This book is an invitation to come home to your authentic self in a world that is frequently mesmerized by "spin," narcissism, fantasy, and exhibitionism. Psychology and classic wisdom literature have, in various ways, long recognized the value for simply becoming who you are (i.e., ordinariness). However, this call is becoming increasingly drowned out by the many other voices that emphasize publicity and image-making over authenticity and humility. Renowned therapist and author Robert Wicks has written The Tao of Ordinariness as a way of beginning to address these tendencies in contemporary society.
In this new countercultural work, the strength and joy of exploring who you are - and proceeding to share yourself with others in a way that they too can reclaim themselves - is revisited from a range of vantage points. The author specifically reexamines themes of humility, simplicity, letting go, self-awareness, "alonetime," resilience, and mentoring. In an era when people increasingly measure self-worth by external measures, such as the number of likes and views and followers on social media feeds (which have many individuals chasing impossible fantasies and living with a constant fear of "missing out"), Wicks offers a return to your authentic self.
Recenzijos
Wicks persuasively engages anecdotes from personal experience and from literature to illustrate the impact of seeking authenticity, for oneself and others, by learning and being who we are. In todays environment, it is easy for individuals to get lost in aspiring or responding to unrealistic expectations, suggestions, or goals as painted by social media. Wicks counsels readers to have the courage to "confront unhelpful external influences" by embracing ordinariness and "modeling" a "lack of egoism in one's interpersonal relations," such that others may also be encouraged to become more fully themselves. Overall, the book is an easy read that nonetheless delivers a vitally important message. Although it would be a good supplementary text for some college courses, it is also potentially engaging and enlightening for the everyday reader. * M. Hawthorne, Louisiana State University at Shreveport, CHOICE *
| Epigraph |
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xi | |
| Introduction: Coming Home to Yourself |
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1 | (22) |
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One An Elusive Companion Virtue: Humility |
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23 | (30) |
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Two Travel Lightly: Simplicity and Letting Go |
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53 | (27) |
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Three The Unrecognizable You: Addressing the Reputation You Currently Have with Yourself |
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80 | (32) |
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Four Becoming "Sea-Kindly": Living with Greater Patience, Perseverance, and a Willingness to Fail |
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112 | (26) |
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Five Mentors in Ordinariness: Experiencing Authenticity in Practice |
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138 | (26) |
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Six Alonetime: Embracing Spaces Conducive to the Process of Self-Uncovering and Re-Discovering |
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164 | (21) |
| Epilogue: Returning Home to Yourself Again |
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185 | (18) |
| Notes |
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203 | (4) |
| Sources Cited |
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207 | (6) |
| About the Author |
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213 | (4) |
| Index |
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217 | |
Robert J. Wicks, who received his doctorate in psychology from Hahnemann Medical College and Hospital, is Professor Emeritus at Loyola University Maryland. He has published more than 50 books for professionals and the general public, including Night Call: Embracing Compassion and Hope in a Troubled World (Oxford University Press, 2018); Perspective: The Calm within the Storm (Oxford University Press, 2014); and Bounce: Living the Resilient Life (Oxford University Press, 2010). Dr. Wicks has lectured on the importance of resilience, self-care, and maintaining a healthy perspective in Hanoi, Beijing, Port au Prince, Johannesburg, Phnom Penh, and Budapest as well as at the Mayo Clinic, Yale School of Nursing, Harvard's Children's Hospital and Harvard Divinity School, the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, the U.S. Air Force Academy, on Capitol Hill to Members of Congress and their Chiefs of Staff, and most recently in Beirut to persons living and working in Aleppo, Syria. He has also
served on the faculty of Bryn Mawr College's Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research and received the Humanitarian of the Year Award from the American Counseling Association's Division on Spirituality, Ethics, and Values. In 2006, he was recipient of the first annual Alumni Award for Excellence in Professional Psychology from Widener University.
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