Lessons in Living is Taylor's second book. Her first, a collection of inspirational essays named for and taken from her monthly Essence column, In the Spirit, has sold 350,000 copies since its publication less than two years ago. It's time for us to look in the mirror. In Taylor's view, every individual has the power to succeed and to change for the better. And she doesn't believe that malevolent spiritual forces keep people downtrodden.
Fear makes people do evil things.
We must come to understand that life is on our side. People, she believes, become victims when they see themselves as powerless, helpless in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds and dead ends. We feel as though we're powerless and we're not. Until we understand our innate power as individuals and decide to link arms and aims with others to do good, we're going to see more suffering in the world and in our communities. Understanding our power begins with understanding God's power in each of us, Taylor stresses, and that means attention to the self-care of our minds, bodies and souls.