Chapter 2 25th Anniversary Edition Preface

What we have thought and felt for a long time will one day be unraveled by a stranger. ——Ralph Waldo Emerson "my faith" After publication, I received countless letters from readers.These letters made me really feel: the reason why the readers are moved is not because of the fresh things I provide, but because of my courage. Courage, not daring to speak out. I don't know what "courage" is, maybe it is inherent ignorance and fearlessness?Not long after this book came out, one of my patients went to a cocktail party and happened to overhear my mother talking to an elderly lady who said about the book, "You must feel sorry for your son Scott. Proud?" Then my mother replied, "Proud? No! Not at all! That book had nothing to do with me. You know, it was all his idea, a gift he got ’” My mother thought the book had nothing to do with her, and I think she was wrong, but she was right about one thing: it was a gift, in all respects, as far as its provenance was concerned.

Part of that gift goes back in time.I remember my wife Lily and I once knew a young man named Tom.Tom grew up in the same "summer resort" (the enclave of America's rich, artists, and intellectuals) as I did, and I played with his older brother for many summers; His mother had known me since he was a child.A few years before this book was published, Tom had dinner with us.The night before the party, Tom said to his mother, "Mom, I'm going to have dinner with Scott Pike tomorrow night, do you remember him?" "Oh, of course!" said his mother, "I remember that little boy, and the things that came out of his mouth were taboo subjects."

See, you see, part of this gift goes back to my past.Presumably you can also understand that in the past mainstream cultural background, I was a weirdo to some extent, a heterogeneous "childish talk". I am an unknown author, so this book was published without any fanfare.Its great commercial success has been a slow and gradual process.Published in 1978, it took five years to appear on national bestseller lists.If it became an overnight hit, I must have doubted whether I was mature enough to handle the sudden fame and fame.After all, it was an astonishing success, and the publishing world generally accepted that it was a best-seller by word of mouth.Sales were slow at first, but people were talking about the book through different channels, and its influence was growing.One such channel is Alcoholics Anonymous, for example, the first letter I received from a reader began, "Dear Dr. Peck, you must be an alcoholic." A longtime member of Alcoholics Anonymous, and a one-time downtrodden alcoholic, it's hard to imagine me writing a book like this.

I think that if it had been published 20 years earlier, it might not have achieved such a decent achievement.Remember that Alcoholics Anonymous didn't really function until the mid-1950s, and most readers of this book weren't alcoholics until then!More importantly, psychotherapy did not become a trend at the time, and by 1978, when it was first published, most men and women in the United States, increasingly complex psychologically and spiritually, were also beginning to reflect on little-discussed topic.In fact, they've been waiting, waiting for someone to say these things out loud.

In this way, the reputation of this book has accumulated rapidly like a snowball, and the word-of-mouth is getting better and better, and it is known to many people.I remember saying to audiences later in my career on the speaking circuit, "You guys aren't exactly typical Americans. But there are many things you are alike, one of which is that, among you, Or people who are going through psychotherapy, a large percentage. You may have been trained in alcoholism, or have been helped by a traditional healer. You may feel that I am invading your privacy by doing this, but I still Hopefully, everyone who's been in or is in therapy -- raise your hands."

Ninety-five percent of the audience raised their hands, "Now, look around," I said to them. "It's going to teach us a lot." I went on. "One of the revelations is that you've begun to move beyond the limits of conventional wisdom." By transcending conventional wisdom, I mean that, for a long time, countless people have thought (just thought!) of things that other people taboo.They couldn't agree more with me when I explained in detail what it means to go beyond conventional wisdom and its significance. Some people call me a prophet, but I can accept this seemingly exaggerated title, just because they believe that a so-called prophet is not someone who can see the future clearly, but someone who can read the contemporary world. People with various signs and characteristics.It can be sold well mainly because it fully adapts to the trend of the times; it is the wide recognition of readers that makes it successful.

Twenty-five years ago, when this book was first published, I naively imagined its fate, and I thought it would be judged by every major newspaper in the country. Thank goodness for the fact that it only got one review in the first place...but what a review that was!I would say that a large part of the success of this book is due to Phyllis Trox.Phyllis is an excellent writer and critic. In the office of the book review editor of the Washington Post, she accidentally found a sample of a new book in the middle of a pile of books.After browsing the contents of the book, she took it home.Two days later, she asked to write a review of the book, and the review editor reluctantly agreed.Phyllis left his office immediately, and said to him before leaving: "I will carefully draft a book review, and I believe this book will become a bestseller." She did not break her promise.Within a week of her review, the book was on the "Washington Post" best-seller list.A few years later, it began to appear on the major bestseller lists in the country. Later, its name would appear on almost any bestseller list in the country. This situation has continued to this day for nearly twenty years.

I am grateful to Phyllis for another reason.As the book grew in popularity, she was probably trying to remind me to keep my feet on the ground and keep doing good work, so she said to me, “You know, this isn’t your book.” I quickly understood what she meant. She didn't want to say that it was not my work, but that this book had written the voices of many people, as if it came from the hand of God.Nevertheless, this book is not perfect, and I shall be responsible for all shortcomings.Although it may still have some shortcomings, it is still needed by countless people because of its unique value.I also always clearly remember that in the cramped office, when I endured loneliness and poured my heart and soul into it, it seemed that I had received a kind of help in the dark, a kind of mysterious, as if from God. help.Of course, I don't know where the help came from, but I firmly believe that this strange experience is not unique to me.In fact, help, help, help—it is the ultimate theme of this book.