Mỗi người trong chúng ta phải tự mở cho mình lối đi riêng trong cuộc đời. Không có thủ bản chỉ nam, không có công thức tiền chế, không có bất cứ câu trả lời dễ dàng nào. Con đường đúng đắn cho người này có thể là con đường sai lạc cho người kia. Trong quyển sách này bạn sẽ không bao giờ tìm thấy những lời khuyên như: “Hãy theo lối này!”, hoặc “Hãy quẹo phải ở đây, quẹo trái ở kia!” … Hành trình cuộc sống không được trải nhựa êm ru, không được thắp đèn chiếu sáng, cũng không có biển báo giao thông. Nó là một con đường đá sỏi xuyên qua sa mạc hoang vu.
Trong quyển sách này, tôi sẽ cố trình bày một số điều mà tôi đã học hỏi được trong 10 năm qua - và là những điều đã giúp ích nhiều cho bước chân tôi trong cuộc hành trình dò dẫm qua sa mạc đời mình. Nhưng nếu tôi nói với bạn rằng những khi lạc lối, tôi đã tìm lại được con đường của mình bằng cách theo dấu rêu bám ở má phía bắc các gốc cây, thì tôi thấy không thể không nhắc bạn rằng trong các khu rừng già, nhiều gốc cây cả tứ phía xung quanh đều có rêu bám kín!
Tưởng cũng cần cảnh giác bạn đừng hiểu từ “Bước Tiếp” nơi đề tựa sách hay bất cứ nơi đâu trong sách này như là nhằm nói rằng con đường ở đây là một con đường thẳng tắp một mạch rành rành xác định trong đó bạn có thể bước lần lượt hết bước này đến bước khác trong một tiến trình trơn tru đi thẳng tới. Khi nghe tôi nói “Bước Tiếp”, bạn dễ có cảm tưởng rằng “À, chỗ ấy Scott Peck đã từng bước qua, và bây giờ thì Scott Peck đang ở chỗ này. Vậy nếu bây giờ mình ở đây, thì năm tới chắc hẳn mình sẽ ở chỗ đó, chỗ đó…như ông ấy vậy!” Không đâu, tôi không hề muốn nói như thế đâu! Bởi vì con đường của chúng ta không phải như vậy. Đúng hơn, nó là trập trùng những vòng tròn đồng tâm, tỏa ra từ tâm điểm, và trên con đường này chẳng có chi là giản dị cũng chẳng có gì là suôn sẻ cả.
Chúng ta không phải làm chuyến hành trình này hoàn toàn chỉ một mình. Chúng ta có thể yêu cầu sự giúp đỡ nơi sức mạnh lớn hơn mình nhưng ở trong chính cuộc đời mình. Mỗi người chúng ta nhìn sức mạnh ấy mỗi khác, song có điều chắc chắn là ai trong chúng ta cũng ý thức về sự hiện diện của sức mạnh này. Và khi mỗi chúng ta tự mở đường cho mình, chúng ta cũng có thể đồng thời giúp nhau nữa.
Nếu quyển sách này có thể giúp ích gì cho bạn, thì tôi hy vọng rằng đó là, trước hết, nó sẽ giúp bạn biết suy nghĩ một cách ít đơn giản hóa hơn. Tôi hy vọng bạn sẽ vứt bỏ cố tật đơn giản hóa mọi sự, bạn sẽ chấm dứt xu hướng muốn tìm kiếm những công thức tiền chế và những câu trả lời dễ dàng, để bắt đầu suy nghĩ một cách đa chiều kích hơn, để đĩnh đạc đứng trong huyền nhiệm các nghịch lý của cuộc sống, để không thất đảm do vô số các nguyên nhân và các kết quả gắn chặt nơi mỗi kinh nghiệm, và để trân trọng sự thực rằng: Cuộc đời đầy phức tạp!
Quyển sách này là một tuyển tập chuyển thể từ các bài thuyết trình của tôi. Có hai cách để chuyển thể những bài nói chuyện thành văn bản trên giấy trắng mực đen: cách dễ và cách khó.
Cách dễ là chỉ đơn thuần ghi lại nguyên xi băng ghi âm, hiệu chỉnh ngữ pháp, rồi in ra, mặc cho kết quả có thể là một mớ hổ lốn các chủ đề rời rã như cơm nguội. Cách khó là cố gắng tổng hợp các chủ đề tạp chủng ấy, kết dệt chúng bằng một chất kết dính mới, tạo thành một toàn thể thống nhất, đầy sáng tạo và dễ đọc...
