Book Picks: The Activist's Tao Te Ching — Ancient Advice for a Modern Revolution by William Martin

This is an excellent read for everyone who is noticing that things in this world do need to change, but are perhaps feeling small and insignificant on such changes. I definitely recommend it.

~Sheri Newton, Registered Nurse/Blogger who loves to read

Change and anger are in the air. “We are the 99%,” “Black Lives Matter,” and “Love is Love” have become part of the lexicon. Previously unquestioned institutions (police, military, the NSA) are under scrutiny. Looking for answers to today’s wrenching challenges, William Martin turns to the Tao Te Ching and finds that while Taoism is known for its quiet, enigmatic wisdom, the Tao can also have the cleansing force of a rushing river.

Through his interpretation of this ancient Chinese text, Martin elucidates revolutionary messages condemning power-seeking and greed. He emphasizes that humans have a “natural virtue” that can help them heal the planet; shows how Taoism’s simplicity can be subversive and its flexibility a potent force; and reassures that “when injustice is the rule, justice always lies in wait.”

Provocative and stirring, Martin’s Tao flows within and through those who ride the waves of anger and frustration and gently guides them to true freedom.

“We have learned the secret of transformation: Injustice feeds our determination. Hate increases our love. Wounds bring forth our healing, and fear uncovers our courage and serenity.”

— from The Activist’s Tao Te Ching

William Martin is an award-winning author whose work expresses the practical wisdom and inspiration of Taoist thought for contemporary readers. A native of California, Bill graduated from the University of California at Berkeley with a degree in Electronic Engineering. After four years working for the Navy as a research scientist, he returned to graduate school. He earned a Masters degree from Western Theological Seminary in Holland, Michigan. He did not find himself fitting within the Christian Church clergy structure so, guided by his love of the Tao Te Ching, he began to seek his own way. He spent two decades in private practice as a Marriage and Family Counselor in Phoenix, Arizona, and taught counseling for many years at Rio Salado College in Phoenix. He has been a student of the Tao for four decades.

Paperback: 14.00

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