Radical Optimism

This profound exposition of the truths of an integrated life challenges the reader to confront difficulty with authentic spirituality. Meditation, the practice of silence, and the body of mystical experience are all effective forces that confound evil and give us the means to live a loving life. Beatrice Bruteau is both a brilliant synthesiser and an original thinker. The book describes the value of meditation, leisure, relaxing the body, and keeping silent for a period of time -- all within the context of the ordinary demands of life. There is a role to be played by imagination, mythology, and self-image in either promoting or interfering with our ability to ''find our base and our centre in the sense of eternity and wholeness''. As the founder of an international network for contemplatives of all traditions, Bruteau is able to present her practical spirituality in terms that all readers can understand, no matter what their backgrounds. The book also expresses the idea that our growing global interdependence -- cultural, economic, and ecological -- can help us to ''sense the reality of each person within the unity of shared life'' and thus be motivated to act in the interests of the larger community.