|
Generally when I sit down to write a book review I have the review mapped out in my head, and the review itself is a straight brain dump onto my keyboard. Not so in the case of Living Life. Actually this book could have been equally well titled ‘The Book Of Everything’. It is part philosophical look at the state of human kind, part self help book, and part glorious rant.
While hardly a quick read at a 500 pages I did find most of it immensely entertaining, but likely not for the reasons that Dr. Wysong was aiming at. I always enjoy a good rant about pretty much anything, One of my favorite pastimes when I was in school (too many years ago to even think about) was to engage teachers in debates, the subject did not matter, and I cared little about which side of the issue I took, I guess you could call me adaptable. There are always three versions of every story, there is mine, there is yours, and there is the truth, which lays somewhere in the middle.
Dr. Wysong has created a wonderful canvas for debate, much of what he writes about I am in agreement with, although he does have a somewhat unusual and provocative method of introducing his concepts.
On the subject of health, Dr. Wysong essentially paints a bleak picture, The entire industry has become a self fulfilling prophecy. Needless tests, needless ‘procedures’, and needless expense. Only go to the doctor if you are mortally ill, is the message we get. This is a sentiment that I share, I had a bout with the health care system in 2007, and hated every moment. I was subjected to CT scans, MRI’s, X-rays, heart monitors, mercilessly poked and prodded, all in the quest to prove that the $30 blood pressure machine had been correct, and I did in fact have high blood pressure. I am sure that the total bill was several thousands of dollars, luckily the only out of pocket expense I had to occur was the purchase of a bottle of baby aspirins ($1 at the dollar store).
The health system is badly broken, that is for sure.
Dr. Wysong correctly suggests that many of todays ailments are self inflicted, the food we eat, the environment we live in, pollution, life style, and other elements all act as catalysts to health problems.
One analogy brought up certainly got me thinking, most of the scientific community agree that the Earth is about 3.5 billion years old, if we were to convert that into a more meaningful number, lets say a highway that is 550 miles long. The distance traveled since the industrial revolution would equate to approximately one inch of this wonderful highway. That is a very sobering thought. In that one single inch we have managed to scar our planet and ourselves.
The Self Help aspect of Living Life, I found curious though not engaging. We live in a world of acronyms,there is a short cut for almost everything, I base that on over 30 years experience in the computer industry, when computer guys talk it is no longer English. Dr. Wysong would like us all to adopt just one more. SOLVER, this includes:
Take Self Responsibility
Open Our Minds
Thing Long-Term effects
Give Virtue Priority
Consider All The Evidence
Let Reason Lead
Sorry, but this is not the easy to remember and catchy phrase that it could be, and is very unlikely to win the acronym of the year award.
On the plus side, he does bring out many salient points, we all do possess the ability to change not just ourselves but the world we live in. If you think that there is nothing you can do to modify the world, you are wrong. There is much that an individual can do, as Dr. Wysong says “one step at a time”.
My favorite aspect though of the book are the rants, Health Care, Eating Habits, Business, Government Subsidies and Socialism, to name but a few. They all are exceptionally well executed. One of my favorites involves the Space Shuttle, more importantly the external fuel tanks used that are manufactured by the Thyokol company. Their diameter Dr. Wysong patiently explains has its roots in a horses ass.
I will end this review with my starting comments, I liked the book, but probably not for the reasons that the author intended. Living Life is a fun read. The book is also peppered with amusing cartoons, quotes, and less than reliable excerpts from Internet E-mails of urban myths purporting to tell important truths.
You can get your copy from Amazon,
Simon Barrett
I don’t suppose there is an adult reader out there who, at some point, hasn’t read a self-help book or a treatise on how to improve one’s life. It’s born of the survival instinct in all of us. I would venture, though, that one has not read such a book that is as all-encompassing or shockingly insightful as Living Life As If Thinking Matters by R. L. Wysong. Yes, I said shockingly.
As one who has pondered the seemingly lost art of critical thinking in today’s society, the propensity to follow along, enmeshed in the masses, R. L. Wysong’s work is an inspiration as well as a revelation. As an ardent believer in the authority of Nature as teacher and healer, it is a scripture. As a fellow author, Living Life is an example of the highest standard, the bar height, a writer should strive to achieve in their genre. And as an avid reader, it shows the conveying power possible in the well-written word. The book is a 500 page disclosure that reads like a page-turner novel. I would assure potential readers not to be daunted by its length; you’ll be wanting more.
In ninety-seven short, succinct, and eye-opening chapters, which are divided into fourteen life-touching Sections, and by employing the author’s art of study, thinking and reasoning, I was given a new and invaluable education. Basic scientific facts and societal truths concerning everything from health, family, pets, community, industry, philosophy, spirituality, and the environment were simply and clearly laid out. Those and more were explored. Thinking about the issues and making sensible decisions was encouraged. What a breath of literary fresh air! Not because there aren’t other good books on these types of subjects, including previous works by this author, but because I’ve never experienced such in-depth clarity and inclusion between two covers!
If you can purchase only one non-fiction book in 2009, Living Life as if Thinking Matters by R. L. Wysong is like purchasing a library. It is also a wise investment in your future and those around you. I would love to see it at the top of the NYT Best Seller list.
