Living a Life that Matters (Paperback)

But then, because of the strength of the messages that will be with me for a long time, as a result of having read that book, I was at first impatient with "Living a Life That Matters."

Though there was something that called me to this book, I needed read other things first.

And I'm pleased to have found my way back to this book, to finish it, knowing that this too has many lessons that have imbued my pyche.

In chapter order, here are some messages of this wonderful book:

1. The Two Voices of God
To be good and to matter.

2. How to Win By Losing
"When we defeat the still small voice of God inside us, we lose." The lesson here is to face your "fire-blowing dragons in life," knowing that there are lessons for you in doing so. Ride out your pain, knowing that you are weeding outyour garden, and preparing to plant sucess, love and happiness seeds in the garden of your mind.

3. What kind of Person Do You Want To Be?
In this chapter there were 2 places in which I disagree with Rabbi Kushner: One, he describes a person, on page 38, who did some horrible things are being, "a good man tormented by urges he knew wre wrong but could not control." And the other place, on page 39, he say's, "It may be that some people are born without the ability to develop a fully functioning conscience, in the same way that some people are born ith a malfunctioning limb or organ or lacking an enzyme that is necessary for normal life."

Wouldn't recognition of someone's short-comings, and loving support around this person solve these problems?

Muh. Questions and thoughts to ponder for some time.

An excellent point in this chapter is that to be human is to never stop asking ourselves, "What kind of person do I want to be?"

As we ask this question, it becomes easy to endlessly grow, and to see a reflection of our love in others.

4. Wild Justice: The Seducive Pleasure of Getting Even
"The ambivalence in getting even is that our consciences condemn it even as souls crave it."

The challenge of revenge and mattering are beautifully explored in this chapter. The solution can only come from within yourself.

5. Shalom: The Quest for Integrity
Becoming a person of integrity occurs when you surrender to life, on life's terms.

6. Family and Friends: We are Who We Love
Questions that are explored in this chapter are:
Where am I going with my life?
What kind of person will I grow up to be?
What is the point of falling in love?
What are genuine friendships?
Where is God?

7. Best Actor in a Supporting Role
Give someone else's life story a happy ending

8. Why We Matter to The World
"...Ralph Waldo Emerson: 'To ve the world a bit beter, whether by a healthy child, a gardn patch, or a reemed social condition; to know that even ne life has breathed easier because you lived - that is to have succeeded.'"

I hope that the survival of Rabbi Kushner's ideas increase meaning in the lives of billions of people's lives.

"If the words you speak are hard for you to utter and hard for others to hear, if you get no pleasure from speaking them but you feel you must, then you can believe that they come from God. On the other hand, if your words make you popular and win you easy applause, or if people don't like hearing them but you get a certain pleasure from speaking them...then you may have reason to suspect that those are your own thoughts disguising themselves as the Word of God. When I hear politicians and preachers condemning the sinful ways of the society around them, I often agree with their criticisms but I don't hear the pain in their voices. It ought to hurt them more to condemn their neighbors..."

This is so eloquent and so true. It shows that there's definitely something wrong when one sees religious people condemning others to hell or some horrible fate and not showing sadness or grief about it.

Harold Kushner covers so much ground in his book, so many topics, as to what really matters. So much of it he describes as love - loving others, making a difference in people's lives, making others' lives easier. All of these things make a life that matters.

But one of my favorite sections of the book was the afterward, added after the book had been out for a while. This book was originally published a week before the September 11, 2001, attacks in the USA. The author added an afterward that really spoke to my heart. It is very similar in tone to his book, "When Bad Things Happen to Good People." I found it to be very comforting and offer new insights on the attacks, the families who were directly affected, why God allowed them to happen, and more.

A very uplifting, very inspiring book well worth adding to your library or at least checking out from the library.