Gordon Livingston has been a physician since 1967. He is a psychiatrist and writer who contributes to the Washington Post, San Francisco Chronicle, Baltimore Sun, and Reader's Digest. He is the author of And Never Stop Dancing, Too Soon Old, Too Late Smart, and How to Love. In the introduction to this book, Livingston boldly posits fear as the central issue of our time. It is having a pervasive effect on all dimensions of our lives: it is exploited by the media and the government for their own survival; it is the rot underneath our aggressive policy of war-making; it is the prison of the poor who have lost their jobs and homes; it is the reason why millions turn to addictive substances or prescription tranquilizers; and it is the big boogie man of death that lurks in the corner of our consciousness.
The other major player in our lives is courage, and this character trait is honored on these pages with essays about ordinary people doing extraordinary things by speaking truth to power, standing up against injustice, and demonstrating resilience in the face of death and destruction. But these acts of heroism often seem few and far between. Livingston offers what he calls "an unsparing look at what we have become — a devout, militarized, defensive, xenophobic, and selfish society. . . . We need to see ourselves as we are if we are going to change this version of ourselves. Otherwise, we will continue to be manipulated by our fears, that is, by the angels of our baser nature."
Among the 30 truths that characterize our times the following ones spoke to us:
• Fear lurks behind perfectionism.
• Courage is not a feeling, it is a habit.
• Life is not a rehearsal.
• Courage is required to bear the unbearable.
• At the heart of anger is sadness.
• Life is not a spectator sport.
The Thing You Think You Cannot Do by Dr. Gordon Livingston is a hard-hitting and timely collection of essays by a passionate elder whose criticism of our culture is right on target.
