The Way To The Way

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The critic Alfred Kazin, in describing Emerson, has said, “the world is always new to those who would see themselves in a new way.” Mr. Sidelman, in his intriguing book THE WAY TO THE WAY, shares with us the newness and originality of the world view he has conceived.

For any thinking person who wishes to probe more deeply the meaning of popular assumptions, this book is a valuable guide. The author’s basic premise is that we need to mobilize our individual capacity to reason for ourselves, instead of being unwittingly influenced by the insistent flow of what others think is right. In re-reading this book I was struck by the original shaping and development of concepts that have occupied philosophers and writers over the course of time.

To be able to tap into the “mythos” or collective wisdom of the ages to the extent that Mr. Sidelman has, is indicative of his truly unique intellectual journey. Clearly implied in THE WAY TO THE WAY is Kant’s understanding that cause and effect, space and time, are categories of our perceptual experience rather than entities in themselves. Plato’s differentiation of ideal and shadow is reflected. The ancient inscription at Delphi, Greece “nothing in excess” is mirrored in the author’s concept of “balance.” American transcendentalism is implicit in the view that man and nature are reflections of each other. Even traces of existential thinking are found within the basic structure of determinism. We do, after all, have the capacity to make a choice to free ourselves from preconceptions in order to find “the way to the way.” Most frequently, however, the thinking of Lao-Tzu pervades the book.

In many ways this fine work can be seen as a series of meditations interspersed with lyrical chants and poetic prose. The use of parables is strikingly effective. In each topic discussed the author is direct, clear, and challenging.

When the courage to think for ourselves is embodied in lived experience, we become able to see beyond conventional certainties to our own potential for authenticity. Mr. Sidelman’s excellent book can be instrumental in illuminating this path for us.

William J. Kirman, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus Dept. of Psychology, Long Island University, New York. Author of Modern psychoanalysis in the schools.

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