A Quick Look at the Essence of Man and His Universe

Okay, folks, let me say this right up front. The greatest book ever written, laying out why humans do what they do, especially when it comes to the psychology of mass movements, political and religious, was "The True Believer" by Eric Hoffer, written way back in 1951."A Quick Look at the Essence of Man and His Universe" brings Hoffer's powerful insights into the twenty-first century, with the additional discernments of others who have built upon Hoffer's incredible awareness. When it comes to one's humanity ego puts one as an individual at the center of all things. Thus to say that human beings are inherently locally oriented is a vast understatement. For example some folks by choice never stray more than a few miles from home their entire lives. Many are fixated only upon those elements that directly impact one's existence. Indeed, it is one's base ego that causes all things to want to be locally biased when it comes to the news, events, politics, friends and family one focuses upon. It is only when intellect comes into play, if it does at all, that one escapes one's myopic, limiting viewpoint. Therefore it can be said that the less developed one's intellect the more bigoted and narrow-minded one's outlook is of life. In fact considerable effort is required to overcome inherent ego domination and stagnation in order to expand intellect and widen one's attentiveness beyond the limitations of pure self-interest-to cultivate a "worldview. " WARNING! This is not a feel good book.A Quick Look at the Essence of Man and His Universe reveals the foundation forces within humankind and the universe that account for the radicalization of the Republican Party, unleashing upon the American political scene (inexplicably so to most) the rise of Donald Trump and Dr. Ben Carson.Moreover this unnerving book explains how the political cancer emanating from the Madrasas religious schools of Saudi Arabia produced bin Laden and Al Qaeda, which eventually morphed into the el Baghdadi lead ISIS movement; and how the invasion of Iraq along with the advent of social media, and because the source of the radicalizing, Middle Eastern cancer, Saudi Arabia, is an American ally (and numerous other complexities) in conjunction with the ultimate law of the universe-balance-make fighting an ISIS style terrorism a hopeless impossibility.The bottom line is that in effect humanity has become suspended between two horrific options-all out nuclear war on one hand and fully out of control worldwide terrorism on the other. When considering that the ultimate law of the universe says that creation must be in time offset by destruction, it would seem that the final negative offset has at long last come upon us. Whether or not one calls one's self a liberal, libertarian or conservative, we are all subject to the same universal law of probability balance: creation offset by destruction-stars are born, stars die.In human societal terms it mainly means that there is the basic tribal instinct for humans of a like kind to unite for positive outcome. This being offset by an inherent counter impulse to fear and hate those unlike ourselves-to want to distain the "other.""A Quick Look at the Essence of Man and His Universe" explores how the mind of man is shaped by the creative / destructive balancing forces of the universe to bring into being religion, science, politics, war and peace, love and hate and thus the flow of history.Mr. Ridgway is also the author of two nonfiction American Civil War books: "Little Mac: Demise of an American Hero" and "Apprentice Killers: The War of Lincoln and Davis."