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How to be Free
How can we free ourselves from mental suffering? How can we unlock what the poet William Blake referred to as “the mind-forged manacles” - those unhelpful, unfounded and inflexible habits of thought which keep us from reaching our true creative potential?
This book provides practical advice on how to achieve this.
But it also offers an imaginative holistic theoretical framework for an understanding of the nature of the universe, the psychological history of the human race and the meaning of life.
This book provides practical advice on how to achieve this.
But it also offers an imaginative holistic theoretical framework for an understanding of the nature of the universe, the psychological history of the human race and the meaning of life.
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First published September 13, 2011
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September 10, 2024
همش بینش خوابیدم و نفهمیدم چندبار برگشتم از یجایی که یادم بود شنیدم و هی...
برای خوابیدن خوبه و انگیسی اینا
برای خوابیدن خوبه و انگیسی اینا
February 18, 2015
I had a glorious time with this book. As a sceptic and scientific rationalist, I find it hard to connect with self help books on the whole, dealing as they tend to do with vague notions of spirit, aura, and so on. I am suspicious of anyone who portends to have it "all figured out," or belief systems that have sophisticated systems of circular reasoning in place to silence criticism.
This book provides a working model for understanding the human condition that, while engaging in hypothesis and free thought, never truly deviates from rationality. There are many moments where the author fills the gaps in their knowledge with imagination, but at every point the author is humble to this and never presents their views as fact.
It seems the author has attempted to formalise their own methodology for living a "spiritually enlightened" contemporary life by identifying the constraints of our patriarchal capitalistic social structures, acknowledging/shedding our ego armour and engaging in radical self acceptance, and I am grateful that they were successful.
Time will tell if the science matches this author's prehistoric contemplation on the origins of our collective neurosis, but in the meantime there is plenty here to recommend to anyone looking for some soul food without the snake oil. A+
This book provides a working model for understanding the human condition that, while engaging in hypothesis and free thought, never truly deviates from rationality. There are many moments where the author fills the gaps in their knowledge with imagination, but at every point the author is humble to this and never presents their views as fact.
It seems the author has attempted to formalise their own methodology for living a "spiritually enlightened" contemporary life by identifying the constraints of our patriarchal capitalistic social structures, acknowledging/shedding our ego armour and engaging in radical self acceptance, and I am grateful that they were successful.
Time will tell if the science matches this author's prehistoric contemplation on the origins of our collective neurosis, but in the meantime there is plenty here to recommend to anyone looking for some soul food without the snake oil. A+
April 9, 2013
I agreed with some of the points in this books, and not with others. I'm not going to go into detail with which is what.
Suffice to say, that I enjoyed Jow Blows personal accounts more than his generalizations on how the world works.
He says himself he 'borrowed' some of these ideas, which is fair enough, but a closer relation of his sources would have been great or a clearer distinction between when he is 'borrowing', when he is diverging but has been inspired, and when he is just freely philosophising.
I need a closer look behind the scenes as to what grounds these ideas, claims and notions are being put forward.
If we are talking about mental illness for example, i'd like to know if it is a client, a psychiatrist, a family member, a politician, or a researcher that is talking? Not because I believe that either one knows or owns the Truth about it, but because they will each be speaking from a different perspective, have different agendas, different experiences that colour their view, whcih can all be interesting and very valid, but I, as a reader, would like to know from which point they are speaking, to appreciate the account better and not feeling lost of misled.
Failing to provide me with a clear point of view, led to me wondering and questioning wether Jow Blows claims/points/hypotheses had roots in some form of research or if it was just hypotheses with no ground being thrown out and about? And that ultimately distracted me from the contents.
For ex. From where does he have this whole theory about how premodern society's changing from one founded on love to one founded on separation and aggression, with mans fall from grace and women's rescue mission? I'm not saying it couldn't have happened that way, I'm just saying I'd like to know more about how this theory was formed, on what grounds etc.
Joes personal accounts and viewpoints, when clearly stated as such, was much more interesting to me, because I found them to be more honest and more authentic, not having to wonder about the source or the viewpoint of the speaker. That doesn't mean I necessarily agreed with everything he said, but I could easily move past that and respect it as his views/experiences, not something claiming scientific authority, perhaps unjustified.
