Book Recommendation (with bonus points for another Ayn Rand barb)

Who's interested in philosophies about living? Ooh, I am, I am! Pick me!
No... pick Irwin Kula's "Yearnings: Embracing the Sacred Messiness of Life," a mac-daddy bulls-eye of feel-good philosophy with a purpose; a megagaloptic protein shake of wisdom armed with insights from Nobel physicists, Sufi poets, the Torah, and George Carlin.

And who is this Kula fella, now, anyway? Well, homie's a rabbi, see. But he don't talk like no rabbi. The book is truly an Art of Living endeavor (see sidebar), made up of a series of personal essays that conduct a light-hearted and joyful examination of this precious gift, human life.

His main themes are: the beauty (nay, holiness) of disorder and uncertainty; the importance of self-knowledge and self-experience; the constant re-evaluation of life; and the go-with-the-flow groovy Daoist smoothie that--until now-- I thought we could only sip from the tit of Lao Tzu or Pooh.

Is this guy paying you to write such a glowing review (as was suggested in the last post's comments' section)? No. Then honestly, why are you gushing over this book like a clever college sophomore masturbating over Atlas Shrugged?

To be honest, for very much the same reason: because these books justify my entire intellect and simultaneously smack me down and tell me start over. "Yearnings" has basically taught me that all the good things in my life right now (my adventures, my freedom, my thirst for knowledge and exploratory spirit) are all the very finest points of living, and that furthermore the worst things in my life (instability, uncertainty, and a shitty work ethic) are, actually, also pretty awesome.

But at the same time, Kula reminds me that it's never enough. I can't just say "ha! I was right! I'm living life correctly!" and leave it at that. The point is to go deeper, perpetually and joyfully deeper, questioning every assumption and re-examining every conclusion. As per the book's opening line: "When you got an answer, it's time to find better questions."

This isn't skepticism-- it's the endless, ecstatic journey of experience.

Hallelujah-Kula! I'm a believer.