Carl Rogers on Personal Power

This is an interesting book. In it Rogers shows really ambitious his person-centered theory is, and how difficult it is to apply. What it boils down to is that if the world was filled with caring relationships, it would be a much better place to live in. Through his encounter groups, Rogers meant to explore how wide varieties of people could learn to get along and work through complex problems in their lives. He goes alittle to far with the free love theories, but as I read the book, especially his final chapter "In a Nutshell," I began to realize he was serious about changing the world into a more person-centered place. He was the nuturer in this vast world of conflict and violence. The power he is referring to here is the power and capacity for human beings to love and appreciate each other during this very short time we have together on this earth. Another interesting chapter is when he addresses the need for a world government and the abolishing of war. These are quite radical ideas, but he has a point. If we don't have our own houses in order,in a person-centered way, we will not be able to avoid conflict, war, etc, which is based on ignorance.

Books aren't always going to give people insight or truly cover the scope of their feelings, but no matter what your first inclination towards this book is, it will present some things that may even give you a hint of new insight or a new way of looking at things. What Rogers describes becomes almost a "mystical" sensation, one of the few life affirming attitudes that help us rule out logical paradigms and be comfortable with our feelings.