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| June, 2007 | ||
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THIS talk by Eckhart Tolle, the bestselling author of The Power of Now and A New Earth , offers a compelling solution for our ailing world. His main message is to stop thinking so much. He says we are afflicted with a compulsion to think. Human beings have become heavy and weary from the problems we carry around. Living has become a burden. One reason for this, Tolle feels, is that we mistake our personal history, the content of our life, for who we are. Dissatisfied with our life, we become caught in a constant struggle for success. But even if we do finally “make it” we are still unhappy, because the ego continues to crave more. The only way to be happy and to be truly alive is to be conscious without thought. How do we do this? We step out of the movement of thought—we simply be in the quiet presence within ourselves. To become conscious of who we truly are, Tolle says, we need to remove our attention from the mental activity of thinking and become rooted in being. Only through this attitude of thoughtless presence can we bring forth anything truly new. In this moment, we are not forgetting our past or negating our personal story, but we are seeing how much deeper we are than the content of our lives. Through accepting the isness of this present moment, we discover the true essence of our being. A significant result of present moment awareness is the creativity that arises from it. Tolle notes that actions deriving from a dislike of the present moment are a major destructive force in our civilization. The only actions that can bring healing and peace are those that come when we step out of thought and into that quiet, inner space of the present moment. |
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| —Kathy Juline | ||
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The Power of Kindness: The Unexpected I F ever there was a time in the world that we could use this book by Piero Ferrucci, it is now. Too many of us are feeling trapped in a vicious cycle of busy schedules; our to-do lists are relentlessly weaving their way into our waking hours and the demands of daily living seem to be robbing us of our kindness. In reading this book the question we have to ask ourselves is, even in the most trying of times, can we afford not to be kind?—unlikely, Ferrucci states, “To receive kindness does us good. Think of a time someone has been kind to you.... What effect did it have on you? Probably a beneficial one...everyone likes to be heard, treated with warmth and friendliness, understood and nourished.” Piero Ferrucci has a lot more to say in this well-constructed, clearly written book, and he says it well. A highly respected transpersonal psychotherapist practicing in Florence , Italy , he explores many surprising aspects of kindness. As indicated earlier, he convincingly argues that acts of kindness will contribute not only to our own happiness and well-being, but to that of those around us. A short but compelling preface by the Dalai Lama supports this view. The author devotes a chapter to important facets of kindness (eighteen of them) and how each is an expression or result of this most-needed dimension in our life. These aspects are, to name a few: honesty, warmth, patience, generosity and joy. Not only was I immediately drawn to the theme of this book (I’ve decided to be kinder), but I was pleased to find that each of these chapters contains delightful, meaningful stories and anecdotes—sometimes a fable, and many other experiences from his life. I genuinely loved this book. I think you will too. |
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| —Cliff Johnson | ||
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