Your Life Manual
David Ambrose
(Reviewer - Rebecca Brown)
2006 Revolution Mind Publishing
ISBN: 0973936207

Practical Steps to Genuine Happiness.

“Imagine living the rest of your life happy -- not smiling or grinning all day long, but enjoying the contented feeling that comes from knowing who you are. Not only do you know who you are, but you are happy with the person you are and are comfortable with your place in this crazy world.”(p.17)

So begins David Ambrose's guide for those searching for a meaningful, positive experience of life, on both a personal & global level. Your Life Manual is “... a summary of over half a lifetime of searching and contemplating -- looking for answers and reasons, trying to make sense of life. Even though it was a personal journey, just as yours is a personal journey, this is not... about my journey or... me. There are conclusions and ideas that I believe are universally worthy... [o]ne of the first requirements... was that it all had to make sense -- even if it was a weird unscientific kind... [i]t have to have some undefined feeling of possibility.” (p.18)

Some of his chapter titles are:
Bringing It Down To Earth
Everything Has Consequences
Our Lives Are Our Own Responsibility
Pump Up The Positive. Neutralize The Negative
Sometimes, What Is, Is
Forgiveness Is For You Not The Other Person
Good Selfishness
Truth And Apologies
Personal Freedoms

Born & raised in Apartheid South Africa, David Ambrose has lived through most of that nation's Transition period. He & his wife recently relocated to Canada. He has been a student of human behavior most of his life & to that end lays out a philosophy, a foundation, & simple, practical methods to guide you towards “the real happiness you want for yourself.”

“We delve into the spiritual, physical, and philosophical worlds. They are really just one anyway. The separation of subjects or points of observation is the work of us humans. We love to categories[sic] everything, don't we? Is it possible that our spiritual and secular lives can exist independently? It doesn't seem likely... life is a voyage; it is seeking answers and striving for happiness, which leads to joy.” (p.19)

Many of David Ambrose's ideas remind me of how I felt when I was studying to become an American Citizen, & learnt by heart the Declaration of Independence in which is this heroic statement:

“We hold these truths to be self-evident,
that all men are created equal,
that they are endowed by their Creator
with certain unalienable Rights,
that among these are
Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

What an extraordinarily novel concept! Let's not get sidetracked by quibbling about the use of “all men” & “Creator” -- for its time, the idea was revolutionary -- this is a statement that no other nation has ever written into its rule book. It said I had the right to go find my bliss, achieve what made me feel good about myself. Of course, down the ages among men's religions what's been women's happiness has tended to be men's sin. & yes, David Ambrose does turn his mind to Women's Liberation, briefly!

When did we stop searching for happiness, & settle for misery, guilt, & blame? The first time an American asked me about my dream, I couldn't answer her. What ever did she mean? In the land of my childhood, grown-ups didn't teach children to dream, they thought their job was to show them how to be good & proper(& miserable) adults. Having now lived in “The Land of the Free” for most of my life, I have my American Dream, & daily know contentment wherein I find myself.

I was a bit put off that someone intent on spreading the positivity of LOVE • PEACE • FREEDOM • HARMONY • HAPPINESS (ah, those lovely Hippy slogans!), as well as the practice of agape(ah-gah-pay -- Greek for love for/of all) & ubuntu (oo-boon-to -- a Xhosa word with no English equivalent that can only loosely be translated as “a person is a person through other persons”), salts most of his thoughts with the word “but”. Perhaps a petty observation, however, as David Ambrose covers such weighty topics as Hitler's genocide, South Africa's apartheid, children dying from poverty worldwide to personal freedoms & rights, & discovering what makes you really happy, being conscious of the words he uses seemed important to me.

As you can see, Your Life Manual is a provocative, profound & valuable resource for looking at your life, your right to pursue happiness, & how to get there through positive affirmations. It also shows you how to fulfill your responsibility by living that happiness, & taking it out into our global village to facilitate a better world for all.
(05/07/06)

Rebecca