The Road Less Traveled, 25th Anniversary Edition : A New Psychology of Love, Traditional Values and Spiritual Growth
Author: M. Scott Peck
List Price: $14.00
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ISBN: 0743243153
Publisher: Touchstone Books (04 February, 2003)
Sales Rank: 1,662
Average Customer Rating: 4.28 out of 5
Customer Reviews
Rating: 5 out of 5
Before Peck Forgot His Own Advice
"The Road Less Travelled" is a book about non-conformity - being brave enough to admit that your life isn't going as well as you think it is, and finding your own path towards the truth, love, and perhaps even God. Most people with even the most modest amount of self-awareness go through a stage whereby they challenge their own/parents/friends/societies beliefs and start to look for answers. Few however, truly do change; instead they resign themselves to a mediocre existence of habitual worship (to God or to money) and habitual love. This book's message is clear: do not to give up so easily, keep on searching!At the time M. Scott Peck wrote the book, a main area of interest to him was Zen Buddhism, which fundamentally deals with the fact that our desires cause suffering (see "The Four Noble Truths of the Buddha"). As a consequence of this, the book is a mixture of his own brand of psychology and psychotherapy (think along the lines of C.G. Jung), Eastern philosophy with a dash of Christianity thrown in for good measure. Peck's questions and ideas are nothing new, however, he skilfully relates his own professional experiences with patients to exemplify the importance of self-understanding, so that we might break free from our suffering. As part of this, Peck obliges us to examine the fundamental questions of our existence - what is the real nature of love? Is there any order to the universe? What is the meaning of life itself? Peck never directly gives us the answers, but does ask the questions and offers up his own theories.
"The Road Less Travelled" is a good book for those searching for some truth in their life, and one that I think everyone should read at least once. After this however, Peck clearly forgot his own advice. He became a "Born Again", started up a foundation, and gave several lectures on psychology, life, and his love of Jesus (see "Further Along the Road Less Travelled"). I am not saying there's anything wrong with choosing a religion, though in my experience you develop a tunnel vision on things, which is clearly what happened of Peck. Still, "The Road Less Travelled" comes recommended to everyone, just realise that Peck doesn't have all the answers.
Rating: 5 out of 5
Profound and Inspiring
A combination of human psychology and spirituality, this book is truly profound! Dr. Peck has a unique ability to transcend the self-defense system that protects us from having to deal with the real issues behind our actions. He effectively demonstrates, using sound reasoning and examples, how we grow from our struggles, and why we cannot grow without them. One could easily view hardship as an exciting opportunity after reading this book. He also does a wonderful job of describing how love grows through the sacrifices that we make for other people. In the last section he goes beyond human logic and delves into the sub-conscious and the spiritual, yet it's easy to understand, even if one has no religious background. In fact, he argues that even atheism is a form of religion in the sense that it is a belief system that guides our behavior, and he does so very diplomatically. He makes references to religious writings, mostly Christian, but even if I were an atheist or believed in another faith, I don't think I would be offended by this. Quite to the contrary, atheist would get a good understanding of why some people believe in a higher existence. As a spiritual person who thinks it's normal for people to struggle with their imperfections, I grew a little tired of his references to psychotherapy and mental illness, but I would not categorize his philosophies as psycho-babble by any means. He does acknowledge the difference between emotional mental illness, and physical or neurological mental illness (I forget the professional terms), and his book is clearly not intended to undermine the reality of the latter. There were a few political plugs that I could do without, but it didn't bother me enough to be deterred from finishing the book, and I look forward to reading more of his work.
Rating: 5 out of 5
Learn about Love and then get ready for a Bomb!
Dr. Peck has a very easy writing style and a keen sense of his concepts. I really enjoyed this book, so much so, I was sad when I finished it - so I bought Further Along the Road... Anyway, Dr. Peck does have an interesting concept to tell you about after he establishes the concept of love. I wholeheartedly agree with his ideas, but some may be offended if they cannot accept it. Similar Products
FURTHER ALONG THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED : THE UNENDING JOURNEY TOWARD SPIRITUAL GROWTH
People of the Lie
The ROAD LESS TRAVELED AND BEYOND : SPIRITUAL GROWTH IN AN AGE OF ANXIETY
MEDITATIONS FROM THE ROAD
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