Positive Encounters that have Helped Me

There are many teachings and practices that have positively contributed to my life. Many of these have helped me to move through misery and avoid depression, opening me to live a life characterized by joy, excitement, connection and abundance.

This list is not exhaustive, but might give some pointers to people who are looking for such things.

• The understanding of impermanence (“anicca”) can be incredibly liberating. The ‘process philosophy’ of Alfred North Whitehead and ‘process theology’ of Catherine Keller in Face of the Deep opened me to this understanding, and lead to daily practical applications throughout my life. The ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus also taught impermanence, and Derren Brown’s book Tricks of the Mind describes the power of re-inventing yourself in social contexts.
• The understanding of perspectivism helped me to move beyond an absolutist understanding of the universe, which practically opens up the universe as a playground in which we can participate and change, rather than a solid (‘God-given’) framework that we have to live within. My MA thesis From Ground to Ocean largely explores this (let me know if you read it!), and it has allowed me to understand that whatever people claim to be ‘real’ is merely a truth-claim based on authority. This is incredibly helpful in the so-called “post-truth” world of “fake news” (aka deceit and propaganda). Many philosophers from Nietzsche onwards have explored the implications of these understandings. It’s worth exploring yourself.
• To get a (deeper) awareness of psychological time — how and why time appears to pass at different speeds, and how to control your perception of time — I’d highly recommend reading Making Time by Steve Taylor, probably one of the top 20 books I’ve read.
• The relational philosophy of Martin Buber in I & Thou gave me a useful understanding that the universe isn’t made of separate ‘things’, but is better conceived as having relationship (or interaction) as the basis of existence and meaning. Things don’t exist unless/until they relate to each other. My ideas don’t exist to you until I’ve communicated them to you. “I” am merely a conception-in-relation, and dissolving the “I” can become easier with this understanding.
• The tools of Non-Violent Communication by Marshall Rosenburg have helped my inter-personal communication immensely. This includes a teaching of not merely reacting (similar to Vipassana), and a method of working through our (reactive) moralistic judgements in order to understand, communicate and collaborate to meet the needs that are causing conflict.
• If you’re hoping to work less (and why wouldn’t you!), I’d recommend Work by Crimethinc, and Expect Resistance can also help in this area of liberation.
• My understanding of power and how I could have a greater influence on the world was helped by Srdja Popovic’s Blueprint for Revolution, as well as From Dictator to Democracy by Gene Sharp.
• We live in a time of multiple converging crises, many of which threaten to destroy the things that matter most to us. One of the best books I’ve read that brings this all together is This Changes Everything by Naomi Klein.
• For those with a Christian background who don’t feel comfortable with what you’ve been taught, I’d recommend Ishmael by Daniel Quinn for a re-telling of the creation story, Honest to God by John Robinson to move beyond the common concept of God-as-a-superhero, and God and Empire by John Crossan to realign your understanding of Jesus into a radical, political context.
• In order to overcome craving and desire, especially for “stuff”, I’d recommend Radical Gratitude by Mary Jo Leddy. Also, the eco-feminist theology of Sallie McFague in Life Abundant helped me realign my desires. Also, give away everything you own. You never owned it anyway. ;)
• For those who like or have a pussy I’d recommend She Comes First by Ian Kerner. This book has positively changed my experience in the bedroom more than any other.

This list was put together to serve as an appendix to the reflections on my experience of vipassana meditation.