rome Fell" by Adrian Goldworthy. Get the "little grey cells" moving, and experience some personal growth and education.

I found this book, like the book on Leonardo di Vinci described in previous posts, at the New Nonfiction shelf near the front desk at my local library. The first night I read over 100 pages. What a relief from the relentless boredom of most TV to have something that gets your mind and thoughts really moving.

Details of daily Roman life include information from architecture to hairstyles.

Idiosyncracies, characteristics and personalities of the Roman Emperors made this interesting reading.

The book goes into the world of religious conflicts, especially the Roman persecution of the Christians.

Today, with the United States in it's current crises, reading the "Fall of Rome" is especially interesting. Are there parallels? What similarities and what differences can be seen? To compare and contrast Rome's Fall with the current problems in the U.S. gives each individual something to consider. What can be done?

Adrian Goldsworthy, a preeminent historian of the ancient world, is also the author of Caesar, winner of a New York Times Notable Book award as well as many other distinguished book awards. He is a consultant for the History Channel, National Geographic and the BBC.

So, seniors, let's either turn the TV channel to something educational, or pick up a book like this from your local library. It's time to practice concentration, improve reading and verbal skills, and learn something new about history. Your mental fitness will improve, and you'll enjoy it more than the usual passive television shows that so many of us spend too much time watching.

Take a break from the "one eyed monster," the TV, and pick up a book instead.