- It's a slice of heaven!
What is love? Although this book has left me with more questions than answers, In Search of Paradise has shown me one of the highest expressions of love that I've ever imagined. Dr. McGinnis's words touched my heart, I literally broke into tears as I read this passage (page 74):
I love you. Even though we have never met, I love you and I want to help you plan for the future with me. You are sharing your life with me as you read these thoughts on this printed page.
These lines were written for everybody (including strangers), yet it felt as if he knew me, and that those words were meant for me personally... like a father expressing his love for his daughter.
In Search of Paradise is a book about love and happiness. It is very difficult to explain such abstract concepts, yet Dr. McGinnis has successfully communicated their meanings. How do you bring “love and happiness” into the realm of reason? It's virtually impossible (or maybe they don't belong there). Dr. McGinnis did not go through ostentatious philosophical discussions about reality; he simply suggests that it is through concretization of abstract concepts where they can become a reality... just like building a magnificent building out of a daydream.
This book has a very humble tone, which made it very pleasant to read. Even though the author is living a fulfilling kind of life, he never endorsed it as an ideal life... he merely presented it as a possibility. I sensed throughout the book that Dr. McGinnis has a great appreciation for uniqueness. He respects the primacy of human volition, hence his propositions are neither presumptuous nor imposing. His advice is genuinely for us (for our own good, not for his own reward); it is based on his aching desire for us to be happy. And even though he remains loyal to his own principles, he encourages his readers to question them, for the purpose of correcting them (if they are wrong), so we can properly integrate or build our own knowledge with his.
In Search of Paradise is timeless. It touches on a number of universal concerns about life. It is full of inspiring real life stories that will touch your heart. It tells us that happiness is found in simple things. It is in front of us from morning till night... it's as simple as opening the shutters and welcoming the daylight. Is it better to love or hate? Why deprive ourselves of happiness when we can easily grab it? These questions almost sound dumb, don't they? But sometimes, we get caught in the cycle of negativity, and we tend to forget that life is beautiful. In Search of Paradise serves as a reminder that love and happiness are within our reach, and that heaven is here on Earth for those who seek it.
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About the photo: I took a picture of the book that Dr. McGinnis sent me as a gift. I simply rested the book on the gravel, but it signifies that we could change this rocky and gravelly path into something that looks like a paradise, just like the picture on the book cover.
