MSI Press Blog

  Book excerpt: Self-Nurturing or Entertainment We all like to be entertained. The trouble is, sometimes entertainment isn’t as satisfying as we think it should be. The reason for this is because, instead of nurturing us in some way, the entertainment drains us, even makes us feel bad about ourselves. What kind of entertainment does this, and how can we avoid it? A little bit of forethought will usually do the trick. Take movies for example: perhaps we are assiduous in our efforts to avoid violence in films—we just don’t like it. But many of the movies out today contain violence, whether we like it or not. (This was explained clearly on the PBS special “Makers”: most movies, it seems are geared for men, and men, according to this special, like to see something being blown up or somebody getting shot.) So suppose you’re going to a movie with a man—husband, brother, male friend—and he is gravitating toward a really violent flick, while you’d like to see something like “The 100 Foot J

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