Beyond Me: Dissecting Ego To Find The Innate Love At Humanity's Core (A New Psychology As Philosophy)

by Robert Spencer Knotts

Overview

Why? Why does it happen to almost everyone? We each suffer frequent bouts of self-doubt, often for no clear or sensible reason. We struggle against brutal self-criticism, the voices in our heads that insist we are not good enough. "Something must be wrong with me!" We sabotage our best interests. And we consider all this to be the necessary price of living with our past, simply a byproduct of human nature. But "Beyond Me" argues that it isn't a necessary aspect of human nature at all. We each are struggling to confirm through the judgments of the outside world a broad collection of self-images that are entirely irrational. When we can’t do it, we each become sick. Year by year by year, sick at heart, sick of mind. We constantly look for our true selves in the eyes of others, but the truth isn’t there. This book is the product of five years of writing and 45 years of intense research. "Beyond Me" explains that many of humanity’s worst problems are caused by this malady, which the author has named "Identity Failure." This powerfully insightful book explores in great psychological detail our human tendency toward self-doubt, self-criticism and self-sabotage. And it demonstrates convincingly that this nearly universal problem is learned, directly resulting from the many significant but irrational self-images that individuals attempt to validate through outside appreciation by others. "Beyond Me" shows why this effort can never fully succeed, leaving individuals to flounder emotionally and society to suffer the subsequent consequences. The book explores Identity Failure’s sweeping destructive impact on individuals and society in a story told often through the author’s intense personal experiences and uncompromising, highly original self-analysis. But "Beyond Me" also finds an innate love within every individual, the desire to be, to exist in ways that satisfy our deep need to feel our life is worth living. And the book presents a new full-blown philosophy called Rational Faith based on this innate love, offering that rational approach to living as a solution to Identity Failure. "Beyond Me" is a supremely hopeful fresh view of humanity. It shows that human beings can enjoy healthier, more fulfilled lives and raise healthier, well-balanced children through transcending the ego’s immediate self-interest in favor of a deeper, innate love that inspires individuals to help other people unconditionally.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781733912709
Publisher:	Robert Spencer Knotts
Publication date:	04/24/2019
Pages:	600
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.33(d)

About the Author

Robert Spencer Knotts is the author of 24 previous published books, most of these for young readers and written under the name Bob Knotts or a pseudonym. He also has written five plays, numerous poems, fables, blogs, lyrics and other literary works. In addition, Knotts is a lifelong musician who has composed more than 100 compositions including "A Symphony of Some Humanity - Symphony #1 for Strings and Choir" and "All, In Joyful Song - A Carol In Three Movements." In 2005, he founded the 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, the Humanity Project, and still serves as the group's president and primary program creator. Based in South Florida, the Humanity Project instills greater respect for goodness and inherent value of humanity. The group's motto is: "Equality For Each, Respect For All." ( www.thehumanityproject.com ) Knotts is among fewer than 50,000 Americans whose biography is included in the Marquis "Who's Who In America" and "Who's Who in the World," the standard biographical references. He has twice been nominated for the Pulitzer Prize. ( www.rsknotts.com )

Table of Contents

Preface Writing for a different reader. A broad overview of Beyond Me.

Chapter 1: Me, Until I’m More A search for individual identity. Profound selfobsession, profound self-doubt. Identity Failure introduced, an unrecognized human

illness. Identity poses introduced. The new philosophy of Rational Faith offers one cure for Identity Failure. Identity Failure in bullet points.

Chapter 2: Untying The Knotts An author’s experience steeped in the self. Learning to explore within. “Why Method.” Dialogue, me with me. Testing the observations. A powerful introspection: “intrasentience.”

Chapter 3: The Microscopic Me Websites of the mind. Nexes introduced, five categories of emotional strength. Vericepts introduced, “truth concepts.” Quancepts

introduced, particles of mind. Small things making big things within the mind as elsewhere in nature.

Chapter 4: Fundamentally, Me Psychogravity introduced, a gravity of the mind. Connection with quancepts, vericepts, nexes. Emotions through numerical values. Tigertails introduced, the refusal to let go of pain. Most Immediate Emotional Necessity. A Fundamental Law of Mind. Will to live.

