Book on the difficulty of life

March 21st, 2006 · 8 Comments

I bought a book by M. Scott Peck called The Road Less Traveled. I got it for about $2.00 used at Amazon (about $5.50 with shipping).

I’m pretty optimistic about life, often to the point of having unrealistic expectations about my future. I have these nagging, recurring, tempting thoughts that tell me that my life is going to be easy in the future. It feels good to dwell on these thoughts, but I know they’re not based on reality.

If I believe these thoughts, I’ll set myself up for disappointment. The easy life doesn’t exist this side of eternity. Even if I become rich, start an awesome ministry, or marry an amazing woman, there’s always going to be problems, trials, and difficulties.

Hopefully, this book will help me believe more and more the true difficulty of life.

I leave you with Peck’s opening words in this book. Have a great day.

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 transend 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.

Technorati tags: Christianity, life, books

8 responses so far ↓

Kendall // Mar 21, 2006 at 9:03 am

Hmmm…I’m gonna have to get that book. I’d like to see what he says about the difference between understanding and acceptance. I get the understanding part just fine. I’m just having a hard time accepting it.
Scott Severance // Mar 21, 2006 at 1:38 pm

While I haven’t read it, I have some concern with Peck’s book. I’ve just been reading The Danger Within by Manuel Vasquez (Boise: Pacific Press, 1993). This book is about the New Age, which seems to have become so mainstream in the years since 1993 that the term isn’t used much anymore, although the worldview is dominant.

On page 11, Vasquez notes: “Without recognizing it as such, you may have New Age literature in your home–for example, . . . Dr. M. Scott Peck’s The Road Less Traveled.” Vasquez later gives an example of Peck’s worldview:

The philosophy that there is inherent wisdom and godhood within us originated with Satan in the Garden of Eden and is perpetuated by New Age “Christian” writers such as M. Scott Peck in his bestseller, The Road Less Traveled: “If you want to know the closest place to look for grace,” Peck says, “it is within yourself. If you desire wisdom greater than your own, you can find it inside you” [p. 281]. This is New Age teaching, totally opposed to Christianity, Yet I attended a Christian church in which Peck’s book was the textbook being discussed during that quarter. Is it any wonder that people are confused about what is truth and what isn’t? God help us to get back to the Bible! (p. 69)

The reading I’ve done has convinced me that this New Age mindset is the exact opposite of Christianity on all important points, regardless of the Christian faÃ§ade some of it contains.
dee // Mar 21, 2006 at 3:24 pm

Kendall,

Thanks for your comment.

I wonder how Peck will elaborate on accepting the difficultly of life. I should get my book soon. I can’t wait to read it.

I think I accept the difficulty of life by dealing with my difficulties directly instead of ignoring them or wishing they would disappear. My energy should be focused on applying God’s principles toward my problems. However, I’m tempted to spend my time and energy avoiding and ignoring them.

I think the key here is knowing God’s principles and applying them to my tough situations. I should diligently search the Scriptures, pray, talk to godly people, and look at other Christian resources (sermons, books, etc.). Doing these things help me find out God’s will in my different circumstances. It’s helpful for me to keep an open mind during this process. I don’t want to put God in a box.

The next step is crucial. Once I know God’s will, I must act on it. I must show my faith in His word by doing godly actions and thinking godly thoughts. By doing His will, I demonstrate to myself that I rely on His ways over my ways or the world’s ways. My faith becomes active instead of dormant. And my faith grows because it is being exercised. I am more ready to obey and trust God with my next problem.
dee // Mar 21, 2006 at 3:35 pm

Scott,

Thanks for the warning. The quote on page 281 is not Biblical at all! As I read, I will definitely compare Peck’s concepts with Biblical truth.
Scott Severance // Mar 21, 2006 at 3:38 pm

Let me know what you think of the overall worldview in the book!
Paul Torchia // Mar 30, 2006 at 7:14 pm

i began reading another book by M. scott Peck over christmas break that i found highly fascinating called “people of the lie”. I must admit it is kind of a rather daring book seeing as he is trying to develop a psychological classification of evil. I found very interesting becasue he proposes that there is a psychological condition in which people get so concerned with a pretense of good but only to cover up where they compromise, but they put up this pretense to the point where they themselves believe it, and often can not be made to see where they are wrong. To me this was a highly sobering thought that any human could end up this way, and seemed to bare some resemblance to what we often refer to the unpardonable sin, we deny we are doing anything wrong so much to the point where we believe that we arent.
dee // Apr 3, 2006 at 7:58 pm

Paul,

Thanks for your comment. You have some interesting thoughts.

It seems like Peck is showing the devastating effects of sin (evil) through psychology.

Sin is so deceitful that many times we don’t even know we’re sinning. Like King David, we may need another Christian like the prophet Nathan to point out our sin. Your comment underscores the importance of looking outside of ourselves to see if we are sinning. Our sinful hearts can only deceive us. Yes, we are truly “people of the lie.”

Therefore, we must look into the mirror of the Word. We must read the Word, hear the Word from godly preachers and friends, and pray for understanding of the Word.
Edward Lee Cheever II~ // Apr 5, 2006 at 12:22 am

Wow! You have your own site?????

I’m kinda suprised you found me on xanga, though o’course I am on the SWAU blogring so…. yeah……

Have a great day ! :)