MSI Press Blog

  I never imagined that the squabbles of my childhood would be needed as an adult. But they have been. I was a tomboy. There was no question about that. My favorite place was in the upper branches of the apple tree in the front orchard, and my best friends were all boys. That might have colored how I related to the world as a kid, and I do mean as a kid. The first major altercation, according to my mother, was with my friend Bobby, who was more than a tad taller than I (he became captain of the high school football and basketball teams) and just a tad (one year) older. We were pals then--and all the way through school. But we had an altercation. As my mother tells it, Bobby had a candy bar, and I had an ice cream cone. As our parents were gabbing to each other on the city street, I offered Bobby a lick of my ice cream cone. He was very happy for that lick. I asked for a bite of his candy bar, and he was not happy with that kind of sharing. But lick for bite, it should have been a f...

Authoritarianism doesn’t always wear a uniform. Sometimes it shows up as a boss who must be obeyed, a teacher who silences questions, a pastor who forbids doubt, a parent who demands conformity, a community that punishes difference. In such places, peace can feel impossible — because peace thrives on freedom. But inner peace is not the same as outer permission. It begins quietly, in the space no one can regulate: The breath you take before reacting. The truth you hold without speaking. The dignity you keep when others diminish yours. The compassion you choose instead of resentment. Authoritarian systems feed on fear and compliance. Inner peace resists both — not through rebellion, but through presence . It says: You cannot control how I see, how I love, how I stay calm. Peace becomes a private sanctuary — a steady pulse beneath imposed order. It doesn’t mean agreement. It means awareness. It doesn’t mean surrender. It means self‑possession. Even in controlled spaces, peace can whisper:...

Excerpt from review by US Review of Books: While the title may lead one to think this is a self-help book, this writing goes beyond that type of genre with its intellectual focus on gaining healthy power. In the writings about the ten rules of power, the first chapter examines how most of us are average (based on the Bell Curve), then takes us through a relationship with a co-worker who inspires him to change, and focuses on the Pareto Distribution of wealth. This chapter is a thoughtful introduction to the rest of the book. Other chapters include a history of power, the legend of equality, and the Great Society. Also discussed is our self focus, what we learn from the media about ourselves, and the lessons he's learned from working as a child psychiatrist with children in war-torn countries and areas of poverty. Final chapters explore writing your own narrative, religion, spirituality, and the road map to power by becoming a humanitarian. Recommended by USR For the rest o...