Synopses of Chapters - Blending Cultures
This book provides a better understanding of the nature of things. Each chapter covers its own
specific area of interest, and for that reason, this synopsis of chapters was created.
Chapter 1 - Life in this World
This chapter describes our earth and its place in the solar system, and the Milky Way. It examines
the other life forms around us, the earth’s significant weather cycles, like the water cycle, the varieties
of life forms and the variations within the species. It also tells of the human brain, and all it has
achieved and what more it can achieve, how it is possible for us to live comfortable, peaceful and happy
lives.
Chapter 2 - The Human Makeup
This chapter covers who humans are, how they change as they get older. It talks about the mind,
the spirit, and our instincts. It also provides some insight into our learning processes. It especially
describes a child’s development, using the analogy of a seed growing in the soil.
Chapter 3 - The Human Ego
This chapter talks about our egos, how we all have an ego, but some are much more than others. It
talks about a child’s ego forming, and they go through their terrible two stages. The ego is very
important in sports, where performance is important, and of course it discusses people with super
egos, and how people like Hitler and Mussolini thought they could rule the world, and they tried to do
so. It also tells of small egos in people who do so much good in the world.
Chapter 4 - The Human Condition
This chapter covers the history of human conditions from ancient times until now, covering the
times when families had to fend for themselves, on through their banding together, and on to the
urban groups we know today. It covers the history of empires from their flourishing times till they
collapsed. People have changed little over time, whereas wealth has never been shared evenly.
Governments have evolved with their rules and regulations, and now control most of our lives.
Chapter 5 - The Human Brain
This chapter discusses how the human brain is different from the animal. Also covered are the
brain and the tongue, the brain during light sleep or dozing, speed reading, brainstorming, human
intelligence, its memory system, the advent of artificial Intelligence, and the vagaries of computers.
Chapter 6 - Our Beliefs
This chapter deals with how our beliefs evolve from the knowledge we have and the
reasoning power we have developed. Our beliefs are formed when we accept something is true.
Some say beliefs are the result of how a person has been treated or how he has been conditioned or
brainwashed. Belief in the religious domain is mostly created when we are born, we are the
products of our parents, and changing religious faith is very hard to do. With some faiths you cannot
join if you are not born into them. In chapter 8 the five most popular religious faiths are described.
Chapter 7 - Our Choices
Our lives are full of choices, from the moment we wake up till the moment we go to sleep, the day-
to-day choices we face are numerous. Most choices we make have very little effect on our lives, but
there are some that can be life changing.
Sometimes we come to a crossroad where we are confronted by significant choices, and after we
choose and go down this path of choice, we sometimes wonder what the other path or choice would have
led to. People are responsible for their own choices and are also responsible for the outcome or result of
the choices they make.
Chapter 8 - World Religions
This chapter describes the six largest religions in the world today. The are Judaism, Christianity,
Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism and Sikhism. The history and features of each of these religions are
discussed. After this the Chinese Folk Religions are discussed. Interestingly a Chinese person worships
their past, the present, and their futures.
Chapter 9 - The Political Arenas
The various political matters are discussed in this chapter. The three most significant International
political philosophies are Capitalism, Communism, and Socialism, and all three are discussed in detail. In
the national scenes the two most significant philosophies are liberal and conservative, or Democratic or
Republican, and the different entities they support are the ordinary people or the wealthy, respectively.
However, we find that politics is evident in most of society, in businesses, in social organizations, and
even in family life.
Chapter 10 - Living in This World
Living in this world can be complicated, and many of these complications are researched
and outlined here. Discussed are the choices we have and the consequences of these choices. The
matter of winners and losers, win-lose, or win-win situations are also discussed. The difficulties we
have in earlier lives are outlined her, along with the lessons we hopefully learn. A person with sound
guiding principles find it easier to handle these life choices.
Chapter 11 – What Matters
People all must determine what matters to them. We must ask ourselves, why am I here? Is
there a purpose of my being? What type of person am I supposed to be, or what type of person do I
want to become? Relationships are very important in our lives, and a true friend is a treasure. It is
said that if you have one or more such friendship in a lifetime, you are very fortunate. So the choice
of life we live is ours; between being judgmental and critical of others and being committed to self-
interests, leading to a life of stress, anxiety, and fear; or being compassionate and forgiving of others
and sharing with others, leading to a life of faith, resulting in a life of peace and joy.
Chapter 12 - Our Lives
We only have one life to live, and we will create our own history, based on the choices we make
along the way. We have the power within us to become whatever type of person we want; the choice
is ours. The driving force of our lives ought to be the quest to live up to the best we can be.
Chapter 13 - Sample Lives
This chapter is a short novel about two families from two very different and opposing cultures.
John Stewart, a twenty-year-old, shortly becoming a university graduate, was the only child of Norm
and Gladys Stewart. When his father decided that John was to spend a year abroad researching
potential clients for his company, John embarked on a life journey of his life, clearly different to
what his father and mother had envisaged. John’s life journey is unique and compelling.
Chapter 14 - The Ultimate Choice
The ultimate choice anyone can make is how they are going to live their life, what kind of person
they are to become. The spiritual choices they will make will decide the ultimate person and
personality they will become. This chapter deals with the Christian faith.
Chapter 15 - Spiritual Growth
What does it mean when we talk about spiritual growth? Spirituality comes from a search into
and an acceptance of the existence of God. Spiritual growth offers enlightenment about the
meaning of life, which can erase fear and provide a more peaceful and joyous life. The mind, being
initially dominated by the ego, tends to concentrate on the earthly things, fleeting things, rather
than permanent, things that bring peace and joy. People should learn to accept and embrace their
fundamental humanity, with all its limitations, imperfections, and transitory nature, or they will
doom themselves to dwell in prisons of their own making.
Chapter 16 - Near the End
So, when a person is near the end of their life, what would they be thinking about? This chapter
examines some possibilities, and relates that all their frustrations, grudges, resentments, and
jealousies will die with them, along with all their hopes, ego, ambitions, and plans. Their memories
will also disappear, but what matters are the memories they leave behind with the people that
loved them.