“Our view of reality is like a map with which to negotiate the terrain of life. If the map is true and accurate, we will generally know where we are, and if we have decided where we want to go, we will generally know how to get there. If the map is false and inaccurate, we generally will be lost. While this is obvious, it is something that most people to a greater or lesser degree choose to ignore. They ignore it because our route to reality is not easy. First of all, we are not born with maps; we have to make them, and the making requires effort. The more effort we make to appreciate and perceive reality, the larger and more accurate our maps will be. But many do not want to make this effort. Some stop making it by the end of adolescence. Their maps are small and sketchy, their views of the world narrow and misleading. By the end of middle age most people have given up the effort. They feel certain that their maps are complete and their Weltanschauung is correct (indeed, even sacrosanct), and they are no longer interested in new information. It is as if they are tired. Only a relative and fortunate few continue until the moment of death exploring the mystery of reality, ever enlarging and refining and redefining their understanding of the world and what is true.”
― The Road Less Traveled: A New Psychology of Love, Traditional Values and Spiritual Growth
― The Road Less Traveled: A New Psychology of Love, Traditional Values and Spiritual Growth
“Genuine love not only respects the individuality of the other but actually cultivates it, even at the risk of separation or loss. The ultimate goal of life remains the spiritual growth of the individual, the solitary journey to peaks that can be climbed only alone.”
― The Road Less Traveled: A New Psychology of Love, Traditional Values and Spiritual Growth
― The Road Less Traveled: A New Psychology of Love, Traditional Values and Spiritual Growth
“I define love thus: The will to extend one's self for the purpose of nurturing one's own or another's spiritual growth.”
― The Road Less Traveled: A New Psychology of Love, Traditional Values and Spiritual Growth
― The Road Less Traveled: A New Psychology of Love, Traditional Values and Spiritual Growth
“Until you value yourself, you won't value your time. Until you value your time, you will not do anything with it.”
― The Road Less Traveled: A New Psychology of Love, Traditional Values and Spiritual Growth
― The Road Less Traveled: A New Psychology of Love, Traditional Values and Spiritual Growth
“Genuine love is volitional rather than emotional. The person who truely loves does so because of a decision to love. This person has made a commitment to be loving whether or not the loving feeling is present. ...Conversely, it is not only possible but necessary for a loving person to avoid acting on feelings of love.”
― The Road Less Traveled: A New Psychology of Love, Traditional Values, and Spiritual Growth
― The Road Less Traveled: A New Psychology of Love, Traditional Values, and Spiritual Growth
Shirley’s 2024 Year in Books
Take a look at Shirley’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.
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