The surest resources of any society for the welfare and betterment of its people are not governmental policies or the scientific findings of behavioural science. They are found in what might be called folk wisdom. But that speaks with many voices and needs be tuned to times and changing circumstances. All of us are inheritors of both the good and the had in our cultural traditions and with the essentially human attribute of self-reflective awareness we can stand back from those traditions and make choices- Those who may be the best guides and aides in doing so are those who have themselves lived through many changes, faced their necessity, and come to understand the processes involved.

This book reflects on such processes from a personal, yet universal, perspective. It is by no means a dull or polemic statement but a practical guide, tried in the fires of experience, a warm and vibrant offering. By writing it the author wants to be heard and to be understood and thus contribute to the solution of both personal and social problems and difficulties.

James E. Ritchie University of Waikato