Now that we've reviewed the bath water of Eckhart Tolle's A New Earth, let's get to the baby, and this baby is beautiful, inspiring, and wise. As I mentioned in part one of my book review, my perspective on the ego, belief systems and moral relativism differs from what Tolle has spelled out. However, though I felt some of his views are potentially harmfully extreme, I still found this book utterly worthy of praise.
Why? It's simple. There is a great deal of profound wisdom in A New Earth. The wisdom contained in it is so uplifting that just the act of reading it will raise your spirit. And, if you live by some of Tolle's insights, you'll improve the quality of your life exponentially.
What I am struck by in A New Earth are the ideas that shift us from a false sense of ourselves to what's really in our hearts. Tolle wraps all that's not truly worthy of each of us into the term ego. Instead of ego, I'd prefer to call it, as I've heard it in another system called Human Design, the "not self". Tolle shows us that we've been living lives mostly guided by the conditioning of our families, our communities, and our cultural hertitage. This conditioning creates the not self. Certainly not all of that conditioning is bad. But, if we allow our lives to be run by views that we have never considered, never observed in own our behaviour, or never examined against the experiences produced by these views, we are most likely causing stress, unhappiness, numbness, or worse for ourselves and others around us.
Here are a few excerpts that I enjoyed.
"You do not become good by trying to be good, but by finding the goodness that is already within you, and allowing that goodness to emerge." (P. 13)
"Whenever tragic loss occurs, you either resist or you yield. Some people become bitter or deeply resentful; others become compassionate, wise, and loving. Yielding means inner acceptance of what is. You are open to life. Resistance is an inner contradiction, a hardening of the shell of the ego. You are closed. Whatever action you take in a state of inner resistance (which we could also call negativity) will create more outer resistance, and the universe will not be on your side; life will not be helpful. If the shutters are closed, the sunlight cannot come in. When you yield internally, when you surrender, a new dimension of consciousness opens up. If action is possible or necessary, your action will be in alignment with the whole and supported by creative intelligence, the unconditioned consciousness which in a state of inner openness you become one with. Circumstances and people then become helpful, cooperative. Coincidences happen. If no action is possible, you rest in the peace and inner stillness that come with surrender. You rest in God." (P. 58)
"You become most powerful in whatever you do if the action is performed for it's own sake rather than as a means to protect, enhance, or conform to you role identity." (P. 107)
It is worth mentioning the differences between Tolle's first book The Power of Now and A New Earth. The most striking difference is in the format the book is written. The Power of Now is in question and answer format and moves through material without as much direction as A New Earth does. The content itself is very similar. A couple of helpful pieces of new material also appear toward the end of A New Earth. One such new offering was on the power of enthusiasm. Tolle helps us see how to use our enthusiasm to become more creative and to enjoy life more deeply.
Based on the baby and the bath water, my rating for A New Earth is four stars. I do believe, however, that a great deal of people will find it to be more enjoyable than that.
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