Subtle Steps On The Other Side: Dichotomous Deliberations

By Peter Bell

HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED WHAT ANT COLONIES, COMETS IN SPACE, ANCIENT VOLCANOS AND A SPIRITED FIVE-YEAR-OLD COULD TEACH YOU ABOUT YOUR WELLBEING? 

This and many other interconnected ingredients of existence are examined with creative curiosity in Peter Bell's exceptional work - Subtle Steps on the Other Side - Dichotomous Deliberations.<

• Language: English
• Publisher: Shawline Publishing Group
• Release date: Oct 25, 2022
• ISBN: 9781922850386

Peter Bell

Peter Bell is the owner of Aurelius, a management consulting firm that acts as a strategic advisor to other like-minded businesses, teams and individuals. His interconnected skills in town planning, economics, data, technology, human behaviour, and business strategy are widely sought to guide informed decision making. This unique fusion of skills can uncover non-linear, or hidden insights, often contained within complex environments. He enjoys music, especially the variety that contains complicated, off beat drum patterns and rhythms. Peter is passionate about breaking down the stigma associated with mental illness and bringing the subject of suicide out into the open. Peter's first book 'Stepping out the Other Side - finding purpose through adversity' was awarded a gold status by the Nonfiction Authors Association Book Awards Program.Peter lives in Brisbane, Queensland with his wife and daughter who are his everything.

Book preview

Subtle Steps On The Other Side © 2022 Peter Bell.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author. The only exception is by a reviewer, who may quote short excerpts in a review.

This is a work of nonfiction. The events and conversations in this book have been set down to the best of the author’s ability, although some names and details may have been changed to protect the privacy of individuals. Every effort has been made to trace or contact all copyright holders. The publishers will be pleased to make good any omissions or rectify any mistakes brought to their attention at the earliest opportunity.

Printed in Australia

Cover design by Shawline Publishing Group Pty Ltd

Images in this book are the copyright of Shawline Publishing Group Pty Ltd

Illustrations within this book are the copyright of Shawline Publishing Group Pty Ltd

First Printing: October 2022

Shawline Publishing Group Pty Ltd

www.shawlinepublishing.com.au

Paperback ISBN 978-1-9228-5031-7

eBook ISBN 9-781-9-228-5038-6

PRAISE FOR SUBTLE STEPS ON THE OTHER SIDE

‘Simplicity On The Far Side Of Complexity. This was the name of the album I wrote and recorded in Berlin in 2008. Not dissimilar to Peter, my world was complex, but I wanted it so much to be simple. I asked my good mate, the author of this book – Peter Bell, if he could play drums on one of the songs. We had spent hours playing in his parents’ garage as teenagers thinking we were rockstars. Peter had helped shape my love of music, for me it was a dream to have him take part in the album in some way. We were now almost thirty years old. He agreed to do it. Not virtually, but in person. He came to Berlin from Australia, learnt the song and laid down the drums in like three days from memory. This included a live performance at an open mic night in some dodgy backstreet bar in Berlin. Finally – we were both international rockstars.

Peter continues to be a rockstar in my mind. He is an intellectual rockstar. A philosophical rockstar and a humanistic rockstar. I have known Peter for over twenty-five years and I adore the man. When you first meet someone, you don’t fully understand why your spirits align. Often, it can just be a few shared interests, or in our case, a similar bus timetable. As time evolves you start to understand it more. Peter has seen me at my worse and he has seen me at my best. He has never judged me, he has only ever offered wisdom, support and kindness, which he continues to do. I read his first book, Stepping out the Other Side – finding purpose through adversity, in reverse. It is rare that you get that type of insight into a close friend’s inner thoughts. His courage in this book now lives into perpetuity and I encourage you to read it also, perhaps starting at page one however!

In this most recent book, Subtle Steps on the Other Side, Peter has elevated to another realm and status. The book references the perfect use of quotes like, ‘Truth was the only daughter of time’ by Leonardo da Vinci in order to strengthen the meaning of his own wisdom throughout this masterpiece.

Subtle Steps on the Other Side is a dissertation of the human mind that speculates around important questions like why the band Radiohead called their album ‘The Bends’, or why the 1985 movie The Goonies was never remade in the modern era? I enjoyed it immensely and I am sure you will also. In this uncertain world one thing is certain – soon Peter will be writing books without quoting others, because others will be quoting him.’

Paul Matthew Gordon – Anonymous Poets Of Our Time

‘The writings of author Pete Bell in his first book Stepping out the Other Side – finding purpose through adversity was a magnificent example of uncomplicating the very complex methodology of what transpires in our minds, and when chemically imbalanced, can result in one of modern societies greatest challenges; mental health.

Helping to grasp a basic understanding of this complex issue, Pete delivers an insight into what a lot of people suffer, how it may be treated, and an example of how it may be managed. Pete’s courage to disclose his inner-most feelings within the pages of this first book demonstrates commitment to sharing this experience, and hopefully helping others along that journey.

