Download or read book A Layman s Guide to the Meaning of Life and Death A Common Sense No Nonsense Approach written by John M W Smith and published by CreateSpace. This book was released on 2015-04-10 with total page 194 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: I wrote this book out of a sense of frustration. None of my questions were being answered by the books I read. On the occasions when I stayed the course (even though my frustration mounted with every page) hoping that the reward for my perseverance would be a supreme moment of epiphany, I was invariably disappointed. But then I realised I wasn't being fair. These books were providing me with information, theories, esoteric data, ancient philosophical musings, dry and dusty logic. Loads of it. What they were not doing was drawing any definite conclusions because they seemed reluctant to commit themselves. Why, I don't know---maybe their publishers wouldn't allow it for financial or political reasons. After all, this is only to be expected when you have more than one interest involved in any project. And so I said to myself, well, all it takes is for one person to listen carefully to all of what these books are saying and then to form his own conclusions. Because people's lives are busy. They work long hours and need their rest and relaxation. They don't have the time to sit down and try to make sense of all the information thrown at them about the meaning of life. The now. The hereafter. The why. The religious take on it all. So I decided to take on the task. Because why should I be afraid to voice my conclusions if deep down I know I am only trying to be honest. Completely honest. And if anyone should take issue, for whatever reason, why, let them. They, too, are entitled to their opinions. All I will know is that I would have done my best! And yes, so I decided to write my own book. My own, completely personal conclusions on life and death. What makes sense to me. The writing of this book has given me tremendous peace . It is tempting to say that it will do the same for you, but that wouldn't be honest. The truth is, I don't know what it will do for you. I cannot know this until I know you. And sadly, I will never know you, except perhaps from the feedback you might choose to give me. So be warned, this is not a feel-good book. I'm not going to patronise you by trying to inspire you, by telling you it's a wonderful life. I'm not here for you to find yourself, or to try and compose a message which is uplifting and will hopefully sell me a million copies and make me rich---there are plenty of other guys out there already doing a really good job of that. I'm going to tell you like it is. Rather, what I think it is like. You may agree. You may not. But if I manage to hold your attention long enough to finish this book, that'll be more than enough for me. I will have succeeded. What I will go as far to say is that there is a good chance that you will be uplifted. You will be satisfied. And you will be at peace, just as I am now. Especially if you, like me, believe that the truth will set you free. IMPORTANT INFORMATION This book was written for young people--young people who need to enjoy life and not worry about deep philosophical questions like the ones found in heavyweight, scholarly texts. So don't expect to find Wittgenstein and his chums sitting in this book, waiting to pounce on you and send your mind reeling with conflicting arguments and complex reasoning. Because this author believes that what young people need is someone to quickly answer the question, "well, what's it all about?" at times when they watch the cruel hand of fate brush roughly past themselves or someone they know. When depression and general disillusionment rear their ugly heads from behind the living room sofa. Because it is then that a young person may feel the need for a guide. Someone who has completed all the hard work for them. Who has been there. Done that. Someone who has found the time to give deep thought to his own life and death. Someone who can provide a tentative blueprint for calm and inner peace, a freedom from fear and anxiety. Someone who sincerely believes they can provide a basis for sound mental health.
Download or read book How to Die written by Seneca and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2018-02-27 with total page 252 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Timeless wisdom on death and dying from the celebrated Stoic philosopher Seneca "It takes an entire lifetime to learn how to die," wrote the Roman Stoic philosopher Seneca (c. 4 BC–65 AD). He counseled readers to "study death always," and took his own advice, returning to the subject again and again in all his writings, yet he never treated it in a complete work. How to Die gathers in one volume, for the first time, Seneca's remarkable meditations on death and dying. Edited and translated by James S. Romm, How to Die reveals a provocative thinker and dazzling writer who speaks with a startling frankness about the need to accept death or even, under certain conditions, to seek it out. Seneca believed that life is only a journey toward death and that one must rehearse for death throughout life. Here, he tells us how to practice for death, how to die well, and how to understand the role of a good death in a good life. He stresses the universality of death, its importance as life's final rite of passage, and its ability to liberate us from pain, slavery, or political oppression. Featuring beautifully rendered new translations, How to Die also includes an enlightening introduction, notes, the original Latin texts, and an epilogue presenting Tacitus's description of Seneca's grim suicide.
