The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment

Tolle addresses the difference between happiness and inner peace: Being happy means that one’s external conditions are positive, and this is impossible during tragedies such as losing a loved one, while inner peace can be accessed at any time. He tells the reader to practice “forgiveness of the present” to prevent the mind from building up resentment and negativity to be dealt with later (178). Instead, he advocates accepting the present and seeing everything as an opportunity to learn that may work out for the good. He acknowledges that tragic situations can always arise but argues that ego-created problems, or “drama,” will stop once a person becomes conscious (180). He claims that arguments will also cease then since it is impossible to argue with someone who does not maintain a mind identity or mental position.

Tolle reiterates that when people resist the normal cycles of life and events that happen to them, their egos generate suffering unnecessarily. He argues that everyone naturally has cycles of low and high energy; by insisting on being productive during low-energy cycles, people may become sick. This is their bodies’ way of forcing them to slow down and rest. He argues that all life events and achievements, like all forms on the planet, are impermanent.