Greetings! When I read you were quoting "The Zahir", I thought it'd be Paulo Coelho's "The Zahir", which was mildly worrying, but luckily it was Borges.
I share a lot of your ideas. Certainly, through reading powerful stories we start changing the way we look at things, and appreciating each idea and experience a lot more. It makes us develop insight, and reminds us it's worth it to ponder all those things you mention. Life is, after all, a story with no author other than ourselves, and we can't write a good story without understanding its elements, right?
Well said! Life is our story... one with no author as you pointed, but with many many characters!
Borges it surely has those powerful stories that you mention. By reading them I have walked through so many paths... both physical and mental. Let me share another quote, this time from don Quixote of La Mancha:
Luckily I was quoting Borges and not Coelho! Ha, ha, ha, thanks for that... Made my day.
Peace, have a nice week!