INTRODUCTION

Everything in life is a battle of ideas. How this battle of ideas is played out – individually, and collectively – is in terms of the choices we have to make. There is no escaping this constant need to choose, as we go through life.

Some of the major ideas, and choices, which have shaped our lives in recent memory have been, ‘Communism versus Capitalism’, ‘East versus West’, and ‘Conservatism versus Liberalism’.

And our ordinary, every day lives are completely shaped by the choices we have to make: ‘Car or bus?’, ‘A job you hate that is paid well or a job you love which isn’t?’, ‘Cadbury Creme Egg or Galaxy Caramel?’

And the classic philosophical head-banger for all our times: ‘Who really has the power: men or women?’

This is my entrance into the battle. It is time. I have been standing on the sidelines, observing and watching for long enough. It is time for me to fully engage, most certainly.

Some of what you will read here may seem obvious. And other bits will be more wacky and obscure, perhaps.

There is value in both approaches.

That which appears ‘wacky’ and ‘obscure’ may contain a nugget of truth underneath all the ‘craziness’.

At first glance it may well be deemed ‘too far out’ for some.

Yes. And there might be times when it is necessary to go just that little bit further out …

When it comes to the obvious, many dismiss it. Because it’s obvious. But it may well be worth a closer look.

Why? Because that which is obvious is at the heart of pretty much anything that works effectively. Once you know how, no matter what it is, it is obvious.

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Throughout this work, my mantra is very simple: That doesn’t work. This does work.

Ergo: Do … What … Works.

That is all.

Do I adhere to all of this all of the time? Nope.

But the key thing is that I believe in the process, completely, and I am committed to it, completely. Why? Because I know that if I apply it, my life works. Simple as.

And when it doesn’t work out for me, what is important is that I recognise this, that I accept it, and that I forgive myself. That I am generous with myself. That I am gentle with myself. That I give myself the space just to be, warts and all.

And that I move on as soon as I can and start anew. Hopefully, with some lessons learnt.

That works. Simple as.

But, actually, it’s not that simple. Through all of this, the question that has been burning my brain has been: “Am I worthy of this?”

Watch out for that one like a hawk.

That idea that we all have, that “I am not good enough”, if you let it, will kill all the fun and joy in life. That is certainly not the purpose of this work.

For crying out loud – and I am saying this to myself as much as anyone – no matter the ups and downs, enjoy the ride! It is wonderful! And, yes, you are worthy of this. Simple as.

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Just to say, there is no morality here. There is no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’. What I am saying, to the best of my ability, is that if you do x, this will happen. And that if you do y, that will happen.

Recognise this and choose.

Quite simply, you have no other option, because this is the law of the universe.

And, finally, just so we are clear, this is an inquiry. It is not reality. It is not the truth. It is asking the questions: “Who are we? And what is our life really about?” from my own unique perspective.

Please don’t take it so seriously that you treat it as a dogma. Something that you have to agree or disagree with. Take what works for you, and forget the rest.

And, remember, everything that I have written here is a point of view. By, definition, a point of view is lacking – because it excludes every other point of view there is. And there are many, many different ways that you could look at all of this.

I have chosen to approach things from the point of view, “If we got our act together – if we really got our act together as a species – both, individually, and collectively, what would be possible for us?”

You can choose to take any point of view you want as you read all of this. I am not going to come round your house and say to you, “You must look at it like this …”

But you might want to ask yourself, “If I could choose any point of view, is this really the point of view I would choose?”

Is it a conscious choice, or is it all happening automatically? Take a look.

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How to get the most out of this?

You can read it in any order you want, but I suggest that you start from the beginning. As, in any undertaking in life, that is generally what works for the best. So start with ACTION. As to achieve anything in life, you must act.

Rather than rushing through it, take each bit as it comes. Consider it, as much as you can, from the perspective of, ‘How is this of use to me?’, ‘How can I apply this in my life in a way that would benefit me?’, rather than, ‘Is this right or wrong?’

And then move on to the next bit.

You would be best served to treat life in the exact same way.

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Oh, and just to make it really clear: this is NOT an advice book, or a “how-to-fix-your-life-if-you-do-things-my-way” manual. Whatever actions you take based on anything that you read here, YOU are 100% responsible for, and YOU will assume complete liability for.

It is your life, buster. Whether it works or doesn’t is completely down to YOU. If this is too difficult a concept for you to comprehend, I suggest that you stop reading this, and you waste your time some other way.

If you cannot agree to this, do not read any further. But if you are ready to take full responsibility for your life read on

© Phillip A. Klein March 2008