An informative, well-presented application of traditional activities and philosophies to modern-day life.
Ripley (Primal Energy, 2014, etc.) offers a path back to nature in this philosophical work.
Humans are farther from the natural world than at any point in history, according to this book; the environment is in a state of imbalance, and the culture is obsessed with ever more complex technologies. Ripley’s text, which is rooted in the Taoist quest to return to man’s original state, seeks to provide “pathways toward reconnecting with nature...for the health and wellness of each of us as individuals, and for the health and well-being of the planet as a whole.” For the author, this includes embracing traditional Chinese medicine, including acupuncture and other practices that concentrate on the qi (energy) cycle. He also extends the idea to diet: “Some foods help relax the Liver and move qi in the body. They include asparagus, cabbage, lemon, and coconut.” Ripley’s approach is holistic, covering not only medicinal and dietary topics, but also the ways in which a person interacts with the world, physically and mentally. He introduces readers to nature-inspired body/mind practices, such as qi gong and taiji, as well as the Bagua—symbols representing nature categories that one may use to inform and augment the aforementioned practices. Ripley’s influences are rooted in ancient China, but they also include input from the Stoics and modern, ecologically conscious lifestyles and thinkers. He writes in an easy, instructive prose, explaining the underlying reasoning for each of the aspects of his regimen and how they fit together harmoniously. His prescription to return his readers to a simpler, more natural life sounds quite appealing, and the photographs of natural landscapes here do much to sell readers on the shortcomings of cheeseburgers and land subdivisions. However, Ripley’s glorification of man’s natural state ignores, to a certain extent, how scientific developments have made people healthier. The attraction of his recommendations will likely depend on how much skepticism readers hold toward ancient philosophies. That said, his call to slow down, seek balance, and be conscious of one’s role within the larger ecological system is good advice for readers of all belief systems.
An informative, well-presented application of traditional activities and philosophies to modern-day life.Pub Date: Jan. 1, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-931483-31-5
Page Count: 230
Publisher: Three Pines Press
Review Posted Online: May 2, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2016
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
The Stoics did much better with the much shorter Enchiridion.
A follow-on to the author’s garbled but popular 48 Laws of Power, promising that readers will learn how to win friends and influence people, to say nothing of outfoxing all those “toxic types” out in the world.
Greene (Mastery, 2012, etc.) begins with a big sell, averring that his book “is designed to immerse you in all aspects of human behavior and illuminate its root causes.” To gauge by this fat compendium, human behavior is mostly rotten, a presumption that fits with the author’s neo-Machiavellian program of self-validation and eventual strategic supremacy. The author works to formula: First, state a “law,” such as “confront your dark side” or “know your limits,” the latter of which seems pale compared to the Delphic oracle’s “nothing in excess.” Next, elaborate on that law with what might seem to be as plain as day: “Losing contact with reality, we make irrational decisions. That is why our success often does not last.” One imagines there might be other reasons for the evanescence of glory, but there you go. Finally, spin out a long tutelary yarn, seemingly the longer the better, to shore up the truism—in this case, the cometary rise and fall of one-time Disney CEO Michael Eisner, with the warning, “his fate could easily be yours, albeit most likely on a smaller scale,” which ranks right up there with the fortuneteller’s “I sense that someone you know has died" in orders of probability. It’s enough to inspire a new law: Beware of those who spend too much time telling you what you already know, even when it’s dressed up in fresh-sounding terms. “Continually mix the visceral with the analytic” is the language of a consultant’s report, more important-sounding than “go with your gut but use your head, too.”
The Stoics did much better with the much shorter Enchiridion.Pub Date: Oct. 23, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-525-42814-5
Page Count: 580
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: July 30, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Readers unfamiliar with the anecdotal material Greene presents may find interesting avenues to pursue, but they should...
Greene (The 33 Strategies of War, 2007, etc.) believes that genius can be learned if we pay attention and reject social conformity.
The author suggests that our emergence as a species with stereoscopic, frontal vision and sophisticated hand-eye coordination gave us an advantage over earlier humans and primates because it allowed us to contemplate a situation and ponder alternatives for action. This, along with the advantages conferred by mirror neurons, which allow us to intuit what others may be thinking, contributed to our ability to learn, pass on inventions to future generations and improve our problem-solving ability. Throughout most of human history, we were hunter-gatherers, and our brains are engineered accordingly. The author has a jaundiced view of our modern technological society, which, he writes, encourages quick, rash judgments. We fail to spend the time needed to develop thorough mastery of a subject. Greene writes that every human is “born unique,” with specific potential that we can develop if we listen to our inner voice. He offers many interesting but tendentious examples to illustrate his theory, including Einstein, Darwin, Mozart and Temple Grandin. In the case of Darwin, Greene ignores the formative intellectual influences that shaped his thought, including the discovery of geological evolution with which he was familiar before his famous voyage. The author uses Grandin's struggle to overcome autistic social handicaps as a model for the necessity for everyone to create a deceptive social mask.
Readers unfamiliar with the anecdotal material Greene presents may find interesting avenues to pursue, but they should beware of the author's quirky, sometimes misleading brush-stroke characterizations.Pub Date: Nov. 13, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-670-02496-4
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Sept. 12, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2012
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