If Joe Blow decides to edit this or make another contribution, I would suggest he focuses on being more clear about where his messages are coming from, what they've been inspired by, and maybe focuses more on the personal accounts, viewpoints and arguments and less on seeming to try to form a consistent validated theory.
Suffice to say, that I enjoyed Jow Blows personal accounts more than his generalizations on how the world works.
He says himself he 'borrowed' some of these ideas, which is fair enough, but a closer relation of his sources would have been great or a clearer distinction between when he is 'borrowing', when he is diverging but has been inspired, and when he is just freely philosophising.
I need a closer look behind the scenes as to what grounds these ideas, claims and notions are being put forward.
If we are talking about mental illness for example, i'd like to know if it is a client, a psychiatrist, a family member, a politician, or a researcher that is talking? Not because I believe that either one knows or owns the Truth about it, but because they will each be speaking from a different perspective, have different agendas, different experiences that colour their view, whcih can all be interesting and very valid, but I, as a reader, would like to know from which point they are speaking, to appreciate the account better and not feeling lost of misled.
Failing to provide me with a clear point of view, led to me wondering and questioning wether Jow Blows claims/points/hypotheses had roots in some form of research or if it was just hypotheses with no ground being thrown out and about? And that ultimately distracted me from the contents.
For ex. From where does he have this whole theory about how premodern society's changing from one founded on love to one founded on separation and aggression, with mans fall from grace and women's rescue mission? I'm not saying it couldn't have happened that way, I'm just saying I'd like to know more about how this theory was formed, on what grounds etc.
Joes personal accounts and viewpoints, when clearly stated as such, was much more interesting to me, because I found them to be more honest and more authentic, not having to wonder about the source or the viewpoint of the speaker. That doesn't mean I necessarily agreed with everything he said, but I could easily move past that and respect it as his views/experiences, not something claiming scientific authority, perhaps unjustified.
If Joe Blow decides to edit this or make another contribution, I would suggest he focuses on being more clear about where his messages are coming from, what they've been inspired by, and maybe focuses more on the personal accounts, viewpoints and arguments and less on seeming to try to form a consistent validated theory.
April 9, 2012
After having read this I do not feel free. I expected this book to be like How to Win Friends & Influence People, sadly it wasn't. All I feel now is disturbed. I don't know what the author was attempting to achieve by having this published.
April 14, 2025
I don’t know why I though a man named Joe Blow would offer wisdom about humanity but this was a waste of time
Read
December 27, 2011"If anything were ever perfect it would be sterile. It would be a dead end.
"Everything wonderful in the whole universe has grown out of imperfection. That is how the creative principle of the universe works. The universe is a system - a network of energy, some of which behaves in a particular kind of orderly way that we refer to as matter. This matter exists in a web of action and interaction with other matter and forms of energy. And some of that matter is alive and operating under its own internal direction as a subsystem of the whole. And the most complex form of that living matter is ourselves as we look out into the universe and try to understand it.
"But how did we come about? Through a serious of mutations, i.e. imperfections. Perfection is a steady-state. But the creative principle operates through variation. An animal, for instance, is born which is not quite right, a mutation of some kind. If that variation, that imperfection, proves beneficial then something new and wonderful comes into existence, a new branch on the tree of life. And all of those imperfections led to us.
"And yet we somehow became intolerant of our mistakes and imperfections instead of seeing them as an intrinsic part of the creative process of the universe." pg. 7
"Everything wonderful in the whole universe has grown out of imperfection. That is how the creative principle of the universe works. The universe is a system - a network of energy, some of which behaves in a particular kind of orderly way that we refer to as matter. This matter exists in a web of action and interaction with other matter and forms of energy. And some of that matter is alive and operating under its own internal direction as a subsystem of the whole. And the most complex form of that living matter is ourselves as we look out into the universe and try to understand it.
"But how did we come about? Through a serious of mutations, i.e. imperfections. Perfection is a steady-state. But the creative principle operates through variation. An animal, for instance, is born which is not quite right, a mutation of some kind. If that variation, that imperfection, proves beneficial then something new and wonderful comes into existence, a new branch on the tree of life. And all of those imperfections led to us.
