Book Review - The Power Of Now By Eckhart Tolle

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The Power of Now is one of my absolute favorite books in my bookshelf. Eckhart Tolle takes us on a journey to explore ourselves, our focus in life and widens our understanding of present moment awareness. Find out why his second book 'The New Earth' has been on Oprah's book list and why this has brought this book into the bestseller's list and has found its way into millions of people's hearts.

Summary

Eckhart Tolle's book is a means to draw reader into a new consciousness of themselves and their reality, 'to give us a taste of enlightenment' as Eckhart himself puts it.

The book follows the format of questions and answers and Tolle encourages the reader to take a break from reading frequently to let the content settle and awareness to sink in.

The Power of Now was published in 1997, has reached the New York bestseller lists in 2000 and has sold over three million copies in English.

More in details

The book starts with Tolle describing his own journey of self-transformation that started when he was twenty-nine years old. His intense spiritual experience brought him into intense awareness of the present moment, the now.

He then goes into detail about the nature of the mind and the fact that virtually everyone hears a voice inside their head all the time, the involuntary and often repetitive thought-processes of the mind. For some people reading this book this might be the first time they become aware of the above-mentioned process occurring and for others it might be just a relief to know that they are not the only ones experiencing this voice!

Tolle explains how our minds are conditioned to think and focus on past and future, anything rather than being present in the here and now. He encourages and offers suggestions on how to become more aware of our experience in the moment, for example by simply listening to the inner voice, without judging. This 'witnessing' allows the observer to become aware of it simply being a voice and that we don't have to identify with it.

About the author

Eckhart Tolle was born in 1948 in Germany. He is a writer, public speaker and spiritual teacher and has written two bestsellers: The Power of Now and The New Earth. Nowadays, he lives in Vancouver in Canada.

Recommendation

This book is for you if you are searching for deeper answers about the self, if you want to engulf in spiritual teaching and reach a deeper understanding of the difference between thinking and awareness.

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Nathalie Himmelrich is the founder of 'Reach for the Sky Therapy' on Sydney's Northern Beaches and specialises in 'relationship related issues'. She is working with individuals and couples using techniques ranging from Counselling, Neuro Linguistic Programming to Journey Therapy. She supports clients in their personal growth in a supportive and professional environment.

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Book Review: Sophie's World by Jostein Gaarder

Truly amazing! Excellent piece of intellectual fiction! This is what I have been looking for!

Sophie's World is a beautifully written tale (within a tale) (within a tale) that will take you to an inspirational journey through the history of philosophy. The dyed in colors of mystery with a tint of fantasy, soaked in intriguing lines that will spark imagination and thinking and inspire you for the rest of your life; This book will teach you the art of philosophy in a simple story-like manner.

This is a story of a 14-year old Norwegian girl named Sophie who begins her correspondence course of philosophical lessons via a dog under the guidance of an unknown tutor named Alberto who takes her to a philosophical time-travel from Ancient Mythology to Hellenism to Christianity and Natural Philosophy, Middle Ages, Renaissance, Baroque and Romanticism, teaching her philosophical achievements of each period. The plot takes a mysterious twist when surreal characters are thrown in creating confusion and mystery in the novel. Add to this, the story takes a U-turn when a girl named Hilde receives a birthday gift from her father--a book written by him titled 'Sophie's World'... From here onwards the story switches to Hilde's perspective where Sophie Amundsen and Alberto Knox become a mere characters of a book that Hilde is reading... As the philosophy lessons progress so does the story which turns in to a story written within a story (within a story) and the reality and imagination overlaps so much that even the characters become suspicious of their own existence. Hilde believes in Sophie's existence in real world while Sophie becomes sure of her existence only as a character from a book and her presence in the mind of Hilde's father who is writing a book for her daughter.

The ending is enchanting and ("Yes, we too are star dust") philosophic... The book is filled with inspiring one-liners and thought-provoking dialogues that will rouse your imagination... With lots of twists and turns what keeps the novel moving is its continuous shift between reality and illusion captured in surreal fashion where Gaarder teaches history of philosophy in simple terms omitting too much detail and depth that he otherwise would have stolen the beauty of the story...

This Alice in Wonderland of philosophy is strongly recommended to all those who possess a philosophic mind, the eyes of a child and taste for intellectual readings. ("The path of Ultimate Truth lead inwards")

The author is a creative writer with interest in philosophy-knowing the whys and hows of life...

Black Swans and the Problem of Induction

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Nassim Nicholas Taleb is the author of the best-selling book The Black Swan. The book is concerned with randomness and uncertainty, and our chronic inability to accurately fathom and measure these phenomena. According to Taleb, a Black Swan event is one that is unpredictable yet has wide-spread ramifications. Not only are these events difficult to predict, but Taleb also argues that we human beings have certain psychological limitations and biases that prevent us from foreseeing these events, while also thinking that the events were perfectly predictable after they occur.

