Lynne McTaggart - The Bond

A BOLD NEW VISION FOR A NEW WORLD Our way of life isn't working anymore. People are losing their jobs, their homes, their neighborhoods--and even their hope for a just society. We urgently need a new story to live by, based on fairness--not simply on the accumulation of wealth and "survival of the fittest."
"The Bond "offers a radical new blueprint for living a more harmonious, prosperous, and connected life. International bestselling author Lynne McTaggart demonstrates with hard science that we are living contrary to our true nature.
In fact, life doesn't have to be "I win, you lose; "we have been designed to succeed and prosper when we work as part of a greater whole. "The Bond "proves that we are weak when we compete, and thrive only when we cooperate and connect deeply with each other.
In this seminal book for our age, McTaggart also offers a complete program of practical tools and exercises to help you enjoy closer relationships--across even the deepest divides--encourage a more connected workplace, rebuild a united neighborhood, and become a powerful, global agent of change.

Comment: The latest book I brought from my local library was this one. I had never heard of the author before (and she is apparently well known) and I barely looked at the blurb but I was influenced enough by the cover's composition to give it a go, since the dark color made me think of mystery.

This is a non fiction book, related to the notion we, humans, are stronger united instead of apart. Several studies have shown it and in this book the author tries to demonstrate how the bond, the connection between us is more than a matter of circumstances. Through studies, experiments and many scientists' work, she develops the idea there's something in us, and in out place in this universe/the planet that intrinsically connects us all and the stronger the group, the stronger the connection and happiness. Basically, people should work together and not compete because unity brings strength and the desired happiness.

I said this was the first time I got aware of this author. Looking at what she had published before, it's not such a surprise as I don't naturally tend to look for titles labeled spirituality or self help, although I did read a few inserted in these themes/genres.

I find it curious, though, the author wrote in the introduction or the preface that one of her books had been mentioned in Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol, which I've read but, sincerely, I cannot remember this reference.

Nevertheless, this book started well enough, I was curious to see where the author was going with this but in the end, I was not as impressed as I was - supposed to - expect.

I must say, the author did a lot of research and included countless notes/references to the things she says, as any academic work would require. I guess the validation of this book as a potential reference book comes more from this: it was well planned. However, I was not always eager to see what new information would be included, not that it would be interesting but because the purpose was to lead to the author's notions of how people should behave and that includes "tools" given at the end, to help readers try to have a more social bond with others and the introvert in me really cannot see that happening unless I had to.

The Portuguese Cover

Anyway, what I liked best in this book was the constant use of factual experiences done to prove/accomplish a study goal. I'm always curious about real life experiences and how studies are done, especially these social experiments to see how the behavior of the participants influences a result or not. Several of the situations described often had a social experiment associated and that was the most interesting part of the book. The conclusions not so much for I admit I'm not particularly interested in these questions. 

I'd say more than half the book was presenting examples of human bonds and how they work positively and negatively and how that is much better than when people compete and want to be better or have more than their neighbor.

This means most of the book is about setting up the ideas, explaining the concepts and just giving readers theoretical points of view, some with case studies to support them.

The add of ideas ans suggestions on how we, every day people, can start changing our behavior and attitude to be part of a better group, to feel we are part of a whole... I mean, I'm not a dedicated person to this cause and I do agree in theory it's the way to go, but to put it in action, I think the suggestions feel simplistic and not very likely according to our western way of live. I think we can see the ideas working in some eastern cultures but here it's a bit more difficult to imagine them actually happening in a large scale.

Another element I found difficult to think of was how metaphysical issues/concepts and how the solar or lunar magnetic fields or whatever they are called are connected and affect us. Things like if the explosions in the sun happen, then humans are more prone to act a certain way even though they have no idea what is happening in space. Huh.... it might be but it's really difficult to accept/imagine this being well explained/realistic/part of any human occurrence...

Perhaps I'm just not knowledgeable enough to grasp these theories but then again, the public target in general must feel as confused, I'd say...

All in all, this was a different and interesting read in parts but (here's the pun): the sum of the parts does not make this a great book although as a whole, it offers interesting content.

I just think there were less things I liked than the ones I did.

Grade: 4/10