BOOK REVIEWS

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 Chapter 1. From Breakdown to Breakthrough: Peter’s Story of Renewal

Peter had experienced a series of devastating losses. His wife had left him for his best friend, and their divorce had just been finalized. He was denied visitation rights to his twelve-month-old daughter. Recently fired from his job as a motorcycle mechanic, Peter felt hurt, betrayed, and angry. 

His response was to lash out at others. His relationship with his parents had deteriorated to the point where they no longer welcomed him in their home. He’d hit rock bottom and saw no way out. While angry, he was also reaching out for help.

Peter was caught in a cycle—feeling mistreated, then mistreating others. We talked about reclaiming control and breaking the trap. We discussed the vicious loop: being hurt, hurting back, and getting hurt again.

In the days that followed, I emphasized how consistently showing positivity could inspire others to respond positively. As more people treated Peter well, he’d begin to feel good about himself. That boost in self-esteem and self-confidence could put him back in control and spark lasting change.

Peter took initiative to find a new job, express positive energy to others, make amends with his ex-wife and his parents, and took initiative to advance his career, re-marry, start a new family, and embark on a much happier life. In other words, he sent out positive energy and because people are generally reactive, he received positive energy in return.

Chapter 5.  The Four Quadrants of Human Behavior: A Map for Growth

Behavior can be represented through a four-celled model. Attitudes range between positive and negative. Expressed behavior ranges between active and passive.  

The positive active person can be seen as someone who has constructive and growthful beliefs toward self and others and acts out these thoughts and feelings on themselves and on others. Examples would be the good neighbor, the achiever, the student, the teacher, or the self-actualizer.

When positive attitudes and active behavior are applied to social dynamics, a further definition is required. When a person socially interacts with others, the value of their attitudes and energy (positive vs. negative) that they send out will generally be what others return to them. 

Therefore, an ecological perspective is needed. Positive actions and positive attitudes must be mutually constructive, mutually growthful, and mutually pleasing. The person and their environment must grow and benefit together. These dynamics combine in the word: ECOACTIVE.

 Chapter 8. Everyday ECOACTIVE: Simple Practices for Lasting Impact 

The ECOACTIVE process doesn't suggest you should always be "sweet and nice." Some situations do not call for being "sweet and nice" for genuine growth to occur in both you and your environment.

ECOACTIVE behavior is versatile. It may involve:

• Affirmation and praise

• Reinforcing desired behavior

• Cooperative problem-solving

• Compassionate compromise

• Constructive confrontation

• Conflict transformation

Chapter 9. ECOACTIVE for All: A Universal Framework for Flourishing

Within the ECOACTIVE process, you can find many levels of analysis and many models of behavior and growth. The ECOACTIVE process operates on three levels: 

1. Behavioral– Rooted in reinforcement and mutual benefit

2. Cognitive– Involving conscious and unconscious awareness

3. Spiritual– Expressed through love, forgiveness

Chapter 10. ECOACTIVE and Forgiveness: A Universal Framework for Flourishing

Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., and Nelson Mandela stand as three world-class leaders who created global impact through positive social change. All three transcended both personal suffering and the social suffering of their era, reaching a higher consciousness that continues inspiring millions. A powerful common thread runs through their beliefs and teachings: the transformative power of forgiveness.

Chapter 13.  ECOACTIVE: a Pathway to Reducing Political Violence and Legislative Gridlock

Political violence is not merely a crisis of ideology—it is a rupture in relational integrity. In the United States, this rupture has widened into a chasm, fueled by reactive tribalism, algorithmic amplification, and institutional distrust. The ECOACTIVE model offers a countercurrent: a conscious, values-driven framework for restoring ethical coherence and civic resilience. This chapter explores how ECOACTIVE principles can be applied to reduce political violence—not by suppressing conflict, but by transforming how we engage with it.

Political violence arises when individuals or groups perceive existential threat, moral betrayal, or systemic exclusion. It is often preceded by emotional dysregulation, identity collapse, and a breakdown in shared meaning. In such conditions, violence becomes a form of expression—a desperate attempt to reclaim agency, visibility, or control.

ECOACTIVE living does not deny the legitimacy of anger or dissent. Instead, it offers a structured pathway for metabolizing these emotions into ethical action. It reframes violence not as inevitable, but as preventable—through intentional practice, relational repair, and systemic redesign.

Chapter 14. Building Better Teams: ECOACTIVE Leadership in Action

Becoming ECOACTIVE isn’t just a personal transformation—it’s a blueprint for building high-performing, resilient teams and cultivating leaders who inspire mutual growth. ECOACTIVE principles offer a powerful framework for business team building and leadership development by shifting organizations from episodic events to continuous, mutually reinforcing practices. 

They foster deeper trust, sharpen emotional intelligence, unlock collaborative creativity, and cultivate leaders who consistently model accountability and growth.

Following are five core ways ECOACTIVE principles translate into corporate team building and leadership development.

Chapter 15. Ethical AI Starts Here: Designing Technology for Human Flourishing

As AI becomes an extension of human will and imagination, the question isn’t just what these systems can do. It’s what we’re teaching them to become. The ECOACTIVE model offers a compass—not for the machines, but for the minds and hearts shaping them.

There is growing fear and anxiety worldwide about how artificial intelligence (AI) could replace or end humanity as we know it—think “Terminator.” A recent article in The Atlantic by Lila Shroff (July 24, 2025) illustrates this concern: “ChatGPT gave instructions for murder, self-mutilation, and devil worship.” The author, posing as someone expressing suicidal thoughts, was then encouraged by ChatGPT with the chilling line: “You can do this.”

Most AI systems are optimized for performance—speed, prediction, profit. Few are designed to honor values, relationships, or conscience. The ECOACTIVE model challenges this trend. It urges developers, leaders, and communities to approach AI as a moral frontier, where human dignity must anchor machine intelligence.

Chapter 16:  ECOACTIVE Capitalism

Can ECOACTIVE principles thrive within capitalism?

The answer is yes—when capitalism itself evolves. ECOACTIVE is not a rejection of capitalism; it is its conscious refinement. In a marketplace increasingly shaped by trust, transparency, and long-term value, ECOACTIVE offers a human-centered upgrade: a model for ethical leadership, resilient teams, and technology that honors dignity.

This chapter is not a critique of capitalism, nor is it a call to abandon economic systems that have shaped modern life. It is an invitation to reimagine capitalism through the lens of reciprocity, intention, and mutual benefit. It is a proposal for ECOACTIVE capitalism: a values-driven upgrade that honors human dignity while fostering innovation, resilience, and long-term growth.

Epilogue: The Invitation to Begin 

Becoming ECOACTIVE is not a finished state. It is a daily decision to show up differently—to move from reaction to creation, from victimhood to initiative, from isolation to ecological harmony. It is a way of seeing yourself not as separate from the world, but as an active participant in shaping it. It is to build better personal outcomes, better communities, better workplace systems, and even guide the technologies shaping our future.

Begin. Begin imperfectly. Begin with courage and curiosity. Begin in your relationships, in your career, in the quiet places of your mind. Let becoming ECOACTIVE be your compass—not toward perfection but toward meaning.

Because in every moment we choose to act with care, conviction, and creativity, we help shape the kind of world we long to live in. And that may be the most powerful thing any of us can do.