Susan Haley, Author
RAINY DAY PEOPLE
FIBERS IN THE WEB
Susan Haley is the published author of two books, several articles on networking, an award-winning poet, and the copy editor and book reviewer for Peppertree Press Publishing, and a reviewer for Author Marketing Experts. She is a columnist for “The Florida Writer” the official magazine of the Florida Writers Association, and serves as Facilitator for the Sarasota County Chapter. The audio version of her novel RAINY DAY PEOPLE was awarded runner-up Finalist in the 2008 Indie Excellence National Book Awards. She also contributes a variety of editorials and excerpts of her work to various E-zines, newsletters, and local papers, and is currently working on her second novel, The House is Burning. Susan can be contacted at www.sucarha.com or shaley1112@verizon.net.
• "Dr. Wysong dares to peer into society’s every corner and address even the most controversial of life's concerns. Never timid, but always honest. A reliable compass for living. Truly an opus!" –Colleen Stevens
• "Required reading for any person who would like to become an adult." –Fred Surnin
• "There wasn’t a single chapter that did not cause reflection, or an 'I'll be darned,' learning experience." –Al Sovereen
• "Everything you need to know, but didn’t know how to think about." -Carrie Williams
• "An astonishing array of mind candy leaving a reader reeling in thought and reflection." –Henry Dubois
• "The most unusual, helpful and hopeful book I have ever read." –Joe Samuelson
Everything you ever wanted to ask about life and get a reasonable answer to.
At about 35 years old, I thought my intellectual life was over. After reading this book I was dramatically affected! I'm going to use the word 'miracle' to describe what these two books have done for me. An enormous thanks.
Here is a veritable encyclopedia on living. If made mandatory reading for all citizens of Earth we would be living in a paradise, not atop a time bomb.
This is a book I know I should recommend to everyone. But, I am ashamed to admit, I sort of hope they don't read it because I like the feeling of being smarter than anyone who hasn't.
His insight on health, medicine, nutrition, and exercise answered in the most simple way, questions that have confused me since I started wondering. I feel as though I can actually take charge of my own health.
I was led into an adventure exploring all the things that I intuitively knew but didn't realize I did.
It will be impossible to pass through these pages and not walk away with some life altering-if not saving-realizations and ideas. If you would like to avoid some of life's bumps and bruises, this is your guidebook.
Everything that is wrong with the world and what can be done about it.
An immense undertaking that turned out to be wonderfully practical in application.
A barnstorming thunderclap of a book of ideas.
No belief is safe in these pages. What a great and liberating read.
These books could begin the most important revolution in history, the revolution of open thought.
He has kind of, so to speak, spouted off about all the things we all would like to rant about. But the honesty, openness, and freshness of thought he brings to the table deserves far more than a ho hum.
Arguably, unexamined beliefs are the root of all evil. Here is a book that dares to pit beliefs against thinking. Beliefs lose in every round.
These two books set out to prove that we are not entitled to freedom nor do we have a right to our opinion. We are only entitled to think right and act right. What an interesting idea!
Infatuation with the material world has hamstrung humanity for millennia. Today, after more than two hundred years of industrialization, we venture into a fantastic era of technology and information exchange that will tie us even more securely to an artificial world that has forgotten its roots. This book masterfully exposes materialism in all its guises for the fraud it is.
With understanding all things are possible, without it all bets are off. This is a book of understanding.
Be prepared for sacred cows to be exposed and sure givens to fall using your very own thinking process.
Mind altering, life changing, world improving
I think an indispensable hallmark of a good book is that sense of discovery in the reader. I don't care much for books that just echo what I already know or believe. This one meets that quality test.
This is a book presenting the interesting thesis that true hope for mankind resides within each of us individually. There is nothing to join and no doctrine to swear allegiance to other than faithfulness to our own capacity to open our minds and go at life as if thinking matters.
Writing with a divine spark, the author lasers through the confusion, smoke, and mirrors.
A book of suasion to use our own minds. Fantastically engaging and enjoyable.
Scales fell from my eyes and my mind felt the exuberance of being unlocked and free.
Its genius is not only in embracing and tying together all of life's important and vexing issues, but its argument that our problems would melt away if we would put open thought ahead of cherished beliefs.
I have thoroughly enjoyed it and feel richer for having read the book.
I am an honest person and I'm not trying to flatter. But this is truly an important work.
Being a student of Philosophy, for which I obtained a minor (major was in English), I find this book very, very interesting. I have not yet had a chance to enjoy Your book in it's entirety, but in what I did read I found great information and content written in such as way to appeal to both the deep thinker and average reader alike. Very well written---from the Internet (the position of the person is such that they must remain anonymous)
The greatest muscle of the human body, the mind, so often goes neglected. “Living Life: As If Thinking Matters” seeks to help readers start to use their mind and question everything. So often people just simply accept what is laid out in front of them, and accept opinions that are not their own. Pushing readers to do heavy duty thinking when it comes to every aspect of life and use their thinking to improve upon it for themselves and everybody else around them, “Living Life” is a solid acquisition for anyone who’s looking to stop living their life mindlessly. - James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief, Midwest Book Review
From time to time I pick up "Living Life" and at random reread a couple of chapters. It is always good, and thoughtful, and it is for sure that you put your heart (and mind) into it. I hope others learn from it as I have.--Dr. HB
|
|
