Role Playing

About the Book

In the struggle for human liberation, no question is more important than the question of identity. The conventional identity, so important in protecting our vulnerability during childhood, is the chief obstacle to our real Identity, much as the dragon of myth and legend guards a hoard of gold. The secret to undermining the hegemony of this false identity is to understand it as an activity, not an entity, an activity comprised of a collection of roles we play in life. And in the attempt to obtain this understanding no approach is more relevant or useful than the study of acting, a study that explores how an actor learns to inhabit his character roles authentically. In the compelling nature of this authenticity we can discover an echo of what it would mean to inhabit our own roles consciously, as awakened and so authentic human beings.

About the Author

Gary Bryant is an ordained priest, a hospice chaplain, and a lifetime student of dramatic theory and practice. He has several graduate degrees, having studied at Rice University, The University of Chicago, and Harvard University. Gary is also the author of a trilogy published by Balboa Press, Invicti Solis, The Liberation of Thought, and The Sickness of Effort. Role Playing is intended to be a continuation of that trilogy, all four books designed to explore the universal search for liberation and immortality. With 30 years experience in spiritual traditions, Gary is also interested in how best to connect the world of being and the world of daily living. He is also past President of The Prometheus Society, past Membership Officer of The Triple Nine Society, former associate of the International Society for Philosophical Enquiry (ISPE), former lifetime member of Mensa, and a current member of the on line Four Sigma Society. Gary enjoys participating in athletic activities with his wife, with whom he resides in the Houston metro area.