The Five Things We Cannot Change: And the Happiness We Find by Embracing Them

I've been on a path of personal self-discovery & healing for many years, and like many, also have a full bookcase to attest to the journey. Without exaggeration, this book rests at the top 5 of that (very) substantial number ! There are passages and practices presented by Richo that are astonishing in their beauty and ability to touch at the deepest level. Similar to Brother David's praise on the back cover, I found that I've "dog-eared" virtually every page of this wonderful book and have also bought copies for friends of all stripe and age. A genuine gift to be read again & again.

This isn't a feel-good self help book. It is a realistic look at certain "givens" in life that must be addressed by anyone who wants to live a REAL life. Many people don't want to accept ideas like, "Life isn't always fair." When I was younger, I didn't want to accept this type of thinking myself, but over time, I have learned that each of the 5 things the author mentions are true. I appreciated the candor with which the author delivered these truths and the solutions that were offered to help accept the positive and the negative aspects of existence. This is not a main stream, positive thinking piece, but I think it helped me to develop a more healthy attitude about the aspects of life that are difficult, if not impossible to change.

I have read one to many self-improvement books and thought I could not possibly discover anything new. This is absolutely the most insightful book I've read so far. Once I finished it, I immediately began to read it again; there is so much to digest. I was especially touched by the fact he uses quotes from poets since I am a poet myself. It leaves you with the feeling of acceptance and guidance. I recommend this book to everyone and am buying each of my 3 children a copy. Such a gem!

No one doesn't need this marvelous book. David Richo, in an extraordinary generosity of spirit, shares with us some truly illuminating insights of remarkably profound truths. It can't be overstated enough on how valuable his insights are. The key truths of life, the inevitabilities and vicissitudes of it, are dealt and tackled with unflinching directness, and with that, a great deal of compassion for the problems that can assail us all. And yet, he is conspicously lacking in false sentiment. Richo urges us, firmly, yet gently, to give up trying to exist in denial of the things we cannot change, and instead makes a compelling, and logic-based treatise on the idea of just simply embracing and accepting these inevitabilities. His 5 key truths are: 1. everything changes and ends, 2. things do not always go according to plan, 3. life is not always fair, 4. pain is part of life, and 5. people are not loving and loyal all the time. So many of Richo's statements and exposition behind these points have such clarity, brilliance of scope, and an astonishing ring of truth behind them, that he makes it sound almost easy to commence in the process of acceptance. Moreover, Richo shows that the only way to evolve as a sentient being is to consciously work at a personal self-evolution, for it is, really, the key to moving from one stage of life to the next. That tantalizing but often elusive prospect can invlove a great deal of personal growth and fulfillment. So many of us get stuck in ruts, seemingly unaware and puzzled as to how life can pass us by, without any conscious realization as to the subtle, but inexorable changes that occur along the way. Richo, like a wise master and teacher, generously helps in the process of coming to terms with those changes, and makes us see the beauty of accepting them. One of the more felicitous aspects of what's presented here is that Richo utilizes in his words a combination of modern Western psychology and ancient Eastern spiritual thought, with a dash of Jung thrown in. There are numerous wise and poetic quotes from Shakespeare to Shaw deftly incorporated throughout, and which vividly illustrate Richo's own eloquent phrases. The text is clear, easy to read (yet some sentences and phrases are so astonishingly meaningful that you have to stop and THINK), compact, unfussy, and peeled to the truth. Needless to say, I heartily recommend this book; it has changed(or rather, ENHANCED greatly) the way I think.

This book is so helpful. If you are like me -- caught in the web of fear and mad as hell that the world doesn't go the way I want it to -- this book points the way to liberation! Richo blends buddhism, wisdom teachings, and Jungian psychology together with poetry, literature and humor to get the point across. Lots of charts and bullet suggestions help the info sink in. I'm going to have to read it again because there is so much in it. Richo makes it easy to understand and take action.