Showing results for "Illusion" in Relationships

Hunter becomes the hunted. Sacramento Detective Emily Hunter is exposed to inhumanity on a daily basis—it's the unfortunate baggage that comes with police work, and she's mostly learned how to shoulder the load. But it all turns personal when her fellow cop and boyfriend, Brian Conner, is caught in the blast of a targeted church bombing. Brian is gravely injured, suffering a traumatic brain injury. But the attacks don't stop there—soon, more officers come under fire, and Emily searches for a connection.

Two Poets (1837) is the first book in Balzac’s Lost Illusions trilogy, which is part of his sweeping set of novels collectively titled La Comédie Humaine. The story is set in post-Napoleonic France, when the new bourgeoisie was jostling for position alongside the old aristocracy. We meet Lucien Chardon, a young provincial who romantically aspires to be a poet, and his friend David Séchard, who struggles to manage his father’s printing shop and falls in love with Lucien’s sister Ève. The picture of provincial life that emerges is laced with greed, ambition, and duplicity. Balzac’s ...

Imagine this: You’ve just hired someone for a job, but instead of showing initiative, they spend more time scrolling on their phone, wondering why they’re not the boss yet. Or perhaps you’ve seen a viral video of someone celebrated for doing… absolutely nothing. Meanwhile, your own hard work feels undervalued in a culture that rewards mediocrity. Sound familiar? In today’s world, intelligence, skill, and grit seem to take a back seat to viral fame and unearned entitlement. You’re left wondering: When did ambition become a dirty word?

Perfect couples do not exist; nor do perfect families. Yet, in our photoshopped, Instagrammable world where we only present flawless versions of ourselves, we are easily tricked into believing they do. Clinical psychologist, Dr. Alyson Nerenberg has spent 30 years listening to couples, families, executives, celebrities, and professional athletes, and is here to share the truth. Whether we are willing to admit it or not, every one of us experiences challenges in our relationships.

Love or Illusion – Spotting Narcissism Before It’s Too Late is your concise roadmap to recognizing, understanding, and escaping toxic relationship patterns. From unraveling the basics of narcissism and its early warning signs to exploring the intense “love bombing” phase and the subtle, damaging shift in dynamics, it reveals the devastating toll on self-esteem while highlighting red flags to watch for. You’ll learn how to seek support, make the difficult decision to stay or go, and begin the healing process.

Many wise people believe that an individual’s search for true happiness should be the highest goal in one’s life. In this audiobook, we review the history of the search for happiness. This is followed by trying to define what happiness is - and is not. Then, there are several chapters on illusions in our lives and how these impeded finding true happiness. Finally, a spiritual approach is provided to help the listeners in their own search for true happiness.

In a world increasingly governed by efficiency, commodification, and rationalism, this work explores love as the last sacred illusion—an ineffable force that transcends utility and defies reduction to psychological patterns or algorithmic predictions. Through a critique of modern systems—religion, science, capitalism, and digital culture—it argues that each has failed to provide enduring meaning, leaving love as the final stronghold of human dignity.