Cary Neeper's Blog: Reviewing World-changing Nonfiction - Posts Tagged "psychology"
The Hen House Takes On Mark Twain
Are Humans the Only Animal With A Passion For Revenge?
In my opinion, Mark Twain’s Third Horrendous Commendation of the Human Race as inferior to all other animals is Simply Wrong. Quotes cited below are from Mark Twain’s Letters From the Earth: Uncensored Writings, the letter entitled “The Damned Human Race, Section V. The Lowest Animal.”
In this ten-page article, Mark Twain (MT) lays out the evidence as he saw it at a terrible time in his life. Perhaps we should excuse him, but on this point I can’t agree. Personal experience with dolphins has told me that revenge is not unique to the human animal.
This is third in the Mark Twain blog series on my personal web site caryneeper.com dealing with Mark Twain's 13 reasons why humans are the lowliest of the animals.
That's why I recommended Frans DeWaal's "Uncovering Our Earliest Ancestor" as a good read for all my friends interested in Science, Non-fiction and Psychology.
In my opinion, Mark Twain’s Third Horrendous Commendation of the Human Race as inferior to all other animals is Simply Wrong. Quotes cited below are from Mark Twain’s Letters From the Earth: Uncensored Writings, the letter entitled “The Damned Human Race, Section V. The Lowest Animal.”
In this ten-page article, Mark Twain (MT) lays out the evidence as he saw it at a terrible time in his life. Perhaps we should excuse him, but on this point I can’t agree. Personal experience with dolphins has told me that revenge is not unique to the human animal.
This is third in the Mark Twain blog series on my personal web site caryneeper.com dealing with Mark Twain's 13 reasons why humans are the lowliest of the animals.
That's why I recommended Frans DeWaal's "Uncovering Our Earliest Ancestor" as a good read for all my friends interested in Science, Non-fiction and Psychology.
A New Book for Self-Actualization in the 21st Century
Resilient Ministry: What Pastors Told Us About Surviving and Thriving, Bob Burns, Tasha D. Chapman and Donald C. Guthrie, Illinois, Intervarsity Press, 2013.
This is a book for anyone interested in personal growth. Based on seven years of research and “...heartfelt discussions about the challenges of vocational ministry...,” this book's ”...summary and analysis of those discussions in light of ...literature research and experiences...” serves to inform all of us. By focusing on its quotations and stories, we can all learn something about how to live our lives and grow in resilience.
In the introduction, the authors give us an unusual tip: “...consider reading the final chapter first [to] consider some strategies for putting the book to work in your life.” I would add, “no matter what your personal, occupational, or cultural challenges are.”
To give you a sample of the useful ideas for reflection, here are a few quotes: “...the term cultural intelligence describes the ability ‘to function effectively across various cultural contexts.’” The authors expand the idea in a full chapter, suggesting that we live in a world of “...people who have radically different perspectives....” This requires that we communicate clearly and take into account differences without giving offense, while respecting and appreciating those differences. One pastor is quoted: “We say we want to be multicultural, but we don’t want to change. We want others to adapt to us...How do I ...develop a bigger, broader understanding?”
Two other ideas that struck me focus on the need to distinguish “...ourselves from our jobs...” and our allies from our confidants. I suspect that this book would offer something different for each of us. It provides rare insights from the field of ministry that have universal value, no matter who we think we are.
Resilient Ministry: What Pastors Told Us about Surviving and Thriving
This is a book for anyone interested in personal growth. Based on seven years of research and “...heartfelt discussions about the challenges of vocational ministry...,” this book's ”...summary and analysis of those discussions in light of ...literature research and experiences...” serves to inform all of us. By focusing on its quotations and stories, we can all learn something about how to live our lives and grow in resilience.
In the introduction, the authors give us an unusual tip: “...consider reading the final chapter first [to] consider some strategies for putting the book to work in your life.” I would add, “no matter what your personal, occupational, or cultural challenges are.”
