Books : Get Satisfied
Shortly after American Mania: When More is Not Enough was published I was approached by Simple Living America to contribute a foreword to a collection of short stories that had been written by the membership. I found the idea intriguing. Through the many public discussions that had surrounded American Mania’s launch it had become clear to me that despite our material riches what eludes many Americans, beyond a good nights sleep, is a genuine sense of fulfillment—a sense of being in harmony with others and oneself.
Get Satisfied is simply a collection of twenty personal accounts, from truly satisfied people, describing how they have changed their lives and found greater satisfaction—twenty interesting tales from ordinary lives written by ordinary folks just like you and me.
If you think that sounds a little hokey, then think again. Storytelling, after-all, is an ancient human art. For each of us, in our journey along life’s pebbled path, it is story that binds the start to the finish. It reflects the patterning of the human mind—the ordering of a random stockpile of personal experience into a meaningful, coherent and unfolding theme. And when stories are shared, as in Get Satisfied, they not only have the power to entertain but also to explain and teach.
Apparently when Simple Living put out the call for personal stories the response had been beyond enthusiastic. From that outpouring the editorial committee, chaired by Carol Holst, selected essays from a broad spectrum of Americans who had successfully secured a simpler and more satisfying lifestyle. The resulting compendium is compelling and an important reminder, in these financially troubled times, that we human beings became dominant on this planet not because of our individual intelligence, but because our social savvy enabled us to harness that intelligence to collective advantage. The truth is that personal fulfillment and happiness most frequently emerge in communion with others. It has always been so.
It is pleasure that is to be found in material acquisition, and simple pleasures should be savored. But happiness and contentment in life are something else. They have a way of welling up unexpectedly, as you will discover in these stories—forceful stories of honest self-reflection that will entertain, explain, and teach.
Enjoy the ancient art!