It is not easy to let go the outworn life dreams of childhood. Courage and uncompromising honesty with oneself make possible the moment of awakening. It is necessary to be aware of and to fight the recurring temptation to go back to the familiar notions of the past. The resolve to see this past through is strengthened by remembering that a new, adult view of life can be more in touch with the present. It is only by seeing the present clearly that it is possible to cope with the world as it is, let alone build a better one.
When one’s energies can be concentrated on the now, not the then, one can truly be awake and alive.
Author
Mildred Newman
Mildred Newman graduated from Hunter College High School and from Hunter College, where she received an M.A. in psychology. She spent a number of years in training with Theodore Reik, and she completed the analytic training program at the National Psychological Association for Psychoanalysis. Newman was a supervisor for the Community Guidance Service of New York City, and her work has been anthologized in New Approaches in Child Guidance. She was married to Bernard Berkowitz until her death in 2001.
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Bernard Berkowitz
Bernard Berkowitz graduated from City College, received an M.S. from Columbia University, and his Ph.D. from New York University. He attended the Alfred Adler Institute and the Postgraduate Center for Mental Health. Dr. Berkowitz has been affiliated with City College and with the John Jay College of Criminal Justice of the City University of New York, and has had numerous articles and reviews published in various journals. He lives in New York City.
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