A Review of Wisdom’s Way to Happiness Today by David G. Jensen
Reviewed by Mark Strunin
Dave Jensen’s latest gift to sanity and the development of our potential as human beings can be found on every page of his recently published work Wisdom’s Way to Happiness Today. In these times of questioning fundamental beliefs about our society, its values and its institutions, Dave’s book offers a thoughtful, even playful path to thriving once again.
The style of writing is inviting. Dave is a soft-spoken man and a straightforward writer. He doesn’t need jargon or buzz words to clearly describe his views, his experiences or the lessons learned. He is that rare “ Tell it like it is” person who is remarkably free of rancor and rant. He wants to communicate clearly and he succeeds page after page. This book is one of the very few “business” type books that can effectively appeal to young people, especially those most in need of guidance – older teens and college students. This book is the ideal “text” for a teen book group. Guidance counselors and teachers – this is a gem.
Dave brings more than just a narrative style to bear in making the case for wisdom. He infused this self-help text with poetry, songs and a sense of the “awoke”. There’s a rhyme on almost every page. The book’s pace is lyrical, focused – few “chapters” are more than four pages long and the titles of the thirty two chapters could easily be a stand-alone chart of “Key Principles for Wisdom-Seeking”, a deck of playing cards for use in a self -learning regimen similar to the very popular Creative Whack Pack by Roger von Oech ( 2003) and, of course, the outline of a series of podcasts or in-person trainings.
Wisdom’s Way to Happiness contains concise self-assessments to focus the reader on a thirty day program to find, flex and strengthen the wisdom muscle we all posses and mostly of us underuse. Graphs, charts and data are there, too. Dave’s career includes scientific and business world research.
Overall, all of us would be very wise to explore the paths to happiness – and self-worth- that are found in Wisdom’s Way to Happiness Today!
*************************
Mark Strunin is a Los Angeles area based senior professional in human development and organizational change and growth. He relishes being an ally of those who seek to awaken wisdom through collaboration. He spends most of his time with allies in the not for profit space with a special focus on the arts, social justice and spiritual growth.