| Staying Sane in a Crazy World |
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- Rabbi Sherwin Wine
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Life is unfair. It often does not give us what
we want. More often it does not give us what we deserve. There
is too much death, betrayal and frustration. There is not enough
love, happiness and hope. It is quite clear that the universe
does not conform to the human moral agenda.
A just universe is also a meaningful universe.
It is also a sane universe. An unjust world is a meaningless world.
It is also a crazy world. Staying sane in a crazy world is not
easy. It requires a special kind of human ingenuity and determination.
Sherwin Wine explores what it means to cope successfully
with an unfair world. The first step is to dismiss illusions that
hide the reality we must face. Being rational and realistic is
not a cold response to life. It is tied to the passion for personal
strength and dignity.
Wine develops the ten steps to sanity. These
steps are answers to certain fundamental questions of life. What
is happiness? What do I need to do to be happy? How do my fear,
anger, love and guilt fit into my search for personal dignity?
What does it mean to be ethical in a world that is less than ethical?
How can I find the strength I need to cope with the problems of
my life?
Staying Sane
in a Crazy World is a fresh and somewhat outrageous new approach
to the search for meaning in life. In an age when it is fashionable
to give people answers that they want to hear but cannot use,
Wine provides less fashionable -- but more effective -- answers
to the fundamental issues of the human condition.
Sherwin Wine is the founder of Humanistic Judaism,
a fifth alternative in Jewish life. He has been the rabbi of the
Birmingham Temple in suburban Detroit for the past thirty-plus
years.
He is also the founder of the Center for New
Thinking, a forum for the presentation of new ideas in the arts,
sciences, and philosophy. As chief lecturer of the Center, he
directs much of his attention to the issues of ethics and self-esteem.
Other books written by Sherwin Wine include Judaism
beyond God and Celebration.
Praise for Staying Sane in a Crazy World:
Sherwin Wine's wisdom is both timeless and modern, his writing
accessible and comforting. I have treasured his perspective
for years and am grateful to have this book to carry with me
during these confusing times.
-Lawrence Kasdan/writer, film director
Brilliant! Whatever your beliefs, Sherwin Wine challenges each
and every one of us to question and answer the haunting refrain
of our view of ourselves and the world.
-Sonya Friedman/author, talk-show host
Sherwin Wine presents a much-needed and forceful response
to the irrationalism, moral confusion and failure of nerve that
characterize our times. He challenges us to pursue a life without
illusions, and confront an absurd and unjust world with reason,
dignity and courage.
-Joseph Churman/associate dean, The Humanist Institute
This is a courageous, insightful, no-nonsense, hard-hitting
attack on ideologues and other true believers who hide behind
delusions about God and cosmic purpose. Sherwin Wine asks us
to face up to the fact that we live in a meaningless and absurd
("crazy") world. Only if we do that, he says, can
we declare ourselves and move on to create meaning in our lives.
-Arthur Brown/director, Center for Academic Ethics
Part of the achievement of this book and of Sherwin Wine is
that both teach us to live with ourselves and others, with dignity,
respect, confidence and good reason; and enjoy the challenge.
-Harold Norris/professor of Constitutional law
[Notes from publisher.]
Birmingham, MI: Center for New Thinking.
ISBN 0964801604
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$22.00
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