A friend gave me this book after I told him how much I enjoyed Peck's first book, "The Road Less Traveled"
M. Scott Peck has a very accessible writing style and does a wonderful job bringing out truths behind everyday life that will seem both revolutionary and self-evident at the same time. In this follow up to his original work, he has himself undergone a spiritual awakening but continues to speak in a humble voice about what he believes to be the weakness of a psychiatry that neglects spirituality.
While he repeats many points from his first book, this work certainly enriches and adds to it as well. The biggest take home messages for me were a) spiritual development is just as important as psychological development (if not more important) and b) although Peck chooses Christianity as the religion that most aligns with his own version of reality, he acknowledges the sanctity of all forms of religion -- his is an accepting brand of Christianity though he warns against the heresy of any religion too uncomfortable with paradox. He reminds us to always ask: what is missing?
" έχω την πίστη- ή τη θεωρία, αν προτιμάτε - ότι υπάρχει πραγματικά μια αόρατη τάξη πραγμάτων πίσω από το πέπλο του υλισμού"
" γνώσεις μας μοιάζουν με ένα μικρό σκάφος που ανεμοδέρνεται στη θάλασσα της άγνοιάς μας, σε έναν ωκεανό μυστηρίου"
" ισχυρογνωμοσύνη είναι η μη χαλιναγωγημένη ανθρώπινη θέληση , ενώ θέληση είναι η ισχυρή βούληση ενός ανθρώπου ο οποίος είναι πρόθυμος να πάει όπου τον καλεί ή τον ωθεί μια ανώτερη δύναμη"
" είναι νομοτελειακό να γερνάμε σωματικά...δεν είναι υποχρεωμένοι να σταματήσουν να αναπτύσσονται πνευματικά. Και έτσι η δυνατότητα αυτή για διαρκή αλλαγή είναι το πιο εντυπωσιακό χαρακτηριστικό της ανθρώπινης φύσης μας"
" η αρχική σχέση ανάμεσα στη θρησκεία και την επιστήμη ήταν πολύ στενή. Και η σχέση αυτή είχε ένα όνομα - φιλοσοφία"
" οι θρησκευόμενοι έχουμε "πνευματικές κρίσεις". Είναι πολύ πιο σπουδαίο να έχεις μια πνευματική κρίση παρά μια κατάθλιψη"
"καθώς πάλευα με το μυστήριο του θανάτου μου, αναζητώντας το νόημα αυτής της ζωής, βρήκα αυτό που έψαχνα. Είναι απλό. Είμαστε εδώ για να μάθουμε. Όλα όσα μας συμβαίνουν μας βοηθούν να μάθουμε κάτι"
Το τελευταίο ανάγνωσμα της χρονιάς ήταν αυτό το απαύγασμα σοφίας του Μ. Scott Peck που μας οδηγεί προς βαθύτερα επίπεδα επίγνωσης. Από τις πρώτες σελίδες του βιβλίου ένιωσα πως ξεκινάω ένα πνευματικό ταξίδι μέσα από την έρημο της ζωής. Ο λόγος του είναι απλός και κατανοητός, αποφεύγοντας να το παίξει αυθεντία ή κήρυκας. Υπογράμμισα πολλά χωρία που είτε με ενθάρρυναν, είτε με προβλημάτισαν.
''Οι περισσότεροι άνθρωποι που μοιάζουν με ενήλικες, είναι στην πραγματικότητα συναισθηματικά παιδιά που κυκλοφορούν μεταμφιεσμένοι σε ενήλικες''.
Το μόνο μελανό σημείο του βιβλίου κατ' εμέ ήταν πως το τρίτο μέρος ήταν αδύναμο συγκριτικά με τα άλλα, σταματώντας απότομα το αέναο ταξίδι προς την πνευματικότητα. Ειδικά ο επίλογος έπρεπε να προσφέρει μία ψυχική ανάταση. Θα προτιμούσα να κλείσει το βιβλίο με την εξής φράση που εμφυσεί κουράγιο σε όσους το έχουν ανάγκη.
