The Shelly Wilson Show

A Professor of Sociology, exceptional classroom teacher and inspirational speaker, Dr. Padilla’s quest for the authentic self began about fifteen years ago. At the time, his life experienced a most radical transformation: his advocacy for students’ well-being and interests forced him to change universities three times within a period of five years. He was led to the realm of spirituality where ...he had never been. It was within this newly found context of spirituality that the initial idea for writing The Struggle for the Authentic Self came to him. For four years, Dr. Padilla worked in the writing of the book, creating a fusion between the social sciences and spirituality to develop a most powerful and inspirational story of ambition and daring for becoming the true, authentic person who truly lives in freedom, self-fulfillment and actualization, the kind of person who makes a difference in the human world. The Struggle for the Authentic Self is not a self help book in the conventional sense. It is highly original, deeply grounded in both social science knowledge and understanding as well as in spiritual wisdom and practice. As such, the book was not prepared to preach at readers. Instead, it aims to awaken them to the greatness of the authentic self, a greatness that takes “struggle” or a conscious battle to bring forth in a society where most people live in-authentic lives, that is, where most people live in false consciousness.