Tulsa Book Reviews

Rediscovering the Wisdom of Human Nature: How Civilization Destroys Happiness

(Second Edition)
By Chet Shupe
BookBaby, $2.99, 256 pages, Format: eBook
Star Rating: 5 / 5

Today’s world is far from perfect, but has it always been this way? The modern human world is plagued by loneliness, depression, consumerism, lack of fulfillment, and many more issues. Is there a better way to live? In Rediscovering the Wisdom of Human Nature, Chet Shupe explains how civilization and the rules that are meant to serve humanity are the major cause of today’s problems, distancing us from our core spiritual and loving nature.

In the book’s pages, you will discover how civilization destroys happiness, why sisterhood is the hope for mankind, how institutional subjugation can be traced to the sacrament of marriage, and more. By examining human history with a speculative viewpoint that’s rooted in logic and common sense,, Shupe argues that being disconnected from nature brings us to our lowest form.

His book advocates for reconnecting with our nature-given emotional intelligence and urges a shift from manipulating the future to allowing life to thrive organically. Not only did the book open my eyes to how flawed today’s world is, it convinced me to accept the present as a gift instead of being stuck chasing after a better future.

I was happy to learn about the Pirahã people, an indigenous tribe who live in the Brazilian rainforest. Despite not having many material possessions, they are described as the happiest people on Earth by missionaries and researchers. The book’s chapters contain quotes from various profound thinkers, including Charlize Theron, Bishop Michael Curry, and Arthur Schopenhauer. The quotes, which are relevant to the chapters they appear in, are italicized and given a distinct format for easy access.

Additionally, the book’s topics and themes are intelligently covered, so that the reader can understand the author’s viewpoint without feeling bored or left out. Its core themes are social issues, love, spirituality, history, philosophy, ideologies, and more. Furthermore, the author’s words are both straightforward and profound. Like many passages I found in the book, I would love to frame this, “We have to let life find its own way, in the same sense that a stream of water finds its own way.”

Thanks to Rediscovering the Wisdom of Human Nature, my perception of human behavior and modern issues has never been clearer. I strongly recommend this book to every truth seeker and reader interested in finding logical answers to humanity’s major problems.

Chet’s book will help you free yourself from the chains of consumerism, expectations, and self-torture while connecting you to the spiritual and loving nature that is the birthright of every human. This eye-opening, paradigm-shifting book is a must-read! It’s the sort of book you read over and over again.

Reviewed by Foluso Falay