Download or read book What s the Point of Life Death and the Universe written by Gurdeep Brar and published by FriesenPress. This book was released on 2012-11 with total page 261 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "The unexamined life is not worth living." - Socrates Have you ever wondered what the purpose of life is? Why humans are here on earth? Have you thought about what will happen when your heart stops beating? Where you will go after you die? Have you ever questioned what the point of life, death, and the universe is? What's the Point of Life, Death, and the Universe?: Find Out Why You Exist answers the profound questions that every human being asks themselves. With heartwarming passion and grace, author Gurdeep Brar explains the realities of our existence, including our relationship with ourselves, the universe, the spirit world, and the paranormal world. It is part memoir, part spiritual manifesto, and part self-help work-book. Thought provoking questions conclude chapters, which will actively engage you, and help you understand your life. With the utmost compassion, this book will guide you through your own special spiritual journey. It will improve every aspect of your life and help you find the meaning and purpose for your existence. What's the Point of Life, Death, and the Universe?: Find Out Why You Exist answers the profound questions that every human being asks themselves. With heartwarming passion and grace, author Gurdeep Brar explains the realities of our existence, including why we are here, what the purpose of life is, and where we go in the afterlife.
Download or read book Making Sense of Life and Death written by Larry Walston and published by . This book was released on 2010-01 with total page 208 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Have you ever wondered why you are here, or what possible difference your life might make in the world? Have you ever been frustrated in trying to find meaning or purpose in your life? Or have you ever wondered what happens when you die? This book addresses those questions, and more, about life and death. More importantly, it points you to the proof that your life is important, and that the best is yet to come.
Download or read book A Commonsense Book of Death written by Edwin S. Shneidman and published by . This book was released on 2008 with total page 191 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Meaning of Life and Death written by Michael Hauskeller and published by Bloomsbury Academic. This book was released on 2019-09-19 with total page 257 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What is the point of living? If we are all going to die anyway, if nothing will remain of whatever we achieve in this life, why should we bother trying to achieve anything in the first place? Can we be mortal and still live a meaningful life? Questions such as these have been asked for a long time, but nobody has found a conclusive answer yet. The connection between death and meaning, however, has taken centre stage in the philosophical and literary work of some of the world's greatest writers: Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Leo Tolstoy, Soren Kierkegaard, Arthur Schopenhauer, Herman Melville, Friedrich Nietzsche, William James, Ludwig Wittgenstein, Marcel Proust, and Albert Camus. This book explores their ideas, weaving a rich tapestry of concepts, voices and images, helping the reader to understand the concerns at the heart of those writers' work and uncovering common themes and stark contrasts in their understanding of what kind of world we live in and what really matters in life.
Download or read book Life Death and Spirituality written by Richard E Jensen Ph D and published by CreateSpace. This book was released on 2015-03-30 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Perhaps the greatest human disappointment is that we all die. This book deals with problems of living and acceptance of death. It provides knowledge and skill resources needed to come to terms with both life and death. Many people react by denying, pretending or minimizing. They may harbor a fantasy that we all live in a world everlasting and that we, too, are everlasting. Once born, we have a 100% chance of dying. The only question is when. The institutional answer to our disappointment is organized religion, prayer, theology, reassurance, and externalizing the problem of death to a distant, idealized and personal God. Deep down inside, we all know the truth. This book is based on a simple notion: we can all learn to cope with the issues of living in a natural world in which we die. Although narrower in scope, this book is in the tradition of the large questions which are always relevant to human-kind. For example, the meaning of life, how to live a life, what is truth, where truth and justice lie. This book takes a substantial departure from the supernatural world offered by many world religious traditions and the personal and institutionalized denial supported by prayer to an external personal God. An analysis of the problem is provided together with a path toward a personal solution. The path requires the seeker to do both intellectual and emotional work. We need to understand the problem that is smothering us and we need to equip ourselves for action. The strategies offered for making needed changes include: skepticism, problem analysis, knowledge and understanding, skill development, confronting the realities of the natural world and coming to terms with who we are as people. In addition to conceptual approaches, there are practical remedies incorporated in a methods section. These include; personal growth, refuting obsolete beliefs, relaxation skills and meditation skills. The connection between deep muscle relaxation, meditation and avenues of personal and psychological change are developed. The reader is invited to become a new person of their own making. The book provides only the opportunity and the means. Readers will need to deliver the motivation, the sustained energy, and the tenacity to make the life changes they wish to achieve. At its core, this is a self-help book written by a psychologist. However, the emphasis here is more fundamental than learning behavioral self-regulation or being a fully functioning person. The focus is on coping with the problems of life and death. More than getting our affairs in order, we need to come to terms with ourselves. In order to do so, we need to cultivate the grit to face up to the many challenging questions before us. Issues like anxiety, mood, communication skills and behavioral tune-up remain highly relevant, but there are much larger issues. The book offers a path to both good living and good dying.
