ARA Review by Kaitlyn Wadsworth of In It Together
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Kaitlyn Wadsworth
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ARA Review by Kaitlyn Wadsworth of In It Together
[Following is an OnlineBookClub.org ARA Review of the book, In It Together.]
In It Together, the book by Eckhart Aurelius Hughes, is a philosophical and self-help book for everyone who likes these genres, and anyone else. Its 224 pages are brimming with cheerful counsel and a sprinkling of humor.
Very early on, a reader learns that self-discipline and spiritual freedom are synonymous. The author explains how.
Whereas, utilitarians* can be despised and hated, if we speak out against them, we are likely to be even more despised by those who support violence, murder, etc.
*Utilitarianism is the doctrine that an action is right if it promotes happiness. The greatest happiness of the most significant number should be the guiding principle of conduct. (The majority can be wrong.) Expressions such as ‘collateral damage’ can condone the death of a minority of innocents. This is obviously faulty reasoning.
Mankind’s selfishness is the root cause of our ‘World of Problems.’ I especially identified with this chapter. It is so true. We learn that we are all interconnected and united. Unity is something we all want.
A reader learns how to overcome the negative things we may all struggle to overcome. A desire for more enslaves us, and we will never be satisfied. (Addiction comes into this and is explained in detail in this book. We are all somewhere on the addiction spectrum.)
We are all united in the same struggle. We must work together in peace and love to attain inner peace, spiritual freedom (aka self-discipline), and true happiness. We are taught the mindset for achieving this.
The chapter on ‘The Two Yous’ reminded me of the Matrix movie, where Neo discovers the truth about his existence. A fascinating discussion.
I learned the meaning of a new word to me: solipsist. (A very selfish person) We will be happy if we think of others, but not to the exclusion of ourselves. Otherwise, we are enablers and carry too many burdens for others.
The author stated many things I already knew but had never thought about in words. The difference between defining traits and non-defining traits. The ‘human mind is a wonderful servant but a terrible master’; in many ways, we are human avatars; that solidity is imaginary. (I reflected on what I learned at school. About everything around us being made up of atoms/molecules and therefore being constantly on the move and only having the appearance of solidity.) The truth is that we don’t come into the world. We come out of it, which seemed strange but true. How practical is it to listen to the advice to find peace by ‘not desiring to win any war.’ For those who think nothing of themselves, learning that ‘excessively low self-esteem is as egotistical as being a narcissist’ will have readers changing in a hurry to love themselves.
The truth on page 100 is the most important one. “I view consciousness as the knowledge that one is alive and the awareness that one can control one’s own existence.” We are in control of our thoughts, our feelings, and our lives. The uncontrollable aspects do not need to shatter our inner peace. We can cope better if we remain calm.
If we all could believe, think, and feel the way we read about in this book, the world would be a world of unity and love. Notice that I didn’t write ‘should’. The author is against anyone doing anything because we ‘must’ or ‘should.’
If we have love, we will automatically do the right thing. This idea is very freeing. ‘Inner peace happens despite lack of outer peace.’
The book gives us 11 great suggestions to attain inner peace, acceptance, forgiveness, and love. Yet, it is our own choice. Some things prevent inner peace, and some things promote it.
The last beautiful chapter, I Love You, makes readers feel loved and wanted. We are all, indeed, In It Together. We have similar experiences. We all need the timely reminders in this book to help us attain true freedom.
I liked that the end of each chapter leads onto the next chapter and so on. It made this book a united whole. Not divided up into categories. The layout of different topics helps us to clearly understand the main points. The many wise sayings quoted in the book reinforce what the author is stating.
The book is exceptionally well-edited. Some paragraphs appear to repeat the same thought. Still, as some of the information may be a new twist on an old belief or a completely new idea, reinforcement leads to clarity.
I rate this book 5 out of 5. I did not agree with every single thought*, but I highly recommend this book. Especially to those who like philosophy or self-help literature written in an engaging and informative way. It is uplifting. I hope that what I understand from, In it Together, and have stated in this review, reflects the truth of what is written by the author.
*The Bible translation used to quote Luke Chapter 17, verse 21, states that “the kingdom of God is within you.” However, many translations render this verse, “the kingdom of God is in your midst.” (or similar) It means this in the sense that Jesus (the ruler in this kingdom) was with them then. Despite this, I agree that we can choose to be in a blessed or a hellish place.
