Rating: Summary: Simple Thinking Vs. Thinking Deeply Review: An irreverent look on the truth and reality that you may not "like" to hear but certainly pushes the limits of thinking more deeply... beyond the simple "easy" way seeing why we do the things we do. Challenging the reader to rise above tradition to New Schools of Thought.
Rating: Summary: It seems most of the reviewers missed most of Peck's points. Review: As one would expect from Scott Peck, I found this to be a very encouraging book. Peck continues to write on suffering, and it's being the key to growth. Most people avoid suffering for their whole lives, avoid growth, avoid looking at themselves. I do that too. This book encourage me to rethink aspects of my life, and consider ways I could pursue anew a path of suffering which leads to growth.I particularly enjoyed his treatisies on listening. I've read some of his thoughts on this before, but I needed to be reminded. About what it means to listen. About how to listen better. About how often I am thinking about what I am going to say next, and the impact I am having, and my interaction, rather than fully and completely engaging myself with the other, putting myself within the other, to bless the person I am communicating with. And so I've been trying to do that these last few days. And it's still hard work. Much of this book is written as the final hurrah of a life of contemplation. His stories of his time with his wife are particularly beneficial, as Peck shares about what he has learned from his wife, and what they have learned together, as they have pursued a path of active growth together. A downside though to this approach of putting in a lifetime of thoughts into a final book is that many times, it seems that Peck is simply referencing every book, quite overtly, that he's ever written. At times, it feels like he's trying to get the reader to buy more of his books. A better editor to discourage him from this approach would have been helpful. I left this book wanting to follow Peck's suggestions. To remember that life does not conform to myself, and release any expectation that it should. To release the expectation that I can do all things for myself. I appreciated Peck's corrective from The Road Less Traveled, where he gave great support for independence. Here, Peck reminds people of a higher road of interdependence- which means a lot harder work of giving up one's "right" to do things for oneself. It's all about a process of death- for we begin dying the moment we're born. And every giving up is a form of death.
Rating: Summary: A let's make some more money with this book Review: Having read "Further Along the Road Less Traveled", and its predecessor "The Road Less Traveled" I had great expectations for this book. I was gravely disappointed, however, to find that it was nothing more than an annotated bibliography (of sorts) of every book that Peck has written to date. It is, simply put, a long advertisement of the author's writing and practice accomplishments. I wouldn't suggest anyone flatter his ego any more by buying this book!
Rating: Summary: I wouldn't suggest this to anyone! Review: Having read "Further Along the Road Less Traveled", and its predecessor "The Road Less Traveled" I had great expectations for this book. I was gravely disappointed, however, to find that it was nothing more than an annotated bibliography (of sorts) of every book that Peck has written to date. It is, simply put, a long advertisement of the author's writing and practice accomplishments. I wouldn't suggest anyone flatter his ego any more by buying this book!
Rating: Summary: Fast Forward through some parts Review: I enjoyed this book! I am very interested in change- why some are willing to and some resist it. Peck's views on change were insightful. I totally agree with him concerning the issue of simplistic thinking, too. I have struggled with organized religion-couldn't take the confines of it and truly knew that I could think for myself and didn't need a doctrine of an organization to guide me- I can connect directly to God. His views on the Stages of Spiritual Growth helped me. Although I had read about this topic in other books-his "way of putting it" finally helped me sort it all out. I did find he refered to his other books too frequently and it was distracting. I finally just skimmed (fast forwarded) to the parts more interesting to me. I would reccommend this book to those further along the "road less traveled".
Rating: Summary: I can't understand Scott Peck's book, especially this one Review: I read it from cover to cover but I couldn't understand him. I tried hard to get something out of it but his style of writing and use of words is "away over my head." This is despite the fact that I have been reasonably educated in that I have an undergraduate degree plus an MBA degree. There is a lot of repetition in the book. I also read "The Road Less Travelled" but got a little more of this book. Let it be known that I read non-fictional books every morning. I read about 40 books per year.
Rating: Summary: Not a very practical book Review: If you like the book The Road Less Traveled, you could be disappointed by this one. This book is just a synopsis of a number of the author's views on various topics like life and organisation without having examined and discussed each topic in detail. However those who like to have a concise guide to some of the Peck's view might find this interesting.
