The Master of Destiny

James Allen's book, while not getting caught up in the "infinite and eternal" law of attraction, raises some interesting philosophical questions about how much of our lives we control. According to Allen, we're responsible for it all: "Nothing comes unbidden; where the shadow is, there also is the substance." Even though cheaters may (temporarily) prosper while good guys (temporarily) finish last, everyone will get what they deserve in the end. Does this mean children dying of starvation are getting what they deserve too? Allen seems to be saying yes. His reasoning is as follows: Because "the present is the synthesis of the entire past" and "the net result of all that a man has ever thought and done is contained within him", experiences in this lifetime may be due to what happened in previous ones: "It should be remembered that man is a changing, evolving being... [The] good man who is overtaken with calamity today is reaping the result of his former evil sowing; later he will reap the happy result of his present good sowing; while the bad man is now reaping the result of his former good sowing; later he will reap the result of his present sowing of bad." Despite these philosophical challenges, 'Master of Destiny' is the perfect follow up to 'As A Man Thinketh'--as relevant today as it was a century ago.