This book shows us that the root of all our problems begin with a thought. For example: "I hate who I am, I hate my job, I hate my life, I hate Bob, Jane, my ex-wife, I hate the rich, blacks, whites, Jews, Christians, Communism, I hate this world". The list goes on. How do these thoughts make you feel? Negative, resentful, angry, jealous, hurtful, all these things and more. The reality is: you simply are who you are, your job is your job and you are in it right now, Bob is just Bob, your life is just however it is. Life or existence itself is just however it is. It is at the very point of giving thought to a given situation that you experience an emotion. Before a (negative) thought, you're ok. Then the thought comes along, you're not ok, a problem has arisen. So who created this problem? You did. By holding on to a certain thought or pattern of thoughts, you create an experience that you take as reality, your world, THE world, but that world exists only in your mind. The problem exists therefore only in your mind. So what's your problem got to do with your job, your life, your father, your boss, Bob, your so-called enemies. Nothing! You place the blame on the world and then try to change it, when the problem lies internally with your thoughts about the the need to change the world. Change ones thinking, then the world changes too, because the world is simply what's going on in the thoughts of 6 billion individuals. Where is this world that we talk of? There is no world other than in our own minds. It is constructed out of the thousands of thoughts that we have about it, upon which he keep building more thoughts, more concepts.
This book is powerful stuff! Yet at the same time, utterly simple and accessible. Forget about religion and other silly beliefs. A set of beliefs, be it spiritual or moral is a set of thoughts, the cause of your suffering, not the answer. After all, as explained ealier, what is suffering anyway other than a thought. How can you use the cause of your suffering (a thought) to solve it? That's like using fire to fight fire. With the help of this book, through the simple realization that our thoughts about a situation or person is the problem and not the situation or person itself, we come to see therefore that our problems are all illusory. Then we no longer experience them as problems. They are simply thoughts. Result: peace!
I recommend also As It Is by Tony Parsons, a book of staggering clarity.
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