"And yet we somehow became intolerant of our mistakes and imperfections instead of seeing them as an intrinsic part of the creative process of the universe." pg. 7
March 21, 2020
I don't think the author of this little piece is truly "free" (or "un-armoured"). The feeling I got from this was sadness and resignation. And that he is weirdly fixated on thoughts of hurting babies and explaining why these thoughts are OK. The only good and really positive thing about this book was that it was really short.
August 17, 2020
Disclamer : The author mentions he is not a professional in this field.
Okay, I'm going to list some good and bad points I noted while I was reading afterwords I will share my final thoughts.
Good points he makes :
- god is your inner child, it will always love you even after your sins
- to not see urself as a victim but as a survivor
- your thoughts are only thoughts it's okay to think them, it's your actions that make u a good or a bad person
Bad points he makes (in my opinion) :
- wanting to look like feminist, "man are always hard to love"
- bisexual is what everyones actual sexuality is
- focusses really hard on society millions of years ago, /I don't think any of that is important to the society we live in now/
- talks a lot about sex and masturbation, being meaningless and not a special thing, just a way to de-stress or relax
- how its okay for a little child to start exploring sexual acts
- talk about how when his mental illness was over he looks back at it as a good time/ he looks at him trying to kill himself in the past as a good thing
My opinions :
I think this book is written by someone who wanted to share his believes and didn't actually know what he was talking about and how to help others. I think a lot of the things he stated where outdated and wrong, especially in the society we live in right now. I did not like his opinions on most stuff, but he did make some statements I haven't thought about myself with which I agree completely. I also think he looks down on religious people and I do not support that ( I am not religious myself tho).
Okay, I'm going to list some good and bad points I noted while I was reading afterwords I will share my final thoughts.
Good points he makes :
- god is your inner child, it will always love you even after your sins
- to not see urself as a victim but as a survivor
- your thoughts are only thoughts it's okay to think them, it's your actions that make u a good or a bad person
Bad points he makes (in my opinion) :
- wanting to look like feminist, "man are always hard to love"
- bisexual is what everyones actual sexuality is
- focusses really hard on society millions of years ago, /I don't think any of that is important to the society we live in now/
- talks a lot about sex and masturbation, being meaningless and not a special thing, just a way to de-stress or relax
- how its okay for a little child to start exploring sexual acts
- talk about how when his mental illness was over he looks back at it as a good time/ he looks at him trying to kill himself in the past as a good thing
My opinions :
I think this book is written by someone who wanted to share his believes and didn't actually know what he was talking about and how to help others. I think a lot of the things he stated where outdated and wrong, especially in the society we live in right now. I did not like his opinions on most stuff, but he did make some statements I haven't thought about myself with which I agree completely. I also think he looks down on religious people and I do not support that ( I am not religious myself tho).
September 9, 2017
I think the books which exist in and of themselves as objective truth are the best and the most liberating. This is one of the few I know of.
November 28, 2023
This book is a good example of what cs lewis called ‘bulverism.’ Where instead of justifying his extreme positions of radical self acceptance and the source of evil being neuroticism and ‘armouring,’ he continues to expound his theory as if it makes it more true.
If these lessons are a guide to become free, that would not be a freedom worth desiring as there is only reference to acceptance and the evils of caring too much rather than a lesson in responsibility.
Rather than take control of your life we are being asked to relinquish it and call that freedom.
I support the intentions of this book in general but the philosophy and lessons were confused in my opinion. For someone with these views, it would be worth stepping back and evaluating the fundamentals of what the world consists in as well as what values should be paramount.
If these lessons are a guide to become free, that would not be a freedom worth desiring as there is only reference to acceptance and the evils of caring too much rather than a lesson in responsibility.
Rather than take control of your life we are being asked to relinquish it and call that freedom.
I support the intentions of this book in general but the philosophy and lessons were confused in my opinion. For someone with these views, it would be worth stepping back and evaluating the fundamentals of what the world consists in as well as what values should be paramount.
January 14, 2025
The beginning of this book was quite promising. I can appreciate the intellectual thoughts that had gone behind the rationale of this book, but it’s over simplified and generalised. The author is clearly mentally ill and his perception of the world and how it came to be is very much evident of that. This book does not understand the full extent of religious thoughts and Ideologies, and is quick to dismiss them or rather, exploring them within the narrow perspective of the authors understanding. This book can be dangerous if you take what this author says word-for-word, and I do not support his ideas in the slightest.