Rating: Summary: A powerful book, challenging and confronting Review: Initially I found the book a little slow and less exiting than "The Road Less Travelled" and this disappointed me at first. However it gets better and more confronting. I struggled to keep up my reading pace due to the implications of what the writer touched on. Its not easy to be a 'conscious thinker' as Peck puts it and this brought home the difficulties that I have experienced in my own life. Every person has their own way to avoid being true to themselves. I think that "The Road Less Travelled" is a great book to read if you've just started on the journey to mental/spiritual health. "The Road Less Travelled and Beyond" is helpful for those who have taken up the challenge of personal growth for some time and are ready for more challenges.
Rating: Summary: A powerful book, challenging and confronting Review: Initially I found the book a little slow and less exiting than "The Road Less Travelled" and this disappointed me at first. However it gets better and more confronting. I struggled to keep up my reading pace due to the implications of what the writer touched on. Its not easy to be a 'conscious thinker' as Peck puts it and this brought home the difficulties that I have experienced in my own life. Every person has their own way to avoid being true to themselves. I think that "The Road Less Travelled" is a great book to read if you've just started on the journey to mental/spiritual health. "The Road Less Travelled and Beyond" is helpful for those who have taken up the challenge of personal growth for some time and are ready for more challenges.
Rating: Summary: It seems most of the reviewers missed most of Peck's points. Review: It seems most of the reviewers missed most of Peck's points. I've read all of Peck's books, mostly in chron order, as they were releasted. It took great courage to write this "synopsis of my entire career." The biggest danger, of course (missed by most, it seems), is that ppl. would then read only this as a quick "cheat sheet" to all of his works -- then fail to go for the depth in each of those. No doubt Peck would, however, affirm this as a "legitimate" shortcut -- as he discourses about in the orig. TRLT. THE POWER (w/out braggadocio -- which is likely why most readers seem to have missed this point) of Peck's continual self-referencing over HIS PAST 25 YEARS (TRLT just celebrated that anniversary as one of the most-read books this planet has ever seen; quite a feat in itself; tho, since that's only circa 10M books, it's not something our planet should be much proud of) is not: "Hey, read all the rest of my books." It's: "Hey, these TIMELESS TRUTHS I've been discussing for 25 YEARS are, indeed, STILL TRUE." Don't miss this fact. The work holds up. Let's see if Bill Gates' software does 25 yrs. from now. It's hugely courageous to come out AGAINST simplism, and FOR the intellect -- as it's so rare nowadays in our disgustingly 4-second-attention-span culture. It's not exactly what will endear you to life's perennial "H.S. Popularity Contest" -- that the immature masses spend their lives aspiring to. But it's what I'd expect of a master like Peck: throw yourself on the sword of "offending the sensibilities" of the masses, as long as it's really for their own good (and not just lying that it's so), and ignoring your "relative comfort" -- and be willing to suffer for it. (Even your "fans" might be "irritated" if they misunderstand and only think "you're trying to sell more books.") Again, more of Dr. Peck proving his own case by "walking his own talk" from the 25 yr. old TRLT. I used to recommend other of Dr. Peck's books -- but now ALWAYS recommend this FIRST. (Apart from the other reasons I've already made apparent -- in TRLTAB continually references EVIL, something of a missing flaw in the orig. TRLT. But, of course, greatly made up for in his then quickly writing POTL.) PRINCIPALLY B/C LIFE IS SHORT. AND THERE IS NO TIME, NOR SENSE, NOT TO SEND ALL "NEWCOMERS" TO THE TREASURE TROVE FIRST, then let them discover the depth at their leisure and own scheduling. "LIFE IS AN EMERGENCY." -- Helen Keller "THE ONLY GOOD IS KNOWLEDGE, AND THE ONLY EVIL IS IGNORANCE." -- Socrates "THE MAJORITY OF THE STUPID IS INVINCIBLE, AND GUARANTEED FOR ALL TIME." -- Albert Einstein TIMELESS TRUTH, ANYONE?
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