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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