Sharisse Coulter's Reviews > The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment

I enjoyed the reminder of presence and believe that we can all benefit from perspective, though I have read other books with those themes that were also grounded in science, which I personally find easier to digest. As someone who was raised in a religion that I later left because " just have faith" wasn't a satisfactory answer to life's big questions, I sometimes felt that the authorial voice veered toward truthiness (thanks, Colbert!) in answer to questions from an asker that is already lost, fearful and hurt. In order to move forward from that state, some level of objective grounding is required on which to build a new foundation.

That said, if all of life on earth and separation is a mere illusion (and I don't dispute that it is) then what does it matter what we do? If there is no truth, how does that not lead to emotional anarchy? And, if it doesn't matter what we do or believe, I see very little to no difference between nihilism and enlightenment.

The only thing to separate the illusion from an already-in-progress eternal connectedness is the "drama"' (as Tolle puts it) of our corporeal existence. So, while perspective and an ability to step back and not identify oneself as the emotions one experiences is useful, to compare emotions, even happiness, to a ripple on a tide sounds like numbing. Intentionally choosing not to experience the only things this corporeal existence offers seems a waste of that finite experience in space and time.