Looking Ahead
To date several hundred people have learned to use Reevaluation Counseling with consistency. These people tend to think of themselves as inhabitants of a "rational island" of humans which they are helping to pull up out of the sea of irrationality in which people and civilization are struggling.
Most of these "counseling people" live in and near Seattle, but there are a few on each continent and in many states. They apply Reevaluation Counseling in their personal and family relationships, deal skillfully with their associates at work and exchange assistance with each other as they need it.
The existence of this group has great meaning for the future. The spreading use of their relationship can eventually cleanse the human community of petty antagonisms and misunderstandings which are today such a burden to the lives of everyone.
The gradual improvement in the lives of each generation of children can be accelerated into great strides forward in each generation. Thoughtful acceptance of and participation in the rational use of our wonderful planet for the benefit of all can become part of every human's life. The great irrational threats to human existence of war, prejudice, overcrowding and starvation can become relegated to the role of historical curiosities, much as we think of cannibalism and human sacrifice today.
We have seen clearly what human beings are intended to be like. We have seen a significant number of humans emerge decisively into this kind of living and behavior. The aware, effective goodness of the real human being will inspire any person who has once glimpsed it to take the workable path of discharge and reevaluation on the way to a bright future for the individual and the race.
After Thirteen Years
On the occasion of the thirteenth reprinting of this book, thirteen years after its first publication, it is perhaps proper to inform the reader of the progress of Reevaluation Counseling in the intervening years.
When The Human Side of Human Beings was first published, almost all of the people who used Reevaluation Counseling lived in or near the city of Seattle, Washington, where the work began. Chapter XXIII speaks of "several hundred" participants. That has changed greatly.
Today (January, 1978) there are sizable, organized groups of Reevaluation CoCounselors in fortyfive of the fifty United States, in seven Canadian provinces, at scores of locations in the United Kingdom, in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, at five locations in Australia, and in one or more communities in France, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Belgium, The Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Poland, Greece, Israel, Mexico, Colombia, Peru, Argentina, Guatemala, and Hong Kong. Hundreds of thousands of people participate in Reevaluation Counseling regularly.
There are now special publications for black CoCounselors, for Latino CoCounselors, for Francophone CoCounselors, and for classroom teachers, disabled persons, religious workers, "mental health" workers, Native Americans, AsianAmericans, college and university faculty, social activists, young people, older people, parents, wage workers, Jews, women, song writers, poets, and health workers.
The Human Side of Human Beings has been translated into French, German, Dutch, Danish, Spanish, Norwegian, Swedish, and Esperanto. It is presently being translated into Hebrew, Chinese, and Japanese.
The theory has developed greatly in these years. Many other books, pamphlets, and periodicals have been written and published carrying the theory and practice forward from the brief introduction presented in this book. As an introduction, however, The Human Side of Human Beings remains sound and satisfactory. We have, on two occasions, swept through it to eliminate the sexist use of male pronouns as a common gender, which has so long been endemic in the English language, but that has been all the revision needed.
It continues to be a pleasure and a satisfaction to read and reread, not only for its author, but for many, many people for whom it first opened the doors to a much more meaningful and satisfactory life.
After Twenty-Nine Years
On the occasion of the Third Edition and the twentyfifth reprinting of this book, an additional update is in order.
Today, in December 1994, several million people have participated in Reevaluation Counseling, to at least some extent.
Seventeen other books have been published taking the theory ahead from the introductory beginnings outlined in this book, and this book itself has been translated into twentyfour languages.
Classes, support groups, workshops, television and radio broadcasts, and organized Communities now exist in seventynine countries around the world.
Most satisfying of all, I still enjoy rereading The Human Side of Human Beings myself.
After Fifty-Six Years
Tim Jackins
Today, in January 2021, several hundreds of thousands of people, spread out across the world in close to a hundred countries, are participating in Re-evaluation Counseling. Many books and journals have been and continue to be published, describing the ongoing development of the ideas described in this book.
Many types of classes, support groups, workshops, and conferences have been held, and many of these are now being offered online. Many of our publications are becoming available digitally. We continue to find new ways to make this important set of ideas available to people, just as we continue to develop our understanding of them and broaden our application of them.
This small book remains a clear and simple treasure.