Awakening with the Enemy: The Origin and End of Male/Female Conflict

by Mark Dillof

If the many books that have been written on the subject of relationships were really helpful, the incidence of broken hearts and broken homes would be decreasing. Why, then, is connubial bliss at an all time low? Something is missing from our understanding of the roots of male/female dissatisfaction, and Awakening with the Enemy, a new book by philosopher Mark Dillof, reveals what it is.

Dillof rejects the problem-solving approach to life's difficulties endemic to self-help books and radio psychologists. He explains why the "men are from Mars, women from Venus approach to relationships" ultimately fails, and why no new arrangement of male and female can be significantly better.

The alternative? Rather than seeking to integrate the erotic polarities, Dillof explains how a couple can "awaken" from them. When - due to insight - their former "dance" together evaporates, they have "nothing between them anymore." This sounds negative, but it is really positive. "Nothing between," means that nothing is separating them from each other. Consequently, they are one! Awakening with the Enemy is a guide to using male/female conflict as a route to this new level of unity, one that few people even know exists. Here, then, is a uniquely Western route to Eastern wisdom.

249 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2000