Learning to be Human

Compilation of Stern's columns from Chronogram in which he explores the intriguing concept of regional culture in its full meaning.

Learning to be Human is a book about striving. The chapters are culled from a regular column in the Hudson Valley's Chronogram magazine, over a thirteen year span. It is an inner account of a search for meaning in the light of the teachings of G. I. Gurdjieff, as well as Sufism, Buddhism, Taoism, and Judaism, in the context of the life of a seeker, lover, father, householder, athlete, publisher, and entrepreneur.

The essays are a record of insights and experiences gleaned in light of a fundamental admonition: Know Thyself. What makes the book unique is its consistent return to the teachings of G. I. Gurdjieff as a key to unlocking not only the meaning of the world's great traditions, but also the experiences of the life of a man in the world, spanning the ages of 25 to 40 years old.

The style of writing varies from deeply personal, almost confessional, first-person narratives, to poetic observations, to pedagogic expositions of philosophical and religious ideas. There is a clear political point of view, but always tempered by an emphasis on self-knowledge and the reflection of the activities of people in the world in ourselves.