The Road Less Traveled is possibly one my favorite non-fiction books. It examines the view of the world as being one where our psychology, spirituality, and physical health are closely tied together.
When we avoid the legitimate suffering involved in solving our problems, we avoid the growth those problems demand of us.
-Dr. Scott Peck
The Road Less Traveled
Love is the will to extend oneself for another’s spiritual growth
-Dr. Scott Peck
The Road Less Traveled
Only through the humility of love can humans dare to be God.
-Dr. Scott Peck
The Road Less Traveled
In attempting to avoid the pain of responsibility, millions and even billions daily attempt to escape from freedom.
-Dr. Scott Peck
The Road Less Traveled
The Road Less Traveled is possibly one my favorite non-fiction books. It examines the view of the world as being one where our psychology, spirituality, and physical health are closely tied together.
At its core this is a book about the Spiritual and Psychological basis for mental health. Dr. Peck discusses how various patience have failed to meet what he cites as the core disciplines of mental health.
- Acceptance of responsibility
- Willingness to delay gratification
- Dedication to the Truth
- Balancing
While most psycho-spiritual thinkers vaguely assert that “it’s all about love…” Dr. Peck approaches the subject analytically. As mentioned above he explains what is necessary to maintain health, placing love as the basic motivation for each of these disciplines. He does however directly define love as Love is the will to extend oneself for another’s spiritual growth
.
From his discussion of Love, he transitions to a discussion of God. His image of God cites the image of the creator that made man in his own image. He silently champions the Modern Gnostic viewpoint that God made the world so as to challenge mankind to become like God.
The book begins with a the line Life is difficult. This is a great Truth, One of the greatest Truths
. Most unnecessary suffering comes from a desire to escape the fact that some suffering is necessary. The universal fact of nature that There Ain’t No Such Thing as a Free Lunch
. The acceptance of total responsibility for one’s self, allows us to see our true place in the world. Seeing ourselves as we truly are is a life-long challenge. But in the those precious moments of victory, we see not only ourselves… but through ourselves to our divine heritage.