Welcome back.......
Recently read "The Great Divorce" by C.S. Lewis -- aka the writer of "The Chronicles of Narnia".
This is a book that was recommended to me by my buddy Ciaran, who wrote a post on RSD Nation called "The Cartography Of Hell".
The premise of this book is kind of intriguing.
Basically, the narrator has died and now finds himself in Hell.
Hell itself is ever-expansive, as the people there can wander as far as they want and create their own realities.
Anyway, the author has an opportunity to take a magical bus ride up to the foothills of heaven. The bus flies upwards, and as it does, the narrator talks to everyone on the bus about their experiences.
This is a book of fiction so I won't throw out any spoilers here, but basically everyone he talks to has all sorts of rationalizations about their lives that are keeping them deadlocked in Hell.
If they can relieve themselves of their rationalizations -- aka "stories they tell themselves to feel justified / victimized / abused / etc -- then they'll make it to heaven.
Instead, they choose to remain in Hell and stay in their comfort zone.
The book itself is actually a Christian novel, however it's applicable to anyone and everyone. I enjoy checking out ideas of various religions so the Christian aspect was cool for me.
There's a lot of great metaphor at the end about how small Hell really is, but how BIG it seems when you're stuck in it.
The book itself is VERY short, so if you're curious about it you can plow through it in a few hours in your spare time.
C.S. Lewis himself was an incredible thinker, so being exposed to his stuff is never a bad thing.
Recommended.
Tyler
Saturday, March 31, 2007
C.S. Lewis - The Great Divorce
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8 comments:
Was emailed a link to this blog, Tyler we met a few years ago at RSD in Sydney, the program seems to have developed well.
What a great thinker to link into a community devoted to personal growth! A champion of robust emotional and spritual self-reliance and personal transcendence.
Another thinker and writer worth appreciating is GK Chesterton, a sample follows:
"Progress should mean that we are always changing the world to fit the vision, instead we are always changing the vision."
How long is RSD in town for?
Hunter_S
HunterS_NSW@hotmail.com
I think highly of those who can bring me happyness or pain.
I think lowly of those who bring mudane emotions or ones Im familiar with in my comfort zone.
I was halfway through the book when Tyler posted this. I liked it. I also liked C.S. Lewis' "Mere Christianity." It's obviously from the Christian perspective, but also incorporates some of the Power of Now ideas, such as losing your identity and ego.
Just added it to my wishlist
tyler,
interesting posts. This comment applies to all the posts basically.
You are expanding your reality, as I have been trying to- health (food and diet, natural hygiene, etc), wealth (business studies, etc) and relationshisp (this and much more). and they all interconnect holographically and feed off each other- the total is more than the sum of it's parts. and spirituality- which can only achieved through discipline and yearning and sacrifice and study
I see you as definitely someone on the path. I'm glad you shed the boy-image you had before. I adopted that for a while and looking back I didn't need it for anything
I've read the book 'fire in the belly' several years ago- it was very good- and I should perhaps read it again.
you are in argentina. I am on an organic farm in california in the mountains which is just as much outside my former reality as yours is for you, and it is following the value and calling of the heart. After this I can do organic farming anywhere- anywhere in the world. hell, organic farming is most natural- it is mass conventional that is an abberation
anyway that's just for a time, but I've changed my value system in the way that ecology is everything- at least as far as wealth goes. A business is almost corrupt or immoral in my view now if they are not sustainable and leave a devastating impact on the earth. that doesn't really apply to information age businesses like RSD, which doesn't really have much of an eco-footprint. but I see if we do not live sustainably, it can most logically mean only one thing- we are spending the wealth of future generations- that's all it can mean if what we are doing is not sustainable. These are the fruits of my thinking...my spiritual journey.
and as far as relationships go, I think I have power of attraction but I'm not using it that much- but I learned one thing- as I have been learnign more about myself I'm learning what qualities I'm looking for in a woman, a long term mate. she has to have a healthy diet-ideally live-food vegan and roughly similar values. so like I said, it's holistic, all these parts..
I ain't rationalizing shit! Or trying not to anyways
peace....
j.r.- london, 2003- wow, four years. only four years.................
gmHey Tyler mate...have u ever checked Byron Katies "the work" - my favorite book is "Loving what Is" - to me is like "The power of Now" with an simple very simple yet EFFECTIVE instruction manual. Best book my hightest votes. Perhaps you and then ur billion readers might enjoy it and we can change the world and the dating world from the inside.
Cheers from ur friend and brother, thanks for all also
Victor
Tyler,
I love the blog and you have proved to be an interesting character from what I have learned through your posts and The Game (ofcourse). I saw you recommended a favorite book of mine, The Great Divorce, and I was genuinely surprised. Most people that say they are spiritual or interested in religions only mean Eastern religions, or anything but Christianity.
I would assume you have heard of his other book, Screwtape Letters, Lewis' most famous work. But, if you haven't, I recommend it to you because if anything, Lewis shows that our problems in life start from within. From the smallest regions of the heart is where our pain and suffering begins.
Hi TD
I'm curious. Have you ever read Thick Face, Black Heart.
I started reading it recommendation from Future's post, ex-LS instructor. Got tons of social insights from there. Kinda goes beyond "boundaries" theory but I still didn't got the "calibration" or equilibrium out of the book.
I didn't search all possibilities where I could find your opinion of it. Could you give any output on this, even in the case why you didn't like it?
All good for you buddy
CG
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