January 12, 2024
Reading this book feels like reading the journal someone going through a induced manic episode wrote; and I think there is beauty in that.
No it’s not quite a ‘self help book’, but more of a free reigned advice, auto biography, and philosophical exploration. I believe if you look at it through the lens of “how to be free: a self help book” you lose the ability to see what this book actually has to offer.
Joe Blow is a man who has lived a life full of mental turmoil, and through his philosophy on life, has managed to cope and overcome potentially debilitating mental illnesses. He recounts thought patterns that allude to having OCD, but also explains the thought patterns he had to adapt instead in order to not let it control his life.
Mr.Blow also had a troubled relationship with his own sexuality, coming to the conclusion as a young boy that it dirty to explore his own. This carried on into adulthood, until he began to believe sex was so very natural that it is primarily for stress relief and part of the joys of life. This might feel like a bit of an over correction, but going from sexually repressed to very open is not a small feat. It also led him to have interesting ideas about what made people sexually repressed and how to avoid these scenarios.
I thoroughly enjoyed his own hypothetical ideas about conditions of human nature. There was a chapter about improv actors, and the fact that when they weren’t explicitly allowed to explore these dark parts of their mind, it came out as violent or demented scenes. But when they were explicitly allowed, these sorts of tendencies seized.
The conversations about god and religion were some of the most interesting. He discusses ideas of your inner child being god, about how that inner child is capable of unconditional love. Alluding to the idea that you must let your inner child love you and you must love your inner child back in order to gain another level of freedom as a person. I can also appreciate his observations about the hypocrisy of labeled religion making it difficult to examine your own ideas and beliefs.
If you’re looking for a masterpiece of a well researched analysis of humanity, or a step by step guide on how to ‘free yourself’ from some sort of societal chains, this isn’t the book you’re looking for. It might not even be revolutionarily different. Its value lies in the fact that they are wild ideas and claims, uninhibited by the shackles of right or wrong. That you might have had similar thoughts but never verbalised it or put pen to paper. It gives you insight in the mind of a man, who might not be like you, or who might be exactly like you, whether you accept it or not.
I will definitely have to reread this book to truly absorb what it has to say, I consumed it in scattered parts but I do think it provides food for thought if you’ll let it.
No it’s not quite a ‘self help book’, but more of a free reigned advice, auto biography, and philosophical exploration. I believe if you look at it through the lens of “how to be free: a self help book” you lose the ability to see what this book actually has to offer.
Joe Blow is a man who has lived a life full of mental turmoil, and through his philosophy on life, has managed to cope and overcome potentially debilitating mental illnesses. He recounts thought patterns that allude to having OCD, but also explains the thought patterns he had to adapt instead in order to not let it control his life.
Mr.Blow also had a troubled relationship with his own sexuality, coming to the conclusion as a young boy that it dirty to explore his own. This carried on into adulthood, until he began to believe sex was so very natural that it is primarily for stress relief and part of the joys of life. This might feel like a bit of an over correction, but going from sexually repressed to very open is not a small feat. It also led him to have interesting ideas about what made people sexually repressed and how to avoid these scenarios.
I thoroughly enjoyed his own hypothetical ideas about conditions of human nature. There was a chapter about improv actors, and the fact that when they weren’t explicitly allowed to explore these dark parts of their mind, it came out as violent or demented scenes. But when they were explicitly allowed, these sorts of tendencies seized.
The conversations about god and religion were some of the most interesting. He discusses ideas of your inner child being god, about how that inner child is capable of unconditional love. Alluding to the idea that you must let your inner child love you and you must love your inner child back in order to gain another level of freedom as a person. I can also appreciate his observations about the hypocrisy of labeled religion making it difficult to examine your own ideas and beliefs.
If you’re looking for a masterpiece of a well researched analysis of humanity, or a step by step guide on how to ‘free yourself’ from some sort of societal chains, this isn’t the book you’re looking for. It might not even be revolutionarily different. Its value lies in the fact that they are wild ideas and claims, uninhibited by the shackles of right or wrong. That you might have had similar thoughts but never verbalised it or put pen to paper. It gives you insight in the mind of a man, who might not be like you, or who might be exactly like you, whether you accept it or not.
I will definitely have to reread this book to truly absorb what it has to say, I consumed it in scattered parts but I do think it provides food for thought if you’ll let it.
