Böcker av Chris Nelson

A universal need of all warm blooded mammals is: to love and be loved (in return). Paradoxically, in our modern, fast paced, society, it is a need which often goes unfulfilled. This is attested to/evinced by data on percentages of the population living alone and unattached: 50% alone, in Canada, where I live in a retirement community. Before industrial society came into being, in days of feudalism, the problem situation facing humanity was characterized/portrayed as being one of battles between rival lords of manors, vying for supremacy, and the exploits of knight errant employed in their service. The best simile/metaphor for this type of fighting in feudal society, was seen to be that of an "e;obstacle course"e;, where knight errantry often involved knights in white armortaking on first, one opposing knight in black armor, and then another, and then another in a jousting match on a field of battle. Thus the obstacle course analogy: successful knights would overcome all obstacles, i.e. all rival knights in the way of a victory for their lord of the manor. Each knight would be identified by distinctive insignia/coat of arms that was unique to his lord, that way each knight could tell friends from foes. This was an exciting but dangerous life, and knights were the heroes of the story, as in the Legend of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, or in John Bunyan's Christian book, Pilgrim's Progress. Contrast this with the metaphor for life and living, under modern industrial society, where there is a widespread feeling of isolation even in the midst of many. What is the reason for this feeling of isolation and alienation? Could it be that it stems from the nature of work or the workplace (interacting alone with a computer screen) - or the rules and laws governing interpersonal relations of people living in communities (a don't touch me society)? - or, sometimes, over-reliance on "e;passive"e; forms of entertainment which connects people to the medium, but disconnects people from each other? Is there any metaphor for the new problem situation facing people in our modern, industrial society, namely: alone and lonely? You may have heard of the story of the famous shipwrecked sailor, Robinson Crusoe (book by Daniel Defoe), marooned all by himself, on an uncharted desert island? Who made the best of his situation by building things to satisfy all his physical economic needs? Much like we have built an economy that satisfies all our physical needs. Crusoe, did not stop there, he went on to satisfy his spiritual needs, by noting all the marvels of nature, and narrow escapes from storms, that made him believe that providence was on his side, converting him to Christianity. Then, providence did him another good turn. A cannibal, by the name of Man Friday, was fortuitously left on the island, by an accident of fate, and Robinson, now had a companion, whom he educated into Christianity from his heathen/uncivilized ways. The functional role that Man Friday fulfilled for Robinson - his best friend - in many ways bears a resemblance to the the "e;role"e; of pets - especially that most loyal of pets, the dog - play as friends for people, in isolated modern society. If Man Friday was Robinson Crusoe's loyal best friend, then could we not with justification, say, that for people, esp. isolated ones, dogs likewise serve as man's best friends and loyal companions? Thus our need to love and be loved, even when we are denied "e;the real thing"e; - a person to call our own - has a way of "e;going underground"e; and finding the next best substitute for the real thing - which oftener than not - turns out to be a beloved pet (s). Dog may not be quite as desirable as a human partner, but given that so many people have no human partners, dog has, in effect, become: man's best friend!It is to be hoped that we humans reciprocate by also being: dog's best friend! Knowing that genuine love is always a two-way street!

In the summer of 1871, JW Dear met Red Cloud, the leader of the Oglala, who at that time was probably the most powerful and respected Indian chief in America. For the next twelve years the two men lived alongside each other on the vast Northern Plains. This was one of the most...

Consequences. Three tales exploring consequences; the consequences of random events, of choices and decisions made and of fate or chance.A Slow Return sees a man analysing his emotions as he is forced to face up to the consequences of his actions following a random accident.In The Witness a man's life unravels before his eyes after he becomes an unwilling witness to an event which may or may not have happened. But the collection opens with Spinning Wheel a story of fate creating a situation in which the boundaries between reality and fantasy become blurred, leading a man into a series of unexpected consequences.

