Rating: 
Summary: Very Inspiring but...
Review: This is a very inspiring book for those who need answers about self discipline, love, faith and spiritual growth. Psychology professors have recommended this book from some time and I understand why. It takes the reader into a deeper look at what love is and the author spends quite some time explaining what it is not. I agree on some of his proposals but the only problem I find with his insights is that they are too simplistic. His definition of love is way to general and although he painstakingly emphasized that, all and all, love is the basic act of a couple's boundaries collapsing, I still feel that this does not apply in all situations. And I really didn't agree with his idea that falling in love is as a "trap" into marriage. Again too simplistic and not to mention cynical and sarcastic. There are a lot of things that disturb me about this book. I feel the author is a little rough on the parents and should read Louise L Hayes books and give parents some credit. No one is perfect!! Remember: one should understand how parents work with their children. They are doing the best they can from what they have learned themselves from their own parents. This is how they've been conditioned. Come on..I know there are some really BAD parents out there. But for those who do not live up to their child's EVERY need, one can not equate that with evil (yes, he equates laziness with evil.. again too simplistic and false, but that's another book). Toward the end of the book... Peck practically gives us his testimony.. It was very inspirational for those seeking to reach their higher self.. but if you are not a Christian you will feel left out i would have given this book fewer stars but there ARE a look of good insights in this books.. especially the chapters on self-discipline.. can't blame the world for your troubles.. you got to get up and work to achieve you main goals in life... eventually into spiritual growth. I also agreed with his view on changing and how he equated it with maturity. Peck's a very stern, no-nonsense speaker and a good thinker. I would recommend this book for those looking for answers to why their life is going no where, but at the same time I would recommend they disregard some of his theories to achieve the maximum effect of this book (and also prevent them from getting upset and throwing the book). Remember it's ok to disagree with what you read in this book. Peck has a way of making things seem so definite and written in stone just because he says so. I've read plenty of his books so I know!
Rating: 
Summary: Travelling On the Road
Review: The philosophy of this book adjusts itself to mine in many ways, and I am sure of many other people, especially those who had a religious upbringing, without saying it bends toward the religious. The view that one has to face the pain in life is indeed a road less traveled in this world that sometimes overemphasizes the easy way out. I think his definition of love attempts to grasp the concept of it, but I am happier with the definition given by Jesus. Trust HIM on that rather. It made me remember my old lessons in catechism (the love part). The book in all, earns a well earned B average.
Rating: 
Summary: The best book I have ever read.
Review: This book explores love by describing the work it takes to get there. Peck does not pull any punches, he does not give suggestions, instead he tells the reader exactly how the mind works.
Rating:
Summary: Profound Insights Yet Full Of Realizations
Review: I read the book last 1993. It was recommended to me by a friend who was a former member of the Sisters of Charity of Mother Teresa. M. Scott Peck directs his writing from the heart to the soul. He tries to penetrate the very being of an individual's nature to love - to tread the path mostly everyone has not or do not intend to step on and go on to. The book has refreshed deep ideas within me. It has facilitated me to explore my journey from anguish towards freedom.
Rating:
Summary: I wish I read this book years ago
Review: My search for fundamental answers -- why do I do things the way I do, why I feel the way I feel, how do I get wiser, happier, more mature -- proved to be frustrating. Today's education is severely limited in the area of wisdom of living, albeit it made me fairly book-smart. Peck's book was a revelation in a sense that it provided insights I searched for, answers to questions I thought only those with innate talent for living knew, perhaps subconsciously. Peck's book is a jewel because it is brutally honest -- life is dificult, and theres no way around it. However, Peck says, you can get better if you work at it, and he shares his insights into the art of discipline, love, and self-improvement based on his many years of phychiatric work with patients. Patients' cases alone would have been worth reading, but the book offers so much more. One word of caution, though: sometimes the reading gets slow as thoughts and concepts become deep, but that did not happen to me too o! ! ften be be disappointing.
