The Five Things We Cannot Change

This short book is essentially a primer on how to find lasting happiness in life. In the first part of the book, Richo identifies and explores the unavoidable "givens of life" - five simple facts of life that we too often deny: everything changes and ends; things do not always go according to plan; life is not always fair; pain is part of life; and, people are not loving and loyal all the time.Richo helps us to understand that we cannot find real contentment in our lives until we acknowledge and come to terms with these facts. Once we begin to do that, we start to realize that these givens actually offer us profound opportunities. Though they may first appear to be problems or "downers", they are actually exactly what humans need to develop wisdom, compassion, and the ability to find lasting peace. In part two of the book, Richo explains how we can cultivate an "unconditional yes" to these conditions of existence, how we can learn to open, accept, even embrace, our lives under any circumstances.Blending Western psychology with Eastern spirituality, and including practical exercises, Richo shows us how to drop our resistance to the difficulties of life and open up to our experiences - including what is frightening, painful, or disappointing - to discover our greatest human gifts.