WATERMARK

Well, although I’m still not sure why I’m doing this (possibly just to set myself a task) I’ve decided on an approach.

I have finished The Happiness Hypothesis: Finding Modern Truth in Ancient Wisdom, by Jonathan Haidt; and quickly read A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose, by Eckhart Tolle.
Quickly, because I’ll be participating in Oprah’s Online Web Event, a
chapter a week for the next ten weeks, and documenting that slower
reading here. I’m going to move back and forth between these two books
(and perhaps some others) and explore the differences in how they look
at human spirituality, psychology, and ‘happiness’.

I’m hoping that you folks will chime in with your own perspectives and experiences.

[I’m
also, by the way, still trudging through Warped Passages: Unraveling the Mysteries of the Universe’s Hidden Dimensions, by Lisa
Randall, because I must keep going or I’ll have to begin again at the
beginning, as I have several times with Stephen Hawking’s A Brief History of Time. It’s odd — I’m reading along, and mostly not getting
it, except that every so often some part of my mind says WOW! — even
when most of my mind seems confused. So is one part of my mind getting
it, while the rest is still in the murk?]

The differences between A New Earth and The Happiness Hypothesis are apparent at even a brief look.

Both Tolle and Haidt have NOTES.

Haidt
has many notes, fifty or more per chapter, and a thick (over twenty
pages) section of REFERENCES. Some few of these are references to
philosophers, prophets, and scriptures of varied traditions, but most
are references to scientific studies of human genetics, biology, and
behavior.

Tolle’s NOTES are few (about seven per chapter) and virtually all are scriptural. There are no REFERENCES, and no index.

Both use metaphors to express their ideas. Haidt tells us "this is a metaphor"; Tolle’s metaphors are presented as if they are established reality. To make sense of Tolle’s
book, one must accept the premises (not made explicit until near the
end of the book) that there is some Universal Intelligence; that the
goal of evolution is Human Consciousness; and that our Purpose is to
manifest that consciousness.

Now, I read science fiction, so I
am accustomed, as a reader, to making that leap of disbelief into the
story, the world that the author has created for the reader. Two
things, though: the book is labeled fiction; and, once the initial leap is made, all must follow logically from there. Everything within that world must be coherent.

I’m not sure that everything within Tolle’s A New Earth passes that test, even if one accepts the premise. But more about that as we go along.

Haidt
is careful, when he presents an idea, to tell the reader what is
supported by substantive research; what is supported by early research;
and what is purely speculative. He also takes some time to explain his
terms.

Tolle doesn’t care about research. Tolle seems to care about intuition, which, as much research has demonstrated, is not necessarily reliable. Tolle
uses language in ways unfamiliar (and elusive) to those not steeped in
New Age thinking. Sometimes his writing is graceful and endearing;
sometimes it is dense and obscure. For any reader, I suspect, it will
be a challenge.

I’ve taken some time to peruse the MESSAGE
BOARDS at Oprah.com. Postings seem to fall into three general areas:
debates about whether A New Earth is or is not anti-Christian, and/or is simply a rip-off of Buddhism; testimonials; and complaints of confusion. I’ve seen only one post that questions whether Tolle
understands basic scientific theory that he uses to support his
arguments. I would like to see a great deal more of this last. I am
feeling, sharply, the limitations of my own education, as I try to make
sense of — and recognize both accuracy and errors in –Tolle’s reasoning.

So. The class begins tonight, and I’ll be posting at least once a week on this topic.

I’ll try to keep writing poems, too.