Poet Published Short Book of Philosophy and Religion

Strength to Be Human
Author: Mark Antony RossiLoyal First Books
2015 Kindle E-Book Editions
48 pageshttp://www.amazon.com

 Review by Sy Albright originally for Loyal First Books

Tackling the existential existence of humanity on a global scale would be a topic too large for even a War and Peace length volume, but Rossi’s Strength to Be Human manages to boil down his poignant distillations in less than fifty pages. Quite a feat when considering he neither dances around political opinions nor runs away from criticizing Science and Religion as potential negative elements that hold back humanity from its fullest potential.

In “What We Learned” Rossi states…..We waste our time building the better machine rather than raising the better child. The sum of our species is naught if we simply carry our fear and hostility to the Cosmos?

This is the first time I have ever read a book that successfully pushes back on religious thought and science philosophy without calling for extreme measures or proposing to exchange one idiotic ideology for another. He plainly points out that religion and science are most dangerous to peaceful coexistence when allowed to lament on humanity’s lack of superhuman or supernatural powers. Powers he clearly shows are unwanted and unneeded.

There is a certain poetry in these writings that ease the deeper thoughts into your mind as with the closing lines of “Prime Mover “--- “But the ultimate beauty of the human creation is the indomitable desire to rise above the sum of our shortcomings. In this journey the happiness of humanity stands the strongest chance of building a better world and finally finding a love capable of pushing back the primal instinct.”

These essays read like meditations for the well-being of four billion people. It’s a heady goal but likely a beneficial mission suited for the world-at-large. If Poverty and War have a permanent cure the medicine will arrive by natural means. No test tube or holy touchstone can bring people closer to peace until they settle the war raging in their own hearts. The mechanical and the metaphysical have a place in our dreams if humanity takes care to ensure our deepest decisions are made from personal experience and common sense.

About the Author:

Mark Antony Rossi is an Italian-American poet, fiction writer, playwright and future science author. His poetry, fiction, nonfiction and criticism have been published in Another Chicago Review, The Antigonish Review (Canada), Anak Sastra (Taiwan), Bareback Literary Review (Canada),  Black Heart Review, Brain of Forgetting (Ireland), Coe Review,  Deep South Journal, Dirty Chai,  Dogplotz,  Enclave, Entropy, Farther Stars Than,  Flash Fiction (Italy), Gravel, Heart and Seoul (South Korea), Mad Swirl,  Peaches Literary Magazine, Ploughshares,  The Muse (India) New Delhi Review (India), On The Rusk, Poetry Kanto (Japan), Petite Hound, Purple Patch (England), Japanophile, Satire, Scribble (New Zealand), SchitzoRealism, Scrivener Creative Review (Canada), The Journal of Poetry Therapy,  The Poet’s Haven,  The Sacrificial,  TransNational (Germany), Toad Suck Review, Tracer, Twisted Vines Literary Review, Yellow Chair Review and hundreds of others in ten countries. His poetry and fiction book titles include Tints and Timbres, Variations on Virtue, Songs the Season After, Church of Jazz and No Town of Mine.  His also the author of two nonfiction books Strength To Be Human and The Intruder Bulletins: The Dark Side of Technology a major bioethics paperback and ebook that became highly popular in American Colleges and Latin America after the Spanish-language version was released. He lobbied against Human Cloning Research was congratulated by then President George H.W. Bush for his ethical writings and principled stand on increased ethical consideration regarding biotechnology. A USAF combat veteran he devotes his spare time to supporting veteran causes in his community. And he has been a frequent radio guest (Weissbach, The Jeff Rense Show, X Zone, Across The Net, The Byte Show, Paranormal Front) to promote bioethics and veterans rights. His paper “Poetry as Therapy: Self and World Analysis” has been used a basis for poetic therapies to treat post-traumatic stress disorder in combat veterans.

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