Book Review: The Power of Now

_{Photo Source: Pexels}

Rating: 1/5 Stars
Brace yourselves for a somewhat harsh (but deserving) critique. I will not be providing links or images of the book.

The Power of Now

Recently, someone has suggested me to read The Power of Now by Tolle, which is supposed to be an enlightening guide. Unfortunately, the book was not for me. The introduction seemed promising -- it seemed that the author knows what he is talking about. However, whilst reading, I got to realise that what we read through is a new-age ideology in which the author plays with words and terms, repeatedly, to pretend to know what he is talking about.

The premise of this ideology lies in the concept of mindfulness. In fact, to those who claim that the book is a great guide is simply because through the crap of writing, they were able to access a mindfulness state. As someone who is already knowledgeable about mindfulness, it was a simple reminder to engage in mindfulness -- no added value. Throughout the book, the author simply takes the notion of mindfulness -- living in the now and being present -- and surrounds it with spiritual jargon to make one feel enlightened in a spiritual sense. Taking a couple of parables from the Bible to substantiate his argument does not do justice to mindfulness.

Faulty Philosophy

Philosophically speaking, the book is also flawed as the author takes for granted a platonic view, where everything emanates from a singular Being, whether that is God or Nature or the united spirit of the people, or whatever it is that you might think represents the One. Furthermore, the terms used seemed to be interchangeable and non-descriptive, which the author defends by saying that the words are not important in themselves. I could tell that the author has studied philosophy of language, and mentioned the use of signifiers and signs in language. However, how does one use words to refer to something that they cannot describe? That leaves the interpretation to the reader, which is what the author hopes. Let the reader challenge themselves, and they will think that the book guided them. Wrong.

Anti-Socratic Writing

The writing style is another thing that bothered me. The book is presented in a list of question and answers; the answers being the author's words. Most of the questions are repetitions to something that the author has already said, which means, he does not have enough words or pages to fill the book, and so wants to emphasis the point that he already made four times. This time, he will use a different term and tell you that the term itself does not matter, and it means exactly the same thing. Oh, and whilst doing that, he will be a bit condescending and telling you that you have not been following his instructions. If you have not reached enlightenment, it is solely because you are not letting go and listening to what he is saying. His defence to why you might not be in the state he is promising is simply your fault -- his method is perfect (according to him). Furthermore, I could not relate to most of the questions, as in, they were not leading me anywhere, and neither were the answers.

Traditional Hogwash

The biggest pitfall of this book is that it is targeted to a specific audience, rather than to humanity as a whole. I would suppose that familiarity with religion is a must for one to actually like this book. There are notions and questions that are imbued in religiousness or outdated thoughts. I find it troublesome that the chapter about relationships is hetero-normative. Okay, so one of the questions is about someone who seeks happiness within love. That is the old fairy tale that society feeds most of us. The explanation of the author is that we are not whole physically. I rephrase part of his text into this: 'We are either man or woman, and that means we are only a part of a whole. Therefore, as humans, we seek that other half to feel complete.' To this point, I will still giving this book the benefit of the doubt, but this is where I cross the line. It feels that these statements are antithetical to the whole premise of the book. This is religion at its best, minimising the person to half, to being incomplete, and therefore we must seek God, this book, or something to feel complete. I am sure that we are able to live fulfilling lives as humans without a connection to a metaphysical concept, nor to a spouse. This statement also reinforces the stereotype that men and women are inherently different, so much that a woman will be incomplete without a man, and vice-versa. It erases any form of relationships that are outside the heterosexual, monogamous couple -- which is ironic, since the book states over and over again that we must find happiness with being in the present and within ourselves, not elsewhere. To take such a stand on love and relationships was erratic. At that chapter, I decided to close the book and stop reading.

No Regrets

The pros of the book? It sparked this reflection and critique. I feel more certain than ever that I am not in a need of a spiritual guide or any person, whether physical or metaphysical, to make me feel complete. Mindfulness may work some of the times, yet not always, and that is alright. We may not be able to live in the present completely, especially when surrounded with extreme stress and anxieties. If anything, I learnt that there needs to be a change in lifestyles, probably on a global level. Our minds are being worked out beyond their capabilities, and that is the root of many anxieties and other issues. The norms and rules of society restrict us further from being in touch with our humanity, and that is how we lose ourselves amidst the world in which we reside.

Have you read the book yourself? I would love to hear your thoughts on your initial perception of the book, or on this review. I am open to all discussions, and look forward to having.

Welcome to the Sombre Days

Would you like to support an indie author who has worked hard on their book? My poetry collection, Welcome to the Sombre Days, has been published on Amazon and Kindle. I have also been posting the poems on the steem blockchain. Any form of support is truly appreciated, whether it is in the form of sales, upvotes, comments or reviews.

Latest Poems

Hectic
One More
Nightmares