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Spinning Straw into Gold: Straight Talk for Troubled Times
Spinning Straw Into Goldis exactly what its subtitle says: straight talk for troubled times. It offers no formula for success, as it is traditionally defined, and no promise that you can shape your destiny by the power of your mind. Goals such as these, in the view of the author, only reflect the spiritual emptiness of contemporary American life. What the book does offer is one man’s meditation on the meaning of his life to date, and an opportunity for the reader to reflect on the meaning of his or her own life in turn. Success, i.e., living in reality, demands an awareness of the depth and complexity of that life: a coming to terms with it as it actually exists, with all its strange contradictions and surprising twists of fate. Spinning Straw Into Gold is thus not a feel-good book. Rather, it is a search-your-soul and ponder-your-being book. For those who have the courage to allow it to stimulate true reflection, it may be rewarding in unexpected ways. It is for those who seek richness in reality, rather than in the pipe dreams of mass society, that this book is written.
Spinning Straw Into Gold contains six watercolor illustrations by Samala Coffey.
Spinning Straw Into Gold contains six watercolor illustrations by Samala Coffey.
92 pages, Paperback
First published July 27, 2013
1 person is currently reading
139 people want to read
About the author
Morris Berman
74 books118 followersDistinguished cultural historian and social critic Morris Berman has spent many years exploring the corrosion of American society and the decline of the American empire. He is the author of the critically acclaimed works The Twilight of American Culture, a New York Times Book Review "Notable Book," and Dark Ages America."
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
August 11, 2013
I’ve been reading Morris Berman’s books since the early ‘90s and they’ve never failed to knock me around a bit and make me question anew so many of the underlying assumptions we make about our lives and society. I like to fancy that I avoid getting too deep down any particular “reality tunnel” (to use a phrase from Robert Anton Wilson, which I think he got from Leary), but Berman usually comes along and slaps me upside the head, making me realize how complacent I can get while just trying to get by in this American life. His gift is his historical perspective and deep reading of history.
I loved the first two books of his consciousness trilogy (Reenchantment of the World and Coming to Our Senses – now in print again) and wrestled with the third (Wandering God), as it caused me to revisit my fascination with Jung, Campbell, and Eliade. (I disagree with Berman’s thoughts about their work; I think his knowledge of them was incomplete and marred by some of the faulty books he cited in his footnotes – Richard Noll is an awful source for understanding anything about Jung). I also had an initial skeptical reaction to his Twilight of American Culture. Even though I have always been pretty cynical about where America is headed, I thought he was blowing the whistle on the game too soon. Boy, was I wrong. Berman was right, and he went on to cement his case in Dark Ages America and Why America Failed.
Now, we get Spinning Straw Into Gold, a slim book with strong convictions and important advice to reexamine our lives. It’s a self-help book from an author with no pretensions toward the feel-good lecture circuit. He’s a guy who said screw all this and moved to Mexico and says you should do the same -- not necessarily in Mexico, but somewhere other than here, somewhere not overcome by the peculiar neuroses that grip America so tight. The squeeze is on, but we can each slip away before we’re strangled by the python’s coils. Even if we can’t change our place, we can change our attitudes and adopt New Monastic Initiative practices to keep the flames of deep thought burning even when the stupidity all around us is peeing all over the place, trying to douse the fires.
Keep spinning.
I loved the first two books of his consciousness trilogy (Reenchantment of the World and Coming to Our Senses – now in print again) and wrestled with the third (Wandering God), as it caused me to revisit my fascination with Jung, Campbell, and Eliade. (I disagree with Berman’s thoughts about their work; I think his knowledge of them was incomplete and marred by some of the faulty books he cited in his footnotes – Richard Noll is an awful source for understanding anything about Jung). I also had an initial skeptical reaction to his Twilight of American Culture. Even though I have always been pretty cynical about where America is headed, I thought he was blowing the whistle on the game too soon. Boy, was I wrong. Berman was right, and he went on to cement his case in Dark Ages America and Why America Failed.
Now, we get Spinning Straw Into Gold, a slim book with strong convictions and important advice to reexamine our lives. It’s a self-help book from an author with no pretensions toward the feel-good lecture circuit. He’s a guy who said screw all this and moved to Mexico and says you should do the same -- not necessarily in Mexico, but somewhere other than here, somewhere not overcome by the peculiar neuroses that grip America so tight. The squeeze is on, but we can each slip away before we’re strangled by the python’s coils. Even if we can’t change our place, we can change our attitudes and adopt New Monastic Initiative practices to keep the flames of deep thought burning even when the stupidity all around us is peeing all over the place, trying to douse the fires.
Keep spinning.
January 12, 2014
This very short book is about one's attitude toward life in a world that is not working. It's wisdom from an elder.
Check out Berman's other books to learn more about how the world (particularly the US) isn't working, and probably won't work. This book doesn't recommend how to fix the world, or how to prepare for a difficult future. Instead it draws on Buddhist concepts (at least partially) to argue for self-reflection; understanding how one's thoughts can create narratives that distort reality and cause suffering; suspicion of institutions and standard ways of behaving; authenticity.
The book doesn't offer any formulas or programs, there aren't exercises or steps to follow. The main prescription is to look within, allowing feelings to surface and flow through. The book is a gentle reminder rather than a manual.
Check out Berman's other books to learn more about how the world (particularly the US) isn't working, and probably won't work. This book doesn't recommend how to fix the world, or how to prepare for a difficult future. Instead it draws on Buddhist concepts (at least partially) to argue for self-reflection; understanding how one's thoughts can create narratives that distort reality and cause suffering; suspicion of institutions and standard ways of behaving; authenticity.
