Seeking Wisdom on a Day to Day Basis by Clive G. Walker.
No way was optimism ever going to be allowed to shape the future. Even to suggest there was a glimmer of hope was met with a sharp rebuff.
This is an interesting collection of 6 short stories recounting actual events on various visits to either European countries or within the U.K. The commonality is a touch of philosophical resonance mixed with an element of humour, notably sarcasm and wit.
Even a search for wisdom, insight and enlightenment can produce, along its path, moments of hilarity.
This is Walker's first collection and hopefully, not his last.
Why Are Pessimists So Vocal? touches upon these infuriatingly annoying but spontaneous and unavoidable encounters with one of those oddballs suffering from verbal diarrhoea which I am sure we can all relate to and detest?!
It doesn't really matter whether it was Portugal, Spain or the moon. It can happen anywhere. The writer was at peace with the world, walking through a pine forest remarking on the beauty of nature's little pocket of paradise. The sensory imagery helps the reader to identify with this microcosm: the scent, the song of the birds and the feeling of being a million miles from civilisation. Along the Spanish/Portuguese border, Villa Real San Antonio and the Guadiana river taking the ferry to Ayamonte and back.
The intrepid traveller soldiered on with determination until he was stopped in his tracks by a German intrigued by Walker's S.S.Norway cap that fired him into lecturing our hero on the moral failings of the world and the international war crimes destroying the tranquility of a perfectly wonderful day.
Maybe he's a former SS officer or a new breed of neo Nazi, a student of the school of Socrates?
His barbed comments on the decadent society of the west was depressingly seen as an obsession with money, materialism, t.v. and shagging. No comment.
It's decadent, has no morality, no true direction and no long term future.
How to spoil a holiday. A perfectly orchestrated 20 minute lecture. Annihilation? Armageddon? You've got the drift. The lecture started with the 40s, then covered the second world war before moving to the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. He became known as Doom and Gloomer, alias Herr Miserables.
Ironically, the return ferry to Portugal seemed like an action replay with the arrival of another PESSIMIST meditating on the world being on the brink of disaster but vocally.
They won't be happy 'till everything's dead.
Two in the same day was an uncanny coincidence, hence the question: Why Are Pessimists So Vocal? Walker questions why HE always seemed to be sharing space with such resigned pessimists, these gloomy people. He reaches a simple answer-maybe he just spends too much time on ferries, buses or in woods and that if there are any optimists out there they are seen as a pretty rare breed, unusually quiet.
Is It All Just Vanity? begins with disembarkation from Pula airport after the former Yugoslavia tore itself apart in bloody conflict. The story covers a decade later when British tourists were reluctant to return. Walker describes being escorted to the plane with these fierce looking dudes more akin to ex-secret service agents as a sort of Hawaiian welcome in reverse.
The reflection or philosophical angle is how small the world looks through the windows of the plane and the insignificance of humans.
I felt miniature, negligible, unimportant.
Don't we know the feeling? And the question of how we believe in our own importance, that we ARE at the centre of the earth, believing it's man's vanity-his inflated vanity. We have choices. We can choose between good and evil deeds. Creativity or destruction with a final and positive remark:
We can choose, hopefully, to build a free thinking and inspirational world.
The story builds up to a climax with the sudden and shocking revelation of copious amounts of oil spurting out of the engine and seeing himself as a condemned man as the plane bursts into flames...............................
Perhaps we should tolerate Herr Miserables? If I had a choice I would prefer the 20 minute lecture than hoping that divine intervention can save me from an explosion that will wipe out lives.
Out, out, brief candle!
Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage
And then is heard no more.
The book is dedicated to all of you who seek wisdom. Thought-provoking and interesting. And I am sure you can recognise the quotation!
Available on ereader and kindle (Amazon).
COPYRIGHT 2013. Permission must be obtained from the author before any of this review is reproduced.
