Stupid Consumers Path to Enlightenment

[Uvi]

Just finished reading The Stupid Consumers Path to Enlightenment and here is my review:

What an unusual book this is! It opens with the singsong poetical tone of an old fable, “Once upon a moment, there lived a boy…” Which is a literary disguise, used to draw highlights of the author’s view of himself as a child. “While he could never be sure where life would take him there were a couple of things he could be certain of: his love of books (he had read most of his grandfather's; Zane Grey novels by his fifth birthday) and an affinity for nature.”

This is an honest look at himself. “His successes, his failures, even guilt, were dependent on the way others reacted to him. Hidden behind the mask of self-confidence he wore for his public were layers of doubt and anxiety.” This self examination is important, because it relates to the goal of the author: “To be truthful, this is more than a story of one man’s journey toward enlightenment. It’s also about how evolution continually affects consciousness. But more than that, it has to do with forming a loving relationship with one’s own soul.”

From there, the chapters alternate between two voices:

(a’) The Voice’ (presented in bold font, and talks to you) The tone is wise and direct, and has the tone of a lecture, for example:
“Stop wasting time and energy on things you can’t change; it’s not worth the effort. The time has come to align your attention with intention and move on.”

(b) What I would call ’the author’s self’ (presented in regular font, with gentle, self-searching rumination about the author’s life) usually responding to the earlier lecture by the voice.
“What the voice often brings to my attention is the obligation I have to myself. This reminds me that sometimes there is nothing further away than what is inside; even though at times it feels so close I can touch it.”

To me, this structure suggested a dialog between the teacher and the student, both of which are sides of the author’s personality. This dialog serves his goal, which is to illustrate things in such a way as to draw the reader into self-examination without using coercion.
I like the note upon which this conversation ends:

“It is my belief that within all of us is the latent capacity to be as gods.”
Five stars.