Chapter 5: Deeply Determined Deepwanting introduced, a profound motivator. The difference between what we say we want and what we truly want. Dominance of the necessary. The 1 – 1,000 scale of emotional strength. The Free Will Paradox.

Chapter 6: To Me Or Not To Me Identity Failure and the Fundamental Law of Mind. Identity Failure defined in detail. Self-confusion. Identity Failure as “normal.”

Chapter 7: A Fitting Experience The Grand Trio introduced. Identity poses explained. Irrational fixed identities based on realities. Origin of identity poses.

Pose-weakeners and pose-strengtheners introduced, making psychological compromises. Identity Failure as a cause of repressed emotions

Chapter 8: All Too Normal Tick-tock, Identity Failure explained through a unique minute by minute drama and the use of numerical values.

Chapter 9: The Why Within You Identity Failure in others, observed and analyzed. Voices of the mind as Identity Failure. Identity Failure in you: a test. Will to die. The Fundamental Question, introduced. A thought experiment: the mud hut and you. Questions for you.

Chapter 10: A World Of Me Identity Failure as a new lens to understand our world. The lust for money and lust for power. Hitler and history’s despots. Of terrorists, gangsters and thrill killers. Of slavery and racism. Dr. King and the “drum major instinct.” Of patriotism, war and soldiers. Of sexism, abuse, addiction and self-harm. The new distractions.

Chapter 11: The Other Half Isolation and Identity Failure. Romance and romanticism, holdovers from the past. Being “unforgettable.” Romance as addiction. Of sex and Identity Failure. Of gender roles and sexual identities. Extra

challenges for the LGBTQ community. The romantic view of life. Primary emotions. Finding the innate love within each individual. The desire to be.

Chapter 12: A Bitter Pill The mindbody. Dr. John E. Sarno’s great insights. Repressed Emotion Transfer introduced. The physical response to rage. Illness as the mind’s misguided effort to help the individual.

Chapter 13: Physics Of The Mind Insights from within. Psychophysics 101. The details explained, combining the psychological concepts of Beyond Me into a unified theory. Chain of consciousness explored in detail. A logic of the mind. Of conditioning, coincidence and chance. A summary. An equation of human value.

PreScript: Rational Faith explained, its system and tenets. Seven articles of Rational Faith.

Glossary

About the author

Editorial Reviews

Dr. Laura Finley

5.0 out of 5 starsThoughtful, compassionate and detailed

May 30, 2019 Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Bob Knotts has written with compassion a comprehensive and thoughtful analysis of the self, originating in his personal observations and backed by a wealth of support. Knotts shows how the need for others to tell us who we are is, in essence, the root of many personal and social issues. Instead, Beyond Me outlines how we can raise children to avoid what he calls Identity Failure, which will improve our lives and the lives of others. Further, this insightful book provides an outline for how helping others helps us see our true selves and live our fullest lives. Highly recommended for those who want to grapple with significant concepts and look inside for personal improvement.

Piper A Spencer

5.0 out of 5 starsA transformative journey into the mind!

September 24, 2019 Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

Beyond Me is a fascinating deep dive into the inner workings of the mind. Robert Knotts is a skillful and down to earth guide on this revolutionary journey. Along the way, he identifies and explains the many irrational patterns of thinking that result in suffering. Then he shines a light on a new, more rational approach to life that leads to greater fulfillment and mental health. Reading this book has helped me understand myself better, live more authentically, and make choices that align with my values. I highly recommend it!

Gabriela

5.0 out of 5 starsOriginal and Insightful

May 15, 2019 Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

This book will help you better understand your self. It's a serious and profound study of the human mind with truly revolutionary ideas that can change the way you see your self and others. It will be a phenomenal journey into your own psyche... It's very well written and researched. Highly recommended.

Bob LaMendola

5.0 out of 5 starsI learned about myself and others

July 17, 2019 Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

I thought this book would be interesting but difficult, but I was wrong. It's fascinating and surprisingly breezy / fun to read. The writing is very down to earth and clear even though the concepts are weighty and important.

From the Publisher