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Summary: Find Spiritual Recovery in Contemporary Religious Revival
Review: "Spirit Matters" because our current situation requires the development of a personal spiritual courage which will empower the transformation of daily life, rather than the spiritual fear which enables our addiction to materialism and religious distraction. Michael Lerner's voice is a testimony to this courage. Read this book and begin to become courageous in the same way.
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Summary: Great book, and I love the intention, but.....
Review: ....However, difficult it could be to change the world we are living in, to a better one, as the book suggests, it is not just a challenge, but a must try.
I have a feeling though that Michael is not trying to reach the general population but is aiming at the intellectual world. His writing, although very high level, seem to be quite challenging for people of a lesser education or younger age. If we already know that it'll take years to incorporate this new way of living, maybe we should also include a younger audience. Aren't the children of today, the leaders of tomorrow?
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Summary: Long winded indeed!
Review: As usual, M. Lerner has wonderful ideas. But he hits you over the head with them in "Spirit Matters". So, one, this reader, begins to wonder about the author's aim? Does he practise what he preaches or does he preach to hear himself preach? Does this spirituality on-the-page rise from authentic practise? Are these words full or empty? It's hard to know. I have read several of Mr. Lerner's other books, notably "Jewish Renewal". There, and here too, after overcoming the sea-sickness his prose style begets, I have to wonder: Is his focus on selflessless real? Does He find God in everyone he meets, as he suggests? Something about the tone of tenacity and endless loquacity in "Spirit Matters" has the quality of protesting too much. Lerner is exhaustive, yes, fine: but the writer is equally: Exhausting. Closing this book, I wondered: Does he walk the talk? Or does he just talk (and talk...)?I'd give this book 1 star except that the ideas, however wordily conveyed, are good ideas.
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Summary: Thank you for helping to clarify, I thought I was alone!
Review: Excellent, enlightening, and inspiring. Well done, reminding us that there are no "right answers", and we can have the courage to place our integrity and ideals as values to stretch for and live by, rather than passively buy into some of the insanity created by the collective fears and egos of the society around us. (And this can result in not only greater happiness, but more effective organizations - they go hand-in-hand). This is a great book for stimulating thought, and encouraging us by letting us know that some of the things we thought were "wrong" or "missing" in society and in organizations we participate in, are very real and very valid (rather than believing they are our own "hangups"). The beautiful human spirit and goodness which we share (the important things in life), is typically precisely the stuff we don't share and talk about. Reading this book a great way to get started, or to provide further inspiration. I'de recommended to anybody who is looking for a deeper meaning in life or work.
Rating:
Summary: Thank you for helping to clarify, I thought I was alone!
Review: Excellent, enlightening, and inspiring. Well done, reminding us that there are no "right answers", and we can have the courage to place our integrity and ideals as values to stretch for and live by, rather than passively buy into some of the insanity created by the collective fears and egos of the society around us. (And this can result in not only greater happiness, but more effective organizations - they go hand-in-hand). This is a great book for stimulating thought, and encouraging us by letting us know that some of the things we thought were "wrong" or "missing" in society and in organizations we participate in, are very real and very valid (rather than believing they are our own "hangups"). The beautiful human spirit and goodness which we share (the important things in life), is typically precisely the stuff we don't share and talk about. Reading this book a great way to get started, or to provide further inspiration. I'de recommended to anybody who is looking for a deeper meaning in life or work.
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Summary: Blaming Corporate America
Review: Lerner seeks to blame corporate greed for everything. He presents the failed liberal 60's ideas with a fresh veneer. The style is easy to read, and seductive. But reasoning is frequently fallacious -- and the "feel good" generation is again vindicated and absolved of blame as responsibility for all that is less-than-perfect is directed to Lerner's favorite enemies of the state : the "fat cats" and big corporations. Profit is seen as inherently evil, and Lerner advocates a radically new score-card system to give rise to a new set of economic and personal values.
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Summary: Spiritual Optimism Combined with Acute Social Criticism
Review: Lerner tackles conservatives who think religion should defend the status quo and liberals who think secular society has all we need. His basic argument is that 'spirit matters' -- people's need for meaning, connection, love, awe, mystery, rest and joy are essential to our happiness; and, when absent, are a source of profound personal and collective malaise. If you don't share Lerner's spiritual optismism, as I don't, you nevertheless will have to confront his insistent questioning about the sources of your pessimism, fear and despair. Not content to rest with generalities about spirit in society, Lerner applies his ideas to medicine, law, education and the environment. Get the book. Read it. Argue about it. It will challenge many of your assumptions about spirituality, politics and society.
