4challenging-times

I wrote this book for you, because you are unique and that makes you special. Yet, your uniqueness brings about your first and often lasting challenge in life.

Most families and other groups don’t like uniqueness; they want you to “be like us.”  As little children, we don’t notice but we are surrounded by people’s opinions on what we should be like.  It is so commonplace that we don’t really notice it happening. Anthropologist, Edward Hall, in SILENT LANGUAGE, says:  “Culture hides more than it reveals, and
it hides most from the participants!”

I particularly found this when my family moved from a big city in USA to a very rural area in Canada.  It was my first taste of prejudice.  I now understand it can mean, a usually unfavourable, pre-judgement, even suspicion and intolerance, or irrational hatred.  I am sure the kids
in the school-yard of that rural one-room school would not think of themselves as prejudiced. They just didn’t like how I and my brother talked.

So, my book starts with a survey of often hidden challenges we face, in everyday society, and in many cultures in the world.  Then my next
focus is on our self-image with a possible expansion of this image to “get real,” as they say.

From this new Self-image, I consider challenges relating to life-long development and learning.  Finally, the book shows how the Self (with capital (S) could and does contain schedules for physical, mental, emotional, and ethical development, so that we can arrive at what Dr.
L. Kohlberg calls “the universal ethical principle” of adulthood.

Meeting all these challenges, becomes central to our sense of developing purpose and the fulfilment of that purpose in your life experience.  However, before the invention of the printing press, we relied on
story-telling, fairy-tales, myths, along with hand-written stories on
scriptures and philosophical writing.  For some time, in the past, this worked well but in the past century, we found some unfortunate influences, leading to beliefs in such things as critical analysis and what I call “trouble-shooting” or fault-finding, which interferes with our healthy meeting of Challenges.

Dr.Viktor Frankl discovered, in the WWII death camps that: “The Meaning of Life is derived from taking Responsibility for the Challenges set before us!” Here, we can understand it requires our willingness to
develop ability to respond (Response-Ability).  Also, “taking responsibility” means Acceptance of what is the fact of the matter, is required because “a problem well defined, is half solved!  Are you free
to play the piano?  Yes, if you have take up the ability to respond to the piano.  This book contains many ideas to help us all
to develop such Response-Ability.

This book is now available on the publisher’s website and amazon.com  Normally, at $25.95, the publisher, Balboa Press has priced in at $13.95 plus shipping, and $9.95 for the e-book.

I am sure that many will benefit from this book, especially in these current times. Also, I imagine you know someone who would treasure it as a gift!

Best wishes to all, Complementation