conversations with god

I really think NDW should change the title of his books - as the very title can turn people off. For those with a religion, the book may be seen as blasphemous - how dare this man claim he has conversations with God - and hence, avoid the book from 1/2 a bookshelf away.
For those without a religion, the book may be seen as overzealous and an imposition of one man's values upon others and hence, too avoid the book from 1/2 a bookshelf away.

In fact, the book is none of that. It reflects all the profound beliefs I had about god, the universe, and life, but of course in a more succinct manner than my random thoughts.
Yet, I cannot digest it whole - the book, the ideas within, are hard to swallow. So I savor it slow, tasting it and then chewing slowly, trying to decide if it fits in with my own still-shaping philosophy on life.

Last night, 2 excepts caught my eye:

"Feeling good" is the soul's way of shouting "This is who i am!"
Have you ever been in a classroom where the teacher was taking attendance - calling the roll - and when you name was called you had to say "here"?
Well, "feeling good" is the soul's way of saying "here!"

Self-denial is self-destruction.
Yet also know this - self-regulation is not self-denial. Regulating one's behaviour is an active choice to do or not do something based on one's decision regarding who they are. If you declare that you are a person who respects the rights of others, a decision not to steal or rob from them, not to rape and plunder, is hardly self-denial. It is self-declaration. That is why it is said that the measure of how far one has evolved is what makes one feel good.
If acting irresponsibly, if behaving in a way which you know might damage others or cause hardship or pain, is what makes you 'feel good', then you have not evolved very far.