Jan. 2024 - My Favorite Book Collections.

"Power vs. Force," by David R Hawkins.

This self-enlightenment literary gem written by a Psychiatrist and the spiritual teacher stands tall among the lot and explores the concepts of Power vs. Force and human consciousness. The readers may notice the author's spiritual leanings in multiple places in the book.

Hawkins argues that athletes who excel in their fields often possess positive qualities like determination, consistency, discipline, and excellence. When people witness these actions, and the crowd cheers for their actions, it is not just for their physical prowesses and achievements. Instead, it is a collective response to all those positive qualities, like determination, perseverance, consistency, discipline, and excellence. The act of cheering is a shared expression of admiration for these elevated qualities.

He emphasizes paying more attention to one's emotions; positive emotions lead to enlightenment, and negative ones lead to lower levels. Key learning from this book is that one can raise one's consciousness level by letting go of harmful and destructive behaviors and focusing on more positive traits like love, wisdom, and compassion.

Hawkins introduces a scale of 0 to 1000 for each level of consciousness, with higher levels for positive emotions and lower levels for negative ones. These scores are not universal but are the author's model. Additionally, interpreting emotions and their associated scores can be subjective, and different individuals may perceive and experience emotions in unique ways.

The book combines spirituality and psychology, and readers may interpret the concepts in various ways; as with any other spiritual or self-motivation literature, approach the content with an open mind, focus, and determination to transform from emotions with a low score to a higher level.

Emotional Spectrum Scores in "Power vs. Force":

1. Shame (20): Feelings of humiliation, completely worthless.

2. Guilt (30): A sense of responsibility and remorse for past actions, often accompanied by self-blame.

3. Apathy (50): A lack of interest, enthusiasm, or concern about life. Feeling indifferent or numb.

4. Grief (75): Experiencing deep sadness and sorrow, often related to loss or disappointment.

5. Fear (100): Anxiety, apprehension, and worry. A sense of impending danger or threat.

6. Desire (125): Craving and attachment to specific outcomes, possessions, or experiences.

7. Anger (150): irritation, frustration, and hostility. A desire for revenge or retaliation.

8. Pride (175): A sense of superiority and self-importance. A focus on external validation.

9. Courage (200): The beginning of positive states. Confidence, empowerment, and a willingness to take risks.

10. Neutrality (250): Acceptance, forgiveness, and a lack of judgment. A state of inner peace.

11. Willingness (310): Open-mindedness, flexibility, and a willingness to learn and grow.

12. Acceptance (350): Embracing reality and finding peace in the present moment.

13. Reason (400): Rational thinking, logic, and focusing on understanding and problem-solving.

14. Love (500): Unconditional love, compassion, and a sense of interconnectedness with all humanity.

15. Joy (540): Profound happiness, contentment, and inner fulfillment.

16. Peace (600): Tranquility, serenity, and deep inner calm.

17. Enlightenment (700-1000): A state of ultimate awareness, wisdom, and oneness with the universe.

"The Book of Five Rings," Miyamoto Musashi.

The Book of Five Rings is a short read by legendary swordsman Miyamoto Musashi to guide his immediate disciples and future generations of Samurai. He might not have anticipated his literary gem would become a masterpiece and be adored by people from all walks of life centuries after his death.

Musashi's timeless guidance to warriors on the battlefield on how to defeat an adversary, surprise or catch an opponent off balance, dominating an enemy is revered now after centuries by modern-day readers in the battle of life or for survival in a challenging life situation.

The five key takeaways from this book:

Learn to be Adept and flexible in your approach towards facing any challenges, understand different strategies and not be confined to one, and be prepared to adjust tactics based on the situation.

Calibrate the mind and not be swayed by emotions, distractions, or threats to handle adverse situations.

A crucial among all is understanding the time for the action and execution to gain an advantage over the opponents and challenging situations in life.

Musashi stresses high in maintaining the balance between offense and defense, keeping it simple and avoiding too much complexity in all aspects of life.

Musashi encourages the readers to learn continuously, and constant self-improvement is one of the fundamental principles of surviving and walking past all challenges.?

Musashi provides timeless wisdom in his book that applies to martial arts and all aspects of life. It is a quick and short read, and the readers will find it very interesting and delve into these fundamental principles quickly.

Please post your book recommendation, and I will add it to my list. See you next month with the next set of 3 books. Until then, Cheers.

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