The name for Taleb's theory comes from history. Prior to 1697, a black swan had never been observed by anyone in Western civilization. Many people therefore believed that all swans were white. However, a black swan was finally observed in western Australia in 1697, and the fallacy that they didn't exist was proven wrong.

This idea illustrates the problem of induction, one of Taleb's primary arguments. Just because every swan observed in the west until 1697 was white does not allow you to conclude that every swan is white, or that other types of swans don't exist. However, this is a mistake that many people make.

Taleb also illustrates the problem of induction with the parable of the Thanksgiving turkey. Imagine that a turkey is born on a farm. Every day, it is fed regularly and has a shelter to sleep in. For 1,000 days, the turkey has a very happy and perfectly content existence. The turkey wakes up on the 1,001st day and expects more of the same. However, that day is Thanksgiving and the turkey finds himself on the chopping block. The turkey used inductive reasoning to conclude that because every day so far had been happy, the next day must be happy as well, and his conclusion was obviously false. Thanksgiving day is a Black Swan event for the turkey because he couldn't have predicted his fate, but it is a white swan event for the farmer. After all, he's the one doing the chopping.

As these examples illustrate, conclusions drawn from inductive reasoning are susceptible to falsification, where one instance can nullify a wide-ranging conclusion drawn from insufficient data.

The Black Swan by Nassim Taleb is one of the most influential books of our time. Find out about this amazing, thought-provoking book at http://www.black-swans-explained.com/.

A Philosophical Look at Human Existence

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If you are someone who likes philosophy, history, politics or geostrategy information then this book is for you. There is so much information packed in this book titled "Sustainable History and the Dignity of Man" by Nayef R. F. Al-Rodham it will be worth your time to read it. In addition to the information presented you will view diagrams and read case studies. This book is interesting to read for someone who is not experienced or knowledgeable about these fields. It provides you knowledge through three parts that cover the past, present and future of humanity. Of course, this is my layman interpretation.

The author takes you through history, back to the creation of the universe. Moving forward on how civilization works together and how they must continue to survive. You will read about the potential ethical choices of genetic engineering. In my opinion, who are we to decide what our population should be in the future. In the past, it was attempted through political power and fortunately stopped through human power. When the decisions are to be made and they are for medical reasons will we still find the power within ourselves to say "No" when we need to even from medical technology and science.

When I was reading this book, the message I received was as follows: we have been trying to find out who we are as people since the beginning and how are we to truly understand the world we live in unless we gain much more knowledge. Human beings have one thing that will always be a conflict when ruling our way forward, this is emotion versus reality. We seem to be emotional first and then allow reality to answer our questions or issues.

In the beginning of the book this statement stood out to me. "While mankind is predominantly motivated by emotional self-interest, what also makes us who we are includes the capacity for reason and conscious reflection." After reading the book and reviewing the diagrams and case study, I think the future for us is simple. We as human beings still need the following: to meet our basic needs daily, a need for a positive identity, to have and feel a sense of purpose, and knowledge. This is a book that provokes you to think.

Infinity and Definitely

Since the dawn of time history has been our story... A story with both fiction & non-fiction current events, and has written about the historical culture I admire so much...the Egyptians known for their unique ways for interacting with the world. There have been many other cultures before the Egyptians to do the same and I am thankful for their contributions as well but the Egyptians stand out to me the most... They realized the significance for keeping records for all life changing experiences... Those life experiences are the reason why we have writing, images, sounds, numbers, letters, and the list goes on.

Now I can write all day and night about reasons why Egyptian history is still remarkable. Nonetheless that is not the reason why I am writing and typing this to you... I want you to be aware of the philosophy that is the foundation to every success story you've ever heard... This philosophy can be translated / interpreted in a infinite number of ways. It is up to you the reader to decipher these words into your thinking process.

The greatest question and philosophy of all time in my opinion is "How will I be remembered?" Surely this is a question we all ask every single day of our lives... Rather than declaring boredom the Egyptians did something no other civilization could accomplish... They built a Pyramid not only for the Pharaoh but for the entire civilization as a whole. The Egyptians realized life & death was not just about being in a state of physical or non-physical existence. If it was written it would be done.

At the end of the day consider acknowledging your unique way for interacting with the world. "If you don't write it down it never happened Here is a quote that will guide you on your journey as a Scribe," this is the quote that has inspired me to write this essay. Your writing and observations, educates the reader... We are the earliest form of recognizable genius...

One day I was wondering how long I could keep my eyes closed before I could achieve a spiritual enlightenment... While meditating on a rainy afternoon I discovered my thinking process without using a mind map to tell me the direction I should travel to first... That following evening I composed a poem that express my emotional displacement and quest for knowledge in its absolute form. With that being said I choose to be a noble knight who will be known as a Scribe not an Author. I am a Scribe that will be recognized as the Pinewood Paladin of Miami, FL.

