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Ordinary Goodness

The Surprisingly Effortless Path to Creating a Life of Meaning and Beauty

ebook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available
A call to action to live a life full of goodness and purpose
People often struggle to find a life filled with passion, happiness—and just plain goodness. This struggle drives many to depression and addictive tendencies. Author and New Thought minister Edward Viljoen argues that the struggle need not be an arduous or painful one—that through everyday acts of kindness, faith, and compassion we can create peaceful and contented lives. Using personal stories, practical tips, and exercises, this book shows us that regardless of our circumstances, we can create meaning and beauty in our lives and in the world. Viljoen offers deep insights, showing:
- How caring about ordinary things leads to meaningful and extraordinary life experiences
- How society's messages about perfection distract us from our ordinary goodness
- How faith is a muscle that must be exercised
 
People are always striving to live happy and fulfilled lives. This book reassures us that this is attainable—nothing extraordinary is required.
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    • Publisher's Weekly

      Starred review from November 14, 2016
      Nondenominational minister Viljoen (The Power of Meditation) brings an appealing, thoughtful calm to his exploration of the idea that Meister Eckhart expresses as “the light in the soul.” Viljoen advocates for “ordinary goodness,” something basic and natural that exists in all of us and is always accessible to us. He invites the reader to slow down, observe, and exercise practices of kindness, mindfulness, compassion, integrity, patience, and faith until they become “a welcome guest in us.” Viljoen’s phrasings of this centuries-old idea, supported by a mix of personal stories of his South African childhood and quotations broadly chosen from ancient and modern religious and non-religious texts, resonate in a way that feels modern but not trendy. Not so much a program as a collection of love-affirming reminders, Viljoen’s approach celebrates being fully present in the world, complete with its pain and grief, maintaining a belief in the essential goodness of humanity without glibly looking for a “disguised blessing.” The student following this path will be neither social activist nor cloistered religious, but an everyday person making daily conscious small choices to live from goodness.

    • Booklist

      December 1, 2016
      In a world full of badness, how can human beings strip away the noise to live a life of simple goodness? That's the question the author asks in this exploration of kindness and goodness. Stories of his experience meeting goodness and its oppositethe listening skills of his grandmother, a moment of unkindness toward a strangerpepper this wide-ranging contemplation of how to find, and practice, basic goodness in a complicated world. The author draws on a number of faith traditions, seeking to mine what is most effective at cultivating kindness. Each chapter also includes suggestions for practicing ways of showing more kindness, such as meditation or even taking the time to articulate what the reader believes. Though not effortless, as the subtitle claims, the book genuinely seeks to encourage a mind-set of caring, an effort to see the basic goodness of the world and spread that goodness to others.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)

Formats

  • OverDrive Read
  • EPUB ebook

Languages

  • English

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