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Peace of Mind by Joshua
Loth Liebman, Simon & Shuster, 1946,
A guide for people in
understanding themselves. Love, fear, grief, the urge to succeed are
moods and motives that the book addresses can make or undermine
happiness. This book was a special gift from Bill Wilson to Dr. Bob and
his family.
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When he was a young man, author Joshua Liebman made a list of things he
would
like
to have. The list was long and included such things as health,
love, talent,
power, wealth, and fame.
He showed the list around, asking others for their opinion. A
wise, old friend
of the young man's family looked the list over and said, Joshua this is
an
excellent list. It is set down in a reasonable order. But it
appears, my young
man, that you have omitted the most important element of all. You
have
forgotten one ingredient, lacking which, each possession becomes a
hideous
torment, and your list as a whole an intolerable burden.
And what is that missing ingredient? Joshua asked.
The wise, old friend replied by taking a pencil and crossed out Joshua's
entire list.
Then he wrote down three words: Peace of Mind.
That young man, Joshua Liebman, later became the author of the inspiring
book
called Peace of Mind which has sold millions of copies.
Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me,
http://www.mattscatholicsite.com/sheen.htm
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The following was
first published in the May 1946 Reader's Digest,
and again reprinted
in the November 1962 issue.
It appears
here because, in my fifty mumble years on this planet, I have--like
the author, Dr. Joshua Loth Lieberman--come to the conclusion that
Peace of Mind is the gift to be sought after most; that without it
everything is Damn near Impossible, but with it everything is a
given!
Peace of Mind
A condensation from the
book by Dr. Joshua Loth Liebman
Once, as
a young man, I under-
took to draw up a
catalogue
of the acknowledged
goods
of life. I set down my
inventory of
earthly desirables:
health, love, tal-
ent, power, riches
and fame. Then I
proudly showed it to a
wise elder.
An excellent list,
said my old
friend, and set down
in reasonable
order. But you have
omitted the one
important ingredient,
lacking which
your list becomes an
intolerable bur-
den.
He crossed out my
entire sched-
ule. Then he wrote down
three syl-
lables: peace of
mind.
This is the gift
that God reserves
for His special
protééges, he said.
Talent and health He
gives to
many. Wealth is
commonplace, fame
not rare. But peace of
mind He be-
stows charily.
This is no private
opinion of
mine, he explained. I
am merely
paraphrasing from the
Psalmists,
Marcus Aurelius,
Lao-tse. 'O God,
Lord of the universe,'
say these wise
ones, 'heap worldly
gifts at the feet
of foolish men. Give me
the gift of
the untroubled mind.'
I found that
difficult to accept;
but now, after a
quarter of a century
of personal experience
and
professional observation, I
have come to
understand that peace
of mind is the
true goal of the
considered life. I
know now that the sum
of all other
possessions does not
necessarily add
up to peace of mind; on
the other
hand, I have seen this
inner
tranquility flourish
without the material
supports of property or
even the but-
tress of physical
health. Peace of
mind can transform a
cottage into a
spacious manor hall;
the want of it
can make a regal
residence an
imprisoning shell.
Where then shall we
look for it?
The key to the problem
is to be
found in Matthew
Arnold's lines:
We would have inward peace
But will not look within . . .
But will not look within! Here, in
a single phrase, our
willfullness is
bared.
It
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