His second penning, Subtle Steps on the Other Side, takes the reader on a journey of further enlightenment of this complex issue and examines how the ‘complex’ may be morphed into a more understandable ‘complicated’ set of circumstances. The author’s description around the complex being found in the impossible to solve pile, compared to the complicated which is found in the possible to solve pile, can encourage real solutions, real healing, and real lives to be understood, enjoyed, and…ultimately saved.’

Allan Larkin – Digital Infratech

‘When I first read Stepping out the Other Side – finding purpose through adversity, I was introduced to a side of Pete Bell that I had yet to come to know: a person who had battled with mental (brain) health issues and come out the other side stronger, wiser and healthier. And better yet, Pete was somehow able, through his writing, to shine a light – with courageous vulnerability – on how others might do the same. This is a feat of gigantic proportions.

Now, having read Subtle Steps on the Other Side, I’ve again found myself being introduced to another side of Pete that I have yet to fully know: the philosopher, the creative genius, and the wise seer. It’s a rare individual who manages to carefully and intelligently navigate the complex world that lies beyond the all-too dichotomous realities we often inhabit, but nonetheless, once one comes upon such an individual, one must cherish him and seek his counsel, for he has arrived at a place where few have been, and what he sees is valuable beyond comprehension.

And so now I ask you, the reader, to do just this: to cherish the insights you’ll read throughout these pages, to return to them, and to keep careful watch over your own life, even that you might remain in the world that Pete has presented to you here – a world where good questions are more important than simple answers, where complexity beckons rather than stifles, and where creative exploration replaces the play we so loved in our youth.’

Simon J Drew – The Walled Garden

‘Pete, thanks for sharing your book Subtle Steps on the Other Side. Your willingness to share your story so articulately and find ways to make sense of things that are normally bundled together in ways that actually stop them making sense, is very powerful.

I love the journey you took me through in the book. It is a bit like exploring an advent calendar. Each section providing a new window into a different story and insight, illustrated with a familiar picture (music, contemporary culture, cars, technology) that situates it cleverly in a time and place – in a way that let me put myself into the picture as well. I can almost smell the vinyl of the Holden Gemini. Each anecdote is supported by a ‘gift’ of a philosophical explanation that helps makes sense of each experience in context.

I have to say that my favourite section was probably that in which your five year old daughter confidently responds to Cindy Lauper’s song ‘Girls Just Wanna Have Fun’. Go Girl!

Your insight at the end of the book, that by sharing your experiences overcame boundaries with the people you’ve worked with, is probably the most important take-away from the book for me. Your openness and vulnerability in person, and in writing, has set a tone for our work team and created a culture that is probably more supportive than any I have witnessed in any other organisation.’

Professor Susan Nancarrow – HealthWork International

‘Twelve years ago I lost two of my best mates to suicide three months apart.

This experience was simply horrible and mind numbing. So many unanswered questions.

Processing these two tragedies, you find yourself opening up to this world and taking in information about mental health. Asking questions about what mental health is, why is mental health so important and how can we, or I, do better.

One facet that is so important to good mental wellness is vulnerability. The ability of a person to open up, to come forward and speak up, or speak out. The ability to put trust in another and share emotions and feelings without being judged. This vulnerability is Pete Bell and he exposes this trait throughout this entire book. Pete’s courage to genuinely take action, to write about his troubles and journey is truly inspiring, however, to then pivot and create a book that poses questions and makes you reflect is just pure wellness magic.

I found this book so educational and an easy read. Thank you for being such a real person and speaking up, Pete. This book will go on to make a difference in this world.’

Wesley Tudor Vasile – The Mental Awareness Foundation

‘A twenty-first century real and unashamedly sized family man (and top bloke to boot) with modern traits of a philosophical Marcus Aurelius, an artistic Pablo Picasso, a polymath Leonardo da Vinci and a dancing Fred Astaire.

Peter Bell has shown again with Subtle Steps on the Other Side his innate ability to articulate and converse modern life’s complex questions into layman’s terms and bring the wisdom of the ancient philosophers and ground-breaking scientists into the digital age in a raw and unfiltered lens.

Quite possibly, and highly likely, the first (and last) book to ever cover the diverse subject matters including the lack of a Goonies sequel, Wayne’s World and the quest for love, Nirvana’s classic Nevermind album, the Star Wars saga, the loved and cult figure Australian Cricketer David Boon, the brilliant Stephen Hawking, the evolutionary Charles Darwin, the iconic Cyndi Lauper and a childhood Halley’s Comet siting together in the same opus.

Both of Peter’s books should be proudly shared to a wider audience to break down the stigma of mental health in today’s society – particularly following the recent pressures induced by the Covid-19 global pandemic – and offer readers a guiding light to discover and