When we think about the great problems facing humanity, our attention automatically turns to such issues as poverty, warfare, pollution, and disease. While these problems are clearly important and urgent, there are other problems which are equally urgent, but often overlooked. This chapter illustrates how and why some of the most crucial issues of our lives often go unnoticed.

In the first viewpoint, M. Scott Peck, a contemporary psychiatrist, explains that we need a “map” to find our way through life. What Peck is referring to is our basic beliefs which guide our daily decisions through the twists and turns of life. The problem is that our maps are often inaccurate. Peck points out that we need to adjust our maps—our understanding of how life works—according to the reality of our lives. Too often...