Download or read book The Sense of an Ending written by Julian Barnes and published by Vintage. This book was released on 2011-10-05 with total page 158 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: BOOKER PRIZE WINNER • NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A novel that follows a middle-aged man as he contends with a past he never much thought about—until his closest childhood friends return with a vengeance: one of them from the grave, another maddeningly present. A novel so compelling that it begs to be read in a single setting, The Sense of an Ending has the psychological and emotional depth and sophistication of Henry James at his best, and is a stunning achievement in Julian Barnes's oeuvre. Tony Webster thought he left his past behind as he built a life for himself, and his career has provided him with a secure retirement and an amicable relationship with his ex-wife and daughter, who now has a family of her own. But when he is presented with a mysterious legacy, he is forced to revise his estimation of his own nature and place in the world.
Download or read book Introduction and Reason in common sense written by George Santayana and published by . This book was released on 1905 with total page 324 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Art of Dying Well written by Katy Butler and published by Scribner. This book was released on 2020-02-11 with total page 288 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This “comforting…thoughtful” (The Washington Post) guide to maintaining a high quality of life—from resilient old age to the first inklings of a serious illness to the final breath—by the New York Times bestselling author of Knocking on Heaven’s Door is a “roadmap to the end that combines medical, practical, and spiritual guidance” (The Boston Globe). “A common sense path to define what a ‘good’ death looks like” (USA TODAY), The Art of Dying Well is about living as well as possible for as long as possible and adapting successfully to change. Packed with extraordinarily helpful insights and inspiring true stories, award-winning journalist Katy Butler shows how to thrive in later life (even when coping with a chronic medical condition), how to get the best from our health system, and how to make your own “good death” more likely. Butler explains how to successfully age in place, why to pick a younger doctor and how to have an honest conversation with them, when not to call 911, and how to make your death a sacred rite of passage rather than a medical event. This handbook of preparations—practical, communal, physical, and spiritual—will help you make the most of your remaining time, be it decades, years, or months. Based on Butler’s experience caring for aging parents, and hundreds of interviews with people who have successfully navigated our fragmented health system and helped their loved ones have good deaths, The Art of Dying Well also draws on the expertise of national leaders in family medicine, palliative care, geriatrics, oncology, and hospice. This “empowering guide clearly outlines the steps necessary to prepare for a beautiful death without fear” (Shelf Awareness).
Download or read book The Secret written by Rhonda Byrne and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2011-07-07 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The tenth-anniversary edition of the book that changed lives in profound ways, now with a new foreword and afterword. In 2006, a groundbreaking feature-length film revealed the great mystery of the universe—The Secret—and, later that year, Rhonda Byrne followed with a book that became a worldwide bestseller. Fragments of a Great Secret have been found in the oral traditions, in literature, in religions and philosophies throughout the centuries. For the first time, all the pieces of The Secret come together in an incredible revelation that will be life-transforming for all who experience it. In this book, you’ll learn how to use The Secret in every aspect of your life—money, health, relationships, happiness, and in every interaction you have in the world. You’ll begin to understand the hidden, untapped power that’s within you, and this revelation can bring joy to every aspect of your life. The Secret contains wisdom from modern-day teachers—men and women who have used it to achieve health, wealth, and happiness. By applying the knowledge of The Secret, they bring to light compelling stories of eradicating disease, acquiring massive wealth, overcoming obstacles, and achieving what many would regard as impossible.
Download or read book The Life of Reason The Phases of Human Progress written by George Santayana and published by Good Press. This book was released on 2019-11-20 with total page 1062 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "The Life of Reason: The Phases of Human Progress" by George Santayana consists of Reason in Common Sense, Reason in Society, Reason in Religion, Reason in Art, and Reason in Science. The work is considered to be the most complete expression of Santayana's moral philosophy, which is strongly influenced by the materialism of Democritus and the refined ethics of Aristotle, with a special emphasis on the natural development of ideal ends.
