Too Soon Old, Too Late Smart - By: Gordon Livingston

We always seem to complain about this ..

Dr. Livingston is a practicing psychiatrist since 1967. He is a father who lost two sons, one to suicide and the other to cancer. This element adds both depth and a bit of subjectivity to his writing [writing is not writing without subjectivity].

The book at hand is structured in the form of 30 tips that he observed through his own experience, and interaction with patients. The ideas present, even if debatable and many of them can be easily refuted, evoke thinking about certain aspects about human relationships and human behavior that remain unnoticed.

Interestings:

• Its difficult to remove by logic an idea not placed there by logic in the first place
• Only bad things happen quickly [ so live with it, damn it!! ]
• There is nothing more pointless, or common, than doing the same thing and expecting different results [ reminds of Einsteins statement that its wierd when we try to solve the problem using the same resources and abilities that made us fall into it in the first place ]
• We are all prone to the myth of the perfect stranger
• NOBODY LIKES TO BE TOLD WHAT TO DO [ yes , not even your kids ]
• The only real paradises are those we have lost

Some of the thoughts are overly simplistic, some are not original, others are deep, but in the end it makes sense at least to take a look at a summary of his life’s experience. Even at the evaluation level, it helps to read these thoughts as they can broaden one’s perspective.

One might be able to complain that there is not enough positivity or energy in this book, but remember that the writer doesnt believe in god, and this seems to have case a significant shadow on his writings overall [especially when coupled with the loss of his sons]..

I don't regret reading it .. much much more than what i can say about edward de bono's H+ [I just saw that book on the shelf and it made me angry .. again]..