The Art of Becoming Human

by MERCER, MARY E.

• ISBN13: 9781573929400
• ISBN10: 1573929409
• Format: Trade Paper
• Copyright: 2001-12-01
• Publisher: Prometheus Books

Summary

Being born is just the beginning; becoming a fully human being is not easy. It's a creative process of self-development toward which we have to work for the rest of our lives. How we live; how we think; how we react to our experiences; and who we wish to be, rather than who we are, all contribute to our humanness--or lack of it. Despite the claims of popular "how-to" guides to becoming a better person, no book holds the magic key to true humanness or real happiness. It takes a lifetime of learning. In "The Art of Becoming Human", Mary Mercer reflects with great insight and empathy on the happiness and difficulties we encounter at each stage of life, pointing out that all growth requires separation from previous attachments. As we move from infancy to old age, the pain of each separation lifts us to a higher level of awareness of ourselves. This pattern of love and separation repeats itself throughout our lives until, if we're fortunate, our desire to be loved becomes a desire to love. Dr. Mercer explains what is required for personal growth, details the aspects of life that touch us profoundly, and lays out the choices that can lead to the highest state of humanness possible. This book considers not only the common experiences of human growth from birth to old age, but also the profound influences that inborn talent, chance, necessity, and hope play in our development. Using eloquent quotations from literary classics, Dr Mercer reveals the universal self-creative pattern that lies beneath the surface of individual life.

Table of Contents

Preface to the Paperback Edition	9	(4)
Preface	13	(2)
Introduction	15	(4)
Early Childhood (Birth to Five Years)	19	(26)
Middle Childhood (Six to Eleven Years)	45	(18)
Late Childhood (Twelve to Seventeen Years)	63	(20)
Early Adulthood (Eighteen to Forty Years)	83	(18)
The Art of Becoming Human Middle Adulthood (Forty to Sixty Years)	101	(16)
Late Adulthood (Sixty Years On)	117	(26)
Notes to the Quotations	143