Building on Solid Ground: Authentic Values and How to Attain Them

A dear friend of mine recommended Father Williams' book and I found it incredibly helpful and inspiring. I can't believe it took me this long to find out about it. It's a treasure.

In a culture where relativism has failed to provide any sort of solid, fundamental basis on which to build our lives, Fr. Thomas Williams' book "Building on Solid Ground" is a wonderfully clear and concise guide to making solid choices in life according to clearly determined values and principles. By the author's own admission, this is not an academic work, but a "practical guide to help better understand what values are, to offer criteria to discern between different options and to suggest ways to organize our lives around values that are worthy of our dignity as human persons." Fr. Thomas addresses questions such as whether values are merely the by-product of personal sentiment, determined subjectively by individuals, or whether they in fact have an element of stability and an objective worth. Are some things in life really better than others? Are some things in life worth pursuing while other things are not? How can we know with any certainty? How can we go about making good decisions? What does it mean to be a mature person? How can we find happiness in life? Fr. Thomas provides solid guidance in language that is accessible, clear, and concise. Young people of high school and college age (as well as those who have an interest in teaching values to young people) will find this book particularly helpful. I have given this book as a gift to my children as well as to several young friends, but there is much in it for each one of us to reflect on as we strive to make solid choices that will translate into decisions and actions that are considered, balanced, and mature. Once you have read it, you will want to read it again. Enjoy!

Many talk about values or "family values". I have never heard anyone speak so clearly and with such wisdom about values and the root of values. Don't read this book if you want to keep your current paradigm about life and what is important.