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NEW BOOK – HEAVEN IS EVERYWHERE – AIMS TO BRING PEACE ON EARTH
Do you think there will always be war? Jefferson Glassie doesn’t think so; he believes humans can have peace on the planet. That’s what he says in his new book, Heaven is Everywhere, published by Peace Evolutions, LLC. And he thinks each of us can have peace of mind, too. Pretty good message, but will anyone buy it?
The book starts by recounting how Glassie’s mother was excommunicated from the Catholic Church for marrying his father, who had been divorced. He describes the religious precepts he learned as a boy at Blessed Sacrament School in Chevy Chase, Maryland. But then he fast-forwards to his mid-life crisis when he’s taught by a local minister there never was a historical Jesus; rather, the Jesus story was mythical, as were most biblical stories. Glassie wonders where that leaves the religion of his youth?
From there, he takes us on a profound spiritual exploration. He bases his theories on A Course in Miracles and Love is Letting Go of Fear, by Jerry Jampolsky, two seminal books from the 1970s. Those books say there’s only love and fear and, when one lets go of fear, peace is the result. Glassie delves deeply into what fear is. He writes about mass murderers and terrorists to make the point that their actions were caused by fear, and they weren’t evil. War, anger, hate, rape, jealousy, and greed all have their roots in fear, he says.
But his focus is on love, or oneness, as he defines it. We’re all part of the same thing, no separation from one another. We’re like all the animals, plants, and even inanimate objects, just bundles of energy. All of us are here together in love, and peace, joy, compassion, community, trust and hope are all rooted in love. Letting go of the fear leads to love, but the main problem humans have, he thinks, is an inability to recognize the fear that actually controls so many.
Yet, Glassie says, we can do whatever we want, create whatever type of world we desire. Humans are powerful and develop so many modern comforts, but struggle to heal their divisions. Quantum physics teaches that the object becomes real when observed, so we truly create by thought all the time. In fact, it is now time that humans must change their minds to peacefully coexist; it’s imperative if we are to survive.
Glassie cites to more than 50 books, with over 350 citations to other print and electronic sources, and includes more than 100 links in the e-book version to assist readers understand the new and unique concepts he proposes. And there are some pretty surprising parts of this book!
He employs a unique tool to analyze important aspects of our lives: religion, the economic system, politics, treatment of the environment, and human sexual relationships. You’ll have to read it, but here’s the gist:
Religion, he concludes, is fear based because it’s the fear of death and not being with god that motivates so many in the flock. Glassie believes a belief system based simply on love, and not on right or wrong, is the preferred approach. Our economic system, driven by scarcity and the concern of not having enough, is also fear based. Capitalism has no conscience, promotes greed and inequality, and must be overhauled to a more love based system (changing the fiduciary duties of corporate directors is one of his ideas).
He looks at politics with the same lens, and tells us that conservative thought is more fear based (Us Versus Them) than liberal thought (All of Us). Concern for the environment is likewise love based, and not to care is about separation. Most surprising, he considers relationships between men and women, and determines there’s a lot of fear going on between them. Men keeping women down because they’re afraid of them, and women afraid of men – well – because men kill, rape, and subjugate women. His analysis concludes that humans aren’t meant to be monogamous and, while marriage and monogamy work well for many people, ethical non-monogamy is more love based. Repairing these most intimate of relationships is the key to peace.
This book is a conversation; Glassie with himself, with the authors of all those books and articles, and also with the reader. He asks, how can we have peace on earth if we don’t believe we can? Like John Lennon, he asks us to imagine a better world, but to make it happen by collectively changing our minds toward love.
Sure, he’d like to sell books, but also gives away free e-book downloads from his website www.jeffersonglassie.com with the passcode peace4us. We’re down with that, because peace is more important than money. We hope you’ll check out this book and join the conversation.
You can find us and the book at www.peace-evolutions.com. Email to info@peace-evolutions.com. Or call 301-263-9282. Thanks!