***
View In It Together on Bookshelves
In It Together, the book by Eckhart Aurelius Hughes, is a philosophical and self-help book for everyone who likes these genres, and anyone else. Its 224 pages are brimming with cheerful counsel and a sprinkling of humor.
Very early on, a reader learns that self-discipline and spiritual freedom are synonymous. The author explains how.
Whereas, utilitarians* can be despised and hated, if we speak out against them, we are likely to be even more despised by those who support violence, murder, etc.
*Utilitarianism is the doctrine that an action is right if it promotes happiness. The greatest happiness of the most significant number should be the guiding principle of conduct. (The majority can be wrong.) Expressions such as ‘collateral damage’ can condone the death of a minority of innocents. This is obviously faulty reasoning.
Mankind’s selfishness is the root cause of our ‘World of Problems.’ I especially identified with this chapter. It is so true. We learn that we are all interconnected and united. Unity is something we all want.
A reader learns how to overcome the negative things we may all struggle to overcome. A desire for more enslaves us, and we will never be satisfied. (Addiction comes into this and is explained in detail in this book. We are all somewhere on the addiction spectrum.)
We are all united in the same struggle. We must work together in peace and love to attain inner peace, spiritual freedom (aka self-discipline), and true happiness. We are taught the mindset for achieving this.
The chapter on ‘The Two Yous’ reminded me of the Matrix movie, where Neo discovers the truth about his existence. A fascinating discussion.
I learned the meaning of a new word to me: solipsist. (A very selfish person) We will be happy if we think of others, but not to the exclusion of ourselves. Otherwise, we are enablers and carry too many burdens for others.
The author stated many things I already knew but had never thought about in words. The difference between defining traits and non-defining traits. The ‘human mind is a wonderful servant but a terrible master’; in many ways, we are human avatars; that solidity is imaginary. (I reflected on what I learned at school. About everything around us being made up of atoms/molecules and therefore being constantly on the move and only having the appearance of solidity.) The truth is that we don’t come into the world. We come out of it, which seemed strange but true. How practical is it to listen to the advice to find peace by ‘not desiring to win any war.’ For those who think nothing of themselves, learning that ‘excessively low self-esteem is as egotistical as being a narcissist’ will have readers changing in a hurry to love themselves.
The truth on page 100 is the most important one. “I view consciousness as the knowledge that one is alive and the awareness that one can control one’s own existence.” We are in control of our thoughts, our feelings, and our lives. The uncontrollable aspects do not need to shatter our inner peace. We can cope better if we remain calm.
If we all could believe, think, and feel the way we read about in this book, the world would be a world of unity and love. Notice that I didn’t write ‘should’. The author is against anyone doing anything because we ‘must’ or ‘should.’
If we have love, we will automatically do the right thing. This idea is very freeing. ‘Inner peace happens despite lack of outer peace.’
The book gives us 11 great suggestions to attain inner peace, acceptance, forgiveness, and love. Yet, it is our own choice. Some things prevent inner peace, and some things promote it.
The last beautiful chapter, I Love You, makes readers feel loved and wanted. We are all, indeed, In It Together. We have similar experiences. We all need the timely reminders in this book to help us attain true freedom.
I liked that the end of each chapter leads onto the next chapter and so on. It made this book a united whole. Not divided up into categories. The layout of different topics helps us to clearly understand the main points. The many wise sayings quoted in the book reinforce what the author is stating.
The book is exceptionally well-edited. Some paragraphs appear to repeat the same thought. Still, as some of the information may be a new twist on an old belief or a completely new idea, reinforcement leads to clarity.
I rate this book 5 out of 5. I did not agree with every single thought*, but I highly recommend this book. Especially to those who like philosophy or self-help literature written in an engaging and informative way. It is uplifting. I hope that what I understand from, In it Together, and have stated in this review, reflects the truth of what is written by the author.
*The Bible translation used to quote Luke Chapter 17, verse 21, states that “the kingdom of God is within you.” However, many translations render this verse, “the kingdom of God is in your midst.” (or similar) It means this in the sense that Jesus (the ruler in this kingdom) was with them then. Despite this, I agree that we can choose to be in a blessed or a hellish place.
***
View In It Together on Bookshelves
Latest Review: The Illusion of Superiority by Christopher Joseph
