Embracing Disillusionment


Book Description

Embracing Disillusionment: Achieving Liberation Through the Demystification of Suffering employs a multidisciplinary examination of the relationship between oppression and suffering. Written for professionals as well as the general public, a framework is provided for understanding the causes and forms of oppression and why these constitute injustice, the dynamics of self-deception and how ideology utilizes these to portray the social causes of suffering as individual and intrapsychic maladies, and the ways in which illusions spun by the powerful stifle awareness and undermine opposition and dissent. Having provided this foundation, a path for openly facing and accepting the suffering inflicted by oppression is provided. Exposing toxic illusions can be a wake-up call that brings with it pain, fear, and anger. However, these responses can be transformed into powerful forces for personal and collective liberation. Working hand-in-hand with those whose minds and hearts have been opened to the costs of social injustices due to neoliberalism, a different and more compassionate way of being that promotes the optimal well-being of all is possible.




Embracing Disillusionment


Book Description

Embracing Disillusionment: Achieving Liberation Through the Demystification of Suffering employs a multidisciplinary examination of the relationship between oppression and suffering. Written for professionals as well as the general public, a framework is provided for understanding the causes and forms of oppression and why these constitute injustice, the dynamics of self-deception and how ideology utilizes these to portray the social causes of suffering as individual and intrapsychic maladies, and the ways in which illusions spun by the powerful stifle awareness and undermine opposition and dissent. Having provided this foundation, a path for openly facing and accepting the suffering inflicted by oppression is provided. Exposing toxic illusions can be a wake-up call that brings with it pain, fear, and anger. However, these responses can be transformed into powerful forces for personal and collective liberation. Working hand-in-hand with those whose minds and hearts have been opened to the costs of social injustices due to neoliberalism, a different and more compassionate way of being that promotes the optimal well-being of all is possible.




The Virtues of Disillusionment


Book Description

Most people go through life chasing illusions of success, fame, wealth, happiness, and few things are more painful than the reality-revealing loss of an illusion. But if illusions are negative, why is the opposite, being disillusioned, also negative? In this essay based on his inaugural writer-in-residence lecture at Athabasca University, internationally acclaimed writer Steven Heighton mathematically evaluates the paradox of disillusionment and the negative aspects of hope. Drawing on writers such as Herman Melville, Leonard Cohen, Kate Chopin, and Thich Nhat Hanh, Heighton considers the influence of illusions on creativity, art, and society. This meditation on language and philosophy reveals the virtues of being disillusioned and, perhaps, the path to freedom.




The Dao of Complexity


Book Description

The pandemic, climate change, rising populism, geo-political unrest – just a few of the issues causing turbulence in today’s world. We are living and working in times that are complex and fast changing. The Dao of Complexity is a book about challenging and deepening worldviews. It explores the remarkable resonance between complexity and Daoism, engaging with the processual, contextual and emergent nature both of ourselves and of the world of which we are a part. It connects to ideas from such diverse fields as quantum physics, brain science, political theory and economics. Jean asks what ‘making sense’ of the world means in these turbulent times and how that can galvanise action for those of us trying to make a difference, trying to ‘make waves’ in a world of increasing connectivity, polarisation and fragility. Taking its lead from Daoist texts, the design encourages readers to open at any page and use the short, stand-alone, yet networked pieces as reflective starting points. This book will be of interest to scholars and those striving for social change, as well as managers and policy makers looking for inspiration. The general reader interested in science, philosophy and ancient wisdom will find relatable material to explore how to engage effectively in this complex world.




The Gift of Disillusionment


Book Description

Hope for Leaders Facing Burnout and Discouragement Around the world, discouragement erodes the vitality of organizations. Visionaries often succumb to cynicism. Zealous advocates give up. Leaders coast as their passion for the cause grows cold. Grounded in research, this book is an invitation for followers of Jesus to sustain hope in long-term service. It's about moving past the false hope of idealism and the faint hope of disillusionment to discover true Christian hope. You will gain encouragement through the study of the book of Jeremiah woven throughout as the authors explore how the Lord prophetically met and sustained Jeremiah during his lifetime of faithfulness despite literally nothing going as he'd hoped. Glean further inspiration by reading the stories of Christian leaders from around the globe: Zimbabwe, Haiti, Guatemala, Poland, Palestine, the Philippines, India, Zambia, and Lebanon. For this is a moment when we need the global Church's perspective and influence. Don't give up and don't check out. These are confounding and perilous days, yet God's sustaining presence can bring joy, hope, and encouragement even amid heartache and disappointment.




Twelve Transgressions


Book Description

DIVAvoid spiritual trip wires that can cause you to stumble!Christians--even leaders with good intentions--commit transgressions that can have a devastating ripple effect, releasing poisons within marriages, families, careers and the body of Christ. Now you/div




I Liked The Old Way Better: A Philosopher's Guide to Embracing Change


Book Description

Embrace Change, Discover Yourself Life is defined by change. But change can also open doors to meaning and growth, shaping the landscape of our lives in unexpected ways. Acclaimed fictional thinker Dr. Charles Pemberton offers an insightful guidebook to approaching change with mindfulness, curiosity, and grace. Blending philosophical insights with relatable pop culture references, Dr. Pemberton provides a roadmap to approaching change as an opportunity for self-reflection, letting go of the past, cultivating resilience, and personal growth. If you seek understanding and tools to adapt to life's twists and turns, this book will speak to you like a trusted mentor lighting the way through uncertainty. Change brings possibility - get ready to embrace it by ordering now!




Intimacy, Transcendence, and Psychology


Book Description

This book addresses the richness and depth of our intimate relationships and especially those moments when we come to see ourselves and the other person in a new way. In such moments we realize that however much we are influenced by heredity and upbringing, we are also agents with the capacity for openness and transcendence.




Committed to Disillusion


Book Description

Arabic literature; Egypt; 20th century; history and criticism.




Ursprung


Book Description

If brain-storming is an exercise in mental imagination, Ursprung is an example of soul-storming. Unlike brainstorming, the aphorisms that comprise Ursprung arise from a Source (Ursprung) more ‘beyond and above’ the ideas that brainstorming produces. This book is a collection of such inspirations, originally unconnected but gradually formed into sections and chapters which I hope exhibit a natural, organic affinity. I wrote Ursprung more as an act of obedience than originality. This book offers a vision of deification, springing from contemplative prayer, that I believe both the church and the world need. The reader can be the judge.