Getting a Life

About the Book

This book is about crafting full, rich, creative, and enjoyable lives for ourselves - lives that are significant, lives that contribute in some way to the world around us. Getting a Life is rooted in the idea that some steps toward wisdom require nothing more than a fresh look at common life situations, nothing more than an appreciation of the difference between skillful and unskillful ways of dealing with those situations. Its premise is that a few truths about everyday life, if pointed out and taken seriously, can make a significant difference in the quality of day-to-day living and our enjoyment of life.

Getting a Life is about applied, practical wisdom - the kind of wisdom that Coleridge called "Common sense in an uncommon degree." To Copthorne Macdonald, wisdom comprises a mix of extraordinary attitudes, value-based ways of being, and ways of seeing. He takes the position that growing wiser is not something than must be left to the whims of fate; wisdom can be developed intentionally. Getting a Life reinforces our best intuitions and intentions, leads us to some fresh insights about everyday life, and helps us develop that uncommon degree of common sense that is practical wisdom.

About the Author

Copthorne Macdonald is a writer, independent scholar, and former communication systems engineer. He writes about wisdom, personal growth, the nature of reality, and creating a sustainable future. His published works include six books (two on the subject of wisdom) and over 130 articles, reviews, and column installments.