Tribalism isn’t new to the human experience. In fact, it’s been around as long as humankind. However, lately, the will to survive has grown with intensity and has given rise to a distorted sense of self-importance and self-indulgence. Self-interest has come to divide people and destroy a vital sense of community and civility that bonds a society.

Author Lorenzo D. Leonard has studied this phenomenon and introduces an alternative way of life: the will to live. The education, development, and practice of commendable character exposes a person’s innate qualities of good. Leonard proclaims how the attainment of personal credibility and relevance becomes less of an external focus and more of an internal fulfillment through the process of character development. However, this is only the case when an individual can put aside the will to survive and embrace the will to live. Tribalism becomes less of a concern when the qualities of transparency, accountability, integrity, and community are adopted.

The Rules of Engagement: The Will to Live vs. The Will to Survive is a deep dive into the very ideas that transition people into being more humane with one another. Within this literary body of work, readers will recognize the signs of a life lived authentically as well as the limitations that come with a distorted sense of power and superiority.