Wandering - Not Lost

Below are the modern resources that underpin 'Give Beck Philosophy.'  

The one thing I always ask people I respect is, "What is your reading list?"

For those who would ask me the same:

1. Read the Gov. Study - What if we could roll this out across America?
2. The Gift - let the Preface guide your civic giving
3. Finite & Infinite Games - become an Infinite Player
4. Spiritual Evolution - it's the greatest book from a great man I know
5. Anatomy Trains - read the 1st chapter & that's my secret sauce
6. Where the Wild Things Are - This was the first book I remember.
7. Alexander & The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day - my favorite!
8. Hey Dad, Remember Me? - my book is the backstory to my journey.

The Gift

The Form and Reason for Exchange in Archaic Societies

Scan a list of essential works in anthropology, and you are likely to see Marcel Mauss's masterpiece, The Gift.

'"The Gift" is a gesture of both personal and political generosity. This book's aspiration for modern society's recovery of 'the gift' as a mode of 'repair' is a philosophical guide to modern civilized thought. 

This book helped me incorporate indigenous wisdom on my journey. It enabled me to utilize the reasons for exchange in archaic societies in modern living.

Finite & Infinite Games

A Vision of Life as Play & Possibility

"There are at least two kinds of games. One could be called finite; the other infinite. A finite game is played for the purpose of winning, an infinite game for the purpose of continuing the play."

Finite Games are the familiar contests of everyday life; they are played to be won, which is when they end. 

Infinite Games are mysterious because their object is not winning but ensuring the continuation of play. The rules, boundaries, & participants may change—as long as the game is never allowed to come to an end.

What are infinite games? How do they affect the ways we play our finite games? What are we doing when we play—finitely or infinitely? And how can infinite games affect how we live our lives?

This book surveys our world—from the playing field's finite games and playing board to the infinite games found in culture and religion—leaving all we think we know illuminated and transformed. 

Reading this book is the first step in learning to play the infinite game.

Spiritual Evolution

How We Are Wired for Faith, Hope, and Love

In Spiritual Evolution, Dr. Vaillant lays out a defense of man’s inherent spirituality. He shows how spirituality resides in the mind and our capacity for emotions like love, hope, joy, forgiveness, and compassion, which differs from where dogmatic religious beliefs reside in the brain.

Spiritual Evolution makes the scientific case for spirituality as a positive force in human evolution and predicts for our species an even more loving future.

Anatomy Trains

Balancing 3 three holistic systems of the body

The new edition of this hugely successful book presents a unique understanding of our immune system's three pillars: Capillary, Neuronal, & Fascial. If I wished to balance my body, mind, & spirit, I needed to master how each of these systems affects the others, like a three-way street.

• Body = Capillary = Matter = Emotions 
• Mind = Neuronal = Time = Thoughts
• Spirit = Fascial = Space = Belief

Chapter One in this book is ideal for people who have a "whole body" approach to change. It teaches how a person can leverage each system to have a desired effect on others.

(I am a continuing education provider for NCBTMB & IASI.)

Where the Wild Things Are

To Be or not To Be (Wild) - that is the question

When Max dresses in his wolf suit and causes havoc in the house, his mother sends him to bed. From there, Max sets sail to an island inhabited by the Wild Things, who name him king and share a wild rumpus with him. 

Max has a tantrum and, in a flight of fancy, visits his wild side. 

I was never allowed to play as a child, so I threw my tantrum against the world and, in a flight of fancy, renounced everything I was conditioned to believe. The journey I took was my visit to the "Wild Side." I spent a year playing with humanity. Wild Things across America taught me sovereignty as I enjoyed the 'wild rumpus' adventure of a lifetime.

Far across the world, Max smells good things to eat and is pulled back by a belief in parental love to a supper 'still hot.' Stirred by humanity, I was drawn back by a universal love to serve society 'simmering with hope.'

As much as the book that I wrote, I feel this book summarizes my story.

Beneath my smile, know that I am proud to be a Wild Thing. 

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

Great Book to Soothing a Hurting Heart

Alexander knew it was going to be a terrible day when he woke up with gum in this hair. And it got worse...

His best friend deserted him. There was no dessert in his lunch bag. And, on top of all that, there were lima beans for dinner.

This book helped me through my youth. My mom bought it for me before I became a teenager. Every time I got bullied, disappointed, or had a bad day, I would read it before going to bed. 

I kept this book with me on the road to encourage me when times got tough. It helped me finish my journey, so it should help you finish your complete too.

Hey Dad, Remember Me?

Breaking Patterns of Generational Dysfunction

At age eleven, James "Bubba" Beck is ready to die. The cold steel barrel of a .357 revolver tastes metallic in his mouth—all he has to do is pull the trigger. Fortunately, a visiting neighbor interrupts him.

Bubba's father lies at the heart of the young boy's despair. Beneath a mask of good times and community service, Jimmy Beck is a volatile mix of fundamentalist fanaticism and rage, abusing his son both mentally and physically.

The discovery of his son's suicide attempt gives Jimmy an epiphany—realizing his acts mirror the violence he endured at his parents' hands. Jimmy escaped his family at fourteen by lying about his age, enlisting in the army, and engaging in adventures across the country. Now, hearing of his son's brush with death, Jimmy realizes he's continuing the one thing he wanted to stop: his parents' violent legacy.

Jimmy commits to change, starting father and son on a journey of healing and reconciliation, ultimately breaking the cycle of generational dysfunction. 

Hey Dad, Remember Me? is the true story of how James Beck and his father re-pattern their thinking and behavior to transform their relationship from abuse and anger to fondness and friendship. The road was long and not without setbacks, but the reward is more than either could have anticipated. As a result of their progress, Bubba launched across America on an adventure of his own—to honor his father—called SerfBliss.

(This is my book & it contains my background. The world I grew up in was highly dysfunctional, which is represented in the text. Suggested for 16-years-old & up)