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Summary: Emancipatory Spirituality
Review: Michael Lerner's 'Spirit Matters' is a comprehensive examination of the nihilistic dis-ease that assaults the many components of contemporary American life- with an extraordinary grasp upon the source of the sickness, as well as an infectiously hopeful prognosis for the future. Like Cornel West's "Race Matters", which devotes an entire chapter to the specific issue of 'Nihilism in Black America', Lerner's book identifies nihilism as a spiritual matter- but with profound psychological consequences imprisoned within opressive political and economic structures. Remove that which illicits wonder, awe, and praise from life, and see the whithering of care, joy and love that follows. Contemporary America is in horrible spiritual shape: a painfully dysfuctional assortment of belief systems lacking meaning and purpose beyond commodity exchange, which have disasterous effects upon personal lives, families, marriages, the workplace, economic structures, educational institutions, health practices, political systems and especially the ecosystems of the planet. Lerner's book is an attempt to bring people together to share their experiences with the pain and sickness of Nihilism, and to help one another to find where in their lives that Spirit matters. It is not so much about his own diagnosis and prescription for a cure, but about his setting the stage for a much larger conversation that can take place within a cultural framework that is all but paranoid of the Spirit. In many ways, Lerner's book is an approach to Religiophobia and an assault upon all forms of Fundamentalisms, be they Bible Thumpers or those who fanatically defend Scientism. He should be thanked for making it possible for persons from all walks of Secular life to "out" them selves as people who feel that Spirit matters; as well as providing an intellectually challenging and emotionally nurturing discussion concerning what matters about the Spirit.
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Summary: Spirit Matters
Review: Michael Lerner, described as "one of the most significant spiritual innovators of our times, calls for "Emancipatory Spirituality" in his latest book, Spirit Matters. Lerner, who holds degrees in philosophy and psychology, says emancipatory spirituality involves regaining our awe and wonder at the universe and reconnecting with Spirit.
He maintains that people are seeking spiritual meaning in their lives, but the world we live in today discourages openness about spiritual matters. People are torn by conflict between what they privately know is right, and the way they're forced to abandon that in their public lives, in order to be "successful." Thinking only in terms of the "bottom line" has led to destructive behavior, individually, socially, and environmentally.
Lerner describes a new kind of bottom line, where love and caring are the measure of success. Although spirituality can be incorporated into every aspect of a society, he goes into great detail with his vision of how medicine, education, and the law would function in a spiritually-based world.
The world we live in is determined by the choices we make. Most people feel that, given the opportunity to do so, they would make spiritually responsible choices, but they can't, because other people can't be trusted to do the same. Lerner says "the more we trust each other and the universe . . . the more we will make the world safe for Spirit. And the safer it feels, the more people will start to come out of their own closets and acknowledge their deep hunger for a spiritually grounded life."
Lerner doesn't just offer his vision of a more spiritual world--he includes some practical suggestions for what people can start doing right now to get involved and help heal their lives and transform their communities.
Regardless of their religious beliefs, Spirit Matters will help all readers achieve a deeper spiritual understanding that "can bring you both a deeper fulfillment in your life and, at the same time, a deeper connection to the central challenges facing our planet." Buy two copies--one for yourself, and one for sharing. It's essential reading for anyone wanting to transform unhappy, alienated, and destructive lives and societies into a new reality of spiritual joy and meaning.
Rating:
Summary: Spirit Matters
Review: Michael Lerner, described as "one of the most significant spiritual innovators of our times, calls for "Emancipatory Spirituality" in his latest book, Spirit Matters. Lerner, who holds degrees in philosophy and psychology, says emancipatory spirituality involves regaining our awe and wonder at the universe and reconnecting with Spirit.
He maintains that people are seeking spiritual meaning in their lives, but the world we live in today discourages openness about spiritual matters. People are torn by conflict between what they privately know is right, and the way they're forced to abandon that in their public lives, in order to be "successful." Thinking only in terms of the "bottom line" has led to destructive behavior, individually, socially, and environmentally.
Lerner describes a new kind of bottom line, where love and caring are the measure of success. Although spirituality can be incorporated into every aspect of a society, he goes into great detail with his vision of how medicine, education, and the law would function in a spiritually-based world.
The world we live in is determined by the choices we make. Most people feel that, given the opportunity to do so, they would make spiritually responsible choices, but they can't, because other people can't be trusted to do the same. Lerner says "the more we trust each other and the universe . . . the more we will make the world safe for Spirit. And the safer it feels, the more people will start to come out of their own closets and acknowledge their deep hunger for a spiritually grounded life."
Lerner doesn't just offer his vision of a more spiritual world--he includes some practical suggestions for what people can start doing right now to get involved and help heal their lives and transform their communities.
Regardless of their religious beliefs, Spirit Matters will help all readers achieve a deeper spiritual understanding that "can bring you both a deeper fulfillment in your life and, at the same time, a deeper connection to the central challenges facing our planet." Buy two copies--one for yourself, and one for sharing. It's essential reading for anyone wanting to transform unhappy, alienated, and destructive lives and societies into a new reality of spiritual joy and meaning.
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