In Reich's early work, his knowledge of children came about as a reflection of his work with adults. But his basic interest in preventing disease led him further and further back until he focused on the newborn, "the unspoiled protoplasm." Why do we as humans, in many ways the most intelligent of all animals, fail to realize what every dog, or whale, or mouse spontaneously knows - that he is part of nature and must cooperate with it, obey its laws? Why are we estranged from our life? What is wrong with us, with our way of rearing our children? Reich asked such questions all the time. He was one of those extraordinary men who are able to step outside their culture and examine it with innocent eyes. These studies are more that passing interest. In a world where nations are preparing to obliterate one another and the planet itself in order to assert, quite emphatically, their various ideological points of view, it is proper for us to ardently consider everything that helps us understand how we got into this terrifying position. Hardcover |