thefirstimmortal: It's those outrageous memes that are in the book that qualify as crap, and just because a book has some crap in it, doesn't mean that it should be dismissed but those rebirthing claims are hard for a fence sitter to overcome imo.
There's always a risk of associating yourself with a movement that contains crackpots making outrageous claims, and Herb Bowie was willing to take that risk for the sake of an idea that (I think) has potential for preparing us (emotionally, socially and spiritually) for living long stretches of time, and I think his occasional references to rebirthing in his book should be taken in this light. In other words, dismissals based on guilt by association can sometimes be logically fallacious.
On the other hand the below quote could push one person in the right direction.
Many people make the unconscious decision that they have to die. They assume that their fate is ordained by the laws of nature, or the laws of God. This choice is made so early in life, and at such an unconscious level, that few people ever even challenge it. So I wanted to ask a question that would shake people up. Because even to ask this question is to imply something unthinkable for many people-that death is a choice, and not a foregone conclusion.
This is a great quote. As you suggested earlier, there are many such passages in this book. Any one of them could nudge someone in the 'right' direction.
I do have genuine enthusiasm for the book, and I do want to exploit the value, if you mean by exploit, to utilize or to get the value or usefulness out of as to exploit a mine. I'm not saying the memes are of little value, just that there's a lot of rocks in the mine. The gold is still there, just needs more work to get to it.
Perhaps I have a greater tolerance of ideas that seem suspect on the face of it? If an idea seems strange or unacceptable, I've learned not to judge it and dismiss it too quickly. Having said that, I'm also aware that it's not always easy to balance a critical mind with an open one.
