Futurecide

Every civilization in history has faced moments of overwhelming existential crises, and they all eventually collapsed. Was this failure inherent in the evolution of civilization, something within the human species, or a combination of both? More importantly, was it predictable and unavoidable? Most civilizations believed they had a special relationship with the divine and were beyond the laws of nature. Our current economic civilization is now global and interdependent. Today’s economy is responsible for the most rapid mass extinction in Earth’s history. We face imminent catastrophic climate change and environmental disruption, yet the same sense of exceptionalism and hubris clouds humanity’s judgement and ability to act rationally.

Environmental disruption is making the planet uninhabitable. No economy can consume its way out of scarcity. This law of nature conflicts with many longstanding economic theories. Sheltered and self-absorbed elitists promote lies and prey on humanity’s most vulnerable instincts of pecking order, conformity, and obedience to authority. These primal instincts may be maladapted to civilization in its current form. Today’s elitists are choosing mass extinction in a false belief in their own invincibility. To survive, humanity can no longer follow delusional leaders to self-destruction.

In non-technical language, the author explores common phases in the development of past civilizations, and the critical junctures and decisions that made collapse inevitable. He investigates the linkages and contradictions between human social behavior, the economy, and the environment. In the closing pages, he identifies a clear path to redemption.

Gen. Park Chung-Hee and South Korea's Han River Miracle

Gen. Park Chung-Hee was born to a poor family in rural Korea when Japan ruled the nation as a colony. After teaching at a rural elementary school for three years, he studied at three different military academies to become an army officer in the liberated Korea. Although he encountered a career-threatening crisis right before the outbreak of the Korean War, he returned to the service and served many key staff positions during the war and important command positions after the war with devoted professionalism. When the nation drifted rudderless in the 1960s, he led the military revolution as the last resort. Hence forth he headed the government that was steadfastly focused on rebuilding the nation. His administration laid the extensive, future-oriented foundation for the nation’s industrial development and advanced defense capability. Gen. Park lived his life aligned with, to the letter, his personal motto: ‘My Whole Life to Fatherland.’

Getting It Wrong

In Getting It Wrong, Edwin Dean embarks on a compelling exploration into the fading realms of an elite class and its tightly held worldview, juxtaposing it against his own grounded perspective of the world we inhabit. This thought-provoking journey forms the crux of the narrative, unearthing the nuanced layers of understanding that often elude the grasp of conventional thought.

Dean’s incisive dissection shines a light on the perilous journey historians embark on in their earnest quest to unravel the intricacies of human narrative. With a candid acknowledgment of the elusive nature of clear answers, Dean lauds the humble scholars who embrace the ambiguity inherent in the pages of history, urging the fraternity to delve into the less apparent yet profound dimensions to better comprehend our existence.

While not a historian, Dean’s unquenchable thirst for books has led him through a myriad of intellectual realms, enriched by the inspiring mentors who fueled his enduring quest for knowledge. His insightful critique extends to the polar ends of political ideology, advocating for a more collaborative discourse and a keen ear for the diverse voices that echo through the corridors of debate.

At the heart of Getting It Wrong lies a fervent call for a reinvigorated approach to education, recognizing it as the linchpin in our collective journey towards enlightenment. Dean’s narrative invites a discourse enriched by diverse perspectives, welcoming the echoes of disagreement, provided they resonate through calm and constructive channels. Through the lens of candid reflection and earnest discourse, Getting It Wrong challenges us to re-examine the frameworks through which we perceive our shared history and our place within it.

Getting to This Place

Our daily thoughts and actions are challenged with aspects of the past, present, and future.

This understanding reached a deafening crescendo when Helen Olson left her lifetime home and moved across the country. The abundance of nature on the border of Vermont and Massachusetts provided a crucial refuge. As she learned about her dynamic new family of plants and animals, the environment became a trusted mentor.

Helen had a passionate need to make sense of her past, feel content with the present, and find hope in the future. In her memoir-turned-life-guide, fascinating facts about mother nature, and human nature, melded into valuable realizations about her life—and the lives of many others.

Girl Grit

Girl Grit: Savage Not Average is the first book in the empowering Human Empowerment trilogy for women worldwide. Dr. Elinsky guides readers through a profound journey of harmonizing thought and emotion, exploring personal fulfillment and experience. She transforms her readers from doormats—controlled, manipulated, and walked over by others—into daredevils, fearless warrior women living without regret. Discover what it means to go from average to savage in this emotional, action-packed self-help adventure that will not only inspire you but also challenge societal conditioning to be a ‘good girl’ focused on serving and pleasing others.

In Girl Grit, Dr. Elinsky passionately challenges and dismantles restrictive gender roles, asserting that they limit our potential as women and undermine our purpose as equal human beings. As an expert in gender relationship dynamics, Dr. Elinsky draws on extensive research to critically examine the very fabric of our social conditioning. She urges, “It is time to wise up, rise up, and ascend to your highest potential.” Celebrating the worthiness and grandeur of women’s capacities, Girl Grit will elevate you to unimaginable heights.

Finally, Dr. Elinsky advises, “Do not read this book unless you are ready to revolutionize your life as you know it.” Learn what it means to become a fire woman and unleash your regal authority into the world. Girl Grit will set your self-esteem on fire.