Rating:
Summary: The #1 of Non-Fiction Best-Seller of All-Time
Review: #1 of All-Time, 10 years on the N.Y. Times best-seller list -- if this book does NOT contain "more truth" (uh...the very PURPOSE of a non-fiction book, no? -- a fitting tribute to this one in which the concept of what Truth is, and how it is to be identified -- and lived in the ONE REALITY we are all to share -- is so compellingly propounded [something this world needs MORE of, not LESS Traveled]) than any other book ever published (save perhaps John Gray's "Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus," which will likely soon overtake TRLT as #1 of all-time [and for the same reasons] -- what ELSE could be the source of its vast longevity and popularity? It does not possess the titilating subject matter of the predecessor to it's #1 of all-time status, Alex Comfort's "The Joy of Sex" to assist it in attaining its vaunted mantle. NUMBERS have MEANING; NUMBERS MATTER...this is not simply "Uh...#1 best-seller" -- it is THE #1 best-seller! ! ABOVE ALL OTHER BEST-SELLERS. ASK yourself WHY that should BE -- and have the courage to face the TRUTH in your answer. Further, remember Dr. Peck's DEFINITION OF MENTAL HEALTH: DEDICATION TO REALITY AT ALL COSTS.
Rating:
Summary: "The Road Less Traveled" is a classic "must read"
Review: This book is one of the greatest of our era! M. Scott Peck has written a classic of which his subsequent books don't even approach. This book comprises four main topics; Discipline, Love, Growth/Religion, and Grace. His coverage of the four basic methods of discipline and how they are interrelated is a masterpiece alone and is a "must read" for parents wishing to raise mentally healthy children. The definition of love as "The will to extend one's self for the purpose of nurturing one's own or another's spiritual growth" is also quite refreshing. This book is for anyone with the courage to grow. If you are afraid of the truth...do not read this book!
Rating:
Summary: very helpful along the road
Review: Few books have caught me the way this book did. Many of the other reviews you will read about this book discuss its simplicity, Christian or Puritan themes, etc. What I can say, however, is that The Road Less Travelled has a warmth, and assurance about it that makes one feel at ease with change. It provides a road map (structure) to life that really helped me tremendously. In particular, the section on religion and faith gave me new insights into spirituality. I feel much more in touch with my spirituality after reading this book. It is not a Bible, as some see it, but this book is extremely valable, and one to be treasured. Its insights are truly useful. Read, and enjoy, and read again.
Rating:
Summary: Either M. Scott Peck is extremely good or extremely evil.
Review: This book describes the four pillars of spiritual
growth: discipline, love, religion, and grace.
The author points out that love is not the same
thing as what most people consider "love." Rather, it is an act of the will to intelligently enhance someone else's spiritual growth.
Either M. Scott Peck is extremely good or extremely evil. Another book that he wrote,
People of the Lie, is the most powerful book
that I have ever read. And he labels ordinary
people such as you and me to be "evil," maybe
even more evil than a serial killer. Does he do
this because we are truly evil and are in dire need of spiritual direction, or out of spite? We don't know.
Similarly, his book The Road Less Traveled does not give specific instructions, but merely creates a hunger for spiritual growth. He tells us what love is NOT, yet he doesn't tell us specifically enough what love IS. And he strongly supports Christianity, but yet has revulsion towards traditional Christianity. His attitude towards the mentally ill also is different than mine. Is this good or bad? I don't know.
Read the book and see for yourself.
Rating:
Summary: Charting a path...
