I would like to begin this book by giving you, the reader, a piece of timeless wisdom from one of history's greatest sages. I would like to, but I cannot. The single-sentence answer to the complexity of human life on earth does not exist. We humans haven't been around long enough to gather truly usable data. We can only stumble, guess and suggest.

Human life is new. Nothing is engraved in stone. The more things change, the more things change. There is always something new under the sun.

Nothing is “written.” Fate is nonsense. Human limitations are the figment of our imagination. Hope does spring eternal. Rome wasn't built in a day, and neither was humanity. And Rome in its glory, with its planned economy and its brutal spectacles, wasn't really anything to write home about; we can do much better today.

It doesn't make the slightest sense to write a book about self development or any other subject unless the author believes he can add something to what has already been said. And I add this: what has gone on before is an eye-blink, an instant, a flash in time. We humans are just getting started on this thing called life. We are forever new; we are forever renewing ourselves. We feel profound discontent with inaction, stagnation and similar limitations. We are pushed by a profound need to create and achieve.

This book examines how we renew ourselves again and again. Even more important, this book examines why we renew ourselves again and again. We will look at both the how and the why first in terms of philosophy, and then in terms of how we can maximize both in our everyday lives. The combination of deep theory and decisive action is a powerful one.

There is a Such Thing as a Free Lunch

Consult any biology text and you will find that basic human needs are small. Without air to breathe we die within minutes. Without water we last but a few days; without food just a little longer. We need basic shelter and an opportunity to reproduce. Everything else is biologically superfluous.

Of course we civilized humans are not ruled by biology. We are “Trans-Biological,” meaning that we have needs that biology does not satisfy. We need love, for example. We need approval from others. We need to achieve, to express ourselves, to imagine, to dream, to solve problems, to hope, and so much more.

The modern human being is introspective. We do more than just accept—we think. And we do get a free lunch. We are thrust naked and helpless into an immense clattering world. Frightening, yes. But against all sense and logic we add value and meaning to it. We even share that value and meaning with others. We aren't born with an advanced, “Trans-Biological” sense of existence, and yet it is our birthright.

Humans create value and meaning out of thin air, out of nothing, out of thought, feeling and imagination. No other process is more human, less animal, less biological. The process is both civilized and civilizing. It may not go smoothly all the time, but ultimately, humans expand their experience.

But it hasn't been going on for very long. Revolutions in human scope and consciousness are rare. Evolution in human civilization moves at a turtle's pace. The great cinematic story of human life isn't even filming yet; it's still in pre-production.