I missed it six years ago when I first read the book. I missed it because I wasn’t looking for it at the time. The “it” is David R. Hawkins’ conceptualizaton of genius in a book that I consider ground-breaking and immensely significant, Power vs. Force: The Hidden Determinants of Human Behavior.

In Is Your Genius at Work? I took the position that, while I have my own views about the phenomenon called genius, a reader need not adopt my views in order to benefit from the book’s methods to help people recognize their own natural power and unique spirit. Belief in genius has been alive in cultural and spiritual traditions since the beginning of recorded history, and I wrote with the hope that readers would find the concept in their own traditions: no need to convert to another belief system.

I felt so strongly about this that I rejected an opportunity to publish the book with a major religious publisher who loved its concept and methods but objected to the fact that the book treated all religious traditions equally; they wanted me to favor their brand.

Because of this position, I welcome alternative explanations of genius, and have passed along about a dozen of them with the intention of providing many “handles” that others might grab hold of in order to pull themselves into the search for their own genius.

In that spirit of inclusiveness, and with gratitude to David Hawkins, here is the description of genius found during my current and second reading of Power vs Force:

The individual human mind is like a computer terminal connected to a giant database. The database is human consciousness itself, of which our own consciousness is merely an individual expression, but with its roots in the common consciousness of all mankind. This database is the realm of genius; because to be human is to participate in the database, everyone by virtue of his birth has access to genius.

Aside from Hawkins’ view of genius, I can recommend Power vs. Force without reservation for its provocative view of human consciousness, human problems, and proposed solutions to those problems that reach far beyond the usual quick and insubstantial fixes. You might also visit Hawkins’ web site.