‘Man’ himself is the source of the dark forces against which he is constantly struggling. The book shows how is possible to transcend this basic malice by knowing how, what, why and when it arises. Envy, greed, jealousy and narcissism (the flip side of envy) are the essential components of the negative side of the self. Their positive counterparts are gratitude, generosity and compassion. Each element does not exist in isolation from the other. The interplay of these forces of hate and love creative the underlying structure of our lives, which on a personal level is called, character, and on the social level is called culture. When malice predominates the result is murder and mayhem, vandalism and war. This encompasses the blind butchery of our environment and fellow creatures which permeates so many areas of the world, such as Libya, Ireland, Congo, Cambodia, or central London during recent demonstrations. This study will focus on the negative or angry constituents of the personality. But it will not ignore love. On the contrary the author will demonstrate that when people overlook or deny the negative elements in their emotional life (because of guilt or fear), then the positive ones suffer too. As always, love and hate, benevolence and malevolence are inexorably intertwined. The overall purpose of the book is to develop a detailed understanding of mankind’s capacity for destruction, as well as for making good. --- from the publisher |
