The shelter of each other : rebuilding our families

Summary: This volume provides a critique of many of the values that currently define our lives, coupled with solid advice for rebuilding families. The author contends that technology and consumerism have become the focus of modern life. Hours spent viewing cable television programs and commercials not only discourage meaningful communication among family members, it also leaves the viewers with the impression that happiness can be purchased. This, in turn, triggers such a need for money that work--even when meaningless or despised -- becomes the individual's "reason to live". The author insists that true happiness comes from meaningful, ethical work. She feels what people really need is "protected time and space'' and the need to reconnect with one another and the outside world. Simple rituals, such as saying grace at dinner and unplugging the telephone and television, can create family time. She maintains that most therapists only harm their clients by focusing on their particular neuroses while ignoring the negative impact of contemporary culture, and that Therapists can be most helpful by encouraging the building of family connections, as well as links to the natural world and community resources. She supplements her thesis with case studies.