Aquest passat 08
de maig es varen trobar a la Biblioteca alguns dels membres del club de lectura
en anglès. Parlen "The Unterthered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself" by Michael Alan Singer. Els varem demanar que ens fessin un petit resum i ens han comentat
el següent:
"This Friday (May 8th 2026) we met to discuss the book The
Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself by Michael Alan Singer.
A self help book that challenges us to change ourselves for the better by
implementing some at first glance, basic simple principles.
What would it be like to free yourself from
limitations and soar beyond your boundaries? What can you do each day to
discover inner peace and serenity? The Untethered Soul offers simple yet
profound answers to these questions.
Like the majority of books in this genre, there is so much
that can be taken and applied towards our daily lives. The author really drives
the point home throughout the book what is to be consciously aware (the
conscious Self) versus the psyche. These are two very different aspects which
people often conflate when describing "who am I?"
Once we truly grasp this separation and understand where we
sit in ourselves, we can then take back control of our lives in a substantial
way. Plenty of us deal with this persistent voice in our head, commenting on
everything we do or interact with. As Singer would teach us, this voice is not
who we are. It's a fundamental part of taking the first step in loosening the
burden of life and pursuing true happiness.
While this all sounds wonderful, who wouldn't want to
experience eternal bliss while silencing the anxious/fearful/critical noise in
our minds i.e. psyche.
Unfortunately as the group began to dissect the chapters
more and share their own attempts, things quickly began to fall apart.
Ultimately while presenting as a very simple manuscript towards enlightenment,
this simplicity becomes a double edge sword.
The unanimous opinion is that the text is too simple so that
its not practical and/or without real answers. Answers like how to deal with
situations that a newcomer may face when taking on the paramount task of
unburdening oneself from oneself. We are told we are the only thing getting in
our way and somewhat left to our own devices when its all said and down. The
way Singer writes is very Black and White as far as life is concerned with no
concern for the nuisances life presents.
I must reiterate there are many inspiring, thought-provoking
points throughout the book. However our group couldn't ignore the veil of a
guru selling snake oil. Amongst the group we even began to discuss similarities
to American Christian Evangelical preaching. Our deep dive left us with more
questions than when we started and perhaps that's exactly what Singer was going
for. While that does not inherently make this a bad read it does not feel
genuine. Especially not when it is consistently told to the reader how utterly
simple this entire process of discovering inner peace is.
I will say in isolation there are chapters that do help us
to think differently and counteract the psyche. And judging from the
overwhelming admiration for this book online, it's clear Singer's words have
helped several. For our group it just missed the mark. We're aware he's
continued with another in the series, perhaps we'll review that someday. Who
knows life can be strange like that sometimes.
William Loyd"
més
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