" Oι θρησκευόμενοι έχουμε "πνευματικές κρίσεις". Είναι πολύ πιο σπουδαίο να έχεις μια πνευματική κρίση παρά μια κατάθλιψη".
I love Scott Peck! This book examines spirituality as an important part of overall human and society development, looks at necessity of pain in life, importance of death, true forgiveness, sexuality and the New Age movement. Scott's psychiatric/spiritual method of examining life and humans resonates with the way I perceive the world so it was a highly engaging and thought provoking read.
I generally do not read books about psychology much less psychoanalysis. However, I found this book to be very insightful. The book is separated into various segments, including discipline, love, growth and religion, and grace. I would definitely say that there were underpinnings of religion in this book which I was surprised to see in a science like psychology. However, there were portions of these various sections that I found applicable to my life and which I found even helpful. For example, the section of the book that describes how "love is separateness" rings very true in my life and what I believe I need to have in a loving relationship. Peck says, "a major characteristic of genuine love is that the distinction between oneself and the other is always maintained and preserved. The genuine lover always perceives the beloved as someone who has a totally separate identity. Moreover, the genuine lover always respects and even encourages this separateness and the unique individuality of the beloved. It is the separateness of the partners that enriches the union. Great marriages cannot be constructed by individuals who are terrified by their basic aloneness (which is to be distinguished from lonliness). Genuine love not only respects the individuality of the other but actually seeks to cultivate 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. It is the return of the individual to the nurturing marriage or society from the peaks he or she has traveled alone which serves to elevate that marriage or that society to new heights."
“The Road Less Traveled” çok tutunca Scott Peck yıllar sonra bir devam kitabı olarak bu kitabı yazmış. Ben de ilk kitabı çok beğendiğim için bir heves bunu da okudum.
Yazar insanın spiritüel yolculuğunda dört ayrı aşamadan bahsediyor. Bu aşamalandırmayı beğendim. Benim gözlemlerimle de uyumlu bir aşamalandırma bu: 1. Anti-social/Chaotic 2. Formal/Institutional 3. Doubt/Skepticism/Individual 4. Mystical/Communion
Bir önceki kitapta, yazar kişisel olarak üçüncü ve dördüncü aşamanın tam ortasındaydı bana kalırsa. O yüzden de dinle bilimi, inançla kuşkuyu, bireyle toplumu rahatlıkla harmanlayarak ve tabii psikoterapi tecrübelerinden faydalanarak kişisel gelişim yolculuğuna dair harika tespitler yapabilmişti. Gerçi kendi deyimiyle Carl Jung ve William James’in yazdıklarını tekrardan bir özetlemiş 😊
Ancak bu kitabı yazdığında yazar artık bu yolculuğu tamamlamış. Hıristiyanlığı kabul ederek dördüncü aşamaya geçmiş ve artık bize oradan sesleniyor. Tabii ki yazarın kabul ettiği Hıristiyanlık ikinci aşamanın katı ve formal Hıristiyanlığından ziyade, daha kişisel bir Hıristiyanlık. Ona bir şey diyemem. Ama yazar artık yolda olma halini kaybetmiş. Ve yolda olanlara yolun sıkıntılarına ve dertlerine katlanıp yola nasıl devam etmeleri gerektiğini anlattığı ilk kitabın aksine, biraz hangi yöne gitmeleri gerektiğini anlatıyor gibi geldi. O açıdan okurken biraz Hıristiyanlık propagandası sezebilirsiniz.
Son olarak organizasyon ile kült farkını ele aldığı ve “kült”lerin özelliklerini anlattığı kısma daha bir dikkat kesildim. İçinde bulunduğum tüm yapıları tekrar bir gözden geçirdim. Yazarın tespitlerini doğru kabul edersek, Türkiye’de “kült” özelliklerine sahip olmayan tek bir kurum bulmak imkansız.
Most "disorders" are "psychosomatic." Apparently, even including cancer. Although I find it so hard to believe he actually said that, I can't convince myself I actually heard it on this audiobook. But he covers himself by saying not all cancers, but he seems to be saying most.
Got cancer? Become spiritual and your odds of getting cured increase many times over. He just seems like a snake oil salesman to me. Typical is that he uses some science knowledge mixed in with absurdities.
I was surprised how good the book is. I hate that kind if literature and began to read it out of boredom but liked it more and more with every page. It's not perfect thou the religious crap was too much for me but you can skip some parts and still enjoy it.
