Intro -- Contents -- Acknowledgments -- Author and Illustrator Biographies -- Why This Book? -- 1. Hope -- What Is Hope? -- The Thing with Feathers -- A Winning Strategy -- A Subtle Glutton -- Shameful Hopes -- Neighborhood -- Inner Strength -- 2. Death -- Eternal Life? -- A Worthwhile Life -- Dying well -- A Good Future -- Attitudes of Others -- 3. Love -- Constancy -- Models -- Eros -- Agape -- Fusion -- Love Lost -- Cynical Models -- 4. Reconciliation -- A Genuine Apology -- Mea Culpa -- Sympathy and Remorse -- Striving to Do Better -- Humility -- Forgiveness -- Too Many Apologies -- 5. Self-Management -- Sour Grapes -- Mind Control -- Pretense -- Self-Defeat -- Self-Verification -- 6. Counsel -- Count your Blessings -- Help Your Neighbor -- Don't Cry over Spilled Milk -- Express Yourself -- Eat Well -- Final Words -- Additional Teaching Materials -- Discussion Questions -- Chapter 1. Hope -- Chapter 2. Death -- Chapter 3. Love -- Chapter 4. Reconciliation -- Chapter 5. Self-Management -- Chapter 6. Counsel -- Links -- Index.
Coping is a collection of philosophical essays on how we deal with life's challenges. We hope for better times, but what is hope, and is it a good thing to hope? How do we look back and make sense of our lives in the face of death? What is the nature of love, and how do we deal with its hardships? What makes for a genuine apology, and is there too much or too little apologizing in this world? Can we bring about changes in ourselves to adapt to our circumstances? How can we make sense of all the good advice--such as, count your blessings, don't cry over spilled milk--that people have on offer?.