Perspective
The Golden Rule
For those thirsty for a new path toward real peace for the world, Perspective represents one man’s hopeful viewpoint.
Perspective: The Golden Rule by David Meakes is a personal and historical look at that most elusive idea: world peace.
Meakes is a veteran of World War II, and his five years of military service gave him a deep contempt for war, its bloodshed, and its futility. That experience, along with his early life and family, set him on a quest to find the way to a peaceful world.
His journey of reflection and study leads him through religion and current events. The key, he determines, is as simple and complex as the Golden Rule: living it, teaching it, and developing worldwide unity beneath its umbrella. His suggestions for a better, more peaceful world—such as taking a global view of education—unabashedly acknowledge, and to some degree address, the roadblocks to their idealized visions, like the potential costs of such endeavors.
The book is detailed and well researched, but not dry or academic. It’s simply a record of a man’s lifelong curiosity and personal lessons. The tone is openhanded—offering thoughts and conclusions, but not demanding they be taken as the last word: “I am just a guy with some ideas which, I think, might be of use in building a framework for the global education which is integral to our global future sooner or later.” This is achieved with wisdom and conviction. While hope for the future is inherent, the book is not prescriptive or instructive; it is simply hearty food for thought with the temperate encouragement to put beliefs into action.
The personally reflective nature of the book, which looks across decades, is its most compelling aspect. Meakes offers a detailed look a how a person’s identity and beliefs emanate from the quality and sequence of their life experiences. His confident, critical, sober yet hopeful view of himself and the world is engaging and inviting.
With such an expansive view of one man’s life, the feel of each section evolves as the book goes on, showcasing a shifting voice and deepening convictions. The work remains cohesive and easy to follow even during its shifts, thanks to the chronological organization and Meakes’s perspective.
The book’s balance of deeply personal and far-reaching thoughts and experiences is aptly maintained, but it’s not always possible for every reader to see themselves in every era or every topic. While that level of applicability is certainly not promised, the result is a desire to skip sections and get to the point. Those who commit themselves to walking with Meakes through his life and thoughts will find him and his ideas thought-provoking.
To people hungry for the wisdom that comes with age and experience, and to those thirsty for a new path toward real peace for the world, Perspective represents one man’s hopeful viewpoint.
Reviewed by
Melissa Wuske
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book and paid a small fee to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. Foreword Reviews and Clarion Reviews make no guarantee that the publisher will receive a positive review. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
