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Read comments & reviews on Paradigm Prophecies (Reflections for Healing)

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“Foreward Reviews”

The mixed-genre Paradigm Prophecies: Reflections for Healing stresses the importance of community and inclusiveness in order to better understand the self. An interesting mix of poetry, prose, and reflective self-help, The Paradigm Prophecies: Reflections for Healing by Richard Francis Moore offers tips for understanding the human condition through empathetic acceptance of oneself and others.

The concept behind The Paradigm Prophecies is compelling. Moore blends autobiographical information with pertinent poetry and prose meant to guide readers through their own self-discovery. It’s through these reflective pieces that Moore ruminates on the book’s central idea: that the key to better understanding oneself is valuing the importance of others, whether that be through personal gratitude, substantive listening, or meaningful actions.

This assertion that self-actualization is easier when one values others is paired with anecdotal evidence from different times in Moore’s own life, highlighting the ways that the approach benefited his success. Poetry selections also support this central argument by either establishing Moore’s inner dialogue or providing additional context for featured life events.

The text is divided by ten chapters aptly named for common milestones, including “A Ray of Light: Understanding beyond Oneself” and “Healing: Understanding Forgiveness and Freedom.” These ten chapters are grouped into three acts—past, present, and future.

This grouping helps guide Moore’s text, from his time as an impatient young man in “Early in the Journey: Understanding the Silence” to the endless possibilities for his (and all of humanity’s) future in “Perspectives and Paradigms: Understanding Paradise Found.” Moore’s approach allows for a fluidity of ideas not possible with only one set format.

The success of Moore’s unconventional volume lies in his writing style. He imparts complex ideas about empathetic understanding without overwhelming jargon, making for a text that can be read and digested easily. At the end of each chapter—once the section’s biographical information has been established and Moore has employed applicable poetry or prose—come a few closing questions meant to reiterate introduced ideas. This approach is smart, encouraging engagement and making concepts far easier to understand. Formatting arrangements are a hindrance. Spacing and font usage is erratic, while text alignment varies jarringly from chapter to chapter. These shifts are confusing and detract from the effectiveness of Moore’s argument. Images are too plentiful, only coherently accompanying the text on occasion. And while Moore’s decision to blend genres is indeed interesting, at times points are overwrought and could be proficiently addressed with far fewer words.

A self-actualization workbook of sorts, the mixed-genre Paradigm Prophecies: Reflections for Healing stresses the importance of community and inclusiveness in order to better understand the self.
AMANDA ADAMS

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