Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A little help to think differently., May 20, 2009
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
I really don't want to be too revealing with this review, but I suppose I must a bit. There is help hidden in this recording, so I will elaborate my emotional connection as best I can.
I had heard of Palmer and his books, but the problem is that I have a hard time with books. Enter my first relatable issue, ADHD. To think that what I deal with actually got it's name late in my life is upsetting enough. Being able to write just fine, but reading, a complete nightmare. Hence the reason I opted for this audio set.
It is not what I expected, as I figured it was one of his books being read. But it is in fact an interview with the Author, and a history of how he got to produce so many self help resources. In other words, it would be helpful if I had read one of his books first. The plus side here, and a bit of a relief, is that he also suffers from ADHD. So, I stuck with it based on that alone.
There is a problem I have when I feel preached to, and had a severe disruption of religious upbringing after changing denominations and methods several times. So, I have become quite a free thinker. It leaves me absorbing all opinions a lot easier as I have basically heard it all. Here, being a 5 hour interview, I just felt like I was listening in to a conversation, and hearing the stories of a man's life. That's all it is. You take from it what you can. For me, the biggest gain here is considering how he has dealt with so many types of people, in so many extreme emotional situations. Depression being another part of my life, it is always helpful to relate to anyone that knows what it is. Because I don't know what it is half the time. I just know I suffer.
You take a step back, and reevaluate your life path a bit here. Everyone you meet in life has influence, and since this is just like meeting someone, there could not be anyone more positive to learn from. I did not feel like I was being sold books or getting at all religious. I just felt understood and guided.
I highly encourage parental figures and child guidance counselors etc. to refer to this work. There are so many things in our younger years that should have been elaborated. I cannot imagine children, this day and age, to have such an ignorant approach to how we became what we are. Everyone's history is important, and everyone's life should be celebrated. We celebrate one man here, even if we don't know who he is. He is our elder.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Thought Provoking, June 7, 2009
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
I accepted a pre-publication review copy so was not able to find much about it before agreeing to review it. I had not read any of Parker Palmer's books and knew hardly anything about him or his viewpoints.
This is a five hour long interview in which the interviewer asks soft questions and praises Palmer. Imagine a fan interviewing someone they look up to, that is what this is like. There are times when the interviewer could have pinned Palmer down on some of his inconsistencies which would be better interviewing but obviously the intent of this product was to praise Palmer and to be kind and gentle with him.
The questions ask for details of Palmer's life that he has apparently not explained in depth in his published works. Other times he is asked for updates on his formerly published views and how the would apply to more recent world events. There is a lot of discussion of paradox and Palmer's religious views and about spirituality, how his views changed from his Protestant upbringing to his current state of thinking as a Quaker.
I found his discussion of his three major bouts of depression very interesting and the idea that he thinks of them as the body forcing the person into an inward quest of oneself while depressed was thought provoking, good if the depressed person can come out of the other side and emerge with new insights. That is an idea I've never heard anyone discuss before.
I found it hard to rate and review an interview because it is different than judging a writer's non-fiction book. When an interviewer is in charge of the flow and content, you can't necessarily blame or judge the outcome on the interviewee. The interview flows here and there and the content changes direction. Since this is a look back on the views he has published in different books, the topics jump around and other times personal stories never before shared are told. I found it all interesting.
I decided to rate it 5 stars = I Love It because it made me think even though I don't agree with all of Palmer's opinions. I'm not rating it a 5 because I love every single word and want to boost up the review rating for this product. I don't necessarily think that one has to agree 100% with viewpoints expressed in order to enjoy other parts of it and find the experience of listening to this a worthwhile use of one's time.
Many times I wanted to stop and write down some of his words as they make great quotes, but since I listened to a lot of it while driving my car it was not possible. So, I will listen to these again!
I'll also share that some ideas Palmer spoke of he did not invent, I've heard some of it before. Other ideas I'd never heard before. The idea of living a divided life is fascinating and one that I think is accurate and creates an unhappy state for large numbers of Americans. I love the idea of living an undivided life, a more authentic life, and I can relate to seeing the importance of pursuing an undivided life. My interest in Parker Palmer is now is piqued and I'd like to read some of his books and see if they are worthwhile.
As to what I don't agree with, some of it was the talk of nonviolence. Palmer's confession that he is not perfectly living nonviolence is something I appreciated hearing especially after he confirmed that he has decided he has big issues with the Religious Right. After earlier discussing that society and people should not label and pigeon hole people into categories I was surprised to see he has no problems categorizing conservatives and Fundamentalist Christians. In a talk about when people hold opposing views and are trying to have dialogue to try to find common ground--I agree with that--but was so disappointed to realize he still focuses on labeling and grouping people into simplified categories in order to then dislike, discount or reject anything just based on those narrow labels. In other words he may use common ground to try to have a civil discussion and to get the other person to see his view but he fails to apply unconditional Christ-like love to others such as if they are Conservatives or Fundamentalist Christians. He can agree to disagree in a discussion but it seems to me he chooses to hate those who hold opposing views rather than look for commonality and accept them despite not agreeing with every thought they hold. Thus I feel Palmer lost some credibility.
I also cringed to hear Palmer speak of 9/11 and to learn he's in the camp that feels that America's private citizens intentionally did something bad to Muslim terrorists to cause them to attack American civilians using terrorist actions and that the Muslims were justified. I got the impression he thinks, "If we were only nicer to them in recent years, they'd love us and never would lash out at non-Muslims" which is a crock in my opinion. I view 9/11 as what the Islamic Fundamentalists say it is, jihad.
Again, despite me not agreeing with all of Parker Palmer's views I found listening to this enlightening in some ways and I will listen to this interview more than once. It is refreshing to find books or audio products that make me think like this does. I found this thought-provoking which is a great thing and tips this from just `liking it' to `loving it'.
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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Great Set of CDs, May 21, 2009
I really benefited from listening to these CDs. I found them so deep that I listened to some sections several times. Palmer is rare among popular writers and speakers on spirituality. He does not attempt to "sell" his own viewpoint, he does not talk about the spiritual life as if it were magical, and he constantly connects the inner journey to the needs of other people and of the world around us. He does not promote any particular spiritual technique or approach, which I find refreshing. He simply offers us experiences and insights gleaned from a lifetime of exploring, writing, and teaching. Also, he has put his insights into action. He and his organization have worked with many thousands of teachers, physicians, clergy and others around the country, helping them to serve the people they serve in deeper and deeper ways. I recommend this set very highly. (One reviewer says that Palmer "condones the bombing of the Twin Towers, by saying that the United States had treated others the same way." That's just not true. He does not say that on these CDs, and in his writing he renounces violence of every sort, whatever the source.)
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