Seven Life Lessons of Chaos: Spiritual Wisdom from the Science of Change – Accept, Celebrate, and Discover the Beauty of Daily Flow

by John P. Briggs, F. David Peat

If you have ever felt your life was out of control and headed toward chaos,science has an important Life is chaos, and that's a very exciting thing! In this eye-opening book, John Briggs and F. David Peat reveal sevenenlightening lessons for embracing the chaos of daily life. Be
engage with chaos to find imaginative new solutions and live more dynamically Use Butterfly
let chaos grow local efforts into global results Go With the
use chaos to work collectively with others Explore What's
discover life's rich subtleties and avoid the traps of stereotypes See the Art of the
appreciate the beauty of life's chaos Live Within
utilize time's hidden depths Rejoin the
realize our fractal connectedness to each other and the world Life is impossible to control--instead of fighting this truth, Seven Life Lessons of Chaos shows you how to accept, celebrate, and use it to live life to its fullest.

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction, Science, Spirituality, Psychology, Physics, Self Help

240 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

Reviews

[Gili · Rating 3 out of 5]

רעיונות מעניינים לצד יותר מדי ניו אייג'יות

[Kit Brown-hoekstra · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a must-read with what's going on in the world right now. The technology bits are a little outdated, but the book does a good job of explaining chaos theory and how it plays out by using real-world examples. It makes chaos theory accessible to a lay audience.

The principles of chaos theory are relevant to what's happening in US politics right now, and give us some tools for dealing with the uncertainty.

[Brooke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even though this book is mind bending for me, I had a bit of a hard time following everything -thus a four vs. 5 star for possibly being life changing. That only reflects my intellect. But it is so interesting to think of the role chaos does play in our lives - and we don't even recognize it. We just assume we can control everything . . .

[Hristos Dagres · Rating 4 out of 5]

Αρκετά χρήσιμο και κατανοητό βιβλίο που παρουσιάζει με εκλαϊκευμένο και απλό τρόπο σε 7 (+1 άρρητο) μαθήματα τη θεωρία του Χάους και το πως αυτή εκπηγάζει από διάφορες πλευρές της καθημερινότητας και επηρεάζει τον τρόπο με τον οποίο αλληλεπιδρά με μας, τον τρόπο κατανόησης της πραγματικότητας και τα σχέδια που κάνουμε για το μέλλον. Κατα βάση περιγράφει τα όρια της νεωτερικής αντίληψης περί Επιστήμης και τεκμηριώνει ότι η αβεβαιότητα και η τυχαιότητα είναι παράμετροι που πάντοτε θα υπεισέρχονται στον τρόπο με τον οποίο αναλύουμε τη Φύση και πάντοτε θα δίνουν - ενίοτε σημαντικά - διαφορετικά αποτελέσματα από αυτά που περιμένουμε.

Ωστόσο, από την άλλη πλευρά, ορισμένες έννοιες όπως ο "συμπαντικός κατεργάρης" πιστεύω ότι δρουν μάλλον αποπροσανατολιστικά για την κατανόηση της θεωρίας, ενώ σε κάποια άλλα σημεία πιστεύω ότι η θεωρία αντιφάσκει με τις κεντρικές της γραμμές, όπως π.χ. στο τμήμα για τα στερεότυπα όπου η αντεπιχειρηματολογία τους χρησιμοποιεί κάποια άλλα στερεότυπα για να στηρίξει τη θεωρία.

Σίγουρα πάντως είναι ένα βιβλίο που βοηθάει κάποιον να κατανοήσει το περιεχόμενο, τις δυνατότητες και τα όρια της σύγχρονης Επιστήμης πολύ καλύτερα.

[Beth · Rating 2 out of 5]

I more skimmed this book than read it. The number of pictures was a departure from many books I read - thought the pictures were relevant. Didn't love the book or find it profound but is interesting in the context of business and agile.

[Celia Gustavsson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super cool insight. I liked how much they talked about math and the art of life. Most of the other spiritual books ive read talk about letting go and releasing control but never before in the context of the chaos and uncertainty of life so very fun

[Luisana Fuster]

Es un libro como muy intenso de contenido muy denso, creo que leyendo un buen resumen hubiera bastado, pero tiene buenas teorías

[Vicky · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is a very important and interesting book. The chaos theory could be applied to any aspect of our life, psychology, ecology, sociology and mathematics. The ideas of cause and effect, the "butterfly effect", the synchronicity and coincidences, the unpredictability of our actions, the birth of Universe and modern mathematics - they are all part of the chaos theory. When strict rules don't apply, the creativity is the answer. What’s more important - the competition and control or going with the flow, the ambitions to achieve or let the creative process to take its own power? The book gives a lot of insights into how we can change our everyday life but accepting its chaotic behaviour and to become aware of the chaos as a positive development. The idea of loops of events inside the loops, the fractal theory - they are a little complicated, but my favourite part was on how art created through chaos, how organizations evolve or stagnate based on their acceptance of the chaos and creativity and how we can look at the everyday life and see the beauty of its chaos as well.