Go Beyond Resilience

In addition to sharing some of her personal and professional life experiences, failures, and successes, Coach K takes us on a journey to question how we make decisions and how we ‘play it safe,’ in order to keep others around us happy. Her professional training as a coach and down-to-earth writing style brings forward powerful inquiries and opens up a plethora of new perspectives and self-care tips. A passionate advocate for being true to oneself and keeping our values close, Coach K speaks of how we reflect on our lives and play our own movies in our heads to feel whether we are doing what we set out to achieve in the first place. Her commitment to being brave and making those unpopular decisions is timely – when our worlds seem to collide in the most unexpected ways throughout relationships, careers, and a significant hunger for personal growth.

God's Plumb Line

In a highly polarized society, how are we to know which position on an issue reflects God’s will? Christians commonly appeal to what the Bible says to determine God’s will. “The Bible says!” They assume it must be God’s will because the Bible says it.  

The Bible does teach us how to know God’s will, but it points beyond itself to a way of thinking shaped by the Spirit—what the book of Colossians calls spiritual wisdom and understanding. We discern God’s will by thinking theologically. Knowing God’s will requires more than knowing what the Bible says. How to think theologically about what the Bible says is needed.

God’s character as reflected in Jesus of Nazareth is the key to thinking theologically. In our efforts to know God’s will, we Christians must interpret what the Bible says in keeping with who Jesus revealed God to be. We must embrace understandings and positions that reflect the spirit of Jesus.

This book presents seven markers, grounded in the character of God as revealed in Jesus, for understanding what the Bible says, so that our understanding reflects the love of God we see in Jesus. Borrowing an image from the prophet Amos, these seven markers make up God’s Plumb Line. They outline a way of thinking theologically so that our hearts align with the heart of God and our minds with the mind of Christ.

God's Presence in Creation: A Conversation with Philo, Paul, and Luke

God’s Presence in Creation: A Conversation with Philo, Paul, and Luke is for anyone who has an interest in understanding how the authors of the New Testament perceived the world as God’s creation, our home from “the beginning” (Gen 1:1).

The book lucidly engages in conversation three 1st century CE authors Philo, Paul, and Luke, to offer a new and fresh understanding of the environmental theme, care for creation. The inclusion of Philo, a Hellenistic Jew and philosopher, adds uniqueness to the distinctive approach of this book and enriches the discussions of the two New Testament authors, Paul and Luke. Four “environmental” Greek terms are carefully analyzed— kosmos (world), ktisis (creation), pronoia (providence), and oikonomos (steward)— to show how these authors viewed the created world within their own Jewish and Greco-Roman contexts. The analysis is enhanced with an impressive exploration of a threefold relationship: creation-and-God, creation-and-mediator, creation-and-humanity.

Grinnin' Like a Jenny Eatin' Saw Briars

We use social media to facilitate the process of communication. But how well do we concisely communicate our messages and feelings? There are certain drawbacks to new-age technologies, especially due to the need for conciseness. The written word has always carried the meaning and essence of thoughts and feelings that we strive to convey. Similes, metaphors, and sayings from regional areas and time periods specifically carry more meanings than the mere word itself.

The 2,300 idioms or sayings in this book convey a meaning that connects generation to generation in the south of our country. Meet the family members that communicated daily and shared their stories using this unique language that is colorful and historical.

My aunt, Arlie Wilder, used to say that she hated to see a woman grinning and laughing out loud with her mouth open like “Jenny eatin’ saw briars.” I hope you find yourself laughing like that as you read.

Grit + Tenacity + Proactivism

The purpose of this book is to testify how the combination of grit plus tenacity plus being proactive has allowed the author of this book to be successful in fighting against procrastination in the battlegrounds of primary school, learning English in Cuba in two years, going through secondary education, high school, bachelor's, master’s and PhD degrees, in Cuban, Scottish, Ukrainian universities and academy of sciences, being a professor in Cuban, Mexican, and American universities, mastering four foreign languages, escaping from communism in Cuba, working as a translator from English and Russian to Spanish, being married, living in different homes during three years, prioritizing fatherhood while being engulfed in conflicts between a revengeful first wife and an extraordinary second wife, being a merry widower while loving his special late wife, to systematically maintaining cardiovascular fitness exercising his entire body for at least three decades after turning 59 and having a heart attack, being able to reduce fifty pounds of weight (slowly in small but systematic decreases) over twenty three years, enjoying travelling around the world with his wife or alone for more than six decades with a reasonable level of expenditures.

What is one of the author’s important ways to achieve a proactive lifestyle and consequently defeating procrastination? How does he stand up after a fall or even the menace or threat of achieving goals, as well as believing in himself? Read to find out.

Havana-Merida-Chicago (A Journey to Freedom)

This second edition of Havana-Merida-Chicago is an autobiography which narrates - from human, psychological, sociological, and religious standpoints – how a Cuban scientist was raised in a communist environment, believed in it, was deceived by its dictatorial procedures, and escaped from it. The manuscript is also grounded on economic and political bases. It is an inspiring story of perseverance to succeed in life.

“The book is more than just a personal story: It is a metaphor for the power of freedom and the human spirit that eventually brings demise to repressive rule” Stanley L. Brue, egregious economist co-author of the book Macroeconomics, widely used as a textbook in business departments of American universities.

Healthier Living

Healthier Living illuminates the path to wellness through wisdom, underscoring the Biblical adage that wisdom surpasses all earthly desires. This book emphasizes that wisdom, defined as the knowledge of what actions to take or avoid in various situations, is crucial for maintaining health and well-being. It blends practical advice with a personalized approach to health, highlighting the importance of understanding what actions to take in specific health scenarios, even when common sense might suggest otherwise. This insightful guide encourages readers to adopt a wise approach to their overall health and wellness journey.