The Truth about Us: The Very Good News about How Very Bad We Are

by Brant Hansen

Overview

What would happen if you admitted you weren't a good person?

It's a seemingly crazy question. From priests to prisoners, nearly everyone thinks they're morally better than average. Why change our minds? Why admit the truth about ourselves?

In his conversational, fun-to-read, and delightfully self-effacing style, Brant Hansen shows us why we should fight our drive to be self-righteous: it's breathtakingly freeing. What's more, just admitting that we're profoundly biased toward ourselves and want desperately to preserve our "rightness" at all costs even helps us think better, make better decisions, be better listeners, and improve our relationships with God and others.

Hansen draws from biblical insight and the work of everyone from esteemed social psychologists to comedians to make his point: the sooner we get over ourselves, give up the "I'm good" internal dialogue, and admit the truth, the sooner we can live a more lighthearted, fruitful, fun-loving life.

This book is about the freedom of childlike humility. After all, as Hansen writes, the humble life is truly your best one.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780801094514
Publisher:	Baker Publishing Group
Publication date:	04/21/2020
Pages:	208
Sales rank:	274,683
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Brant Hansen is an author, nationally syndicated radio host, and advocate for healing children with correctible disabilities through CURE International. His podcast with his friend and radio producer, The Brant and Sherri Oddcast, has been downloaded millions of times. The author of Unoffendable and Blessed Are the Misfits, Hansen has written for CNN.com, the Washington Post, U.S. News and World Report, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Relevant, and numerous other outlets on matters as varied as public policy, culture, sports, Asperger's syndrome, and faith. He and his wife, Carolyn, live in South Florida.

Table of Contents

1 Dear Everybody 9

2 Wronger Than We Think 21

3 Your Very Own PR Firm-and Why You Should Fire Them 35

4 Aristotle and My Garage Sale 43

5 Follow Your Heart: The Worst Advice Ever 53

6 The Flaw in Our Code 63

7 Mixed Motives 73

8 So Why Are We Like This? 83

9 Hide the Bud Light Towel: Adventures in Guilt 95

10 Let's Freak People Out 107

11 The Worst Wonderful Word 117

12 A Chainsaw at CVS 127

13 Seven Billion Italian Stallions 137

14 A Short Chapter about the Previous Chapter 147

15 How to Get Kicked Out of the Church of Satan 155

16 Even More Good News: The Humble Life Is More Fun Anyway 165

17 The Final Chapter: The One Where I Finally Mention Kermit 175

Acknowledgments 189

Notes 191