And never stop dancing by Gordon Livingston (Hodder, 2006) is sub-titled is: thirty more true things you need to know now; and follows the same format and style as his previous book, Too soon old too late smart . It covers some of the same ground but he does give further insights into his ideas.
He gives much space to his disillusionment with organized religion. He is very critical of the extremes positions some people take in the expression of their beliefs and the way some use their beliefs to try to control other people’s behaviour. He seems to think that Christianity is about believing doctrine and following a set of rules. Regrettably he doesn’t understand that Christianity is actually about a relationship. He believes the world would be a better place if people would comply to his commandment, “Thou shalt keep thy religion to thyself”, though really he needs to add, “Or thy non-religion to thyself.”
He writes about other things such as step-parenting, loneliness, insomnia, relationships, anxiety, depression and other issues that have presented themselves in his consulting rooms. His experience as a psychiatrist is the basis for much of his writing, though he also includes much of his personal story. As a parent he has been twice bereaved, one son committed suicide and another died of leukaemia. He has also been twice married. So he speaks from a place of experiencing much pain.
Much like his last book it is interesting to read his conclusions about life and his thoughts on what makes for happiness and fulfilment.
