Our minds are swimming with the thoughts and worries of our lives, and we lack the easy ability to just be present.

A subplot with a romance feels quite forced, as if the author figured he better put in some romance so people can relate to the book better and find it interesting enough to begin reading it. I realize the focus is supposed to be on Socrates' teachings - much of which is genuinely interesting - but I found myself being continually irritated by the author's way of talking about himself. I still can't believe how truly bad this was, because a friend recommended it based on the alleged monumental effect it had on his life, and it appears to be quite highly rated by the majority of Goodreads readers.

Let the text of the book speak for itself, and it's effects on the reader - don't make it a "sell point". Dan begins visiting Socrates, who tells him he must escape the illusions of his mind to sustain his spirit and take action to experience life as a human being. Being seen by others gives us a chance at love, happiness, and success through companionship and vulnerability. However, I found myself questioning a lot of the assertions made and at the risk of sounding all new agey a lot of it didn't resonate with me. Socrates pushes him hard to meditate until he realizes that every moment in life is special and demands full attention.

It's very rare that a book is able to capably strike this balance; Sophie's World and Ishmael: An Adventure of the Mind and Spirit do the best job I've seen with this genre, but it's not easy trying to alternate religious teachings with an interesting story. The book The Way of The Peaceful Warrior is a story of how a man named Dan Millman became a "warrior". I think the biggest warning sign for this new-age fluff piece is that it says in the title "a book that changes lives".These lessons are conveyed through practical lessons, long contemplation, and one spectacular mystical experience. It also fails as an instructional book, as the story telling makes the lessons seem disconnected from reality, and often useless. I recently decided to re-read it after a meditation teacher was talking about it - and was glad to discover that it's just as relevant to my life now as it was before.

Probably the biggest obstacle we have in finding success and happiness is the idea that we must protect ourselves at all costs. It’s stepping up and doing what needs to be done, to be the person we want to be, and the life we want to live. Going to prove that the value of a work truly depends on who you are, from what perspective you are reading, and what you hope to gain from it.Loosely based on the spiritual journey and personality transformations of the author's youth, the story ended up far too fictionalized and fantastic to remain credible. Socrates ridicules Dan, pointing out that he is trapped in the illusions created by his mind, causing Dan so much trouble. die "weltbewegende Lehre" besteht eigentlich aus den buddhistischen Grundsätzen gepaart mit der Weltanschauung eines Spinners oder einer Sekte - insbesondere dieser Zwang der von der Lehre ausging, gefiel mir überhaupt nicht!