Many of the general statements Matthew Kelly makes about human nature and relationships, vulnerability and humility are extremely accurate. Since he started his ministry at the age of nineteen, he’s observed quite a bit, read and experienced a good deal, and has gleaned from all three of these elements in order to fine-tune his talk.
In this particular DVD, he’s talking to a group of people at a Catholic Singles Conference. He adeptly weaves in the theme of cultural bias against people who are single, and why not to buy into it. He also underlines some major misconceptions our culture promotes that cause trouble in our relationships. Three of the big ones Kelly spends time on are: 1.) Good relationships are based mainly on common interests. 2.) Understanding is what makes a relationship really work. 3.) In a good relationship, there is no conflict.
Kelly explains why good relationships are instead based on a common purpose which he defines as becoming the best version of ourselves and helping others become the best versions of themselves. He shows how it is acceptance and healthy conflict that make for strong relationships rather than understanding and the absence of any disagreement.
This gentleman from Australia is certainly a very experienced, well-polished public speaker. I might have to say in some cases that his CDs and DVDs are in some ways better than his books, which cover much of the same material. The technique of repeating, summarizing, and repeating again while giving a talk seems wise and effective, whereas laboring over the same points in a book as many times as you would in a speech seems sloppy.
Truthfully, the only problem my husband and I had with the DVD is that the sound quality was really bad. If Matthew Kelly weren’t such a good speaker, my husband, a former sound man for bands and studio owner, wouldn’t have been able to sit and listen to the background noise and interference on the DVD.
I recommend this DVD for singles, couples, consecrated religious, priests, and anyone who is interested in improving any and all of their relationships.
You can purchase this DVD here. I wrote this review of Seven Levels of Intimacy: The Joy of Loving and Being Loved (DVD) for the Tiber River Blogger Review program. Tiber River is the first Catholic book review site, started in 2000 to help you make informed decisions about Catholic book purchases. I receive free product samples as compensation for writing reviews for Tiber River.
