Good Book called "The Art of Possibility"

I recently wrote an email to one of my Dickinson professors, telling her about a wonderful, life altering book that I'm reading. It's titled The Art of Possibility by Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander. I reread the email recently and thought it a good idea to tell you all about the book, too. So below, just to give the main idea of the book I just copied and pasted what I wrote in the email to her. I would love to get a conversation going about these topics presented in the book. Maybe, well actually, you SHOULD go get a copy of this book! It'd be great to have a little forum discussing your takes on the book and how you are applying or seeing applied the concepts in the book to every day life. I'll be adding more about this book later. let me know what you think!

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Talk about breaking down and resisting ideologies and
limitations. The basis of the book is that what we call the "real
world" and the so called rules that govern this world are all part of
an invention, or many inventions that have come to define the
parameters of life on this earth.

"When you bring to mind 'it's all invented', you remember that it's
all a story you tell - not just some of it, but all of it. And
remember too, that every story you tell is founded on a network of
hidden assumptions. If you learn to notice and distinguish these
stories, you will be able to break through the barriers of any 'box'
that contains unwanted conditions and create other conditions or
narratives that support the life you envision for yourself and those
around you."(14)

Sound familiar? It's amazing how much the authors' ideas line up with
America Studies. Because it's all an invention (IT being anything from
ideologies of beauty and age to the concept to scientific theories and
'facts' on health and well being...whatever you choose. IT can include
both good and/or bad things) the Zanders propose that one should at
least invent a story to live by that enriches one's life and the lives
of others. And from this point - that it's all invented - the authors
seek to aid in "inventing a new universe to live in, a universe of
possibility." (15) Now some might say concepts like the ones the
Zanders are presenting are flighty, overly positive ways of thinking,
and impossible to realize but I've found their approach to be
extremely realistic and applicable. It just makes sense. There's even
a great chapter called "Giving an A" - main point is not to limit
students, or anybody you interact with, to a your basic and confined
understanding of them. Instead it is about conceiving that anything is
possible with them and your job is to recognize that potential in all
people and come down to their level to aid them in the process of
discovery. They explain, "The practice of giving the A allows the
teacher to line up with her students in their efforts to porduce the
outcome, rather than lining up with the standards against these
students." (33)