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The Addison Collection provides thoughts and observations designed to encourage us to think about philosophical, social, and political issues of interest. "It's a Buck" describes a teenage boy's thoughts and feeling while experiencing the initial frustrations and then unexpected rewards of being a first-time, successful deer hunter. «Retreats of Stones and Mosses» is a short story about a population of tiny minnows that find and experience a temporary utopia in their country stream. It illustrates how an absence of daily challenges, which are found in a mainstream environment, can lead to apathy and prolonged despair. «Space Visitors» involves aliens who arrive on Earth and provide insight on our perception of time and space travel. They state that the emphasis we place on an ideal life in the hereafter shouldn't cause us to overlook the importance and beauty of contemporary life. The treatise, «Our Model Nation,» suggests that the basic values and character of America serve as a forerunner to how the world of the future will be structured. It addresses issues specific to crime and punishment, threats of aggression, natural vs. institutional government, and social destiny. The reader should find this collection interesting, enjoyable, and thought-provoking.

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This is the story of a young frontiersman and Lakota maiden who marry and establish a trading post in the northwest region of the Louisiana Territory during the mid-1800s. It's about dealing with their very real feelings of love and hate, strength and fear, joy and sadness as they face numerous challenges in bridging the gap between two seemingly incompatible cultures. It's a story about fulfilling a dream and the perseverance it takes to accomplish it. Additionally, Wilderness Nation describes the expansive beauty and wonders of nature and the undeniable unity that exists among all creatures of life, all people, and God. The book further offers a unique and profound philosophy of life that's championed by an enlightened group of Native Americans confined to a single village of a few hundred people. The Lakota philosophy takes a very realistic approach to the world. It accepts all its good aspects, including the joys of life, sound health and happiness, and justice when served. But it also understands the world with its numerous bad features of floods and bitter cold weather, the dangers of illness, and the violence and death that results from hostile enemies. In living a good life, each Lakota villager will eventually be united with the Great Spirit of Life.

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We achieve immortality by living. Every minute of our lives, every thought of our minds, and each action we perform no matter how insignificant are recorded immemorial. We are living entities and the story of our lives can never be taken away. The most significant feature of this book is how it captures our innermost sensitivity to life. A Pen Named Man: Our Purpose appeals to anyone who has ever wondered about his or her purpose in life. This book describes the underlying nature of reality, meaning to life, and value of the human experience on Earth. The book tells us what God is made of. The essence of Existence is described as consisting of three constituents, i.e., the domain, substance, and quality of being. Reality is examined from a top-down approach with the Animate Form of Life identified along with its major component, the universe of galaxies, stars, and planets. Every organism has a role to play in the story of animate life. Throughout the book, the human species is examined relative to the subject matter under review. That is, man's relationships to God, the universe, the world, and other species of life are evaluated. This book tells us why we are here. The importance of the human experience is emphasized with man identified as God's representative on Earth and assigned the role of gardener and governor of Nature.

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A person cannot create a butterfly out of non-living components and breathe life into it. Neither can he construct a star like our sun nor a magnificent celestial body like planet Earth. God, however, can do these things and more! Although a human being cannot create a butterfly, he can live a good and decent life and serve as God's representative on Earth by becoming the gardener and governor of Nature. The one thing we know of our spiritual element, or soul, is that it's derived from God and sustains our biological and non-biological realms. In A Pen Named Man: Our Essence we focus on the worldly components of man, that is, those components we can sense, touch, and feel. Hence, we identify and discuss the physical side of man with its several body systems as well as the mental side with its rational and emotive elements. A central theme involves the need to synthesize the physiological and psychological components into a compatible and workable union, such that the drives and needs of neither realm dominate one's behavior in an unrealistic, unattainable manner. Human values are debated relative to being permanent and good for all time vs. temporary and adjusted with time and circumstance. Two significant values under review deal with the justification for taking another person's life and the morality of sexual involvement inside and outside of marriage. The emotion of love is discussed in detail.

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Important goals of mankind, such as eliminating injustice and attaining a higher quality of life, are achievable. To achieve them, however, requires a will and a way. God provides the will. The focus of A Pen Named Man: Our Destiny is to illustrate the way. The route to social fulfillment is through the establishment of universal institutions designed to enable man to serve as God's representative on Earth and «automatically» satisfy his purpose in life. Family is the most important institution of mankind. It forms the nucleus of social living and fosters a deep sense of love and commitment among biologically related people who live together in an emotionally secure environment. Religion ties human behavior to morality and serves as the pathway between an individual and his God. Government establishes a standardized code of equality and fairness. Where the goal of the institution of religion is a moral world, the role of government is a just world. Employment is the institution that opens the door to attaining one's purpose in life. A restructured universal institution of employment provides every individual with the opportunity to contribute his time and resources toward the betterment of mankind. By working in an occupation that makes a product or provides a service useful to society, a person is able to earn the necessities of life for himself, attain psychological fulfillment, and provide support to those who are physically or mentally unable to take care of themselves.