vitalwholeness

As far as books and movies go, I often do them in reverse order: I’ve missed the book, catch the movie based on the book, and then go back and pick up the book. Such was the case with The Life of Pi.

The movie is a masterpiece of fancy. Its cinematography is stunning. And the plot is as fascinating as that of the book. Speaking of the book, this gem by Yan Martel is so, well, pleasurable. If you have the slightest interest in things religious or philosophical it will slide on like an old shoe. And he writes in such a way that you want to turn to the next chapter; that’s how his plot pulls you along through its first person description of his life.

Time to share a golden nugget:

“Atheists are my brothers and sisters of a different faith, and every word they speak speaks of faith. Like me, they go as far as the legs of reason will carry them – and then they leap.

I’ll be honest about it. It is not atheists who get stuck in my craw, but agnostics. Doubt is useful for a while. We must all pass through the garden of Gethsemane. If Christ played with doubt, so must we. If Christ spent an anguished night in prayer, if He burst out from the cross, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’ then surely we are also permitted doubt. But we must move on. To choose doubt as a philosophy of life is akin to choosing immobility as a means of transportation.” (28)