To give you a sample of the useful ideas for reflection, here are a few quotes: “...the term cultural intelligence describes the ability ‘to function effectively across various cultural contexts.’” The authors expand the idea in a full chapter, suggesting that we live in a world of “...people who have radically different perspectives....” This requires that we communicate clearly and take into account differences without giving offense, while respecting and appreciating those differences. One pastor is quoted: “We say we want to be multicultural, but we don’t want to change. We want others to adapt to us...How do I ...develop a bigger, broader understanding?”
Two other ideas that struck me focus on the need to distinguish “...ourselves from our jobs...” and our allies from our confidants. I suspect that this book would offer something different for each of us. It provides rare insights from the field of ministry that have universal value, no matter who we think we are.
Resilient Ministry: What Pastors Told Us about Surviving and Thriving
Asking the Genre Question
An Alien’s Quest
The Archives of Varok series will be expanding soon, and the fourth book, Shawne: An Alien's Quest will make them even more difficult to shelve. I can't in good faith call them Science Fiction, because the aliens placed in our solar system (as much as I love these dear old friends) are tools to help me explore some realistic human problems. Here are the one-phrases that encapsulate the themes:
THE VIEW BEYOND EARTH--Self-actualization and personal growth
THE WEBS OF VAROK--
A picture of a steady state economy, its requirements and vulnerabilities.
THE ALIEN EFFECT--
Current human denial and challenges.
AN ALIEN'S QUEST--
Personal integrity and the meaning of existence.
THE UNHEARD SONG--
Dealing with communication problems and overpopulation stress (A history of the ellls encountering varoks for the first time.)
And here are the updated log lines and summary:
THE ARCHIVES OF VAROK
A series of five books set in a realistic mid-to-late 21st century,
in which Earth discovers sympathetic but challenging neighbors
who reflect a critical overview of human civilization.
What Is It All About? Book club and discussion topics:
Book 1- THE VIEW BEYOND EARTH—How would dispassionate Others view us?
Book 2-THE WEBS OF VAROK—What must we do to insure a satisfactory future?
Book 3-THE ALIEN EFFECT—Are we headed for extinction or can we evolve into something better?
Book 4-AN ALIEN'S QUEST—How can we find Meaning, when our lives are driven by unpredictable complexity?
Book 5-THE UNHEARD SONG (coming in 2017)—Inescapable certainties: to secure the future all populations must communicate and hold to steady numbers.
So is this Sociology? Psychology? Women's fiction? Literary fiction? (I don't think so.) YA or Adult? Action? Philosophy? Religion? What?
The Archives of Varok series will be expanding soon, and the fourth book, Shawne: An Alien's Quest will make them even more difficult to shelve. I can't in good faith call them Science Fiction, because the aliens placed in our solar system (as much as I love these dear old friends) are tools to help me explore some realistic human problems. Here are the one-phrases that encapsulate the themes:THE VIEW BEYOND EARTH--Self-actualization and personal growth
THE WEBS OF VAROK--
A picture of a steady state economy, its requirements and vulnerabilities.
THE ALIEN EFFECT--
Current human denial and challenges.
AN ALIEN'S QUEST--
Personal integrity and the meaning of existence.
THE UNHEARD SONG--
Dealing with communication problems and overpopulation stress (A history of the ellls encountering varoks for the first time.)
And here are the updated log lines and summary:
THE ARCHIVES OF VAROK
A series of five books set in a realistic mid-to-late 21st century,
in which Earth discovers sympathetic but challenging neighbors
who reflect a critical overview of human civilization.
What Is It All About? Book club and discussion topics:
Book 1- THE VIEW BEYOND EARTH—How would dispassionate Others view us?
Book 2-THE WEBS OF VAROK—What must we do to insure a satisfactory future?
Book 3-THE ALIEN EFFECT—Are we headed for extinction or can we evolve into something better?
Book 4-AN ALIEN'S QUEST—How can we find Meaning, when our lives are driven by unpredictable complexity?
Book 5-THE UNHEARD SONG (coming in 2017)—Inescapable certainties: to secure the future all populations must communicate and hold to steady numbers.
So is this Sociology? Psychology? Women's fiction? Literary fiction? (I don't think so.) YA or Adult? Action? Philosophy? Religion? What?
Reviewing World-changing Nonfiction
Expanding on the ideas portrayed in The Archives of Varok books for securing the future.
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