Review: I first read M. Scott Peck's 'The Road Less Travelled' over 20 years ago, but it is a text to which I return again and again, as Peck's insights and observations remain a constant source of inspiration and guidance in my life. It still finds a ready home in the hands of therapists, counselors, ministers, teachers, career planners, and others as part of their resources, and is not out of place in the home of anyone who cares about the directions of her or his life. Peck is a clinical psychiatrist - the material for this book came largely from his experiences with clients and others, seeing what worked and what didn't, what was missing and what was mis-understood. Often cases involved psychotherapy (talk therapy), but the processes here are not confined to therapists' offices. The same kinds of problem solving, processing and relationship building that takes place in psychotherapy can be used as life-long tools. Peck resists labels such as Freudian and Jungian; he doesn't look for, nor does he offer, quick fixes or the psychotherapeutic variety of the get-rich-quick schemes. This book is not a therapy manual, but rather a guide to spiritual growth that incorporates therapeutic and psychological principles. Peck echoes the sentiments of many spiritual directors and leaders through the millennia that spiritual and personal growth are long journeys, not short leaps. It involves dedication and intention, and a willingness to accept risk and change. Perhaps it is ironic that, given this, the first topic Peck focuses upon is Discipline. However, without discipline, change can go unchecked and uncharted, growth can become problematic, and the human soul becomes susceptible to a host of difficulties. Dedication and application to problem-solving and long-term building (whether it be of retirement funds or of one's own spirit) requires a disciplined approach that recognises that life is difficulty (the first of Buddha's Four Noble Truths, cited by Peck), gratification sometimes needs to be delayed for greater goods, and reality needs to be approached and dealt with responsibly. Peck calls here for a life to be totally dedicated to the truth. This is hard, because we as human beings are so accustomed to rationalisation and reinterpretation. This kind of dedication also requires a balance in life, and an ability to be flexible as the truths of our lives change - few of us are in possession of timeless and eternal truths governing every aspect of our lives, and often those who feel they are end up disappointed in the end. The continuing creativity of God in our lives requires flexibility, but this is best achieved in a disciplined and balanced context. Peck then turns to love, a mysterious thing even in the best of times. He identifies some of the myths of 'falling in love' and romantic love that our culture through various means idealises, leading to great dissatisfaction when we do not achieve the desired feelings or situations. Peck makes the assertion that love is not really a feeling, but rather an action or activity, that involves a lot of risk-taking (Peck talks about risks of independence, of commitment, of confrontation, and of loss). True love requires discipline and recognition of the needs of the self and others. The final two sections of the text deal with aspects of religion on the spiritual and psychological development of persons. The first section looks at religion and growth processes. He does a short survey of some attitudes toward religions and denominations, as well as a look at how the modern scientific mindset colours the worldview of modern people, particularly with ideas of verification and skepticism. Some psychologists and theorists have wondered if religion were mass delusions, mass psychosis, or some other kind of sickness. Peck uses interesting extended case studies here to examine the role of various aspects of religion in the developmental lives of several people. Peck asks the question, 'Is belief in God a psychopathology?' In some aspects, and for some people, the way they approach and 'use' religion, the answer may well be yes. However, Peck also takes the psychotherapeutic community to task for often being too narrow or too dismissive of the value of religious sentiment and institutions in the lives of their charges. The final section looks at the role of grace in the spiritual growth process. Grace is another mysterious force, like love, that is difficult to pin down and explain. It is also something uncontrollable. Why do some with artistic talent end up being successful and celebrated, and others not? Why do some use their talent, when others don't? In cases of ultimate despair, Peck makes the observation that while it is often clear why some people commit suicide, it is not often clear why others in the same situations don't. Some of this has to do with the unconscious mind that guides us, and some of it has to do with the miracle of serendipity, as Peck describes it. Peck describes in some detail his concept of what grace is and how it works, in very general terms that relate to no denomination or religion in particular, but has wide applicability. He talks both about resistance to grace and the welcoming of grace. Grace is not easy, and often comes with responsibilities (Bonhoeffer talks about cheap grace; the requirements of grace are noted through scriptures of many religions). Welcoming grace welcomes often more than we bargained for, but also often more than we hoped. In his afterword, Peck discusses the difficulties of writing in an organised and linear fashion about something so fundamentally disorganised as spiritual growth and therapeutic processes. He also talks about the need for finding competent help when required - ability is not measured by degrees, he states (something true in many professions). This is useful for those seeking a first therapeutic relationship, or needing a change.
|