Even a search for wisdom, insight and enlightenment can produce, along its path, moments of hilarity.
This is Walker's first collection and hopefully, not his last.
Why Are Pessimists So Vocal? touches upon these infuriatingly annoying but spontaneous and unavoidable encounters with one of those oddballs suffering from verbal diarrhoea which I am sure we can all relate to and detest?!
It doesn't really matter whether it was Portugal, Spain or the moon. It can happen anywhere. The writer was at peace with the world, walking through a pine forest remarking on the beauty of nature's little pocket of paradise. The sensory imagery helps the reader to identify with this microcosm: the scent, the song of the birds and the feeling of being a million miles from civilisation. Along the Spanish/Portuguese border, Villa Real San Antonio and the Guadiana river taking the ferry to Ayamonte and back.
The intrepid traveller soldiered on with determination until he was stopped in his tracks by a German intrigued by Walker's S.S.Norway cap that fired him into lecturing our hero on the moral failings of the world and the international war crimes destroying the tranquility of a perfectly wonderful day.
Maybe he's a former SS officer or a new breed of neo Nazi, a student of the school of Socrates?
His barbed comments on the decadent society of the west was depressingly seen as an obsession with money, materialism, t.v. and shagging. No comment.
It's decadent, has no morality, no true direction and no long term future.
How to spoil a holiday. A perfectly orchestrated 20 minute lecture. Annihilation? Armageddon? You've got the drift. The lecture started with the 40s, then covered the second world war before moving to the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. He became known as Doom and Gloomer, alias Herr Miserables.
Ironically, the return ferry to Portugal seemed like an action replay with the arrival of another PESSIMIST meditating on the world being on the brink of disaster but vocally.
They won't be happy 'till everything's dead.
Two in the same day was an uncanny coincidence, hence the question: Why Are Pessimists So Vocal? Walker questions why HE always seemed to be sharing space with such resigned pessimists, these gloomy people. He reaches a simple answer-maybe he just spends too much time on ferries, buses or in woods and that if there are any optimists out there they are seen as a pretty rare breed, unusually quiet.
Is It All Just Vanity? begins with disembarkation from Pula airport after the former Yugoslavia tore itself apart in bloody conflict. The story covers a decade later when British tourists were reluctant to return. Walker describes being escorted to the plane with these fierce looking dudes more akin to ex-secret service agents as a sort of Hawaiian welcome in reverse.
The reflection or philosophical angle is how small the world looks through the windows of the plane and the insignificance of humans.
I felt miniature, negligible, unimportant.
Don't we know the feeling? And the question of how we believe in our own importance, that we ARE at the centre of the earth, believing it's man's vanity-his inflated vanity. We have choices. We can choose between good and evil deeds. Creativity or destruction with a final and positive remark:
We can choose, hopefully, to build a free thinking and inspirational world.
The story builds up to a climax with the sudden and shocking revelation of copious amounts of oil spurting out of the engine and seeing himself as a condemned man as the plane bursts into flames...............................
Perhaps we should tolerate Herr Miserables? If I had a choice I would prefer the 20 minute lecture than hoping that divine intervention can save me from an explosion that will wipe out lives.
Out, out, brief candle!
Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage
And then is heard no more.
The book is dedicated to all of you who seek wisdom. Thought-provoking and interesting. And I am sure you can recognise the quotation!
Available on ereader and kindle (Amazon).
COPYRIGHT 2013. Permission must be obtained from the author before any of this review is reproduced.
I would like to thank Carol for her time and effort in compiling this review. It very much highlights the book's main aim of revealing (through a collection of short stories) moments of insight along with a fair share of humour and wit. As the author I particularly enjoyed writing the short story 'Where There's a Will There's a Way'. I have very fond memories of that little adventure. Thanks again.
ReplyDeleteI hope that people take the time to download to kindle in order to be able to read this.It is well worth reading. There will be another Clive G Walker review in the near future.
ReplyDelete