Suffering and Joy

About the Book

How we view the ways in which others perceive us dramatically influences how our personalities develop. In essence, relationship is all. All parts relate to the whole and the whole incorporates all of its parts. Relationships are the most important aspects of our lives. In fact, they constitute who we are. Understanding their true nature is essential to the development and evolution of personal enlightenment. Relationships impact our view of life as a series of opportunities or misfortunes. We should understand this force in our lives because it speaks to whether we develop an optimistic or pessimistic outlook, whether we feel rejected and abandoned or accepted and loved, worthy or unworthy, deserving or undeserving. Suffering and Joy is a brief memoir that focuses on the personal life experiences of an old man as he reflects on the turning points and influences in his life. It’s a sensitive and telling account of the demons we all carry and the quest of one thoughtful man to unravel the mystery of why this is so. Inspired by the love for his only grandson, the author embarks on a spiritual journey through his own inner life experience.

About the Author

Richard Palanza has lived a long and in the Socratic sense a truly examined life. The third of fifteen children of immigrant parents, he experienced first hand the poverty of the Great Depression. Relying on the masonry skills learned from his father, he struggled to achieve an education. He earned advanced degrees in history and became a teacher and a scholar. His mystical inclination later led him to become an aspiring Sufi and into intense Jungian analysis. Even in his retirement the thirst for learning motivated him to seek another degree and a second career in counseling. His final wish was to share his trip with others.