A NEW SPIRITUALITY

Virtual Valley—Meaning Meadow—Blind Commitment Cave. The stuff of dreams. This story is not real; it is a fantasy quest. In a new book, Wiley’s Discovery, Wiley is traveling by train to his doctor’s office. He may face news that his death is imminent. On the trip Wiley drifts to sleep and dreams of a search for God and meaning. However, as a skeptic, Wiley is not sure God actually exists. We follow his adventure because we ourselves may also wonder about the existence of God and the meaning of life.

This book envisions a fantasy world, a world that makes it easy for the reader to realize and appreciate varying points of view. Fantasy provides a light touch that is not only valuable but also entertaining.

In a dream world of misting fog Wiley comes across a graveyard. One of the seventy illustrations by Anita Jones of Another Jones Graphics shows headstones with strange inscriptions: “No Meaning of Life”—“No Significance”—“Ask and No Answer”

Wiley says to himself, “My breath. I blow, and the air barely moves. Mist—damp nothing. Nothing exists. I don’t exist? Gone? Gone—life over, and it didn’t mean a thing?”

In times of difficulty many of us may also wonder what it all means. We may puzzle about the significance of life and its vicissitudes. I know that the death of my parents when I was a few weeks old led me to question about the meaning of life.

Wiley’s quest begins. He is looking for the meaning of existence and the significance of his life. Would it have been in a commitment to God? But Wiley is a skeptic. He has doubt that God exists. In his quest he meets a variety of fantasy characters with different orientations in life. Crying hyena has a life of despair. Allen, the Erudite Ant, is methodical and skeptical. Grasshopper has strong faith and is self-righteous in the assuredness that faith gives him. Beaver is an empathetic character who has calm faith with humility and openness. He is even open to uncertainty; he values his openness to doubt. Beaver tells Wiley to accept that doubt is a worthwhile attribute, not something to be shunned.

Beaver’s outlook about doubt reflects mine. In childhood I was exposed to Jewish, Protestant, and Catholic orientations. This mix of religions was puzzling and led me to value an openness to doubt.

In the next chapter, Virtual Valley, we are reminded of the chaotic path that life sometimes takes and recall that life has vulnerabilities. We all have rocky courses at some time in our lives. My course of life has not been smooth. I’ve had two divorces, and at times my skills did not match the needs of work positions.

The Blind Commitment Cave chapter parodies a rigid mind-set, that is, an outlook of blind, unquestioning commitment to one cause or another.

In Meaning Meadow Wiley comes across characters that have a wide variety of orientations on the meaning of life. Examples: one character finds meaning in the fulfillment of duties, another in expression of power, another in the experience of spirituality.

The beings in the Sunshine Hill chapter extol fundamental values that can be central to a life of fulfillment, and they show how openness, including openness to doubt, relates to belief or non-belief in God. A surprising finding is revealed on how the search for meaning of existence can be seen in relation to an outlook of thankfulness. This is at the heart of a new way of being spiritual.

The last chapter describes a showdown between the forces of narrowed self-righteousness and those who center on the fulfilling worth of openness and thankfulness. The chapter ends with Wiley waking from his dream. With his return to the ordinary world Wiley recalls valuable insights from his dream.

The tone of Wiley’s Discovery is openness, an open receptivity to many points of view. There are significant insights for many with varying orientations, including those who:

• are skeptical of claims about the supernatural. They can be comfortable with the symbolic God that is described.
• choose to not use “God talk.” These are presented with an outlook that is valid and worthwhile.
• have faith in a supernatural realm. They will appreciate the Beaver and Marmot sections and some of the Thespian Scorpion section.

Wiley’s Discovery presents ways of looking at the world and the meaning of existence that is refreshing and valuable.

Childhood exposure to a mix of religions stimulated my interest in the meaning of life, possible non-existence of God, and fundamental values. Since retirement from medical practice I have explored these subjects. The quest has been worthwhile. Valuable insights in my third book, Wiley’s Discovery, can be rewarding for many with a variety of religious orientations.

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