To understand the concept of grace as described by M. Scott Peck in his book The Road Less Traveled, it is helpful to keep in mind the ideas from which the book sets out. Its opening words are "life is difficult." Peck asserts that life represents a series of problems, and we need to summon the discipline to solve them—that is, the discipline to face the truth even when it is painful. Another word for this kind of inner strength might be "love." If we remain open to this love and use it to confront life's problems instead of avoiding them, then mental health and spiritual growth are available to us.
In the fourth and last section of The Road Less Traveled, Peck describes certain events that appear miraculous. Some people recover fully and quickly from illnesses called terminal or heal from debilitating mental disorders. Dreams and the unconscious mind sometimes deliver stunning flashes of insight, indicating that we are wiser than we think we are. Astounding coincidences and improbable, serendipitous events actually occur much more often than you would think. These types of phenomena, in Peck's view, are all related. Events that we call miracles, that foster health and growth and that take place with no discernible cause appear to be motivated by a force outside human consciousness. Such a force has never been identified by scientific research, but it has been recognized throughout history by religious and spiritual traditions. This force is called, among other names, grace—"amazing grace"—as in the Christian hymn. Peck indicates that "God's love" could be another way of referring to the same notion.
Our desire to locate the specific origins of this kind of benevolent force or explain the mechanics of its operation are a large part of the reason why we are likely to misperceive it or miss it completely. On this score, the Eastern religious traditions come closer to the mark, for they believe in the essential oneness of all phenomena, both material and spiritual. These traditions do not subscribe to a discrete notion of the self. Therefore, these forces outside the dimensions of the individual human body and the conscious mind are also in us. Grace is in us; it is a matter of welcoming its presence, rather than resisting it, with the help of the form of self-discipline Peck defines, at the outset of The Road Less Traveled, as love.
Thursday, February 27, 2014
Could you give me a detailed summary of Scott Peck's thoughts on grace (section 4) from his book The Road Less Traveled?
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