Living Life As If Thinking Matters

by R.L. Wysong

Book Overview

This is a book about living life better and solving its dilemmas by putting thinking ahead of popular beliefsWe are all born on the starting line of life with blank mental slates. Then each of us has our mind filled in by parents, schools, peers, and experts. The result is a society stuffed with given beliefs, none of which we own, and'as you will learn in this book'most of which are wrong. Although important questions are often debated, there seems...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0918112141
• ISBN13: 9780918112149
• Release Date: January 2008
• Publisher: Inquiry Press
• Length: 499 Pages
• Weight: 1.80 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Setting the Bar Height in Self-Improvement

I don't suppose there is an adult reader out there who, at some point, hasn't read a self-help book or a treatise on how to improve one's life. It's born of the survival instinct in all of us. I would venture, though, that one has not read such a book that is as all-encompassing or shockingly insightful as Living Life As If Thinking Matters by R. L. Wysong. Yes, I said shockingly. As one who has pondered the seemingly lost art of critical thinking in today's society, the propensity to follow along, enmeshed in the masses, R. L. Wysong's work is an inspiration as well as a revelation. As an ardent believer in the authority of Nature as teacher and healer, it is a scripture. As a fellow author, Living Life is an example of the highest standard, the bar height, a writer should strive to achieve in their genre. And as an avid reader, it shows the conveying power possible in the well-written word. The book is a 500 page disclosure that reads like a page-turner novel. I would assure potential readers not to be daunted by its length; you'll be wanting more. In ninety-seven short, succinct, and eye-opening chapters, which are divided into fourteen life-touching Sections, and by employing the author's art of study, thinking and reasoning, I was given a new and invaluable education. Basic scientific facts and societal truths concerning everything from health, family, pets, community, industry, philosophy, spirituality, and the environment were simply and clearly laid out. Those and more were explored. Thinking about the issues and making sensible decisions was encouraged. What a breath of literary fresh air! Not because there aren't other good books on these types of subjects, including previous works by this author, but because I've never experienced such in-depth clarity and inclusion between two covers! If you can purchase only one non-fiction book in 2009, Living Life as if Thinking Matters by R. L. Wysong is like purchasing a library. It is also a wise investment in your future and those around you. I would love to see it at the top of the NYT Best Seller list. Susan Haley, Author RAINY DAY PEOPLE FIBERS IN THE WEB Book Reviewer for AME Marketing

Finding health, happiness, and hope while creating a better world

Reviewed by Richard R. Blake for Reader Views (1/09) R. L. Wysong challenges the reader to "Live Life As If Thinking Matters" in his book by the same title. He maintains that each of us have a latent power of independent thinking and personal responsibility. For the most part we have relinquished this to tradition, consumerism, political maneuvering, and educational systems. Wysong calls on his readers to put aside the naiveté of unexamined beliefs to let evidence and reason rule. He provides over fifty specific ways to begin making healthy decisions. He offers the reader sage advice on assuming personal responsibility for health care and physical well being. Four complete sections of the book deal with startling revelations regarding health, modern medicine, food, and mental health. Each topic provides eye-opening facts with thought-provoking suggestions for positive steps which will enhance your health and improve your well being. Attitude and lifestyle changes can become proactive remedies for hopelessness and depression. Wysong has cataloged an amazing compendium of logic in topics ranging from pets and self-improvement to environment and economy. Each topic opens up new vistas of thought perceptions with exciting opportunity for independent thinking for a greater sense of life fulfillment. Observations on society, family, and ethics offer important considerations for self examination, honesty, and an opportunity to be true to self. I found myself intrigued with Wysong's comic satire evidenced in hundreds of clever cartoon quips and pictures included throughout the book. Wysong writes with a direct, no-holds-barred approach that may cause reader reaction. For the reader willing to stay with the chapter to the end, the positive proactive steps and suggestions chosen will far outweigh the first negative reaction. A look at the world through the eyes of Gandhi may bring a sense of despair. Gandhi saw: Politics without principle, wealth without work, commerce without morality, education without character, pleasure without conscience, science without humanity, and worship without sacrifice. Wysong contends that love, compassion, heroism, and intelligence can reverse this trend when we commit to truth, dare to depart from the crowd, and use the "solver principles of self responsibility, open thinking, long view virtue, evidence, and reason." A comprehensive bibliography acknowledging credits and additional resources for further study add to the value of this already significant work. A complete index is provided as well for easy access to topics for review, research, and future reference. The title of the book and the accompanying subtitle says it all, "Living Life As If Thinking Matters: Why dissent is crucial to health, happiness, hope, and a better world." This is a veritable encyclopedia of thought-provoking guidelines for creative choices to a more satisfying lifestyle. I can highly recommend R. L. Wysong's book to a broad spectru