July 24, 2017
Surprisingly I liked this book. I forgot that I had started reading it a year ago and only just finished it now, for the most part I enjoyed it. Particularly reading about his own experiences and loved the line towards the end " Violence is the language of the inarticulate" especially true in today's global climate.
September 7, 2017
Pretty good book, I liked it a lot.
July 31, 2017
Very interesting reading, opened my eyes for a lot of things! Definitely recommend it!
April 18, 2024
It is also very important to distinguish between the soul and the conscience. The soul has no morality. A serial killer is an expression of the soul just as much as a saint. The creative process of the universe is an improvisation. There are inherent potentials which manifest themselves, but there is no overreaching intelligence to guide the process. Some paths lead on to bigger and healthier subsystems, and others are dead ends. We can see this in evolution. Some sea creature walked onto land and it was a success. The full potential of life on land was unleashed. But the dinosaurs proved to be a dead end.
How to Be Free sells itself as an explanation of how to separate yourself from the shackles that prevent you from reaching your true potential. What it actually turned out to be is some kind of stream-of-consciousness babble that pulses in and out of rationality in a way not too different from a person on psychedelics finding the answer to the universe, life, and everything.
Some of the passages left me scratching my head, so I went back and read them again - only to be left with the same head scratching. After enough pages of this mental squeezing, I just had to accept that it would not make sense and forge on. The above quote is a good example of this.
All this is to say that I don't feel any more free - just more confused.
How to Be Free sells itself as an explanation of how to separate yourself from the shackles that prevent you from reaching your true potential. What it actually turned out to be is some kind of stream-of-consciousness babble that pulses in and out of rationality in a way not too different from a person on psychedelics finding the answer to the universe, life, and everything.
Some of the passages left me scratching my head, so I went back and read them again - only to be left with the same head scratching. After enough pages of this mental squeezing, I just had to accept that it would not make sense and forge on. The above quote is a good example of this.
All this is to say that I don't feel any more free - just more confused.
April 17, 2022
Updated Review (April 2022) - - - -
Now that I’m a little older and a little more nuanced about religion in general, I gave this book another try. I actually found that I agreed with many if not most concepts presented in this book. My only complaints are: 1) Too many ideas shared without some sort of source or study to back it up. 2) Examples were more anecdotal, not deep in case studies (related to 1). And 3) the flow was a bit disjointed. Otherwise, I think for a light read that covers many interesting concepts it may be worth it for challenging your traditional ways of thinking. In fairness, I have raised my rating of this book from 1 star to 2 stars.
Previous Review (2016) - - - -
I found many of the ideas in this book to be unique at best. I believe I have an open mind, and so exploring new concepts and new ideas is interesting to me and does not bother me in the least. But I did not find these ideas to be particularly helpful nor insightful. In fact, the only real positive thing I have to say after reading this book is that it was a short and easy read, free of charge (and I got pretty much what I paid for).
The author asserts that in order to be free (or in my words, open-minded) one must right away dismiss the concept of God and faith as neurotic. To me, this supposition is far from open-minded. Atheism is still a religion. And to claim that as the only true path to freedom is as dogmatic as any other religious claim.
Many of the insights put forth in this book were also very unhelpful. Here is just one example from the author: “If you throw a ball at a corpse, you’ll hit it quite easily as long as your aim is good.” I did not make that up. There are better books out there, and I have better things to do with my time.
Excerpt From: Blow, Joe. “How to Be Free.”
Now that I’m a little older and a little more nuanced about religion in general, I gave this book another try. I actually found that I agreed with many if not most concepts presented in this book. My only complaints are: 1) Too many ideas shared without some sort of source or study to back it up. 2) Examples were more anecdotal, not deep in case studies (related to 1). And 3) the flow was a bit disjointed. Otherwise, I think for a light read that covers many interesting concepts it may be worth it for challenging your traditional ways of thinking. In fairness, I have raised my rating of this book from 1 star to 2 stars.
Previous Review (2016) - - - -
I found many of the ideas in this book to be unique at best. I believe I have an open mind, and so exploring new concepts and new ideas is interesting to me and does not bother me in the least. But I did not find these ideas to be particularly helpful nor insightful. In fact, the only real positive thing I have to say after reading this book is that it was a short and easy read, free of charge (and I got pretty much what I paid for).
