A primary assumption in writing this book is that most people desire to improve both from within and without. Carl Rogers, the psychologist, said it well when he noted that the good life is a process not a state of being. It is a direction, not a destination. And Yann Martel puts this into even more focus: The main battlefield for good is not the open ground of the public arena, but the small clearing of each heart.
Using continuums to expose areas within us that need attention in terms of personal improvement is what this is all about. If taken seriously and focused, each person so engaged will notice subtle changes in feelings and attitude toward self and others, hopefully for the better. We might even become more civil first toward ourselves and then toward others.
