The Pleasure Prescription: To Love, to Work, to Play - Life in the Balance
Educational psychologist Pearsall has written a book based on the 2000-year-old Polynesian concept of Aloha, embracing the five principles of patience, unity, agreement, humility, and kindness. Aloha means to give and share the breath of life and to embrace life by sharing its sacredness with others. In contrast to Western and Eastern principles glorifying the individual or self-enlightenment, the Aloha prescription glorifies the whole. The book is in three parts: reclaiming your natural pleasure path, describing the five Aloha principles in detail, and applying the principles to daily living. It provides tests, succinct formulas, and catch phrases all designed to help you find shared joy and listen to your body's "seventh sense," which is telling you something is not right. Pearsall interweaves references to scientific studies, oceanic philosophy, anecdotes, and personal stories. Unfortunately, some footnotes are incomplete, and the bibliography contains many references ten to 20 years old. Nevertheless, Pearsall takes the quick-fix manual to a higher plane and wants us to change our mental outlook and inner core, not just glue-gunning a veneer onto our current lifestyle.Susan E. Burdick, Reading, Pa.Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.