[NH_ELT · Rating 3 out of 5]

its an informing,interesting book.it seems to me that the first part of the book is more physics and the other half is more philosophy.I would have liked the book more if the philosophy part had taken more place.Although,i couldn't understand what message the book tries to give,the book is mainly about chaos is everywhere.there is always chaos in a part of universe and its necessary.chaos is essential in stability.Also,there is whole information in a piece.I like the part about time.Its sad how we perceive time and spend it wastefully.But the real time concept is not in a clock.Its our minds and how we feel it.I recommend this book to the ones who love physics and universe-related topics.3 stars

[Peter Wood · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a nice introduction to chaos theory. Though I have heard most of this before, I found this little book inspiring.

The main dictums that I took away from this book were: 1) to pay close attention to what is going on in one's experience and 2) using the perceptions thus acquired, act in accord with what one believes is right. You may not see it, but if you act in this way you will have a positive effect on other people and the world.

In the light of chaos theory, the famous Margaret Mead quote gains new power: "Never doubt that a small group of people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."

[Bryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

For as short as this book is, it packs a lot of worthwhile information. Many of these ideas are not new, however I think that anyone could benefit from them. I'd recommend it. If nothing else I expect that reading it will at least change the way you think about certain things. How you view 'chaos' for example. Perhaps you will see that certain events are not as 'random' as they appear to be, and that new and beautiful experiences are being created out of chaotic influence seemingly everywhere you look. 'Chaos is nature's creativity' as Briggs says.

Worth reading, and I'd like to check out Briggs' other book on Fractals.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. The authors tackle some big stuff like how chaos theory applies to governments, corporations, global human interactions, as well as more personal situations. They talk about closed loop systems (the types of information loops that occur in organizations where people start saying and believing the same things, even if those things are untrue, because the internal hierarchy keeps reinforcing the same messages) and how bringing (and accepting) diversity into these equations breaks feedback loops. There's a lot more in here about understanding the dynamics of systems and the causes and effects of (inevitable) change. Its a brief book, but a worthwhile read.

[Maggie]

Fascinating book. I read it because I had to chase down a quote I saw:

"The mark of a creative person, according to Briggs, is a willingness to accept ambivalence -- that liminal stage between problem and solution -- as a place of both discomfort and possibility."

That quote isn't in the book, but no matter - I quite liked Seven Life Lessons even though I am very much not a "self-help" "wisdom" type reader. It's way more provocative than that.

More on my blog: http://www.magpiemusing.com/2014/01/b...

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book makes chaos theory easy to understand. It's a theory that explains--why the dynamics of life are always changing, never definite, and why to believe in the human potential. It uses real life examples to show how one small action could have enormous- or even revolutionary consequences. A bit abstract, it can be a little unfocused at times, but I'm now encouraged to be a little more spontaneous and open-minded.

[Ouroboros · Rating 5 out of 5]

...Society is a relatively simple and stable form that emerges out of the complex dreams, desires, and contributions of its members. Likewise, each individual, w/ a freedom of choice, is partially the creation of the society in which she lives.

* * *
I love this book - perfect symphony of the collective and the individual; appeals greatly to the artistic rebel in me

[Kasey Tennant · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliantly written introduction to chaos theory.
For those well-versed in chaos theory already, you won't glean too many new insights, but this is nevertheless evocatively written and enjoyable.
For those new to the topic, it is a thorough and insightful intro.

As an artist, I found it extremely inspirational. I really cannot praise this text highly enough!

[Bridgett · Rating 4 out of 5]

A general overview of chaos theory that ordinary people can understand and see how it applies to daily life. Goes over fractals and various ways in which the environment and people are self-similar/self-regulating.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Seven Life Lessons of Chaos is one of my all-time favorites. I'm intrigued by chaos theory and find this book the easiest to understand. Great examples and good for corporate reading. Some of my best quotes for my books and workshops have come from this book.

[Jeremy · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book offered me a system of thought that ... just completely rules!

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best spiritual/philosophical books I have read.

[TailFeather · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. I love the idea of chaos, and have learned to just go with the flow, as it were.

[Weegee Sachtjen · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting look at the individual's role in creativity, society and how we Can harness Chaos theory to expand our boundaries. A bit heavy on science but worth the read!

[Maurean · Rating 4 out of 5]

An easy to grasp intro to chaos theory, and how it applies to various areas of your life.

[Bart · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not insightful as other of the author's books, but not bad. The final chapter is its best.

[Gabriel Pinkus]

Few non-technical works exist on Chaos Theory, but this is one of them. Related to a Stoic approach to life, this is a work about how to live one's life as best as possible given what we've learned from chaos theory (how to cope with the unpredictable, uncontrollable, etc.).