The author asserts that in order to be free (or in my words, open-minded) one must right away dismiss the concept of God and faith as neurotic. To me, this supposition is far from open-minded. Atheism is still a religion. And to claim that as the only true path to freedom is as dogmatic as any other religious claim.
Many of the insights put forth in this book were also very unhelpful. Here is just one example from the author: “If you throw a ball at a corpse, you’ll hit it quite easily as long as your aim is good.” I did not make that up. There are better books out there, and I have better things to do with my time.
Excerpt From: Blow, Joe. “How to Be Free.”
May 19, 2013
Life Is a Non-Stop Party When We Remove Our Suits of Armour!
This review is from: How to Be Free (Paperback)
I loved Joe Blow's book and plan to keep it nearby as a reference. This is my favorite line.
"Life is a non-stop party when we remove our suits of armor."
The author paints a vivid picture by asking us to imagine Mediaeval Knights in full body armor trying to play football. Imagine, he says, how it keeps the body stiff and unresponsive, and how it keeps the free flow of ideas and emotion from a mind that is likewise armored.
His analogy became even more clear, when he asks us to consider being at a party where we have a few drinks and begin removing our clothes--our suits of armor--our inhibitions. Most of us can relate to how relaxed and free we'd feel, regardless of whatever was going on.
The idea here is not to take up drinking or drugs, but to learn how to achieve this feeling naturally so we can at last be free.
Joe Blow says, "When we are armored, our ability to work together on problem-solving is limited. In our insecure state we are prone to find ourselves in conflict with others and the process can be frustrating. But in the non-armoured state, not only are we able to co-operate in problem-solving, it becomes the most enjoyable activity imaginable. What we really want is to be in a state of loving communion with others."
The book does a good job of explaining how we can keep off the merry-go-round that cuts us off from our capacity for unconditional love--how our inner child is as capable of loving ourselves as much as anyone. I took this to mean that when we accept others and ourselves without demands, it makes us all equal and truly free to live a fulfilling and happy life.
This review is from: How to Be Free (Paperback)
I loved Joe Blow's book and plan to keep it nearby as a reference. This is my favorite line.
"Life is a non-stop party when we remove our suits of armor."
The author paints a vivid picture by asking us to imagine Mediaeval Knights in full body armor trying to play football. Imagine, he says, how it keeps the body stiff and unresponsive, and how it keeps the free flow of ideas and emotion from a mind that is likewise armored.
His analogy became even more clear, when he asks us to consider being at a party where we have a few drinks and begin removing our clothes--our suits of armor--our inhibitions. Most of us can relate to how relaxed and free we'd feel, regardless of whatever was going on.
The idea here is not to take up drinking or drugs, but to learn how to achieve this feeling naturally so we can at last be free.
Joe Blow says, "When we are armored, our ability to work together on problem-solving is limited. In our insecure state we are prone to find ourselves in conflict with others and the process can be frustrating. But in the non-armoured state, not only are we able to co-operate in problem-solving, it becomes the most enjoyable activity imaginable. What we really want is to be in a state of loving communion with others."
The book does a good job of explaining how we can keep off the merry-go-round that cuts us off from our capacity for unconditional love--how our inner child is as capable of loving ourselves as much as anyone. I took this to mean that when we accept others and ourselves without demands, it makes us all equal and truly free to live a fulfilling and happy life.
December 16, 2020
So. I believe what happened here was that the author took a tab or two and decided to publish years of diary entries without first checking to see what he wrote??? This book had. Many problems. It was very stressful. I felt stressed that I disliked it so much yet couldn’t stop reading. It was.. organized .. by chapters in the most disorganized way. Just.. thoughts. Floating and flip flopping around. MANY contradictions. Super weird language???? Ideas that might have been better left completely unsaid? Why did we end up talking about MILFs? (I can’t believe I’ve just written that out for the first time in my life...) and the sexuality talk AT FIRST I thought would be interesting, then it was .......... I DON’T EVEN KNOW HOW TO WRITE A REVIEW FOR THIS BOOK. I swear this author just made up random things and called them facts. I got horrifying flashbacks to an Osho book on love and sex that boiled my blood. And. Finally. No. I don’t think having thoughts of killing babies for attention is “typical.” I will stop now. I want my two hours and general sense of positivity back. (Super short book.)
