About the Book This book is about how to overcome major obstacles in your life. Your spiritual basis and the connection to that which powers the universe lies in the perception of your true spiritual self. That power is in each of us and available but well camouflaged by a myriad of unimportant and often wasteful thoughts and feelings. Finding your spiritual self will reset the ego generated mind and provide space for growth no matter what your age, status or physical condition. The Ridge Runner starts out as a narrative story depicting the turmoil experienced by the Author growing up and shows how this dysfunction created difficulties that were meant to last a lifetime. In two near death experiences that occurred fifty years apart, the author was awakened to find release from the seemingly insurmountable and grave emotional damage that had been done. The Ridge Runner explores the basic difficulties inherent to the "dark side" of hillbilly superstition, religious beliefs and addictions that established the boundaries to contain the shame, guilt and need to escape the reality that he experienced. It describes the long term effects of old ideas that prevented him from moving from the edge of insanity to become a more loving and responsible person. This journey liberates you from a world governed by logic, speed and cleverness where most act on the basis of their past and in anticipation of the next event. The false self has been infused with some of the power of our being and exists as a separate entity but inaccessible to our normal conscious awareness. This false self which he calls the ego is well hidden and protected by layers of repetitious dialogues and narratives and having access to the emotions, it will use every ploy to defend its position and survival. As we become aware that much of our early indoctrination was based on false teachings designed to enslave and perpetuate a system governed by fear, we experience the full wrath of the false self in physical as well as emotional upheaval. But this does not last and nothing that is based on your real self, or the good in you will be lost as that power will be transformed back into your real self. This transformation brings freedom to choose the path governed partly by your genetic make-up and by the drive to grow and evolve from the suffering inherent to the ego-based sense of self. In meditation we are able to find a time before the ego had become dominant. With an awareness of the present moment, we move between the two seemingly different worlds and find that the false self will begin to fade. The Ridge Runner provides guidance into the factors that corrupt our own natural being and allows us to define a new and more powerful vision of ourselves. Sharp uses his own illustrations to describe the situations he experienced. About the Author Samuel Sharp is a Registered Professional Engineer and has authored many technical papers, in addition to his previous book, Next Step: The Universe. Sharp has two wonderful daughters who are doctors.