Reflections by Caitlin Fertig  December 12, 2011

              In the most general terms, I found The Struggle for the Authentic Self: Creating Your True Self for a Peaceful World, written by Dr. Felix Padilla, to be a true eye opening journey to changing yourself into what you want the world to be.   Step by step, the reader is introduced to possibilities and potentials never realized  before, like our greatness, because of an ever-lasting or  constant process of conditioning  that starts at a young age and of which most people are unaware or unconscious.

                The beginning of this challenging book  is understanding how the overwhelming majority people in this world live day by day never recognizing the abundance of greatness inside of them.  So most people live ordinary, common or conventional lives or what Dr. Padilla refers to as the lesser self.  However terrible it seems that less than 95% of the people in the world have no idea who they really are and what their purpose in life is, the explanation is that they are just doing what society asks.  Individuals do not question themselves nor do they question the society they live in.  They simply exist believing to be living a true and authentic human reality. 

                One of the things I appreciated the most in terms of the way Dr.  Padilla presents the story of becoming the authentic self was learning that everyone is creative.  That the real meaning of “to live,” rather than “to exist,” is to create something new every day, or expand on something that already in place. Before reading the book,  I used to believe that a person was born creative, like an artist or musician. However, everyone that lives (rather than exists) is capable of being creative and Dr. Padilla explains that creativity is something that has been conditioned out of us or forced into a dormant state because creativity is something that society cannot control. In other words, creative people are the ones who truly change the world.  And they change the world according to their imagination. 

                Another very important discussion I found most revealing is how many people are afraid of failure.  People want to do everything “right” but have discovered it just isn't possible. But until people awaken to how much they have been conditioned to think and act in certain ways; that they have been conditioned to conform to the central ideas, values and beliefs of society—only then would a person understand that the pressure to succeed is hardwired and stationed in our sub-conscious mind.  I almost felt a little lighter, like the weight of everyday pressures had lifted some after reading the bottom of page 83. This is because it gives a true meaning for what failure should be.  As the book says, failure is just an alternative route to happiness, success and all of the things you truly desire. Accepting failure as something to be learned from is a powerful message I feel we should all be taught instead of being ridiculed for failing.  

                I enjoyed reading this book so much, probably because before I did, I was society’s poster child, doing everything according to society’s mandates and always feeling the pressure of just trying to survive. I plan to give the word of this book, start my goal of finding my authentic self because I want to find out who I am and what is my life's purpose is. Once I have reached this goal and have become proficient in my purpose, I look forward to giving the gift of knowledge to other individuals and helping them free themselves from the lesser self and the survival mode of conformity. I thank The Struggle for the Authentic Self and Dr. Padilla for my awakening.

Book Review of The Struggle for the Authentic Self: Creating Your True Self for a Peaceful World by Dr. Felix M. Padilla.

By Marilyn C. Horne!

December 10, 2011

In an era of hopelessness and despair, Dr. Padilla’s book The Struggle for the Authentic Self shines like a beacon of hope and clarity for our evolution as members of the human race. The book’s main focus is that we must find our true self – the person we came into this existence to experience – in order to experience true happiness and bring forth our unique talents for the benefit of all humanity and the Universe.

At first glance, the topic may seem similar to other “new age” books, however, The Struggle for the Authentic Self is the most unique book I have read on this topic. It points out that the root cause of our confusion over who we  are really meant to be are is because society has purposely conditioned us to conform in ways that lead us to live life as a lesser self; one who will follow the path that keeps society’s structure in place. At best we just think we are unique and free to live life as we wish. Another unique quality of this book is that it combines scientific fact with spiritual themes to provide a real path for individuals to follow in their quest for the authentic self. Many other books on this topic give the reader vague advice – such as “just think positive and it will manifest”. This is not the case with The Struggle for the Authentic Self. Chapter by chapter, Dr. Padilla clearly outlines the problems, solutions, and steps that will lead the reader to their authentic self. It is this clarity that gives the reader hope and inspiration.    

Chapter One starts with a clear definition of how the majority of humanity lives, surrounded by possibilities, yet convinced that we live in a world of “lack”. It is this delusion that compels us to live as a lesser self, who settles for whatever society has conditioned us to believe is our role in life. This conditioning has been taking place since we were born. Indeed, it has been in place for thousands of years since we evolved from a society of hunter gathers and became a hierarchical society. We have been conditioned to believe society’s lies for so long that we do not even realize that we are being controlled. In fact, those who try to become their authentic selves are often labeled as social deviants. One of the most important statements in the book is made in the first chapter. “How can a person possibly know what he/she is supposed to do in life without knowing the authentic self!” You cannot possibly find your true calling if you don’t know who you are. This is the first time I have heard this concept. It makes so much more sense than “Find your passion and everything else will follow.”

The book goes on to explain the difference between living as the authentic self, using our full creativity and imagination, as opposed to existing as the lesser self – merely following along like sheep imitating other people’s ideas. In order to break out of this mold we must raise our consciousness to bring forth new ideas and solutions. These ideas can only come from our own intuitive thinking.  I have always thought that I was a free thinker. However, at this point in the book I realized that I had taken the wrong path many years ago, and had stopped listening to my own intuitive thoughts. I had altered my path to find a career that paid well and had ignored my passion to help people find their authentic self and their true path. I believe this point in the book will have the same effect on many other readers. It is a time of sad reflection, but as we move into the next chapter, Dr. Padilla takes the reader from the hopelessness and disappointment of their personal reality to the possibilities of self-transformation through the power of the mind. 

First and foremost, Dr. Padilla explains, we must reclaim the power of our minds and learn to control our thought process. To do this we must understand how our mind works. Dr. Padilla gives a simple, yet detailed explanation of how the conscious and subconscious minds work, and how to bridge the subconscious and conscious minds in order to connect directly to the Universal Mind. This is where our power lies. Once we can access the power of the Universal Mind our lives will unfold as our authentic self directs and our possibilities are unlimited. Dr. Padilla does not gloss over this process. He is truthful about the amount of work and dedication it takes to be constantly in control of our thoughts, and not just during brief periods of meditation, prayer, chanting, yoga and other activities we practice to calm the mind.

We find encouragement for this process in the chapters on happiness, suffering, faith and living in gratitude. Here Dr. Padilla reveals that true happiness is found within us, and is experienced by becoming our authentic selves. Suffering actually brings us closer to our goal of living as the authentic self because when we experience suffering and disappointment in our lives we know where to make changes. When we analyze events in this manner we learn to live in gratitude, a calming experience, which also reminds to pay attention to what is going on around us. This is not to be confused with living in survival mode and resigning ourselves to the fact that “life is hard.”

My favorite part of the book is the end because it is my hope for the future of the world.  It explains true giving as the gift of knowledge meant to help others awaken to the potential of their authentic selves. However, it is the process of true giving that reconnects us to the experience of oneness with all humanity. Through this leap of empathy, we are able to experience the heart and soul of our fellow man. This allows us to empathize with their suffering, and once we can truly experience the suffering of our fellow man, this is the path to world peace. Giving brings us together and allows us to live as one, which is our natural state. It is here that we realize that our quest for the authentic self is really a quest that benefits all humanity. Our special gifts are for everyone to enjoy. We have come full circle and are back to living a life of creativity, love and connectedness just as we were when we first began this journey as children.