Some people seem to become conscious at the first opportunity, or even if there is no opportunity to become conscious, they make one. Others cling to violence and insanity even as the bunker crumbles around them, as the universe gently prods them to change. How you look at the world, optimistically or pessimistically, given these disparate possibilities, is up to you. Stu, in the Trick to Money book, seemed kinda paranoid/pessimistic in his libertarianism, and in his Miracles book didn’t really challenge me one way or the other, and in this book actually seemed rather ‘positive’ and optimistic in his characteristic anti-authoritarian prosperity outlook, by no means always only paranoid libertarianism, you know. I actually had trouble believing things could be good ‘out there’ the way that he thought, you know. But, sometimes being challenged is a good thing.

…. I like the idea of ‘living richly’ first, even if you’re not literally making or spending that many literal dollars, and Then, going out and making a lot of real physical dollars, like someone does when they ‘live richly’.

…. And for all his charming roguery Stuart does believe in love. I do read ‘motor oil’ money books in addition to wispy ones like this, but sometimes the other kind gets stuck in fear and bad energy and, I don’t know, how can I have more money while being like everyone else? 🧐 But really abundance is about making people feel good: do that and there aren’t so many people like you, and if it’s just you, you make what you make, no limits. 🥳

…. I used to think that Stuart was a little too brief in a lot of his books, but now I just think he’s very quick to win the game he plays with himself, you know. —You can make money, and you can be a good person, and have fun. ~ There, you don’t have to block out huge blocks of time for that, right? I actually think some writers, including some practical/money writers, are too slow in wrapping things up. And in general, even, as much as I want to avoid feeling weird unnecessary guilt about liking to read and having long unread books and so on—I actually had this efficiency-guilt attack once that I was reading all these long books that I wasn’t going to finish, so I abandoned three or four of them, so I wouldn’t have “too many books”, and maybe except in, well, at least in one case it was unnecessary; life isn’t about expunging guilt through efficiency, right—but on the other hand, going through many many very long books that don’t need to be so damn long or so numerous in your closet can muddle up your energy, you know: all these Stephen King books that tackling can be a bit like going into Iraq or something—there’s no exit strategy…. Not saying he’s a terrible guy or whatever; maybe a little angry and self-important, but I have seen him do promotion-quotes on books that I thought were actually done quite well.