When a new day begins our unique way of life will be remembered by the world we live in... Both objective and subjective writing are vital outlets for expressing compassion for the reader. Now before I let you go here is a response I want you to use when you are ready. The next time someone asks you ""let them know that you were at the"where have you been, Epicenter of Infinite and Definite..." Not only will this phrase Simplify Uncertainty it will be the topic of discussion for years to come. The best forms of communication are the ones that never end.

Carmello C. Antoine is the only author who encourages his subscribers to become Scribes. If you've ever wondered how long could you keep your eyes closed then http://www.ellomology.com/ is the answer you have been waiting for. After reading just one of his articles or essays you will understand why he has built his foundation under http://www.ellomology.com/

A New Philosophical Approach to Human Nature - How It Really Functions and What Influences It

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In his book "Emotional Amoral Egoism: A Neurophilosophical Theory of Human Nature and its Universal Security Implications" the author Nayef R. E. Al-Rodhan eloquently lays out his new philosophical approach on how human nature works. The center of his approach sees the human nature as a predisposed tabula rasa, a clear difference to prior approaches, such as Rousseau, who envisioned human beings to be good by nature, or Hobbes, who saw human actions driven by instinct alone.

In contrast to these earlier philosophies, Al-Rodhan presents a more differentiated view on human nature. His view is a mix between human instinct and environmental factors that make up how we decide on what actions to take. Because of this mixed view, the background section that explores and exposes the foundations of his philosophy is more challenging, combining traditional philosophical statements with basic scientific discourse.

So what is the predisposed tabula rasa that Al-Rodhan speaks of? Using this term, it is quite simple to explain his view of how genetic predisposition and environment will interact to form our nature and guide our actions. Tabula rasa used to mean a clean slate, a mind or being open to outside influences as guidance. Al-Rodhan rejects this view of human nature, arguing that environment, while still having a place in our decision tree, has its influence limited by genetics. We are born with a genetic makeup that we can not alter, only modify. Genetic factors will influence to some degree how we act, will form our instincts and limit the influences of the environment.

To explain his philosophy, Al-Rodhan therefore explores in some depth both the traditional philosophical history, nicely presented in a background chapter to bring the reader up to speed, but also basic genetics. The reader will be given all the information needed to grasp the philosophy, but the book will challenge the reader to understand the philosophy, but also the science. As such it is a departure from traditional philosophy books.

To address the question whether we are good by nature or learn to be good through analysis, the author argues that humans can be either depending on the situation. He argues that we are driven by self-interest, limited by the genetic makeup, and that decisions tend to be primarily based on emotions rather than rational thinking.

If this is how the individual acts and makes decisions, what are the implications for our co-existence and can lessons for avoiding international conflict be derived from this analysis? The author dedicates the final part of his book to this question and presents a theory that stresses the importance of guaranteing basic human rights to everyone as a means of limiting the traditional causes for conflict. In his theory, basic human rights would include access to food and shelter for everyone, certainly a challenge in some regions of the world. I find that this part of the book may represent the most innovative part of the book. The theory that a better understanding of human nature may lead to a decrease in conflict implies that traditional means to seek peace and coexistence are bound to fail since they do not address the root-causes of conflicts. Certainly this book will yield enough room for discussion. In order to fully appreciate this book, especially the author's view on conflict and how to achieve peaceful co-existence, the reader must carefully read the initial chapters of the book to fully grasp the theory on human nature that the author proposes.

The Explosion of African-American Literature Onto the Web

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J.A Rogers wrote a book called, "The 100 Amazing Facts about the Negro," and it was far from being on the Best-Seller list. The young author's work was banned in some places. Some libraries refused to carry it, the content of the book was considered so overwhelming that the insightful piece of literature all but disappeared from sight. The fact it was written in 1934 is even more amazing. The book was created at a time when African-Americans' were 20 years away from the beginning of the historic Civil Rights Movement. His manuscript was one that described the contributions by African-Americans' to this country's success. It helped to open up the eyes of people who had the opportunity to read it, to the true travels of African-Americans'. The influence of the book is so incredible that it still can found on Amazon, 76 years later. With the help of the web, African-American history has been given the chance to really blossom.

The online movement of African-American Literature has just really begun to pick up speed. With sites, like Necole Bitchey, 21 Blackstreet, Bossip and other power-houses beginning to move full-speed ahead, the thoughts and spirit of another culture has moved ahead into another realm. I know J.A. Rogers, is in heaven basking in his glory. His literature secured his legacy and his thought influenced a nation. As young writers, all we can do is thank him and make sure we keep the torch burning. With the help of the web, all of our voices will be heard forever.

Defoncia Herndon is a Professional Writer and owner of Herndon Marketing. He can be reached at Defoncia@gmail.com for any questions or projects.