December 14, 2012
I enjoyed this book of practical advice on how to free your mind of misery and grief so you can enjoy the life before yourself. Most of the ideas are common sense, but most of us neglect to follow the ideas just the same. I began reading "change your thinking" books years ago and have found them very helpful in my own life.
Many people were raised to think negative thoughts and therefore have a very negative life. Being made aware of how important our own thoughts and attitudes are in shaping our own lives is a very important step in becoming a more happy, pleasant, and content person.
The book was free on the iBooks store and I figured it was definitely worth the read and worth providing a positive review for!
Many people were raised to think negative thoughts and therefore have a very negative life. Being made aware of how important our own thoughts and attitudes are in shaping our own lives is a very important step in becoming a more happy, pleasant, and content person.
The book was free on the iBooks store and I figured it was definitely worth the read and worth providing a positive review for!
March 19, 2015
In this book, the author is telling us his story.He was diagnosed as being bipolar, having experienced several psychotic Breakdowns, is telling us how he could overpass his depression by accepting what he was and letting his mind be totally free and get out of mental suffering.
This book was very inspiring for me, The author did according to me a great Job and I learned that the beginning of any liberty is in mind, that to feel free physically, you have to feel free in your mind first. I recommend it to anyone whose mind is more likely to a prison than to playground.
As very inspiring to me, I would give to this book a rate of 4 for its originality and its help.I will certainly talk about this book for a long time.
This book was very inspiring for me, The author did according to me a great Job and I learned that the beginning of any liberty is in mind, that to feel free physically, you have to feel free in your mind first. I recommend it to anyone whose mind is more likely to a prison than to playground.
As very inspiring to me, I would give to this book a rate of 4 for its originality and its help.I will certainly talk about this book for a long time.
October 24, 2016
The author has no experience with psychology and just rambles on about nothing. Waste of time. Not a religious person either which leads to more rambling. I had no idea why anyone would rate this above one star unless you enjoy a author who just writes about depression with no consistent message but to just ramble on about evolution and the thought of killing a baby.
January 26, 2013
The typos and religious quotes were particularly jarring, taking away from what was a pretty good observation of the world.
September 22, 2022
Some ideas and arguments are interesting,
October 22, 2023
Do 👏 not 👏 publish 👏 books 👏 when 👏 manic 👏.
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May 12, 2025 Melhores trechos: "...A chave para a felicidade, saúde mental e para se ser o melhor que se pode ser, é a absoluta e incondicional aceitação de nós próprios. O paradoxo é que muitos dos nossos problemas são causados pela tentativa de melhorarmo-nos, pela censura do nosso pensamento, ao querermos compensar pelos erros passados e ao lutar com os pensamentos negativos, quer de depressão ou de agressão... O amor é uma forma de comunicação. É a comunicação que passa através do ego e não a partir do ego. O amor é quando estamos realmente com uma pessoa em vez de estar com a cabeça noutro lado. O amor caracteriza-se pela atenção ao outro e ser espontâneo. Quando estamos abertos ao amor a interação muda-nos. Estamos fechados ao amor quando o nosso comportamento é estereotipado, quando os traços do nosso carácter são rígidos e as formas de nos expressarmos difere da comunicação aberta e espontânea. Isto acontece quando o nosso ego é inseguro, quando precisamos de nos justificar e quando temos a necessidade de reprimir os nossos sentimentos, quer seja de ira, tristeza, sexualidade, ou quaisquer outros. Assim temos medo de ser espontâneos para não demonstrarmos os sentimentos menos bons. Quando conseguimos realmente estar com alguém e abrirmo-nos à comunicação fluida, podemos sentir o profundo calor que associamos ao conceito de amor. Mas é importante concentrarmo-nos no processo antes da experiência para percebermos o fenómeno... O que nos afasta da realidade curadora é que estamos sempre a pensar em nós. Há um truque simples que se pode tentar para evitar este processo. Se temos medo de ser uma pessoa inútil podemos nos perguntar: 'Quão mau seria se isto fosse verdade?' O que significaria se não tivéssemos valor? Nada seria esperado de nós. O mundo não deixaria de existir. Ainda seríamos capazes de experienciar o prazer. Ser inútil seria simplesmente ser insignificante ou não ter importância (claro que isto não o mesmo que ser mau, mas vale a pena tentar). Se aceitarmos que, mesmo que sejamos inúteis, não seria assim tão mau, então podemos parar com a justificação incessante que damos a nós próprios que nos desvia da nossa capacidade de amor incondicional. A nossa criança interior é tão capaz de nos amar incondicionalmente como a qualquer outra pessoa... O caminho em direção à liberdade de não precisar de coisas é aproveitar mais as que temos..."