The book doesn't offer any formulas or programs, there aren't exercises or steps to follow. The main prescription is to look within, allowing feelings to surface and flow through. The book is a gentle reminder rather than a manual.
February 1, 2014
In the preface to this book, the author ruminates on "the role of chance vs fate in human life." I had hoped that the book would explore that role more deeply. Instead, he presents a number of related reflections in short bursts. I enjoyed his warm, wise presence, but would have preferred a more thorough treatment of his ideas. That's not a criticism of the book that he actually wrote, which was certainly worth reading. It's just not what I expected.
December 2, 2013
Very short meditations. Could be devoured in 10-30 minutes depending on your reading speed, but may be more fruitfully enjoyed by pausing to think for a bit after each one.
May 14, 2021
Entender que está bien no tener todas las respuestas parece una obviedad, pero no lo es. En tiempos pandémicos como éstos podemos pasar mucho tiempo pensando en qué estamos haciendo con nuestra vida y los momentos de ansiedad pueden aparecer y desaparecer. Las justificaciones y el sentido que le damos a nuestro entorno -en lo individual o en un asunto tan complejo como el conflicto árabe-israelí- también ameritan pausas: ¿de dónde surgen? ¿para qué nos sirven? Me gustaron estas reflexiones para darle stop a todo y tomar lo que nos ocurre con un poco de humor.
November 24, 2021
El texto es bueno porque las reflexiones de autor son valiosas. Lo que no es bueno es la poca poesía de su autora que compartió. ¿Un poema sobre la vida, un auto y el mecánico? No dan ganas de continuar leyendo al autor, o al menos no su poesía. Y de las ilustraciones ni se diga. En lo que a mi respecta, la mayoría de ellas sobran.
March 30, 2019
"La clave para una vida auténtica es la conciencia de la propia narrativa, lo que podríamos llamar «reflexividad». Esto se refiere a la capacidad de salirse del propio sistema de creencias y mirarlo desde fuera, por así decirlo: como si fuera el sistema de creencias de alguien más".
"Nada es para siempre salvo una cosa, si nos comprometemos con ella: la conciencia. A través de la conciencia podemos alcanzar una comprensión del mundo más profunda, y una más profunda apreciación de nosotros mismos. Y si no podemos ver el significado de las cosas en el momento en que suceden, también es cierto que la brecha entre evento y comprensión puede reducirse conforme nos hacemos mayores. La confianza, la paciencia y la resistencia lo vuelven posible".
"Si se pierde contacto con uno mismo, con la propia realidad, entonces se abre un abismo inmenso en el centro del alma y, en vez de lidiar con él, tolerarlo, para poder encontrar el camino de salida, la tentación es rellenarlo con sistemas y eslóganes. Entonces, como un robot, uno es capaz de asesinar a millones de personas, convencido de estar purificando el mundo, de volverlo un lugar seguro para la versión particular de la verdad".
"Cuando digo que es importante confiar y aguantar, me refiero a contacto visceral, encarnado, con el propio centro vital. Desde luego, no es necesariamente la alegría; como dije, la tristeza también forma parte de la ecuación, por lo cual es importante no evadirla o suprimirla. Después de todo, tristeza no es lo mismo que la depresión. Éste se caracteriza por el embotamiento, una falta de emociones como tal. La tristeza se relaciona con la pérdida, y la pérdida es real para todos nosotros en diversos momentos. El asunto es que hay fuerzas más profundas que nos atraviesan, y es crucial permitírselo. Puede resultar escalofriante, pero si no lo hacemos la vida se convierte en una concha vacía".
"A varios niveles distintos, nos acercamos rápidamente a los límites de nuestra civilización".
"Nada es para siempre salvo una cosa, si nos comprometemos con ella: la conciencia. A través de la conciencia podemos alcanzar una comprensión del mundo más profunda, y una más profunda apreciación de nosotros mismos. Y si no podemos ver el significado de las cosas en el momento en que suceden, también es cierto que la brecha entre evento y comprensión puede reducirse conforme nos hacemos mayores. La confianza, la paciencia y la resistencia lo vuelven posible".
"Si se pierde contacto con uno mismo, con la propia realidad, entonces se abre un abismo inmenso en el centro del alma y, en vez de lidiar con él, tolerarlo, para poder encontrar el camino de salida, la tentación es rellenarlo con sistemas y eslóganes. Entonces, como un robot, uno es capaz de asesinar a millones de personas, convencido de estar purificando el mundo, de volverlo un lugar seguro para la versión particular de la verdad".
"Cuando digo que es importante confiar y aguantar, me refiero a contacto visceral, encarnado, con el propio centro vital. Desde luego, no es necesariamente la alegría; como dije, la tristeza también forma parte de la ecuación, por lo cual es importante no evadirla o suprimirla. Después de todo, tristeza no es lo mismo que la depresión. Éste se caracteriza por el embotamiento, una falta de emociones como tal. La tristeza se relaciona con la pérdida, y la pérdida es real para todos nosotros en diversos momentos. El asunto es que hay fuerzas más profundas que nos atraviesan, y es crucial permitírselo. Puede resultar escalofriante, pero si no lo hacemos la vida se convierte en una concha vacía".
"A varios niveles distintos, nos acercamos rápidamente a los límites de nuestra civilización".
January 13, 2015
No that much content just some meditation on his life in addition to some book reports and lots of blank pages that make it look like a small book and not a booklet.
It could have made to a great blog post not a book.
It could have made to a great blog post not a book.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews