Brain Food
by Randy Gage
One of the most frequent questions I’m asked is, “What are you reading now?” And that’s a very smart question that smart people often ask other smart people…
Now if you took the Creativity IQ Test I gave you a while back, you know I’m always reading four or five books at a time. So as I head to Costa Rica for a Retreat next week, here’s what’s in my suitcase…
Influencer The Power to Change Anything
Required reading for any CEO, marketer or leader. A fascinating look at what causes people to change. It’s a powerful look at influence, maybe one of the most interesting since Cialdini.
This is an inside look at the inner workings of the Obama election win of 2008 from David Plouffe, his campaign manager. Required reading for all political junkies of any party, of which I most definitely am.
Joel Osteen’s latest book. Like his other ones, very simplistic. It’s hard to believe a guy so good on TV is so bad in print. But it has his positive outlook and good programming so I am staying with it.
This is the counterpoint to Joel’s book. By Richard Dawkins, one of the seminal critical thinkers of our time, it is a captivating look into the evil that organized religion has wrought in our world. Bought it long ago, can’t believe I didn’t start it until now. Most people of faith would never read a book with this title. Which simply demonstrates that they don’t really have any.
This is the one that grabbed me by the throat! I read Dianetics, went to a Scientology Center and actually took auditing courses, before coming to the opinion that it is a cult of brainwashed irrational and delusional zombies. (Now to be fair, I’m not singling out Scientologists, as I think a lot of fundamentalists fit that criteria as well.) And this book (halfway through) is a breathtaking look at L Ron Hubbard and how the masses can be manipulated. Every serious critical thinker should read this book. Warning: Be prepared to question how many of the dogmas and doctrines of your own faith might just be complete bullshit as well.
Anyway, if you want some great food to get you thinking, that’s what I’m feeding my brain right now. Feel free to share your thoughts or these books, or what you are reading right now.
-RG
72 comments - what a topic! ;)
Randy, I read two recent posts of yours with dismay and major disappointment. I've been following your latest endeavors online for over a year but have been a fan of what you've been doing to educate and inspire others to achieve their goals and flourish and prosper for more than a decade. That's why I can't believe you would stoop so low as to ridicule and demean a religion you apparently know nothing about. Not something smart people do.
I've been a Scientologist since 1994 and have studied all of Hubbard's books on the subject & thousands of his recorded lectures & your opinion (of which you are entitled) could not be more ignorant of the actual truth of what Scientology is nor more bigoted toward a group made up, in the majority, of very self-determined, ethical, socially conscious and rational individuals.
Your vitriolic words beg the question: How does condemning a religious group (or even religious fundamentalists - who as a general group bear little resemblance to any Scientologist I've known by the way) promote prosperity consciousness or a loving heart and mind?
Not to mention you're lauding a hatchet job done by a reporter who never contacted the organization itself and only spoke to one person who is a member of the church and yet claims it was extensively researched. Not what I'd call brain food. Talking to disgruntled ex members of anything is very far from unbiased investigative reporting.
Do you also find blatantly anti-Semitic and anti-Mormon books to be edifying material?
How about similar hatchet jobs on MLMs. There are plenty of those books out there. They all claim brainwashing techniques & use cool, inflammatory words like "cult" & say they've been "victimized" by "mind control".
Though with so many located in Utah and founded or owned by Mormons that may affect your prosperity.
It's my opinion that you should actually do some more research, talk to real Scientologists & do some soul searching about whether or not you want to just be an ignorant bigot who maligns other people's spiritual beliefs & practices or the enlightened soul you promote yourself as.
You should also take a look & see you have not become infected with the Internet meme & "mind virus" that has taken hold in the last 10 years that makes religious persecution & hate speech socially acceptable as long as its about Scientology.
Also, can you tell me why you kept these heartfelt "opinions" you were so eager to share on your blog to yourself when worked together at Shawne's seminar in Detroit last year & I introduced myself as long-time Scientolgist? You were so polite in person.
I'll end with a couple quotes from Dianetics you may find enlightening:
"It chances to be a scientific fact that Man is a self-determined organism to the outermost limit a life form can be."
"A race is as great as its individual members are self-determined."
Randy
I think you enjoy stirring people! In a good way of course, to get them to think critically. In the end I'll make up my own mind. Your blog helps me to take a look at certain subjects in a new way. Few people in my life do that, and I cherish those that do. I don't have to agree with everything they say to still love them. So Randy, I still love you! I think I'll have to get that book now so that I can have a look at what all the fuss is about.
Carmen
Hi Randy:
Isn't it that we all would love to brain wash people to buy our products? Wouldn't you be happy if half of the world was buying Agel from you?
In my personal opinion Scientology brought me certainty... LRH has the power to dominate masses because what he offers is real. I have never seen so many things at the same time that make so so much sense to me. Scientology is helping the planet with all their campaigns, please take a look at what NARCONON, CCHR, CRIMINON AND VOLUNTEER MINISTERS ARE DOING WITH THE WAY TO HAPPINESS?????? Just take a look at how many lives have been saved thanks to the awareness Scientology creates with its campaigns about Psychiatry.......
With all due respect Randy, I don't think you got to know Scientology enough.
Nobody can get brainwashed if is not under his/her self determinism; how far they go it's completely up to them. Just think about this, if what you just said is true...why don't you take a look at statistics from the Sea Org and get a real idea about what Scientology is doing for the entire planet....
Judge, I'd like to enter this post as exhibit A on the case for brainwashing... Evelyn Garcia
Southernsweetie Be my guest! I am absolutely, totally under my self determinism brainwashed by the brilliant ideas of LRH!
Would you like a free Dianitics Introductory Video? or a Personality test?
Are you tired of being tired? Let me know.....
Oprah once said that what she loved about Simon Cowell was that he said what others were thinking and wanted to say but didn't have the courage to say... that is what I love about you Randy.
annetteb
Yes it is better to be overt than covert. But being overt when you are spreading hate gossip and stupidity is not ideal especially for someone who is in the public eye. At least it is now in the open that Randy is irrational and delusional at times. As he said be prepared to question his opinions as some are complete BS. He needs to decide what he Really stands for. Intelligence or biggotry. Hey if Randy comes to real investigation he can realize he made an error in this post . Then he can fix it.
Randy
Thanks for the suggestions. I'm currently reading Don't Call That Man just after I finished The Commitment Cure, both by Rhonda Findling. They're both excellent books. I decided I needed to look at my own commitment issues after a friendship with someone that I have known and cared about for nearly 20 years started to develop into something more and then crashed and burned. Noticing that I have been attracted to men with their own commitment issues recently made me look at myself and wonder what I was doing to attract them all! If anyone is struggling with this issue, I highly recommend The Commitment Cure. (The Kindle edition was only $9.99. I <b>love</b> that thing!)
I've also downloaded the subliminal software you sent an e-mail out about just a few days ago. I always struggled with the subliminal audios overnight - I never managed to sleep properly and felt completely exhausted so this is a welcome alternative. I just went for a chiropractic adjustment this morning and my chiropractor asked me when I was going to start believing that I deserved what I wanted and when I was going to start doing affirmations for that. I read your e-mail just now and I thought, ah ha, I think that's for me.
Carmen
I sought for 10 years on how to be prosperous in my business. I read self-help books, went to motivational seminars, networking groups, marketing seminars, meditation retreats, sweat lodges and drum circles to name a few. I got business advice from MBA's and gurus. I went to 20 different churches. My business was a failure in my definition. Then I went to 3 seminars in a 6 week period designed by L. Ron Hubbard and my business quadrupled in a year and now it is 7 times bigger. You can make Scientology work for you to improve your conditions or not. Either way, it's YOU who makes it go right. Just because you couldn't make it work for you doesn't mean you should attack it.
If you are not happy with certain conditions or situations in your life, I recommend scientology.org. I wish I had known it at the beginning of my journey, not ten years later.
May I add? --> the best way to get to prosperity is to make it on your own ;)
Leeloo The best way to build prosperity is build a small army of people who believe in you.One person can do a lot on their own. With the support of other people, even if it's just to give you pep talks when others don't understand or you're down, or just to suggest something. It helps cut through the crap.
Yessss!!!!!! Darren, whoever decides to make Scientology work to improve conditions WILL MAKE IT!!!!!! I am a living testimonial about all the things that I have improved in my life thanks to all those TRUE Scientologists that are there to HELP YOU just as LRH intended it to be. Great comment!!!! Congrats!!!! We are finishing our project with MIGHTY MIAMI Ideal Org, I hope you can be part of it!!!!! and for the lady that commented that today she is in Financial Stress thanks to Scientology, I would really recommend her to go back and take this new Life Improvement Course for Financial Crisis that has basically saved my life!!!
" Your help is acceptable, our help is yours" LRH
Great book suggestions!
I'm reading now:
- Mach II: with your hair on fire! by Richard Brooke
- Transform Your Life: A Blissful Journey by Geshe Kelsang Gyatso
- The Four Agreements by Miguel Ruiz
- Foreign Affairs (Nov/Dec issue)
- Hellblazer: The Devil you Know by Jamie Delano
Randy, do you have a book coming soon??
The Power of Now - Eckhart Tolle . I sleep it, breath it, live it!
LOL about Joel Osteen. I have enjoyed watching and listening to him but I have never read any of his books. It seems that is the norm these days. Either you write well and are not good speaking or vice versa.
Maybe a select few can do both.
Hi Randy.
First, I wish you a peaceful break. I just started Napoleon Hill's Think and Grow Rich yesterday. In the middle of Alvin Toffler's Power Shift. Continuing As a Man Thinketh of James Allen. I will certainly put Randy's titles in my list of to-do's.
Thanks Randy, for showing the way to your kids.
Richard Bony
Hey Randy! Pretty sure you knew this post would strike a nerve with some people... I just love how that didn't seem to influence whether you posted it or not! lol Keep the truth pumpin bro!
RogerReed The only truth there is....It's what is true for you.
Interesting books from a wide varietty of viewpoints. Thanks for the suggestions!
I just got this message on facebook...
"Hi Mark. Am unfriending you as I find your recent "brain food" recommendation by Randy Gage offensive."
I guess they could have really benefited from reading it too! :-)
MarkHibbitts
...you received some post from a sandbox-player, I guess ;o)
Will be interesting to hear from you after you've finished The God Delusion.
What am I reading these days?
Good question, here´s what´s keeping me mentally alive and creative on 2012:
- As a Man Thinketh + From Poverty to Power (James Allen)
- Smart Choices (Hammond, Keeney, Raiffa)
- Aleph (Paulo Coelho)
- Magazine "Lateral Thinker" (in German only, self published by the founder & interviewer Otmar Ehrl)
Soon - my next stack of books includes:
- The Mackay MBA of Selling in a Real World
- Be Yourself, everyone else is already taken
- The Paradox of Choice
and again: "die 7 spirituellen Gesetze des Reichtums", written by a guy called Randy Gage.... :)
Today I'm working on 3 titles. A Course In Miracles, Ask And It Is Given by Jerry & Ester Hicks, and The Greatest Networkers in the World by John Milton Fogg.
I'm working on increasing my reading skills so I can absorb more books in less time.
Great stuff.
Matt Shorty Wells I loved Ask And It Is Given.
As with Scientology, Dawkins runs a religion of its own kind. In politics, I see them all on the same side. It's not called govern ment(ality) for nothing. Peter Drucker wrote amazing management books. I'm currently into the works of Colette Baron-Reid.
I'll definitely have a read of these RG, I've been meaning to read the Dawkins book for while too. I currently have on the go... The Enlightened Gardener by Sydney Banks, The Element (again) by Sir Ken Robinson, Anthem by Ayn Rand (a quick read), Too Good to Be True (A book about the rise and fall of Bernie Madoff ) by Erin Arvedlund, Mindfulness for Dummies by Shamash Alidina, and a copy of the Kama Sutra that I bought my wife for Christmas :-)
Hi Randy,
thank you for the recommendation of Harvey Mackkay's book "The MBA Of Selling In The Real World" some weeks ago.
It's fantastic!
There is really everything you need to know for selling of products, services or yourself in it.
I hope it will be translated into German for understanding the missing 10% of it :-)
Current reading:A couple back issues of Computer Music (a music production oriented magazine)The Alchemist by Paul Coelho (One of the most wonderful authors ever)Philosophy, Who Needs It? by Ayn RandThe Time Machine by HG Wells
Most of the books I'm currently reading are old, out-of-print books that I've picked up at used book sales, library discards, etc. (Such as Amit Goswami's "The Self-Aware Universe" and Colin Wilson's "Mysteries".) My only "new" book is Isaacson's biography of Steve Jobs; I've only just started it, but I like it so far.
Thanks for the recommendations. From your description, I think "Inside Scientology" will be one of my next reads.
jim
Conversation from Twitter
BobBurg to kindle (new noun) or dogear? what do you think Bob?
KrisGault I'm still a dogear, highlight, underline, take notes type of guy. But I tend not to be an early adopter. LOL
BobBurg interesting...maybe when a prominent opinion leader sports their that crazy law of diffusion will take - thanks BOB.
dave_carpenter Thanks Happy Sunday
dave_carpenter Randy_Gage
lazarusross Thanks!
Randy_Gage You got it!
FoodDudette Thanks 4 getting the word out!
MortgageMinute hanks 4 the love!
Conversation from Facebook
Randy. can you share best speed reading learning resources? Regular speed reading and also, about the super-fast method of absorbing information that you spoke of once. Thank you.
stop iyt Randy you are going in the wrong direction with this bood just like you are living in a virtual reality world.
Interesting list Randy! I will wrap up Million Dollar Year and Go For No tonight before the MMA Fights. Daily read includes Attitude of Gratitude, A Chapter Per week of Think and Grow Rich with current books to conclusion Networking Like A Pro and The Uncommon Leader. I might need to check out a couple of yours next week:)!
I read all that stuff and all the New Age stuff, nothing connects you to God Himself, just some of his principles but misses Him on a personal level. Deception is always made of mostly truth with a twist! People gobble it up and it messes with them in the end. Been there done that. Nothing ever gets the real connection except an encounter with Jesus Christ Himself. He's not a mind trip. He is the real person. Through the power of the Holy Spirit. That takes u to Gods realm. All this other stuff is earth bound and sooner or alter we all leave our bodies to go to eternity. What is our plan to get to the right place called heaven?
christianity,, Your must honor your own body as it is the temple of the Lord on earth.. oops
Since I did read Dianetics (sp ) also I will say something here.. They do have one dogma related to
Randy I live in cult HEAVEN - this is the centre of the UK's cults. The scientology church (where I went a few weeks bacl for an evening with Kirsty Ally - half the size she was!!!) , Rudolf Steiner training grounds, plus the Mormons make their recruiting/programming centre here. We get to meet REALLY interesting people here. The mormons knock and hand us things on the world ending so better join them soon!!!! Some having gone thru the hell of scientology and others entering the heaven of it. Same as th Steiner folk - we have people flying around the world to live here, only to get burnt by the rigid doctrine... Many stay... wild, weird, eclectic bunch...
All training cults in their own way....
Benjamin Franklin once said this of money, "Empty the coins of your purse into your mind, and your mind will fill your purse with gold".
Each person reads a book at the moment of his level .. as soon as I entered that on the road to prosperity, ends the book with Randy Gage, "Why you stupid, sick and poor"))) next on my list: Napoleon Hill "Think and Grow Rich"; and of course the spiritual literature
when your brain gets hungry, what do you feed it?
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[...] Randy Gage Quite an experience reading the Inside Scientology book I mentioned in the last post. As you know, I’m always fascinated with how movements and institutions program and manipulate [...]