Human Development & the Theater of Everyday Life

From the back cover 

Wood’s Homes was named one of the 100 Great Places to Work in Canada and one of the 25 Best Places for Women to Work. I truly feel that part of this success was due to the concepts Dr. Thomas presents in his ethics program… Over the years the creativity around these ethics has been, to my mind, quite remarkable. — Jane Matheson, PhD, RSW, CTO – Wood’s Homes, Calgary, Alberta

I discovered (the ethics) serving on a national board…nearly every paragraph had a golden nugget of important information. Since then, we have used the ethics before the start of our board meetings to remind us to think about the best interests of the organization and to leave roadblocks to progress behind. — Kelly Foster Griffin, NBCT, President, Organization of American Kodaly Educators

Human Development and the Theater of Everyday Life is about the journey of the self through the ups and down of everyday life, the journey we take to whatever maturity and enlightenment is ours to obtain.

A map of our “inherent possibilities””—our stages of being—is provided along with what are called the ethics of human development. These ethics facilitate personal development. They aid us as we attempt to address the tests of heart and mind on which development depends.

At the same time, the ethics of human development are one means for playing the nonzero sum game, the game wherein our actions benefit not only ourselves but also a growing circle of others.

That is the twofold aim of Human Development: namely, to aid us in our effort to act wisely in the theater of everyday life, while at the same time, evolving the many organizations of which we are a part.

“The gift is to the giver and comes back most to him or her, it cannot fail” (Whitman). This is the central theme of Human Development and the Theater of Everyday Life.

David Thomas, PhD

For more on the Ethics of Human Development, go here.

NOTE: Currently, this book can only be ordered from the author: [email protected]

Amazon Reader Reviews:

Five Stars – Pam Daly

Reading Thomas’s book is like finding an oasis after dragging through a desert. Our particular desert is cultural shallowness where ethics, community, compassion, beauty have too often been pushed aside by one god: materialism. Rushing day to day in search of money and instant gratification has left many with no time for such weighty pursuits like “Who Am I?”, “Who Are You Really?”, and “How Can We Live Together with Soul and Purpose?”. This book teaches us to ask all the right questions to realign our path to a meaningful life…and then helps us figure out how to travel it. For example, Thomas’s answer to the question “who are we?” is a very thought provoking, “We are the effects we have on others”, and gives us the tools needed to examine and improve those effects for any community in which we happen to find ourselves. A real plus is the beautiful writing style that makes you feel like Thomas is talking directly to you without the tiring arcane abstractions that distance “life-improvement” authors from most readers. This book is for anyone from teens to elders who, in the end, want their time on this planet to count for something positive.

Five Stars – Don Weber

The problem with books about ETHICS is that they are almost always too theoretical–and too light on day-to-day usefulness. This book is different. It’s very useful day to day. The content flows. It’s not “wordy.” The prose is efficient and to the point. This book would make a good textbook for young adults BEFORE they go out into the world and encounter the ethical decisions each of us face, day in and day out. As a species, we’ve made huge progress in the last 100 years, but the price we must pay for this is vastly increased decision-making. And each one has ethical implications.

Five Stars – Gail Napp

Human Development and the Theater of Everyday Life was an inspiring book. For me, I could say it was life changing. It helped me to change my perspective on how I viewed others. As well as offering tools which made me both a better employee and a more ethical person. I highly recommend.