What is good about this book? Well, how about, that it reminds us not to forget about the things we love and admire: our beloved people and pets, the beauty of nature, the energy and excitement of sports and the sporting world, the desire to rise up to and meet the awesome challenges of our times - be they economical, ecological, epidemiological, achieving harmony of the races, meeting the concerns of the LGBTQ community, or the simple wish to make/see our leaders working together to build the good/better/best democracy that is within our reach! What is good about this book? Put together here in this book, the reader will find plenty to love and aspire to. The purpose of these poems and essays: is not to change the world but to change someone's world - yours and mine, that of the writer and the reader - for better! And if it does that, then it's two more people than none, who have learned the importance of being able to speak: Sois-healy! Self healing, and a healthy mental outlook, being the first step towards trying our best to achieve: "e;the things we essay for love"e;.

The Beauty and the Yeast is a kind of unintentional satire, and play on words, of the famous French Novel,, by Jeanne Marie Lepeine de Beaumont (the "de" indicating a member of the feudal aristocracy), The Beauty and the Beast (La Belle et la Bete), writing in feudal France of the mid-1700's. Both stories have in common a heroine, through whose capacity to see inner beauty in others, transcends the outward grotesqueness, or pathetic tinyness, of the protagonists, in her case, of la Bete,, and, in our case the six inch high midget suffering from dwarfism. It is because of this amazing ability of the two heroines to discount and ignore the outward form, which would deter most, and to find/discover one quality of real worth that makes them want to be with, and stay with, the unfortunate protagonist despite all his handicaps and challenges. In the case of la Bete, it was his gentle voice and nobility of character,(plus, possibly, the fact that he owned a castle and was a man of rank and station), while in the case of Tim Thimble, it was on account of his brave heart and ten foot tall courage that he succeeded in winning the heart of his lady love. In both stories, the story is "consummated" (reason for quotation marks, please read on) by the heroine marrying the protagonist. In the first book, Beauty, the name of the young girl, la Bete tells the young girl, that he is dying, and gives her a ring to put on her finger, when she didn't want him to die, and promptly she put it on, and told him she wanted to marry him. Coincidental with putting the ring on her index finger, la Bete is transformed into A Beautiful Prince, the act of putting on the marriage ring, having "broken the spell" placed on him by a fairy which had made his outward appearance and aspect so betes. In our book, the second book, the heroine marries the protagonist on pastor's condition he attend daily sermon in church every day of his life, so that sometime in the present or the future, he will find the holy grail of the miracle yeast that will like any good yeast, make him grow to normal size (to match his inner courage), and thus, by dint of steadfastness, endurance, and perseverance, in doing his duty, or labour of love, will be able at last to consummate his marriage, and forthwith live happily forever after with his lady love!

Our fundamental relationship is the one that we have with ourselves, master this and we master all else. We live in a world where stress and chronic disease are spiralling out of control. Our greatest need today is to learn how to relax and this begins with the mind. Wake Up and SOAR presents a clear and simple road map which empowers you to create a relaxed supportive lifestyle providing a stable base from which to pursue your heartfelt desires. The core tool S.O.A.R has its roots in ancient wisdom and is expressed as a modern day 'practice' to help us move from our 'normal' fear based state of mind to our 'natural' calm quality of mind, where we accept life as it is and therefore flow with her, rather than against her. First up is Step 1:Wake Up and SOAR, where Chris introduces the idea of 'quality of mind'. He then goes on to explain SOAR, the tool that allows you to return to your 'natural' quality of mind: S - Slow down O - Observe inwardly and connect with your breath A - Accept all that is arising without judgement R - Relax deeply and sense your inner peace of being In Step 2: Design a Life Which Flows, Chris explains how we are all attracting our lives towards us and gives further tools to create a supportive lifestyle. Lastly, in Step 3: Pursue Your Dreams, Chris introduces the Law of Magic which expresses your ability to dream and pursue those dreams, however large or small.

Suitable for those wanting to improve their performance, from beginners learning the basic skills to more experienced participants working on advanced techniques, this title covers: the history of surfing; choosing and maintaining a board; reading the ocean; skills development; advanced techniques; environmental care and surf contests and careers.