Eckhart Tolle’s, A NEW EARTH, is about understanding one true purpose. Yes, he references religions; in particular Buddha, Jesus, and the Bible, but I felt in no way was he telling you which faith to follow or not to follow.

This book is about inner enlightenment; not about being a good Catholic, Baptist, Jew, or of any other religion. It’s about living up to one’s full potential – be skillful, open-minded, etc… We all have one “fundamental issue” which is the human condition. This “issue” includes “ignorance, irrationality, and the lust for power.” (A Seismic Shift by Chris Dede) Therefore, Tolle is trying to awaken your inner self; and as he said; “knowing oneself is rooted in “being.”” We’re always quick to judge; yet we do not judge ourselves first, and we wonder why we have hate, crime, and war all around us.

Are we really here to repeat history, making the same mistakes over and over again? Well, “unchange will always end up re-creating fundamentally the same world, the same evils and the same dysfunction,” as stated in the book.

Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote, “Nothing great was ever accomplished without enthusiasm,” and all throughout A New Earth, Tolle states that in order to awaken oneself and experience this enlightenment one has to be accepting and enthusiastic. Being enthusiastic lies within each of us; as Shakespeare said, “there is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so,” so release your negativity and find your glass half full or that silver lining in the clouds.

With anything there are several ways to approach and resolve the task at hand. How you go about them will determine if the project is agonizing and drawn out or provides great knowledge during the experience.

I saying my parents raised me on (but am unsure where it came from) is; “What you are is God’s gift to you; what you make of yourself is your gift to God.”

So get to know and honor thyself.