Download or read book Why I Write written by George Orwell and published by Renard Press Ltd. This book was released on 2021-01-01 with total page 15 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: George Orwell set out ‘to make political writing into an art’, and to a wide extent this aim shaped the future of English literature – his descriptions of authoritarian regimes helped to form a new vocabulary that is fundamental to understanding totalitarianism. While 1984 and Animal Farm are amongst the most popular classic novels in the English language, this new series of Orwell’s essays seeks to bring a wider selection of his writing on politics and literature to a new readership. In Why I Write, the first in the Orwell’s Essays series, Orwell describes his journey to becoming a writer, and his movement from writing poems to short stories to the essays, fiction and non-fiction we remember him for. He also discusses what he sees as the ‘four great motives for writing’ – ‘sheer egoism’, ‘aesthetic enthusiasm’, ‘historical impulse’ and ‘political purpose’ – and considers the importance of keeping these in balance. Why I Write is a unique opportunity to look into Orwell’s mind, and it grants the reader an entirely different vantage point from which to consider the rest of the great writer’s oeuvre. 'A writer who can – and must – be rediscovered with every age.' — Irish Times
Download or read book I Love Jesus But I Want to Die written by Sarah J. Robinson and published by WaterBrook. This book was released on 2021-05-11 with total page 257 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A compassionate, shame-free guide for your darkest days “A one-of-a-kind book . . . to read for yourself or give to a struggling friend or loved one without the fear that depression and suicidal thoughts will be minimized, medicalized or over-spiritualized.”—Kay Warren, cofounder of Saddleback Church What happens when loving Jesus doesn’t cure you of depression, anxiety, or suicidal thoughts? You might be crushed by shame over your mental illness, only to be told by well-meaning Christians to “choose joy” and “pray more.” So you beg God to take away the pain, but nothing eases the ache inside. As darkness lingers and color drains from your world, you’re left wondering if God has abandoned you. You just want a way out. But there’s hope. In I Love Jesus, But I Want to Die, Sarah J. Robinson offers a healthy, practical, and shame-free guide for Christians struggling with mental illness. With unflinching honesty, Sarah shares her story of battling depression and fighting to stay alive despite toxic theology that made her afraid to seek help outside the church. Pairing her own story with scriptural insights, mental health research, and simple practices, Sarah helps you reconnect with the God who is present in our deepest anguish and discover that you are worth everything it takes to get better. Beautifully written and full of hard-won wisdom, I Love Jesus, But I Want to Die offers a path toward a rich, hope-filled life in Christ, even when healing doesn’t look like what you expect.
Download or read book The Myth of Sisyphus And Other Essays written by Albert Camus and published by Vintage. This book was released on 2012-10-31 with total page 226 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: One of the most influential works of this century, The Myth of Sisyphus and Other Essays is a crucial exposition of existentialist thought. Influenced by works such as Don Juan and the novels of Kafka, these essays begin with a meditation on suicide; the question of living or not living in a universe devoid of order or meaning. With lyric eloquence, Albert Camus brilliantly posits a way out of despair, reaffirming the value of personal existence, and the possibility of life lived with dignity and authenticity.
Download or read book Common Sense written by Thomas Paine and published by . This book was released on 1918 with total page 88 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Hardcore Grief Recovery written by Steve Case and published by Sourcebooks, Inc.. This book was released on 2020-04-10 with total page 70 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A straight-to-the-point, honest-as-hell grief recovery handbook, offering a refreshingly honest approach to healing, empowering you to navigate your journey without the fluff and generic advice. Embrace the concept of radical honesty with a raw and unfiltered perspective on the grieving process. From acknowledging the messy and complex nature of grief to exploring unconventional methods for healing, this book is your partner in reclaiming your emotional well-being and mental health. Features: Unflinching Approach: Break free from societal norms and discover a guide that encourages you to embrace your grief honestly, without judgment or platitudes. Actionable Strategies: Navigate your unique grief journey with confidence using practical techniques, exercises, and thought-provoking prompts. Authentic Healing: Explore unconventional methods that resonate with you personally, fostering true healing and emotional growth. Empowerment: Reclaim control over your emotions, allowing yourself to feel deeply and process grief in your own way and at your own pace. Step away from the conventional and embark on a transformative journey toward healing, resilience, and renewed hope. Also check out the companion Hardcore Grief Recovery Workbook for journaling your way through grief.
