Symbols are everywhere. They’re stitched into flags, etched into wedding rings, and scattered across our phones in the form of emojis. But beyond the obvious, they shape how we understand ourselves and the world around us. That’s the heartbeat of Richard J. Choura’s book, Enrichment of the Self and Soul, a work that pulls back the curtain on why symbols matter so deeply to both the individual self and society at large.
Choura doesn’t treat symbols as pretty metaphors or just cultural shorthand. For him, symbols are living vessels of meaning. They carry the weight of history, belief, and imagination. A circle, for example, isn’t just a shape, it can stand for wholeness, infinity, or even the tension between fullness and emptiness. The meaning doesn’t come from the shape itself but from what human beings pour into it. In his words, “symbolic behavior is human behavior”.
The refreshing part of this book is that it doesn’t just stay in the abstract. Choura ties symbols to everyday life. He points out how societies, whether ancient or modern, have always used symbols to organize themselves, to inspire, and sometimes to divide. Think about national anthems, religious icons, or even corporate logos, they’re all attempts to stitch shared meaning into a community. And on a personal level, the symbols we hold close, the cross around a neck, the photo tucked in a wallet, the tattoo inked on skin, tell stories about who we are and what we value.
Choura’s take feels timely. We live in a world flooded with information and images, where our “living spaces are furnished not only with objects but processes of the mind and symbols”. It’s easy to forget that all this isn’t just noise, it’s how we construct meaning. His writing gently nudges us to notice that, and maybe to be a little more deliberate about the symbols we choose to surround ourselves with.
Choura’s background is an interesting mix of the practical and the philosophical. Born in Hartford, Connecticut, he served four years in the U.S. Air Force before diving into academics. He studied at several universities before graduating from the University of Hartford with a degree in mechanical engineering. He went on to work as a professional engineer for Fortune 500 companies. But engineering wasn’t the whole story. He’s also a lifelong reader fascinated by “transitory ideas that can uplift the age.” Maybe that’s why this book reads the way it does, grounded, but also willing to wander into the poetic and the mystical.
Outside of his professional life, Choura has been married to Patricia Blackett, an artist, for more than twenty years. Their partnership is a reminder that his interest in creativity isn’t just theoretical; it’s lived. He gardens, reads, reflects, a rhythm of life that feels consistent with the voice of someone who can write about self and soul without sounding preachy.
Enrichment of the Self and Soul is about connection: between self and society, between symbols and meaning, between the finite and the infinite. Choura seems to believe that without symbols, life would be flat, stripped of its layers. With them, though, we get glimpses of something larger, something that gives us a sense of belonging, identity, and even transcendence.
So, if you’ve ever wondered why a simple object or image can make you pause, smile, or even feel a little more whole, Choura’s work might give you some answers, or at least, some better questions.
Purchase Enrichment of the Self and Soul by Richard J. Choura via these links:
- Walmart: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Enrichment-of-the-Self-and-Soul-Paperback-9798893309058/5423656924
- Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Enrichment-Self-Soul-Richard-Choura/dp/B0CVNPNJFT/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0
- ARPress – https://authorreputationpress.com/bookstore/enrichment-of-the-self-and-soul/
- Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/enrichment-of-the-self-and-soul-richard-j-choura/1004648799