May 21, 2021
I really enjoyed this book. He does a wonderful job on the entirety of modern philosophy. He admits at the beginning that he is not an academic. In my opinion, thats what was the best part of his book. He doesn't use difficult terms, phrases, or difficult ideas. He made his point and did not feel the need to exaggerate and ultimately got to his point in concise manner. He explained what was necessary and left it at that. There was no filler, no fluff or anything of the sort. Just straight to the point. However, I think his greatest strength in this book was also its weakness. He talks about some very rough stuff in this book. I don't mean to discredit that at all. The content and his point in all of it was well laid out and valid. I don't mean to criticize him for putting it in there. However, there was no break from it because there was no fluff or over explaining. I admit I had to stop several times because it was just too much to stomach at once. Despite it being very short. Conclusion: Very much liked it, beware it can be rough to ingest as a whole at times. Also, this is not a self help book or how to set yourself free. I feel as though it is mistitled and misgenred. If those are even words. Solid philosophy book tho 👌
August 14, 2024
The name of the author should have been immediate warning that you're about to depart on a long journey that your brain is not invited to. Mr. Blow writes like a student that has taken a psychology course but read the course material backwards, and off an overhead projector that is 2km away. His ideas are deeply unsettling and show a great misunderstanding of common concepts taught in such courses such as - sexuality, childhood development, emotional intelligence, and frankly - how to navigate the world before you. The simple non-comprehension of the difference of anger vs. frustration is evidence enough that there is no coherent thought that can be trusted from this author's brain.
It should however be regarded as impressive that the content of this book shows that Mr. Blow has never let a single intrusive thought leave his mind without giving it all the attention he can muster. I can't with certainty say that this man was hurt deeply by a person, or simply abandoned by an unloving god. There are ideas in this book that scream of unresolved sexual repression, religious guilt, or deep seeded self hatred. I wish him peace and to never put thought to paper another time, for all of our sakes.
It should however be regarded as impressive that the content of this book shows that Mr. Blow has never let a single intrusive thought leave his mind without giving it all the attention he can muster. I can't with certainty say that this man was hurt deeply by a person, or simply abandoned by an unloving god. There are ideas in this book that scream of unresolved sexual repression, religious guilt, or deep seeded self hatred. I wish him peace and to never put thought to paper another time, for all of our sakes.
May 25, 2020
I've listened to this book rather than read it and despite neither audiobooks nor self-help books being my thing, I was genually excited about this.
It started out so well, the ideas and concepts were really interesting and relatable. It quickly went down hill as he started talking about the habits of different animals, why we are hairless (really? How is this going to help me?) and all of us being God (what?). Then throughout the book the same ideas are repeated again and again, he has nothing new to say, he is just trying to stretch it out, only to end up with a book that seriously lacks structure and any meaningful message.
At the beginning of the book, it is described as a 'Get Out of Jail Free card' but sadly only the cover and the title has anything to do with that.
It started out so well, the ideas and concepts were really interesting and relatable. It quickly went down hill as he started talking about the habits of different animals, why we are hairless (really? How is this going to help me?) and all of us being God (what?). Then throughout the book the same ideas are repeated again and again, he has nothing new to say, he is just trying to stretch it out, only to end up with a book that seriously lacks structure and any meaningful message.
At the beginning of the book, it is described as a 'Get Out of Jail Free card' but sadly only the cover and the title has anything to do with that.
July 10, 2020
This was a great philosophical book. Some people in the comments really did not understand it but it is okay, everybody will have their own journey with social constructs, some will free themselves and some won’t. However this book would be my “read this and then talk to me” book. It is rich, stoic and full of interesting perspectives on a lot of things and personally I agreed with nearly all. This is a stoic’s spiritual journey in my opinion. And about the title, I think It is ironic, as “how to be free” is by realizing you will never be in the constraints of life. I recommend this book highly.
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