4.5/5
The opening line of this book states "life is difficult." When one is reading this book they are probably reading this book during a time of need or struggle. When we make decisions to better ourselves and the lives we live, we must fully commit to every aspect of that betterment. If we go to counseling, we must be there every time, fully engaged, and prepared to open up and express our feelings. When we supplement the counseling by sharing our struggles with friends, loved ones, and even strangers we do the same. We do not leave out the details, we share them all. When it comes to reading books that can help us out, we must take the same approach. Writing can have some that same effect too.
I was hoping to finish this book about a week ago, but realized you have to take your time to grasp every little detail that you can. As the author states in one section that we must become better listeners, I had to become a better reader and really study with all of my heart and soul. I always made sure to have a pen or highlighter handy so I could be able to record the crucial information to help along this journey. I have already with some friends how this book helped me dig down very deep to find some root causes of my insecurities.
This book is divided into four sections:
- Discipline
- Love
- Growth and Religion
- Grace
These sections are then broken down into various topics that the reader can relate to in various situations. Some of the language might be a little over one's head, but you just need to slow down and check for your context clues to offer further insight on to give you a clearer understanding. I took quite a bit from this book, especially through topics such as:
- Self-Sacrifice,
- The Myth of Romantic Love
- Withholding the Truth
- The Miracle of Evolution
- The Welcoming of Grace
A few bits and pieces from one of my favorite paragraphs in the book on page 268. "But what is this force that pushes us as individuals and as a whole species to grow against the natural resistance of our own lethargy?" "When we grow, it is because we are working at it, and we are working at it because we love ourselves. It is through love that we elevate ourselves". "Love, the extension of the self, is the very act of evolution." "Among humanity love is the miraculous force that defies the natural law of entropy."
I look forward to passing this book off to my buddy Terry soon and seeing how he can grow from reading it. I should have given this a 5/5, but retracted on that thought. It is pretty hard for me to give anything a perfect score. There is definitely not much room for improvement, just needed some parts to be a little more simplified. As this reading was coming to end, I realized in life when you decide to fight that resistance, you yourself are choosing to take "the road less traveled."
The next book to read on the list is called A Return To Love - Reflections of the Principles of A Course In Miracles by Marianne Williamson.
