Book Byte #313 "The Road Less Traveled" by M. Scott Peck
A New Psychology of Love, Traditional Values and Spiritual Growth
📣 Curious Quotes from the Author
“Until you value yourself, you won't value your time. Until you value your time, you will not do anything with it.”
“Life is difficult. This is a great truth, one of the greatest truths. It is a great truth because once we truly see this truth, we transcend it. Once we truly know that life is difficult-once we truly understand and accept it-then life is no longer difficult. Because once it is accepted, the fact that life is difficult no longer matters.”
“Human beings are poor examiners, subject to superstition, bias, prejudice, and a PROFOUND tendency to see what they want to see rather than what is really there.”
“Genuine love is volitional rather than emotional. The person who truely loves does so because of a decision to love. This person has made a commitment to be loving whether or not the loving feeling is present. ...Conversely, it is not only possible but necessary for a loving person to avoid acting on feelings of love.”
“You cannot truly listen to anyone and do anything else at the same time.”
“I define love thus: The will to extend one's self for the purpose of nurturing one's own or another's spiritual growth.”
To proceed very far through the desert, you must be willing to meet existential suffering and work it through. In order to do this, the attitude toward pain has to change. This happens when we accept the fact that everything that happens to us has been designed for our spiritual growth.”
“When we love someone our love becomes demonstrable or real only through our exertion - through the fact that for that someone (or for ourself) we take an extra step or walk an extra mile. Love is not effortless. To the contrary, love is effortful.”
📚 Cognition of the Book’s Big Idea
At its core, spiritual development depends on discipline. Self-control and a readiness to face and overcome obstacles are necessary for spiritual advancement. Peck emphasizes how crucial it is to actively engage in the development of one's spiritual life because inactivity cannot do this. It necessitates taking an active role in overcoming obstacles in life. The growth of one's spiritual self is severely hampered by rejecting the existence of suffering, choosing ease, and ignoring it. According to the writers, real spiritual growth results from taking on problems head-on, putting up with the discomfort they cause, and persistently looking for solutions. Controlling one's emotions and impulses is essential to achieving a significant goal.
Adopting behaviors such as postponing gratification, taking ownership of one's actions, committing to honesty, and aiming for equilibrium are all necessary to embrace discipline. Peck lists four essential elements that form the basis of discipline: * Accepting responsibility, pledging to be honest, and preserving equilibrium while postponing immediate enjoyment. Delaying gratification, according to him, is the deliberate scheduling of pain and pleasure to optimize the latter. Overcoming challenging tasks or obstacles first enables one to completely enjoy the benefits that follow. This idea was embodied by the financial professional, who found peace by first addressing the most difficult parts of her work.
Accepting reality requires a commitment to honesty, especially when it reveals harsh and often harsh realities. According to Peck, our perception of the world is like a map that is always changing, requiring regular updates to take into account new information. He recognizes that it might be challenging to change our opinions, especially when we come across facts that contradict our deeply held convictions. Adhering to antiquated ideas, which he defined as "transference," invariably causes more harm than adjusting to recently discovered facts.
▶ Collaborative Video of the Day
Until Tomorrow,
Jason (Founder Club255)