Quiet Mind, Fearless Heart: The Taoist Path Through Stress And Spirituality

Seaward (Stressed Is Desserts Spelled Backward) offers a book to help the reader "overcome personal adversity" and bring "peace to the heart and soul." The book's four parts in turn discuss the nature and reality of stress; the relationship between stress and spirituality; practical strategies for finding equilibrium and letting go of stress; and some success stories. Throughout, Seaward intersperses brief meditation and journaling exercises. Yet the book feels hollow. While Seaward touches on some profound Taoist principles—as one might expect, given the book's title—he fails to investigate these teachings in any depth. Instead, he uses them as a broad, a priori template for an "ageless wisdom" held by generic "wisdom keepers.