A New Earth...for Kelly

I must have struggled with Eckhart Tolle's book the most I have ever struggled through reading a piece. Usually, if it is that hard, I just close the book and pass it on to someone I think will appreciate it more. But all the hype about "A New Earth" kept dragging me back. FINALLY I finished the spiritual-new agey thing last night and here's my take:


1. I can see why Oprah loves this, why she's taken it on as her latest mission in spreading world peace, better for humanity kind of thing. Kind of like what she did with The Secret.


2. I don't think your average reader will be able to get through this on his own. The reading is very dense, very out there, yet also, very repetitive. Hence the reason it took me so long.


3. That said, I totally believe in the message Mr. Tolle is trying to spread. Using texts from Christianity (a lot of Jesus quotes), Buddhism, Taoism, Judaism, he basically says all world religions really carry the same underlying message: if you are totally present and conscious during the moment, the transformation within will be spectacular. If you transform, you in turn, will transform the world.


4. So I loved the last 40 or so pages where he really gets to the meat of what he's saying. We must be present, live only for the moment--not the future, definitely not for the past. How do we do this? By our attitude toward the present moment. If it is a difficult moment, we feel acceptance. Because each moment is fleeting. If the moment is mundane (i.e., folding six loads of laundry while your sons' try doing body slams into the mountains of clean clothes with their greasy bodies), you 'enjoy' the moment. Because this moment is beautiful and fleeting--soon they will be too old, they will be out of the house, you won't even be doing the laundry anymore... Then Tolle zones in on the highest level of presence: enthusiasm:

"Enthusiasm means there is deep enjoyment in what you do plus the added element of a goal or a vision that you work toward."



Then he goes on (and on and on, man this guy can ramble and repeat sometimes) that although you are working toward something, it's so important to remain in the present moment, not looking forward to something in the far off future.



Of course this makes sense to me as a writer/aspiring novelist. The goal and vision is there: to see my name on the spine of an awesome book. The road toward that goal is perpetually endless. (How many agents have I submitted to already?) But if I take Mr. Tolle's advice, I wouldn't focus on the future, but on the actual moment when I am writing or editing or submitting or waiting ENDLESSLY for a response from another so-called dream agent. If I am present in the moment of all this, my energy will be enthusiastic and positive which will shine in that finished product.



Ah, easier said than done.



So that's just my take on the Tolle book. Now I shall head over to the Oprah website to see what the girl has to say about it...