A valuable read. A rare voice for a reasonable appreciation of science where it is good, and of spirituality also where it is good, when it comes to our mental health and well being.
If you’re not a devout Christian, this book is a bit hard to take. That’s not to say that the baby should be thrown out with the baptismal water. There is some good advice and insightful gems to be had here. The chapter on The Issue of Death and Meaning is one example.
Based on a “trusted” source that I now don’t recall, late last year I committed myself to reading The Road Less Traveled. That title was written in 1978 and while I thought that was the book I ordered on line, the one that arrived was this book, Further Along the Road less Traveled.
Let’s just say, I’ll not be going back down the road to read the original. What I would like is to go back and recalling where the recommendation for this read came from so I could adjust the recommendation meter from “trusted” to “untrustworthy.”
I found the following to the be the most important:
1. The four stages of spiritual development
2. We need to think about dying more
3. AA is a good program and can be used more broadly
4. Science and spirituality can work together
5. The four stages of spiritual development
I had already skimmed the first book, so I can't say if this wasn't as good. I was fascinated with his stages. I've come across other stages / theories of development, but his is the best framework. It certainly doesn't explain every thing but is a good start.
He's not the most orthodox / mystical / deep / insightful believer / writer but that's ok.
Exactly what the title says it is in a few aspects. 1) it's a continuation "Further Along The Road Less Traveled" of the authors personal growth and research that leads to new ideals and beliefs, and cements others from the previous book. 2) The subtitle is, "The unending journey towards spiritual growth" - And it is exactly that. I was able to further my growth through this book, learn new things, and further understand how much further I can go! Great read.. Absolutely recommend this and number 1. Great pair.
This books definition of life is truly amazing:it matches Whitman's ideology that death is a new life.Peck is a master-mind at what he calls "psycho-theology".He further explains that God is ever present through each life form and how deep he goes into the life of a man is crazy. He explains how God was involved in his life as well as his teachings and how he was influenced by him. His personal experiences with God and life caused him to have a deep understanding of who God is and what he truly represents.
Psychology or really self-help for the spiritual road and growth. The book is interesting but it is not a great book for me. It has some interesting information and ideas in it but others have been along some of the paths with more interesting and more in depth work.
It is a book that one interested in popular psychology should enjoy.
J. Robert Ewbank author "John Wesley, Natural Man, and the 'Isms'"
I thought since I'd read his first book, I might as well read the follow-up. I like the author's laid-back writing style and his mishmash of philosophies. He's Christian, but with a Buddhist bent and is open to anything, really, that works. While this was interesting while I was reading it, I honestly can't remember much now that I'm done. It all made sense but wasn't really a mind-blowing revelation.
so i just finished 'further along the road..' and i personally think its amazing,the way of writier to express his own spiritual growth..though i think many points have been cleared its common among people who are missing solid faith grounds i was kinda bothered that the messege was unclear towards chirstinaity,maybe this book is directed more to them rather than any other religion. again it was the writer own expiernce towards god and it felt really good actually.
A disappointing read. I was wowed by "The Road Less Traveled" and could not wait to get my hang on the #2 sequel but alas, the incoherence of the main ideas as well as his skewed subjective thoughts succeeded in turning me off. Alas, I had hoped to gain more insights from an objective keen observer of human nature instead I got ramblings of religious frustrations and personal grievances of a troubled psychiatrist.
This is a continuation of M. Scott Peck's Road Less Traveled. It says similar things, with a few new thoughts and new twists with experiences that he went through since the Road Less Traveled. A Great read.
peeking into our own selves is always the most scary and the most rewarding. i thought his chapter on religion was a bore, but the rest really helped me take one ugly look at myself and those around me. i was very impressed with it.
I read this book to do a book report for the Hypnotherapy certification class I am taking...not a book I would have picked unless someone told me to read it! It was a good read and am grateful for the assignment (one of 14 book reports!)
And when you thought he had it all covered, he begins the Zen practice and is converted to Christianity. He is in the unique position of illuminated secular, anti-, and Christian beliefs and theology. . . quite nicely thank you.
This book along with "How to Win Friends and Influence People" are not my favored style of reading but I have vowed to read them. Apparently they are two of the most famous motivational books since the 80's.